Boss Women of the Bible Part 1

When hearing stories in the Bible, we often highlight the strong men. But I wanted to write a few blog posts about some amazing women in the Bible. These women were "bad gals" because they went against the norm, stood up for what was right, and changed history. There are lessons that can be learned from each and every one of them. Their stories are worth telling. My goal is to highlight these powerful women and to encourage you to see yourself in them.

I’m sure as they were going through life, they had NO IDEA how God would use them. The same is true for you, sis. Your story is being written in a way that God is and will continue to get the glory from your story. Life can get difficult and there may be times where you want to snatch the pen from God and write your own version. BUT please know, sis that our stories are still being written. Don’t stop at this chapter, keep turning the pages.

Esther: Influential Persian Queen

Esther is one of my favorites. She was a whole QUEEN who risked her life to save her people. I’ll give a short summary of her story but Esther has an entire book dedicated to her story that I HIGHLY recommend that you read! Hadassah aka Esther won over King Xerxes’ heart after he went searching for a new wife. She became Queen Esther but she held a deep secret. Her secret was that she was Jewish.

Her cousin, Mordecai actually worked for the King. Mordecai raised Esther from a young age. One day while on the job, Mordecai overheard two people who were plotting to assassinate the King. He told Esther what they were going to do and she told the King but gave Mordecai credit.

The King had another crooked employee named Haman who let his position get to his head. Mordecai did not fall for his shenanigans so Haman became angry. As a result, Haman came up with a drastic plot to kill all the Jews. Mordecai told Esther this and encouraged her to help save her people. Esther hesitated because she knew she needed to be summoned before going to the King. She couldn’t just walk up to King Xerxes and tell him her wishes, even though she was Queen. She basically needed an appointment. Without a summon, anyone who came before the king could die. Long story short, Esther’s courage + God’s provision + Her people’s prayers allowed her to stand before the King to save her people.

Standout Verses:

Esther 4:14-- “If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for such a time as this?”

Esther 4:15-- ”Then Ester sent this reply to Mordecai: Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for 3 days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in and see the king. If I must die, I must die.”

Lesson from Esther: We have to recognize that God is sovereign and he is present. Esther is one of the two books of the Bible that do not directly mention God’s name BUT we can tell He was present throughout her story. God gave her the beauty and favor to become Queen. He was STILL in control when Haman plotted against the Jews. God wasn’t going to let Haman's plan go down because he loved Esther and her people AND Jesus came through that same lineage.

Esther did what she knew was right and God protected her. She could have lost her life BUT God....Sis, everything that is "you" is being used in your story. Your personality. Your height. Your talents. Your gifts. Nothing about you will be wasted when it comes to what God wants to do in your life.

Shiphrah and Puah: The Midwives Who Took a Stand

These are two women that I did not know about until I read the book, “More Bad Girls of the Bible” by Barbara J. Essex. You may have heard of a man named Moses. Well, without the defiance of these two women, there would be no Moses.

Shiphrah and Puah are mentioned in Exodus 1:8-22. The setting is Egypt. The backstory is that a new king named Pharoah came into power and was threatened. He said, “Look, the people of Israel now outnumber us and are stronger than we are. We must make a plan to keep them from growing even more...”

His solution was to make the Israelites their slaves to have power over them. (Sadly this has been true for centuries.) The Israelites continued to multiply which infuriated Pharoah so he ordered the Hebrew midwives to kill the baby boys as they were being delivered. (Beyond awful.) But this is where Shiphrah and Puah come in. They refused the King’s orders. As a result, the Israelites continued to multiply and grow more and more powerful.

Standout scriptures:

Exodus 1:17--”But because the midwives feared God, they refused to obey the king’s orders. They allowed the boys to live, too.”

Exodus 1:21-- "And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.”

Lesson from Shiphrah and Puah: They were midwives who assisted in the creation process. This fact in combination with their fear of God led to their defiance. (Fear of God means to honor or hold in reverence, NOT to be afraid.) Their courage was a beautiful thing. Their defiance made a way for life to survive. They disobeyed the authority of the king but recognized that God’s authority is MUCH higher.

Sis, at the end of our life, we will have to answer to God for everything we do. Only us and God. No one else. We have to keep this in mind as we move through life. Sometimes we may have to go against popular opinion and we may appear "different" to everyone else around us. But sis, you were BORN to stand out.

Abigail: The Fearless Negotiator

Abigail comes onto the scene in 1 Samuel 25. She was married to Nabal. He refused to host David at his home. During these days, hospitality was EVERYTHING so to refuse was considered rude. A crucial detail is that one of Nabal’s servants told Abigail that David had been very good to them and even protected them at one point in time. Nabal had no reason to deny David a place to stay. David was angry.

After seeing this all go down, Abigail knew that Nabal’s rash decision would lead to regret so she gathered what she could to meet David and negotiate on behalf of her household. Abigail acknowledged her husband’s temper and even called him a “fool.” (1 Samuel 25:25). Sis, was not playing lol!! Abigail managed to call her husband out, look out for him, AND set the record straight with David. David thought about killing Nabal but Abigail's negotiation skills and quick thinking saved Nabal.

Standout scripture: 1 Samuel 25:32-33--”David replied to Abigail, “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you to meet me today. Thank God for your good sense! Bless you for keeping me from murder and from carrying out vengeance with my own hands!”

Lesson from Abigail: Abigail may have been in the shadows of her husband but she had gifts of her own. She was persuasive, sensible, and capable. Abigail was placed in a tough situation but that did not keep her from moving forward in boldness. Sis, you may be feeling overlooked in this moment but know that it could be that God is using the time to develop you. He is working things in you that you don’t even know you have. This is why we are placed in situations that we may have not picked for ourselves. DO NOT doubt your significance!! You NEVER KNOW how God can and will use you. Could it be that God is already using you right where you are??

Deborah: Influential Female Judge

Deborah’s story is “bad gal” personified. Her story is told in Judges 4-5. Deborah was a judge of Israel during a time where they were experiencing oppression. She was Israel’s ONLY female judge before they got its first king. That was a BIG DEAL in such a male-dominated culture. At the time, things were getting crazy due to the threat of war and violence so Deborah enlisted the help of a warrior named Barak. She hired him to help defeat this oppressive general named Sisera.

Deborah was confident because she KNEW God would allow for them to win in the end. God spoke to her and told her the plan. She was SUCH a boss that she didn’t just run and tell Barak what God said but she agreed to go with him. Of course, God came through. Deborah was powerful enough to call the shots but humble enough to know that the shots didn’t come from her. She gave God all the credit. As a result, God used Deborah to set her people free and to defeat the king of Canaan. Thanks to Deborah’s leadership, Israel enjoyed peace for 40 years.

Standout scriptures: (Deborah speaking to Barak)--”This is what the Lord, the God of Israel commands you: Call out 10,000 warriors from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun...Barak told her, “I will go, but only if you go with me.” “Very well,” she replied, “I will go with you. BUT you will receive no honor in this venture, for the Lord’s victory over Sisera will be at the hands of a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh.”

Lesson from Deborah: Deborah was a wise leader. She saw the big picture and surrounded herself with wise counsel. On the flip side, she also had an amazing relationship with God. As a result, God gave Deborah insight and confidence to defeat her enemies. Deborah KNEW that her abilities came from God. She also knew that praise could not be given to her--God deserved ALL the credit.

From Deborah, we can learn to treasure our relationship with God. Quiet time is where God can speak to us, download wisdom, and give us strategy for our situations. God, who knows all, is able to give us the "inside scoop" on how to be successful in life. He sees the bigger picture. Often, He puts us in situations where only He can get the credit for working it out.

Proverbs 31 Woman: The Ultimate Boss Lady

This is the woman that most of us know about, admire, envy, or may lowkey dislike because she seemed to have it "all together." I mean this woman was a business woman, entrepreneur, prayer warrior, homemaker, wife, mother, seamstress, and just an overall BOSS. This woman seemed to do everything and not just that, she did it WELL. Her and her husband were a POWER couple. Verse 23 says, “Her husband is well known at the city gates where he sits with the other civic leaders.” What didn’t this woman do?!

Standout scriptures:

“She is clothed with strength and dignity and she laughs without fear of the future. When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness. She carefully watches everything with kindness. She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers NOTHING from laziness.” (Proverbs 31:25-27)

“Charm is deceptive and beauty does not last, but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.” (Proverbs 31:30)

Lesson from the Proverbs 31 woman: The woman described in this chapter seemed to have outstanding abilities. Another thought is that this may not be ONE woman, she may be a composite portrait of IDEAL womanhood. Sis, don’t feel pressure to imitate her in in every detail! Look at her as an inspiration. We can’t be exactly like her but we can definitely learn about her character and her resourcefulness.

I hope the stories of these Boss women inspired you to just keep going. Your story is still being written and will be one for the books. Stay tuned for Part 2!