Yesterday I wrote about my favorite female comic book characters. Jeremy Renner reneged on his apology for calling Black Widow a slut during an interview. That kind of objectification and misogyny, even if it’s just for a fictional character, can impact how we treat people in the real world. So to balance out Renner’s opinions, I wrote about some strong female comic book characters.
Comic books aren’t the only written works to feature strong female characters, though; the Bible is full of them.
I am very much an egalitarian and want to see women in all levels of leadership in the church. I understand that you may not have the same viewpoint, which I’m fine with. I know and respect many people who hold a complementarian view; I just think they’re wrong. As long as we can agree on the Apostles’ Creed, though, we can respectfully disagree on non-essential issues.
Egalitarian or not, we can see that the Bible is filled with strong women. God can use anyone regardless of gender, a reality that we see time and again in the Bible. Here are some of my favorite female Bible characters.
Deborah
I’m sure that the Israelites thought that life was going to get pretty easy once they settled in the Promised Land. Unfortunately, no matter where we go we manage to bring ourselves. So all of the wrestling with God that the Israelites did in the wilderness, they did once they entered the Promised Land. During the time of the Judges the people would stray from God and return to him once a strong leader rose to power. One of those leaders was Deborah, a prophet who would settle the people’s disputes. Deborah and her general, Barak, led the Israelites against the Canaanites and defeated them, winning Israel 40 years of peace. Deborah wasn’t the only strong woman in her story, either. Jael, an old woman, drove a tent peg through the Canaanite general’s head; that’s pretty gangster.
Mary
We’re told that we can’t choose our families, but that doesn’t really apply to God. God chose Mary to be the earthly mother of Jesus, which definitely would have blessed Mary. I can’t imagine the strength of character Mary had to be chosen by God, to be highly favored by God. We get small glimpses of that character in the Bible, Mary surrendering to God’s will and treasuring her experiences in her heart. Those small windows, though, only scratch the surface. I would love to have spent time with Mary; she seems like one of those people who make us feel better simply by being in their presence. If there’s a long line in heaven to hang out with Mary, I don’t think I’ll mind. I’ll be transformed so I won’t be as impatient and it’s not like we won’t have the time.
Priscilla
No one knows who wrote Hebrews, but it definitely could have been Priscilla. Priscilla was Paul’s coworker in Christ and she and her husband, Aquila, accompanied Paul on his missionary journeys. She was a teacher in the early church and one of its more influential leaders. She’s another strong woman who embraced her role and her gifts, forming an impressive ministry tag team with her husband. Priscilla was a leader of leaders and a teacher of teachers, helping to point Apollos in the right direction. I would have loved the opportunity to sit beneath Priscilla’s leadership and to get a sneak peak at that letter she was writing to the Hebrews.
This is just a small sample of the strong female characters in the Bible. I have been encouraged by their stories of faithfulness and inspired to follow their examples. I know that I’ve also been greatly influenced by so many amazing Christian women in my life. It’s nice to know that God is still working through strong women today just as he did in biblical times.
Who is your favorite female Bible character?
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