Proverbs 31:10 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
The Bible is replete with women whom God has used. Sometimes it was for wise counsel. Sometimes it was for war–like Deborah or Jael. Sometimes it was for doing their role as a women in a given situation. With God they were heroes for all eternity. Let’s consider a few of them we often do not think of.
The first women is Sarah, Abraham’s wife. She of course had a downside like all of us but consider her upside. She willingly went wherever Abraham journeyed. She recognized, before Abraham, that their half son and his mother had to go. There could be no room for the child of faith and promise and the child of carnality and doubt in the same household. Genesis 21:9-10 “And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.”
Another women and mother was Rebekah. We all know that she was manipulative toward her aged blind husband. But Wait! God had revealed to her that the older brother would one day serve the younger while yet in her womb.
Genesis 25:22-23 “And Isaac in-treated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD. And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.”
Yes, she took matters into her own hands, but where was Isaac all of those years? Why did he play favorites and not know or follow through with God’s will? Furthermore, when it was time to send Jacob away for safety and a proper wife. Genesis 27:46 “And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?”
Finally, how about Bathsheba? You’re probably thinking “What good could she have done?” Not much–except that she did suffer shame and rejection which she had to talk to the Lord. She was also used of God to birth and raise Solomon.
It states in 2 Samuel 12:24-25 “And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the LORD loved him. And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD.”
It was Solomon above all the other sons of David whom God chose to succeed David. Solomon was be-loved of God. It was also Bathsheba, under ad-visement from Nathan the prophet, who first re-minded David, upon his death bed, of his promise to have Solomon succeed him.
Each of these women as well as all whom God uses had two things in common. They were frail with faults. There were also thoroughly outspoken for the Lord’s will.