"But like the men of the Bible, the women of the Bible are complicated. They are, on the whole, neither fully good nor completely bad people, but simply people, in all their messy and uncomfortable humanity. And it's when we can see them in their full humanity that God can teach us something about ourselves."
-from the book
Subtitle: The Wisdom of 16 Women and Their Lessons for Today
I had recently taught several adult Sunday school lessons on women of the Bible so when I saw this book recommended somewhere, I ordered it. I planned to read it, loan it to family or friends and perhaps, eventually donate it to our church library. While it was not a page turner, I enjoyed it and was educated and inspired by the women's stories. I rate it a 4.
Ms. Bream chose to feature the women in pairs---some not-so-likely ones. For example, Mary and Martha of Bethany were sisters of Lazarus so could easily be compared and contrasted. Perhaps, Hannah and Miriam or Esther and Rahab would not be such obvious choices. Eight pairs of women are described and after each pair, discussion questions are offered which would make this a very nice women's Bible study format. The final section introduces women---many nameless---who encountered Jesus when they were accused or in great need.
I was struck by this statement: "The Christian life calls us to find a balance between cultivating our relationship with Jesus and also serving Him. The trouble comes when we become overly focused on all the things we can do for God, rather than on spending time and being in communion with Him." Definitely something I need to work on!
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