What We Can Learn by Studying the Women of the Bible
I have always been fascinated by the women in the Bible. In fact, I pursued and received my Masters in Ministry to Women because I love discipling women, not only teaching them about the women in the Bible, but ultimately about the One to whom the women in the Bible point. I think it is so important to give the women in the Bible thought and study. All the people in the Bible and their stories matter, but as a woman, I relate to the stories of the women in the Bible and believe their stories should not be dismissed.
There are many “heroes” of the Bible who are men, whether it be Abraham, David, or Paul. And while it is important to pay attention to these people and what they did, we lose out on receiving a complete understanding of how God worked through people in history if we exclude or minimize the women in the Bible. So what can we learn by studying the women of the Bible? We learn that God sees and values women, that women are part of God’s story of redemption, and that women are necessary for the mission of the gospel.
God Sees and Values Women
There are so many instances in Scripture where God’s love for women is displayed. Consider the story of Hagar, an Egyptian slave whose mistress mistreated her, so badly that she ran away into the wilderness. Hagar likely felt worthless or cast to the wayside, but there in the wilderness, God met her and revealed His love for her. God told Hagar to return to her mistress but also promised that from her would come a son who would be prosperous. Such a promise causes Hagar to name the One who spoke to her “El-roi” saying, “In this place, have I actually seen the one who sees me?” (Genesis 16:13).
Hagar’s story reminds us that even when women feel alone, abandoned, or invisible, God never takes His eyes off them. Hagar is one of many stories in the Bible that declare the truth that God sees women and loves women. When we study women in the Bible, we are reminded of God’s heart for women. Although God cares for both men and women alike, studying the women in the Bible reminds us that God values and cares for women deeply.
Women are a Part of God’s Story of Redemption
Because God sees and values women, He uses them specifically and uniquely in His story of redemption. All throughout Scripture, we see how God chose and worked through women to accomplish His plan to save people from their sin. What is beautiful about this truth is that God chose all kinds of women to do so. He worked through women of all ages and in a variety of situations, from social outcasts and slaves to royalty. Through these women, God brought about His promises and purposes. We know this to be true because of Jesus’s genealogy. In Matthew 1, we read Jesus’s genealogy that includes five women whose offspring lead to the birth of Christ. When we spend time reading about these women, we grow in our appreciation and awe of how God, in His incredible sovereignty, orchestrated events and worked through women’s stories to give us Jesus Christ. God cares about women and considers them so important that He chose to use them to accomplish His plan of redemption through Chtist.
Women are Necessary for the Mission of the Gospel
God used women to lead to Jesus, whose work of redemption was accomplished on the cross. But God’s story of redemption is not yet complete, and He invites women to be part of that story.
Because of Jesus, forgiveness and salvation is available for all who trust and believe in Him. And in God’s incredible kindness, He calls and uses believers to make the glorious news of the gospel known (Matthew 28:19–20). This includes women. When we study the women in the Bible, we see how God continues to use women to advance His gospel mission. After Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to the right hand of the Father, women took the call to spread the gospel seriously. We have so many examples of women in the New Testament—such as Phoebe, Lydia, Priscilla, and Junia—who served alongside other believers to care for the Church and make Jesus’s name known. Their stories teach us that women are necessary for the mission of the gospel. Such truth reminds women today of how their presence, gifts, and work are needed to further God’s mission here on earth to bring people to Himself.
There is so much more that we can learn from the women in the Bible, which encourages us all the more to read about them and study them. If you are looking for a resource to help you learn more about the women in the Bible and study their stories, check out our Women of the Bible coffee table book that walks through fifty women in the Bible and how their stories point us to Christ!
Additional Resources to Learn About Women in the Bible:
