Women of Faith and Courage: Stories of Women in the Bible and History

By Mary Walker

"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace..." (I Peter 4:10). The women whose stories are in these pages display many exceptional traits. They are wise, dependable, thrifty, energetic, and unselfish. They are good wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends. Some will stand out in one or more of these spheres, while others will shine in different areas. But there is one thing they all have in common: they were all very courageous. How do these women show their courage?

Many will exhibit grace under fire. They have a strong presence of mind. They are able to act decisively because they are sure of their convictions.

A courageous woman can say, "I'm sorry," and mean it. She is gracious.

Courageous women depend on God. They trust Him and accept His will in their lives. They are willing to accept what God gives them in their lives. When they perceive His will, they put their all into the tasks before them.

Brave women are willing to take a stand for what they believe. They will draw a line in the sand and not cross it. Unjust powers, no matter how fearsome, will not deter them from their righteous goals.

Courageous women also love others. They are unselfish. They put the needs of others ahead of their own. Their confidence in God's call in their lives is high enough to free them to be able to act independently.

Women of courage will share Christ's gospel of peace, forgiveness, joy, and love with others. We live in uncertain times. Only the courageous woman will get through the perils holding her head up high. In these stories, we have examples before us of how a victorious life can be lived.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098038519

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Women of Faith and Courage

Stories of Women in the Bible and History

Mary Walker

Copyright © 2020 by Mary Walker

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Eve—First Woman in Creation

Sarah—Wife and Mother of Patriarchs

Leah—Loved by God

Tamar—Ancestress of the Lord Jesus Christ

Deborah, Jael—Fearless for God

Bathsheba—Wife and Mother of Kings

Mary of Nazareth—Mother of Jesus

Mary of Magdala—Apostle to the Apostles

Mary of Bethany—Disciple of Jesus

The Woman at the Well—Evangelist for Jesus

Anna and the Daughters of Philip—Prophetesses

Priscilla and Phoebe—Teacher and Deacon

Macrina the Younger—Teacher and Mentor

Hildegard of Bingen—Abbess, Theologian, Musician

Elizabeth of Hungary—Patroness of the Poor

Birgitta of Sweden—Church Reformer

Marie Dentière—Writer, Theologian, Reformer

Elizabeth Fry—Prison Reform

Phillis Wheatley—African American Poet

Hannah More—Apostle to the Poor

Frances E. Willard—Righter of Wrongs

Ida B. Wells—Champion for Civil Rights

Pandita Ramabai—Greatest Woman of Nineteenth-Century India

Maggie Lena Walker—First Female Bank President

Blandina—Suffered and Died for Christ

Perpetua and Felicitas—Martyred for their Faith

Angela Merici—Champion of Education for Girls

Lottie Moon—Missionary to China

Amy Carmichael—Missionary to India

Mary Slessor—Missionary to Africa

Ahn Ei Sook—Persecuted in Korea

Gladys Aylward—Missionary in China and Beyond

Betty Stam—Martyr in China

Irene Ferrel and Ruth Hege—Martyr and Victim in Africa

Edith Stein—Blessed by the Cross

Cheryl Beckett—Martyr in Afghanistan

Acknowledgments

This book would not have been possible without the help of many people in my journey. First of all, I am thankful for my faithful, loving husband, Steve, who has supported me every step of the way.

I need to acknowledge my debt to professors and mentors. One of the most influential is Dr. Gerry Breshears, Professor of Systematic Theology at Western Seminary, who emphasized the importance of reading the whole word of God while paying careful attention to what it actually says. His counsel led directly to the writing of women’s stories from the bible in this book. Thank you, Gerry for your inspiration and wisdom.

I also owe a huge debt of thanks to my academic advisor at Portland Seminary, Dr. Dan Lioy, for his guidance throughout my doctoral studies. Without his patient and godly counsel, I would not have begun this project. Thank you, Dan for encouraging me to follow my calling to tell the stories of women in the bible and history.

While the women in this book were very courageous, I am not. I am well aware of my shortcomings. Without the encouragement of a wise and sympathetic mentor, Dr. Jason Clark, Portland Seminary, I would not have stepped out in faith trusting God to carry me through this project. Thank you, Jason for inspiring me to follow Christ with a whole heart.

Thank you, Carla Foote for editing many of the stories from the bible. Your wise comments were invaluable to me, making this book far better. The reader should note that any inadequacies in the book are entirely my own.

My prayer is that the stories of women of faith and courage will embolden men and women as they seek to obey Christ’s great commission to the church—taking the gospel of peace, love, joy, forgiveness, and reconciliation to the lost.

Introduction

Felicitas was fully aware of the costs of serving the Lord. Her husband had already died, probably as a martyr, when we come into our story.

The year is AD 164. Emperor Antonius Pius was persecuting Christians in Rome. Felicitas was living her Christian life quietly but faithfully. A wealthy widow, she provided food for the hungry and shelter for the homeless. The kingdom of God was advancing in this dark land. She had won many of her neighbors to Christ, and that angered the pagan religious leaders. The new converts renounced their worship of the false gods in Rome. The heathen priests who feared losing power and influence plotted against her. They had her arrested as a traitor.

The emperor turned her case over to Publius, the chief magistrate in Rome. Publius knew that Felicitas was a highly respected woman, and he wanted to spare her life. He called Felicitas and her seven sons to his house for a private meeting and tried to convince them to forsake their Christianity. He demanded that they make sacrifices to the heathen gods or suffer the consequences. Publius thought that if he threatened Felicitas’s sons, she would relent. But her reply shows the courage of her faith and complete trust in Jesus Christ. If, replied Felicitas calmly, my children are faithful to Christ, they will attain eternal life with me. If from fear of death they should sacrifice to idols, they can expect nothing but death eternal.

Publius was furious and decided to press her by ordering the deaths of her seven sons, one by one. First, her eldest son Januarius was beaten to death with cords and ropes that had balls of lead attached while Felicitas was forced to watch. He did not give in but forgave his murderers and professed his faith in Christ. Each of his brothers followed in succession. They knew that it was their calling to maintain their faith in God’s mercy and grace, even if it cost them their lives. Each of them knew that their mother would refuse to make the heathen sacrifice no matter the cost. Second, they beat Felix and Philippus with rods. Angry that Felicitas still refused to make sacrifice, they threw Silvanus head first over a precipice, and he died on impact with the ground. Then they beheaded Alexander, Vitalis, and Martialis, all at the same time, as if they had grown tired of slaughter and simply wanted to be done with the task. Finally, when Felicitas still refused to make sacrifice, they threw her into prison hoping that she would think about her death and change her mind. When she was brought again to face Publius, she stood firm in the faith that had cost the lives of her seven sons. She was grateful that her teaching of her sons had been effectual, and none of them denied Christ. She knew she would see them again in heaven. Finally, Felicitas, who never recanted her faith, was executed four months later. After Felicitas was martyred, a great many more people were won to Christ when they saw her courage and faith.

Throughout the Bible and history, we see that each and every Christian woman has received a call to serve in the kingdom of God. It is true that for many women, this calling will be as wives and mothers. But for other women, the call will extend outside of their homes. Some will be asked by God to give up many things, maybe even their lives, to serve in His kingdom.

Most church history textbooks ignore the stories of women, leaving us with the idea that women did next to nothing. According to these authors, God only used women when He had to, but they were second best. One of the purposes of this book is to show that this is not true. In this book, we will demonstrate that thousands of women have served faithfully in ways that have resulted in a better life for millions of people.

Christ’s last instructions to the church were to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. That’s a really big job. It will take all of the soldiers of Christ working together selflessly to accomplish the task. We don’t have to do the job alone! Before He ascended back to heaven, Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would come and empower all believers with the ability to take the His gospel of peace, forgiveness, joy, and love to all nations.

The apostle Peter explained:

No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: In the last days, God says, I will pour out my spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33)

As children of God, if we seek first the kingdom, we will not have to be anxious for our own lives. We will be free to spend the time thinking of others. As we share the love of Jesus, the kingdom will spread. Christians are all—male and female—children of God who are serving Him in whatever way He has called them. Half of the so great a cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1) consists of women, and God has moved many women throughout history to serve Him in the home and out of the home.

In an effort to show that this is true, we are presenting stories of committed, courageous, and compassionate women throughout history. God’s Word is paramount for most Christians, and so we will start with women in the Bible. We will then move through history, recounting the lost stories of those faithful and courageous women who have been forgotten.

This book is divided into three sections as follows:

Section 1: God’s Female Servants in the Bible

Christians stand on the Word of God as the rule for faith and practice. It is important for us to start with stories from the Bible. Careful attention will be paid to the Scripture readings. It will be startling enough to see that many popular ideas about women in the Bible are wrong; faithfulness to God’s Word and a willingness to learn what God has to say about His female servants will teach us the truth about how God calls and enables His daughters for ministry.

Section 2: Women Who Transformed Their Culture

Women have selflessly served humanity for thousands of years. If women are not doing their part serving in the kingdom of God, then what might the consequences be? Might the extent of problems, like the horrific trafficking in women, be at least partly the fault of a church that sees women as secondary humans? If Christians were to follow Christ as their example, would they not have a better testimony and a better message to give to the world? Stories of women who rose above their circumstances to serve Christ by serving others are inspiring. We will relate the stories of a mere twelve women from among the many thousands available.

Section 3: Women Who Gave Their All for Christ

What does the Bible have to say about women as ambassadors for the gospel? Has God indeed used women in ministry in His kingdom throughout history? Many women followed their call to take the gospel of peace, joy, forgiveness, and love to others. Some paid the ultimate price for it when their lives were sacrificed.

The misconception that men are naturally intellectually superior to women has always been with us. In most evangelical churches today, it is taken for granted that one of the reasons women may not be in leadership positions is because the woman being deceived, fell into transgression (1 Timothy 2:14). For those who believe that it follows necessarily that all women are easily deceived, it would seem to be a good argument for not allowing women to be in leadership positions. But are all women eternally doomed to be easily deceived? What about women who have accepted Christ, begun reading their Bibles, begun renewing their minds (Ephesians 4:23), and begun serving unashamedly and wholeheartedly? It is time to recognize that women, as well as men, may grow in the knowledge and grace of Jesus Christ.

What this book is not about:

This book will not be about the so-called gender wars. There are many other good books written on that subject. We believe that much of the conflict is merely a distraction by Satan to keep Christians from fulfilling their obligation to take the gospel to the ends of the world.

The whole discussion of who should serve in God’s kingdom should be moved to a higher plane. We would like to see all of our Christian brothers and sisters focus on the gospel. We can start by educating ourselves. The purpose of this book is to fill the gap left by historians concerning women in ministry. Let us all, women and men, work together to serve King Jesus for the glory of God in our individual callings using our Spirit-given gifts.

What this book is about: Women of Faith and Courage

Courage. Most dictionaries merely define this as bravery. What does it mean to be brave? What characteristics does a brave or courageous woman have?

The women whose stories are in these pages display many exceptional traits. They are wise, dependable, thrifty, energetic, and unselfish. They are good wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends. Some will stand out in one or more of these areas, while others will shine in different areas. But there is one thing they all have in common: they were all very courageous.

How do these women show their courage? Many will exhibit grace under fire. They have a strong presence of mind. They are able to act decisively because they are sure of their convictions.

Strong women will inform themselves when there is a problem. They don’t just rant about problems. They will find solutions, and they will be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

Besides being informed, courageous women are also clever and intelligent. They know how to connect the dots. They know how to share and are not afraid of criticism. When they find that they are wrong about something, they readily admit their error. In fact, they rejoice in learning so much that they are glad when someone points out their error so that they can grow and mature. A godly, courageous woman wants only to know God and know Him better. None of us knows everything. It is part of maturity to learn more and grow. A courageous woman can say, I’m sorry, and mean it. She is gracious.

Courageous women depend on God. They trust Him and accept His will in their lives. They are willing to accept what God gives them in their lives. When they perceive His will, they put their all into the tasks before them.

Brave women are willing to take a stand for what they believe. They will draw a line in the sand and not cross it. Unjust powers, no matter how fearsome, will not deter them from their righteous goals.

Courageous women also love others. They are unselfish. They put the needs of others ahead of their own. Their own self-esteem is high enough to free them to be able to act independently.

In every woman’s story that I tell, many of these characteristics will shine forth. Courage is the central theme to all of these stories. I am telling these stories so that we can have an example before us of how a victorious life can be lived. We are in uncertain times. Only the courageous woman will get through the perils holding her head up high. Women of courage will share Christ’s gospel of peace, forgiveness, joy, and love with others.

Section 1

God’s Female Servants in the Bible

Introduction to the Section

Over two years ago, I posted that I would like to write a book about women in ministry using some of the over 300 stories that are on my blog.¹

The reason: I sent a survey on women in the Bible to many churches and received very disappointing results. For one thing, very few male pastors said that they speak about women from the pulpit. There were many reasons, but I am concerned that this is not encouraging to women. At the very least, it makes women feel unnecessary.

More importantly, the stories are in God’s Word. God included the stories of women for our benefit. When we skip over God’s stories, we lose out on what God would teach us. That includes all of the inspiring stories of women that God has used in kingdom work. Men and women will be blessed as they read these inspiring stories.

The first and foremost attention will be paid to what the Bible has to say about the women. There is a lot of misinformation out there that can be cleared up by just looking at what the Bible actually says.

For example, what would most people say the occupation of Mary of Magdala was? It might surprise you to learn that the Bible does not say that Mary was a prostitute. This idea originated with Pope Gregory the Great in the late sixth century, and it has stuck to this day. Hollywood has helped to cement the idea in place by castigating Mary as a loose woman. I don’t expect anything better than that from a group that uses lurid details to sell movies, whether they are accurate or not. But I would like a chance to set the record straight for Christians by telling the story from the Bible.

The Bible is really a story, with the Lord Jesus Christ as the central character. The stories of the men and the women in the Bible are interesting and important in themselves, but they all point to God’s plan of salvation. By studying the stories of these women in their context, we can see how they fit into God’s plan of redemption.

Jesus asked the church to take the Gospel to all of the nations. All Christians, men and women working together to fulfill the Great Commission, must continue with this task that has not yet been completed.

Are we looking forward to Christ’s appearing? There is only one place in the Scriptures that gives us an indication of when Christ will return. The gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come (Matthew 24:14). Now with technology, GPS, easy travel, more cooperation between some countries, and the many new mission organizations, I believe that we can reach every nation. This is exciting for all of us who look for and love His appearing.

And so please study and enjoy the stories of God’s kingdom women. You are a kingdom woman! How will God use you to bless others while you serve Him?

Part 1

God’s Female Servants in the Old Testament

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¹ https://mylordkatie.wordpress.com

Chapter 1

Eve—First Woman in Creation

A Note about God’s Creation

I believe that the picture of creation in Genesis chapters 1 and 2 is an accurate account of God’s creative activity. We can rely on the scriptural account of the creation of the heavens and the earth and all that is contained in them. The creation story is a beginning point for us for what follows in the remainder of the Bible. History is His-Story, and it begins with creation.

God refers to His creation and to Himself as Creator over and over again in hundreds of places in the Scriptures. Often, when the Israelites turned from God to idols, God reminded them that He is the one who created them and sustains them. They needed to turn from idols and worship the one true God.

The story of the creation of mankind is beautiful and exciting. Unfortunately, there is a controversy surrounding the relationship of the male and the female. Some believe that though Adam and Eve were both created together on the sixth day, a hierarchy already existed with the superiority of men over women. But the picture of creation in the Scriptures is truly one of mutuality, not hierarchy.

There is only one way to demonstrate that the picture of mutuality in the creation of men and women is the correct one, and that is to turn to the Bible and read what it says.

Let’s turn to Genesis chapter 1, and we will begin by telling the story of Eve, the first woman in creation.

Imagine a perfect world where everyone is kind to one another, and you never hear any negative words. Imagine being able to pluck your dinner from a tree without having to labor for it. Imagine, ladies, what it would have been like to be able to have your babies in ease and comfort.

Perhaps the scenario would go something like this:

eve. Adam, it’s time for our child to be born. I think I’ll just go over to that nice spot we picked out and wait.

adam. Okay, Eve. You go on over and get ready. I’ll go pick us some extra fruit while you deliver that baby.

The Lord, who is walking in the garden, comes along and says, Well, done, good and faithful servants. You are doing a fine job as My vice-regents taking care of the earth. The animals are all happy. Oh, I see that you are about to procreate. That is exciting! You will be blessed with many children. There is enough food for everyone in this beautiful garden.

A short time later:

eve. Wow! It’s a girl child. What shall we name her?

adam. Honey, you are the mother of all living. You name her.

Does this scene look too fanciful? Is it out of the bounds of possibility?

We really don’t know what life may have been like for Adam and Eve if they would not have eaten the forbidden fruit. The Scriptures do not tell us.

Many people think that this whole story is just a myth, but as Christians, we believe that it happened exactly as the Bible says it did. So let’s look at what the Bible says.

Turn to Genesis 1:26–31.

Then God said, Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground. Then God said, I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food. And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. (Genesis 1:26–31)

On the sixth day of creation, God created mankind. God created humans equally in His image. They were to procreate and fill the earth. They were given the authority to rule over everything