Reading Notes: Bible Women Part A

For this week's unit, I chose to read about women of the Bible. This is something I've actually been wanting to do for quite some time, so I was very excited to find a unit specifically for that. I want to look at the characters of the women, so that is what I will be mostly focusing on. It all begins with Eve, the first woman. Many people blame Eve for bringing sin into the world, but not many stop to think that Adam was standing right with her, watching as the serpent tricked her and willingly eating the fruit with her. Eve was a woman who thought she deserved more than what was given to her, even though she was given the world (and so did Adam). I find Eve fascinating because she was the first woman and because even though she messed up, she was still able to bring so much life to the world. It is always interesting to write about women being deceived. 

The story of Sarah and Isaac is such a sweet story. She's a woman who all her life longed for a child, and abandoned all hope of having one, and then God brings her such joy with Isaac.
The story of Hagar has always had my sympathies. She never asked to be abused and mistreated. Through it all, God still had a plan for her. I love this story because even when Sarah didn't trust God and tried to do things her own way, he was still able to use Hagar and still cared for her. It would be interesting to write about a servant who was mistreated (though there are many stories about that).
In the passage about Rebekah, she is completely chill throughout this whole passage. Perhaps this was the norm in biblical times for a random man to meet a girl and ask him to marry his master. He noticed her because of her compassion for others, which is a truly admirable trait. I could write a story similar to this, maybe the girl is willing, maybe she is not.
The story of Rachel and Leah is such a complicated and fascinating one. I admire so much Jacob's love for Rachel that he would work seven years for her, which is why it is so unjust that he is tricked. On the other hand, my heart hurts for Leah, who even though she was older, always came second to Rachel, especially when it came to the love of her husband. Leah deserved to be loved just as Rachel was. I could perhaps write a story about this, but in my story, Leah finds love.
Potiphar's wife is one of the first examples of an ungodly, seductive woman. She was not even worthy of a name mentioned because she was so deceitful.
The story of Jephthah's daughter is another one of an unnamed woman, except this woman is deserving of one. I cannot completely understand this story, and I very much wish that it ended like the story of Abraham and Isaac. However, Jephthah's daughter was so brave and loyal that she did not fight her father or run away, but she accepted her fate. It is truly a tragic story, and one I would definitely rewrite for a better ending.
Delilah is another example of a deceitful woman. Samson certainly had his faults, however he loved Delilah and she betrayed him (although I must question Samson's judgment for he should have realized her deceit). Delilah is not a strong woman, but one who is easily cohered into doing what others want her to do.
The story of Hannah is very similar to the story of Rachel, however Hannah seems much more devoted to God than Rachel. She is completely faithful and pours out her hear to God and then trusts that he will deliver. I have much sympathy for Hannah and I rejoice in her happiness. This happy story would be a great one to rewrite, perhaps in today's society. 

"Bible Women" Source link: Part A
Image 1 information: Posted on Joe Ortiz' blog, 2014. Web source: Son of Encouragement
Image 2 information: "Woman Praying," Author unknown, 2011. Web source: Wikipedia Commons