I Am Made in the Image of God: Study Notes on Women in the Bible Series

By Drs. Monique Van Helvoort

This last book in the series of study notes and insights on women in the Bible is about the most important woman in your life: you.

While writing these books, it came to me that all of the biblical women that I wrote about had life lessons to share with me and for me. It dawned on me that the Bible is about me. Inspired by the thought, I

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: Feb 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9781685562472

Book preview

I AM MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD

Study Notes on Women in the Bible Series

Drs. Monique van Helvoort

Books in This Series of Study Notes on Women in the Bible

by Drs. Monique van Helvoort

Rahab, Scarlet Woman (Book 1, August, 2019)

Leah and Rachel, Becoming Matriarchs (Book 2, April, 2020)

Eve, of Mankind (Book 3, June, 2020)

Ruth, a Friend in T-Ruth (Book 4, August, 2020)

Bathsheba: Liaison to Kings (Book 5, October, 2020)

Sincerely, Esther (Book 6, December, 2020)

I am Made in the Image of God (Book 7, December 2021)

A reader’s review:

"These books are good. I had to get used to the different sorts of insights.

They really opened my eyes to what all is in the Bible. I had never thought of the Bible as a daily life lesson book! I look up the scripture in the front of the book when specific scripture is mentioned. I start with the stories so I get an idea of what person is being discussed. Then I am intrigued for the lessons. As I read all of the six previous ones, I started giving them as presents to my friends. They each have specific lessons, so I really chose which book I wanted to give to whom. And they are beautiful table-books on top of that!"

The ideas, insights and suggestions contained in these books are not intended to substitute for professional consulting. The author respects each individual’s right to make their own decisions.

Dedication

For all the grains of sand and the breaths of air, for all the drops of water and the rays of daylight, for all the gusts of wind, for the warmth of the sun—that teach us who we are, where we are, why we are, what we are, and when it is time. She was and is no more, yet she is and will always be.

Paraphrased:

And she sat and thought, and she received, and she opened her mouth and formed words, and she created worlds, and so she taught: therefore she was, and she is, as she will be.

Acknowledgement

It is a wonderful world in which I am that I am.

I wish to acknowledge all the women who pick up their life—fill it with the daily experiences which they make by themselves during their walk on this earth, as they clear it out of some hidden debris—and live it, and keep on walking their path with Jesus while talking with Him who is their traveling companion, and all the while they are learning from all the other ones, women and men, whom they meet along their way. It is a wonderful world.

I am that woman; I am made in the image of God. I am that I am; I am Monique, and Jesus told to me to Just enjoy, so, I am.

A note of gratitude goes from me to Mr. Mingle and Mrs. Mingle-Miller, Mrs. Benson, and Mrs. Christina, for their open minds and their love for Christ as they showed it to me through the publication of the seven books in this series.

Understanding Women in the Bible: Meet: I Am Made in the Image of God

Study Notes on Their Personal Message and on the Universal Message of Their Life

Introduction

First you met Rahab, a scarlet woman in the Bible; then you got to view Leah and Rachel, both sisters and wives. Eve, the first woman of mankind, introduced herself. Ruth had her own book and was well-defined. Then followed Bathsheba, mysterious and strong, on the world stage of governance. Esther was next, and I was enthralled by the treasures she sincerely shared with me through her book in the Bible. The seven of them gave me insights into their lives, and they shared their life lessons with me to write down. They all are formidable Women in the Bible.

Then came the next one, who is in all of them and also in me. I now introduce you to this persona, this woman in the Bible: I am made in the image of God, and to all the previously described personas—those powerful women who came and visited with me.

I have studied the Bible intensely since 2006. It is something that I consider to be a big achievement, according to my own measurement of success. On my own, through others by listening and speaking to them, and by learning to listen to God’s voice better and better, I live and learn to live in a healthy and happy way. Each day is the first day of a new life.

I live in Aruba and was born in Curaçao; those are islands in the Caribbean. I went to secondary school in Aruba and studied later in the Netherlands. Among the studies was that of becoming a teacher to instruct in the English and in the Dutch language. I later studied governance and graduated with a master’s degree that carries the title drs. doctorandus in our educational system.

I choose to read and study the Bible in English (King James Version) and to support myself with Bibles in different languages and different translations. Our daily language in Aruba is Papiamento; however, the instructional language in most of the schools is Dutch. We are closely affiliated to the US, so English is used on the whole island, as is the Spanish language. All three and even four languages are part of these study notes and my insights, and together they lead to this series on insights on Women in the Bible.

The first message that my heavenly Father gave me in specific words, in 2006, came through clearly: they were para keto in Papiamento, the native language; in English that is well known as be still. And so, I did; I stood still and listened. It was only later that I encountered the biblical text "Be still and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10 KJV). That was when I was really silenced—at awe, really. It made God, the Bible, and me all so very real; and at the same time, reality became unreal. How is that so, you might ask? Let me explain how it works with me: I ponder about the character I am going to write about; I have studied it before. I sit still and think about what she would mean to the world and to me. Her reality comes to this world, and then she be-comes."

Now, after I had completed the books on the seven women, the completion of the series became a bit different than I had envisioned before. About two years ago I had a revelation while pondering on God’s Word at home. I knew that something was coming through, as I became restless; it was then that I had to make a choice. Either I would walk away and not get the insight, or I would be still and listen. I stood still. The message was a powerful one: the Bible is about me, and every story is about each one of us; it is like a guiding book. The lessons you have grasped and performed well—you surf over them, you just live them—enjoy them, yet be careful. There is in all probability a deeper insight in there that you might not have grasped as yet, and it is a future lesson, your future life, to learn. Each and every chapter and person in the Bible has a lesson that resonates with part of your life; all you have to do is to read it, study it, meditate on it, or think about it, and it will tell you the lesson that is in there—for you, for me, for each of us—a personal one.

The good thing about the Bible is that it is there for you to read—just like in school, where you can read the text before the subject is taught, so you understand the subject better when it is presented to you—you recognize it, and you can prevent "miss-takes. This specific time, the revelation came to me that the eighth character is the one closest to me; it is I am. I have known my origin for many years now, as it came to me through meditation. I never transferred it to the new insight—as the I am that came to me that I describe here—that the Bible is about me. Now I apply this insight to this book, as I received this last insight at the end of this series on all the other personas. Yes, it is the same name that is God’s; it is there also for me, as it is for you. Just listen to yourself as you introduce yourself—in my case: I am Monique van Helvoort. I am is in me. I am" made in His image, as are you.

So, in this last book in this series on women in the Bible, I will introduce this new persona, and the previous characters will join me in this study as well as in the tales, as will the great I AM.

The study notes and the thoughts I have on the character that I describe are shared in this book, written for both women and girls, and they actually have the same value for men. I wrote down my understanding, and I refer to the Biblical source, so that the reader can decide if they want to receive the knowledge I bring, and they can decide to purchase the book it if it pleases them. I write in each book from the point of view from a woman in the Bible for two reasons. The first is that I myself am a woman. The second is that I have realized that people still convince girls and women that they are limited, which is completely untrue in my belief—as I can do and be everything I want to do and be, and I stand on my own two feet. These two messages I received from my late (earthly) dad.

I wanted to share life messages for and from women of the Bible, as the Bible is the oldest universal bestselling book, so that women know that they can do everything they want to—as it was created in them to do so. I am is in all the Is in the world who wish to fine-tune themselves to listen well to God, to excel at being the I am who He created them to be.

I emphasize that the same principle counts for men. And yes, in the same way, women can learn from the male characters in the Bible. It just so happens to be that I am a woman, so I chose the women in the Bible for this purpose. As a woman or as a man, you and I can learn from their lives, as these personas and their lives are descriptions on some level of my own life—and probably of your life as well.

In each book I present you with my study notes and insights on her persona, a short fictional version of her life, the factual version of the Bible, and derived from that her personal message for us as readers. The factual Scripture of the Bible for this specific book will be from different books in the Bible; they together carry this book about the woman called I Am Made in the Image of God. It is about her; she is a woman in the Bible.

As God’s ways are unknown to me, each book received an additional part. While studying the persona, God gave me an added message with regard to the woman in her specific context. Therefore, I also share with you the message I perceived from the context that she lives in and her counterparts who are in her life, her world. I call that part a universal message. This is followed by a fictional version of the character’s new life after she has learned one or more of her personal lessons. Rahab, Leah, Rachel, Eve, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Esther will come and visit me in this book, and between all of us, we will have even more revelations to uncover. For this book I received a real universal insight on the Bible, as you will find in the persona of this book.

The choice to make this last book in this series about what I am—I Am Made in the Image of God—is led by what I tend to call my inner voice.

It is my privilege to share my study notes on these women in the Bible—on their stance, their capacities, and their abilities. The choices they made, and the consequences of these choices that they carry, which is called life. I am blessed to learn through them, and it is my wish that these books bless you as well. My purpose is to be a happy I am, who walks with God.

So, the factual life stories are from the Bible, connected with my life—with a woman’s life—and I share with you my study notes, my interpretations of the facts on these women and on their life message, and on mine. Their stories are about me as well, and as they are in the Bible, so am I— I am in the Bible.

These study notes and the messages consist of my own study insights, as I am not a clergywoman. I am, however, a student of Jesus and the Word of God.

I present to you the different aspects of I am and its connection to each woman. All of them are both biblical as well as worldly. I invite you to get to know a bit about me, and through me to get to know a bit more about them and about the great I AM, and through all of them to get to know some more about yourself. These are the facts as I see them.

Read about how I see my—and their—life as it can be, a universe created. I use the facts and create imagination for their and my life in what I call the daily life tales. One before the insights of this book, and one after lessons have been learned. I spin a tale of daily life as I imagine it. It is there to bring to life the person—my I am—into this daily world. Be prepared that the imaginary description that I introduce of a part of the character’s daily life might seem to be way out there, offensive, or even not done to your contemporary eyes. I invite you, however, to have an open mind. Be still, if it so pleases you.

Well, meet her yourself—she lived before all of us, and yet she still lives. Meet that woman: she is I am made in the image of God.

Drs. Monique van Helvoort, written in 2019-2021, published in 2021

Table of Contents

Chapter I How to Read the Study Notes on Women in the Bible 27

Chapter II Structure of Each Book 35

Chapter III The Official Biblical Text, King James Version 37

Chapter IV I Am Made in the Image of God: My Daily Life Story—an Imaginary Tale 67

Chapter V The Universal Message to I Am That I Am 77

The Different Levels and Some Mysteries to I AM THAT I AM 78

The Previous Personas and Their Attitudes toward I Am: Their Be-Atitudes 85

A Remark on I Am Made in the Image of God 94

The Meaning of Her Name and Lineage 95

Lineage of I Am That I Am 98

I Am That I Am 99

The Question: Who Am I? 101

The Answer 107

I Am, According to Me 109

Chapter VI The Seven Women and I Am 121

Rahab’s I Am 125

Rachel’s I Am 128

Leah’s I Am 132

Eve’s I Am 135

Ruth’s I Am 140

Bathsheba’s I Am 145

Esther’s I Am 148

The Eighth Woman in the Bible 152

Chapter VII Lessons from the Counterparts of the I Am-s in the Bible 157

The Women and Their Significant Other I Am-s 167

The I Am-s in Eve’s Life 168

The I Am-s in Leah’s and Rachel’s Lives 201

The I Am-s in Rahab’s Life 239

The I Am-s in Ruth’s Life 245

The I Am-s in Bathsheba’s Life 255

The I Am-s in Esther’s Life 263

Chapter VIII I Am’s Spiritual Message 269

Short Resumé of the Messages 278

Chapter IX The Unwrapping of the Presents Hidden in the Sequence of the I Am-s 289

Behind the Seven Books: The Day Before 290

The System in the Bible 299

The Present Unwrapped by the Eight Women Through the Word 302

The Sequence of Women in the Bible: Landmarks in the System 303

The New World that Esther Presents 309

A Method in the Bible 328

The Gift of the Seven Women to the Eighth Woman 335

The Gift for All I am-s 341

Chapter X Beyond the Lesson: I Am That I Am; I Am Made in the Image of God—Her Daily Life Story: an Imaginary Tale. 347

Sources of Knowledge 371

About the Author 373

Chapter I How to Read the Study Notes on Women in the Bible

In each book I repeat this manual to the book at hand, as you might be a new reader. If you are not, then you know that each book in this series is set up in the same way. The interpretation and understanding of the story and the persona that is "I am made in the image of God" below is my interpretation of her life and the lessons we can learn from that character and from my insights. You will notice that the insights are described on different levels. I use different points of view on first the persona and later the universal message of her life story as I understand it. My study notes are based on the following points of view:

Ten points of view that are used:

I read and wish to understand from a godly point of view. That is my foundation;

The literal/material facts, the story in the Bible on its face value;

My view on the psyche of the character;

My spiritual interpretation;

Having said that, as I studied the Bible and its word for the last fifteen years in a more intense way, I will use:

Intra-biblical text interpretations: understanding and knowledge of the whole book in which the person is presented in the Bible;

Inter-biblical text interpretations: understanding and knowledge that I have achieved of (repeated) biblical terms and verses;

I have a master’s degree in governance, and in the last fourteen years I have studied and used other trustworthy books or spoken with persons who have shed enlightenment on my biblical reading and spiritual growth, and on my insights and my understanding. I call that:

Universal knowledge, insights, understanding, and information that I put to use in this book;

Symbolism, through knowledge built up after the years of studying the Bible. Cambridge dictionary defines this as a noun as such: the use of symbols to represent ideas, or the meaning of something as a symbol. I started using that first in the book on Ruth, where at a certain point her counterpart Boaz is a "pre-flection" of Jesus—he symbolically represents the Messiah;

Finally, I