Nameless Women of The Bible

By Susan Maluschka

Eve, Sarah, Ruth, Mary""we are very familiar with these biblical women and we know their stories by heart, but what about the women we are not given names for? There are many women in the Bible that give us their stories, but we have no idea what their name is. Some were positive role models in showing us how to live Christian lives, and some were examples of what not to do. It doesn't matter if their contribution takes up a paragraph or a single sentence; we can learn from these nameless women. This study will help you to put yourself in their shoes. These wives, daughters, and mothers each played a part in God's plan for the world and have a story to tell. By going through each instance carefully, we might begin to see them in a different light and discover a lesson we didn't even know was there. Everyone plays a part in God's plan for this world, and it's time these ladies received some recognition for their efforts. Nameless Women of the Bible is a twelve-part study that looks deeper into the stories of these women, from their family relationships to the impact their actions have on the community. Once again, their actions speak, and we have only to listen and learn.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 27, 2020
• ISBN: 9781098014797

Book preview

The Pharaoh’s Daughter

Aladdin : Wow. The palace looks pretty amazing, huh?

Princess Jasmine : [glumly] Oh…It’s wonderful.

Aladdin: I wonder what it’d be like to live there and have servants and valets.

Princess Jasmine: Oh, sure. People who tell you where to go and how to dress.

Aladdin: That’s better than here. You’re always scraping for food and ducking the guards.

Princess Jasmine: You’re not free to make your own choices.

Aladdin: Sometimes you feel so…

Princess Jasmine: You’re just…

Aladdin and Princess Jasmine: …trapped.

—Scene from Disney’s Aladdin, 1992

Life in a palace. We can only imagine what it’s like. Well, we used to have to imagine it but not anymore thanks to the press bombarding us with news of royalty in England. Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, their husbands, kids, activities, clothes, etc.—the list goes on. We should all be experts by now on the life of royalty. Here we have another story of a royal princess, but her life was not as easy as we would have imagined.

Read Exodus 2:1–10.

In this text, there are five main people mentioned but only one at the very end is given a name. Why do you think that is?

Do we ever tell stories without using names? Does it make a difference?

Before we look too deeply into this, let’s review the circumstances immediately preceding this event. Read Exodus 1:15–22. It’s interesting to note here that the midwives are given names but the king, or Pharaoh, is not. Why do you think that is? (For a hint, see Luke 1:52 and Proverbs 10:7.)

There is a royal decree that all Hebrew male children must be killed at their birth. Continuing on with chapter 2, we see a Hebrew woman who already had a girl and a boy. This was her third child. Did that seem to make a difference in how she treated the baby? (See Hebrews 11:23)

Read Exodus 2:3–4 again. What actions did she take? Do you think she was counting on him being found by the Pharaoh’s daughter?

Apparently this practice of leaving children out in the open was not uncommon at the time. Many ancient cultures practiced infant exposure or leaving unwanted children without care. The Pharaoh’s ruling forced a version of this despicable practice on the Israelites. What other options might this mother have had?

What impresses you most about this baby’s parents?

The daughter of the Pharaoh comes to the river to bathe and finds a baby in a basket. Do you think she knows about her father’s decree to kill all male Hebrew babies?

After realizing this was a male Hebrew child, what thoughts do you think went through her head?

We don’t know if she agreed with her father’s opinion of the Israelites or not. Would knowing her feelings one way or the other change your opinion on her actions?

Was she in any personal danger from a three-month-old baby?

Who is the true hero in this story, the mother or Pharaoh’s daughter?

Look Deeper

The baby, the mother, and Pharaoh’s daughter all had needs that were met in the end. What was the most important need that God met in this story?

Moses’ sister had the foresight to jump in right away when he was found and offer a wet nurse. The Pharaoh’s daughter unknowingly paid Moses’ mother to care for him. What does this say about how God answers prayers? (Ephesians 3:20–21)

Was this an isolated incident or did God go over and above any other time? See what the following passages tell us: