THE WOMEN: COMPASSIONATE, KIND, HUMBLE, GENTLE, PATIENT:GOD STRONG

Scripture is filled with women and stories of their accomplishments, doings, misfortunes, failures, successes and just about all aspects of their lives. From Eve forward The Holy Word talks about all kinds of women of faith, even though they may not be titled as such.  In our times today, when we read about them in the Scriptures, we can see their faith and belief in GOD.   They talked to GOD, (think Hannah), became warriors for GOD's people,(think Jael, Debra), and of course, did what The Creator created them to do, have children. That  alone can cause this writer to write on that subject alone, but the spirit that is upon me is taking me in another direction. I will say this: There is only one way to come into this world, if you are a human being, and that is through the womb of a woman.  The process that GOD created before the foundations of the world has not changed, nor has it been altered in any form.  It is so, period.  But that is not what this post is about either.  The title tells the story:  The Women.... The Women. Which women? I am glad you asked.  I could have chosen any women out of the  scriptures to write about.  They all have a relevant, important place then and now.  It would be difficult to pick one of them  and talk about them.  When I wrote a past post entitled The Men, (see 2010) it was easy to choose them.  I chose my favorite ones.  But The Women are different.  All women in scripture would fit that description, even those that had  'issues', if I can call it that.  What can I say,  I am a full 21st century girl complete with catch phrases and all (lol).  Well anyway, the chosen women for this post are the 4 mentioned by name, title, or description in the family lineage of Jesus in Matthew 1.  Actually 5 if you include Mary Joseph's wife the mother of Jesus.  At this point before I go any further, let it be known and understood that all the begetting mentioned in the family lineage of Jesus had to be through women,  of course.  But  4 are mentioned  specifically and I will write of these 4.  I looked for commonality and differences about the 4 and found a few in each category. But the Holy Spirit said look at their lives and write from there.  I found women who wanted things badly, that they went to extremes to get it, women who said profound things, girls that behaved badly @ times, Faith - filled women, believers in GOD Almighty, strong and courageous. Women who kept their faith through hardships, the threat of death starring them in the face.  At times things may not go as planned or predicted but as long as we remember Romans 8:28, we will understand that it is ok if the plan goes left, or if I do this, that will happen, and it doesn't.  Give it all to GOD and step back and watch The Creator work it, Glory to GOD, Praise GOD!  So The Women I am fixin to write about are: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba.  What a group of women these are!  Sister girls were in it to win it at all cost.  Nothing got in their way despite making wrong choices, bad behavior, and being from the wrong side of the tracks, so to speak.  Or being too beautiful/ desirable, when you aint trying to be.  In order of appearance and as time goes, we meet Tamar first.  Tamar married 2 brothers, 1 after the other, both of them died leaving her childless.  The custom is to marry a brother's widow and have a child to keep the dead brother's seed line strong. 1st brother was evil in the sight of the LORD so the LORD took his life.  So brother # 2 married  her, and because he did not want his dead brother to be the noted father of his child, he refused to complete the necessary step to make pregnancy occur.  The LORD took his life as well for this evil act.  Well Judah said to her "remain in your father's house until brother # 3 is old enough to marry.  Well it wasn't happening, so sister girl took it to another level.  She disguised herself and lay with father-n-law Judah with out him knowing it was daughter - n -law and low and behold, pregnancy! One of the twins, (Perez & Zerah) she was carrying was what got the ball rolling later on in the lineage.  She may have behaved badly,  but  she got what she deserved to have, a child, two that is. Genesis 38.  Next up is one of my favorites in this important quad and that is Rahab, the harlot.  I like what she said and what she did, (not her job choice). These moves caused Ms. Girl to be among the few to be saved out of the entire nation of Jericho.  In fact only those in her father's household were saved. When the spies Joshua sent out stayed at her house, she told them the whole story.  She hid the spies from the searchers the king of Jericho sent  there.  "We  was scared every since we heard how your GOD opened up the sea so yall could walk through on dry land and about all the kings and nations yall completely destroyed along the way; now yall here in Jericho" (author's paraphrase, in 21st century, deep south lingo).   She knew what was going to happen to her nation and people and she wanted her family spared.  She had faith in what GOD was doing through the Israelites. This harlot's faith caused her whole family; brother's, sisters their families, mother/ father to be saved, before the spies agreed to it.  Joshua 2, 6.   She later married Salmon and they had Boaz.  Salmon was from Perez lineage, one of Tamar's twins.  See where this is going.  Rahab may have been a harlot,  but this was a  faith - filled believer.  She said,  "GOD was the Supreme GOD in the heavens above and the earth below".  RECOGNIZE!! So the Israelites crossed into the promise land conquering all along the way.  Countless nations were utterly destroyed and the land had new owners.  Soon to come was  Ruth a Moabite.  After her Judean Husband died, she decided to go with mother -n- law Naomi back to Naomi's hometown of Bethlehem. They left Bethlehem years earlier when there was a famine in the land.  So they returned.  Naomi's husband and 2 sons died and the 2 daughter -n- law, both Moabites were left without husbands. Daughter -n- law #1 decided to stay in Moab, but daughter -n-law #2 Ruth chose to cling to Naomi.  Naomi tried to persuade her to stay, telling her that she is too old to have more sons for Ruth to marry.  Ruth was not persuaded and said 2 mega  profound statements to Naomi that show deep love and compassionate commitment.  She told Naomi," where you go, I will go...your people shall be my people and your GOD shall be my GOD... let nothing but death separate us"...  Being a Moabite meant you worshipped a god that required the life of a child to be sacrificed in the fire.  Ruth had  little knowledge about Naomi's GOD, but she wanted Him.  She had no idea about the people or the land  she was about to enter but wanted to live there until she died.  Her faith made her  look deep and feel deeply for  her mother -n-law.  She saw this through a woman who just had her world turn up side down with the deaths of her family.  Ruth's compassion made Ruth cling to Naomi.  So much I could say about Ruth.  But this I will say about Ruth;  I have learned a deeper level of compassion from the book of Ruth. Ruth 1.  My last woman in this note  worthy quad is titled in the lineage, the wife of Uriah, the Hittite.  Bathsheba by name, she was beautiful and desire able.  At the time King David saw this woman, his manliness said "get this woman for me" .  Being a king, you don't refuse his requests, so Bathsheba went with the messengers King David sent to fetch her.  Well fast forward a bit and she became pregnant by the king, while husband Uriah was away fighting for David's army.  Uriah was very loyal to king David and would not allow himself any kind of pleasures while fighting the war. No delicate foods, fun recreation or spousal pleasures at all which the king gave him permission to do.  Uriah would not indulge while at war. King David in order to conceal the pregnancy arranged for Uriah's death, so that he could marry Bathsheba and have the child with her. His scheme worked but it displeased GOD so GOD sent the prophet  to David to tell him the child will not live after doing such a wicked act.  When the child was born, he was sickly and the King fasted, prayed and confessed his guilt and depended on the LORD's mercy.  After the child's death, the King and Bathsheba had another child, Solomon.  God told King David that it will be Solomon that will build my temple. In Bathsheba's time , she was both wife of a king and mother of a king.  Her beauty and desirability  captured the attention of a great King.  He had other wives, but he loved Bathsheba. 2 Sam 11,12. The Women in Jesus family line were people with "issues", and "drama" and yet they get honorable mention because they are family.  Much like today in our own families we have "issues" and  "drama", but we are family.  Scripture says that  some will need more care, love, attention, patience, and covering than others.  Jesus himself said that the sick need the doctor not the well.  Whatever the case may be,  Jesus is the answer.  His own family lineage indicated  early on that there will be issues, drama showing all  along the way the need for the Savior that is to come. This is only a small part of the family lineage, but an important part. Had I chosen the male members of Jesus lineage to write about,  I would be another 3 weeks on the rough draft.  Families are knit together by GOD Almighty and He knows each person intimately.  He is The CREATOR.  Celebrate, Talk, and Pray and trust our Faithful GOD at all times!!!   Jesus is LORD!!! Psalm 139.