I recently read this quote in the book Men and Women in the Church by Kevin DeYoung,
“Jesus, of course, came to save men and women. But in coming as a man he literally embodied what true manliness was meant to be–saving, protecting, rescuing, leading, teaching, and serving.”
Is this what true manliness is? Or are these just human qualities? Is the assumption that women that embody these character traits are being manly?
Assuming what Kevin DeYoung wrote is true, I encountered some very manly women in the Bible.
Sarah
Sarah, the wife of Abraham, could not have children, and she was advanced in age. She gave her servant Hagar to her husband so that he could have a child through her. But eventually, God granted her a child of her own according to his promise. When her child was weaned, there was a party, and Ishmael, the servant’s child, laughed at Sarah’s son Isaac. She therefore told Abraham to send the woman and her child away, as she stated that Ishmael should not share in the inheritance with her son Isaac. God then told Abraham to listen to his wife as the promise of God’s covenant would be brought on through Isaac (Gn 21). Sarah demonstrated leadership and protected the inheritance of her son.
Shiphrah and Puah
The descendants of Israel became slaves in Egypt and were heavily oppressed. Pharaoh ordered the midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, to kill all the male babies born to the Israelite women. “The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live” (Ex 1:17). God rewarded these women for their faith by giving them families of their own. These two women saved many children, rescuing them from the Pharoah. How manly!
Moses’s mother and sister Miriam
As Pharoah was going around killing innocent baby boys, the mother of one such boy, Moses, hid him for three months to save his life. Afterward, no longer being able to hide him, she placed him in a basket into the Nile, hoping he would be rescued. Her daughter, Myriam, followed Moses to see what would happen. Moses was rescued by one of the Pharoah’s daughters, and Myriam, with her quick thinking, proposed to get her mother as a nurse to care for the baby. Moses was not protected and saved by his father, but by several women: his mother, sister Miriam, and the Pharaoh’s daughter.
Miriam was later called a prophet and led Israel out of Egypt, along with her brothers Moses and Aaron.
Deborah
Deborah was a Prophet and Judge in Israel; many people came to her to settle their disputes. She was a leader in Israel at that time (Jdg 4-5). Deborah commanded the man Barak, in the name of the Lord, to gather men into battle. She told him the Lord would deliver the Oppressor Sisera, commander of Jabin’s army, along with his men, into Barak’s hands. Barak wanted God’s prophet to accompany him in battle, so she went with him, saying that because of this, God would deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman. Barak is commended as a man of faith for doing as Deborah instructed (Heb 11:32-34). Deborah was a leader, a servant of God, and she rescued the people of Israel from the hands of Jabin and Sisera. Deborah is undoubtedly a manly woman.
Jael
As Sisera fled from Barak’s men, he found refuge in the tent of his presumed ally Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite. But after giving him some soporific milk, he fell asleep, and she drove a tent peg through his skull. Quite manly! God delivered Sisera into the hands of the woman Jael. She was a protector and defender of Israel.
Rahab
Rahab was the prostitute that hid two of Joshua’s spies as they went into Jericho to check out the city. Her actions not only saved the lives of the two Israelites, but her faith saved her whole family (Joshua 6:23). Rahab was the mother of Boaz, who married Ruth, the great-grandmother of King David. She is named in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew. Rahab was a protector to her family, saving them from the destruction God was to bring onto Jericho. How manly!
Abigail
As David was going around with his army, he requested some food from the man Nabal, whose herd they had protected. But the foolish Nabal insulted David and his men. David was going to destroy his household when Nabal’s wife Abigail heard of what her husband did. She prepared a large amount of food for his men and pleaded with David to save her household. She demonstrated leadership, quick thinking and saved many lives from destruction.
Esther
Esther was one of the wives of King Xerxes. When Haman had a plot to kill all the Jews of the land of the King, Esther risked her own neck to save her people. She demonstrated faith and leadership (Est 4:12-14); she was a rescuer for the Jewish people of her day.
Pricilla
Priscilla is mentioned several times in the old testament, and when it refers to her Christian ministry with her husband, she is named first. This is highly unusual and likely means she was more prominent among the two as Paul’s co-workers in Christ (Rom 16:3). Priscilla and her husband Aquila taught Apollos about Jesus Christ, who knew only of John’s baptism. Priscilla was most able to teach; even a man such as Apollos was receptive to her instruction as they took him aside in the synagogue (Acts 18:26). What a manly teacher!
Lois and Eunice
We learn that Timothy’s faith comes from his grandmother Lois and mother Eunice; they taught from infancy all about the Holy Scriptures (2 Tim 1:5; 3:14-17). These women were excellent teachers.
Lydia
Lydia was a prominent woman, a dealer of purple cloth, and a leader in her family. She led her whole household into faith (Acts 16:13-15)
Conclusion
These are the stories of multiple women in the Bible that were protectors, leaders, teachers, and servants to their people. There are many more stories of such women in history. Are saving, protecting, rescuing, leading, teaching, and serving really manly traits? It instead seems that these are human traits to aspire that women in the Bible have exemplified. We should be cautious when claiming the Bible ascribes specific characteristics to manhood or womanhood. The Bible tells us all to be like Christ, a man, regardless of whether we are a man or a woman.
Image Credit
Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln, Nebraska. West-facing panel at northwest corner of building, titled “Deborah Judging Israel”. By Ammodramus, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
