Come for Coffee: Women of the Bible Share their Voices

By Sue Raatjes

Come enjoy imaginary coffee breaks with 21 amazing women of the Bible. Listen as they chat about their experiences recorded in Scripture. Learn how they honored God and worked within the constraints of their ancient cultures. They loved, served, and persevered as they shared the good news of God’s grace and love.

Why are their storie

• Language: English
• Publisher: Emily Susan Raatjes
• Release date: Apr 30, 2020
• ISBN: 9780578666839

Sue Raatjes

Sue Raatjes taught English for twenty years in a large public high school where she led a team that established the Future Teachers Academy. After retiring, she pursued a career in writing and published two books-a novel, Route to Survival, and a devotional, Live Your Highlights. She taught Bible studies and classes from preschool through adults at a large church in Phoenix, where she served on the board of elders and chaired the Christian Education committee. Currently, Sue is a member of a Foster Care Review Board and volunteers at a Christian transitional housing shelter. Occasionally, she participates in the Arizona Storytellers Project through the Arizona Republic and U.S.A. Today. Sue has four grown children and ten grandchildren. She is a long-time resident of Phoenix where she lives with her husband, Bob.

Book preview

1

BETTER WITH COFFEE!

Important things happen over coffee, whether at home or at a local coffee shop. Friends connect, families hash out differences, perspective employees interview, lovers date, parents gain quiet time, and more. Community takes place.

Confession: I love coffee—the smell, the taste, the buzz, and the mood lifter. A coffee break gives permission to sit a while, take a rest from work, visit with someone, or just daydream. When my granddaughters walk into a coffee shop, they’ve been heard to say, This smells like Grandma’s house! I truly enjoy the current coffee culture.

Recently, I wondered what it would be like to chat—over coffee, of course—with some of the female characters in the Bible. What were they like? What did they think? Why did writers include their stories in the Scriptures? In his Book, God teaches important theological and practical concepts, often through the lives of very ordinary people. If we really study these lives, we can not only relate, we can learn much about God’s kingdom.

Study of the facts is not enough for me. I admire Bible characters, especially women, for their accomplishments. What really intrigues me, though, is the emotion they must have felt and the strength they demonstrated. The perfect venue to get to know these women is an imaginary coffee break.

So, join me in fictional visits with twenty-one amazing women from the Bible. We will meet them as presented in the pages of Scripture, but we will strive to relate to them as women called by God.

Don’t be afraid to put your own spin on interpreting their actions. The Bible tells their stories succinctly—you get the bare bones version. Flesh out their personalities by asking the same questions I’m asking. Engage with these women and learn from them.

You can read the following chapters several ways. They are meant to be inspirational and instructional. Hopefully, they promote conversation. Questions follow each chapter so the book can be used as a group or individual Bible study. Whatever way you use it, be uplifted in your walk as you strive to understand God’s incredible love.

As you meet these women, you may see their struggles and successes in the lives of your friends or even in your own life. Let’s allow their stories to become our stories, all shared over a cup of my favorite beverage.

2

EVE – BANISHED BUT FORGIVEN

You Are Invited…

Hi Eve,

Thanks for agreeing to come to my home next week for coffee. I understand your not wanting to go public at the local coffee shop. I promise to welcome you without judging.

Looking forward,

Sue

Hello, Eve. Please tell me your story and describe your lovely home in Eden. It was many centuries ago, but the description of the garden and your first encounter with God never gets old.

It was beautiful—perfect, actually. The garden was lush, neither too hot nor too cold. It was filled with fragrances beyond belief and had everything Adam and I needed. We took great joy in caring for this lovely place God gave us. We walked and talked with our Creator in ‘the cool of the day.’ It was blissful.

What happened to change all that?

"God gave us important instructions. Everything around us was free for us to enjoy except the fruit from a tree at the very middle of the garden. He called it the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He cautioned us, rather commanded us, not to eat of it because we would become like God and surely die."

That sounds easy. You had only one rule to obey.

You would think. But, God, in his extreme love for us, gave Adam and me the choice about deciding whether or not to obey. It’s called free will. To show our love for him, all we had to do was obey. God didn’t force us. I feel sad when I think about it.

Sad? Why?

Because I—we—made the wrong choice. That tree looked so enticing. Do you know what it’s like to feel the excitement of rebellion? The curiosity? There’s a real adrenalin rush from doing something ‘naughty,’ against the rules. Obedience seems boring compared to the temptation of understanding good and evil. Becoming like God was something irresistible. And so, we made the wrong choice, and I was the first to make that decision. The serpent (Satan) pointed out the lushness of the fruit and the enticement of knowledge. I succumbed to the temptation and ate, and then offered the fruit to Adam. Adam was right there with me. He could have stopped me or reminded me of God’s instructions, but he didn’t. We both disobeyed God.

How awful you must have felt when God discovered it.

It was terrible. We tried to hide but he is, after all, God, and he knew immediately.

The consequences were great, weren’t they?

"Greater than you can imagine. Now that we understood good and evil, we were shamed by our nakedness and our disobedience. Ultimately, God banished us from our perfectly beautiful home in the garden. We could never live there again. Worst of all was the knowledge that we brought sin into the world through our actions. We brought pain, brokenness, and death. That’s a hard pill to absorb.

Something else. My relationship with Adam changed. Before the Fall (that’s what scholars call our choice), Adam and I lived as equals—both created in the image and likeness of God. That meant we could think, feel, reason, remember, plan, appreciate beauty, and make decisions, just like the Creator. One of the consequences for me was, ‘Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.’ (Genesis 3:16) It seems women have been trying to please men ever since! I feel sad because God originally created me to please him, not a man.

What about Adam?

He suffered, too. First of all, death. God told Adam he came from dust and would return to dust. Me, too! We all are destined to decay. Not just humans, but the earth God created. Now all mankind would have to work hard in order to survive. It’s a far cry from the delight of Eden. Oh, that we could get back to that!

Tough situation. Did God abandon you?

"No. He continued to love us and care for us. He clothed us with animal skins to cover our shame and he allowed our story to show the extent of his love. He forgave us, even though we and all mankind suffer the results of our choice. Our story is the basis for the whole Bible. It is a story of love and forgiveness, even in the darkness of sin.

"Humankind has never forgiven me. Art and literature throughout the ages recorded interpretations of our story, and I’m always the villain. One writer referred to me as the Devil’s Gateway. (Sigh) As I think about it, I guess that describes me perfectly.

"Artists usually depict me as the temptress who seduces Adam into sin. It’s difficult for me, because remember, Adam was right there when I made the disastrous choice. We both disobeyed.

In spite of it all, though, I never doubted God’s love, even when he delivered the harsh consequences. He continued to walk with me as I experienced life—marriage, motherhood, survival through many sorrows, and eventually death. Yes, God forgave Adam and me. It took a long time for me to learn to forgive myself.

Let’s move on a little, Eve. What message do you have for men and women of the Twenty-first Century?

"First, free choice proves God’s love is greater than anything. We can choose to love him or reject him. We are not programmed robots. It’s like a parent who loves their child enough to give them freedom to make their own decisions.

"Secondly, anyone would have done the same as I. Even Adam and all the self-righteous men who love to blame me for sin would have made the same choice. Autonomy, being like God, tempts all of us. Many Bible scholars believe adam (small a) means mankind and includes both men and women. Adam (big A) refers to the specific man in the Creation account. I acted as a member of mankind when I gave in to temptation— something most humans would have done. That doesn’t let me off the hook, but it does show we all make selfish choices.

"The most important thing I want modern men and women to know is God’s forgiveness is real. No matter how badly we mess up, God is eager to receive us back into community with him. In kind, he expects us to do the same for others. We must let go of anger and hurt when people, especially loved-ones, stray off course. God’s incredible grace is the theme of the entire Bible. He wants to restore us and we should do the same for others.

Also, it’s important to learn to forgive yourself. I believe a lot of people struggle with this. If God can forgive me, who first sinned, then I must forgive myself and accept his great love.

Thank you, Eve. You’ve given me much to think about. I trust your story of sin and restoration will help others meet God, the Creator of that beautiful home you once inhabited. Thanks for sharing your difficult life.

Discussion Questions

Genesis 2:4-25, Genesis 3:1-24

What is your mental image of Eve?