Biblical Girl Power: lessons from my sisters of ages past

On the Shunammite woman, the Syrophenican woman, and Hannah, mother of Samuel
One of my sisters recently asked me who my favourite female characters in the Bible are and why. I hesitated to give a true and genuine reply, and was slightly surprised by the response that I later came to give her: the Shunammite woman, The Syrophenican woman, and Hannah, mother of Samuel.

If I am to state the order of preference, I think my first favourite character would be the Syrophenican woman whose story is told in the book of Matthew chapter 15, and then again in the book of Mark, chapter 7. Desperate for the healing of her daughter who had an unclean spirit, the Syrophenican woman cried out to the Messiah for help. And The Messiah, the Saviour of the whole world, told her, ‘It is not meet to give the children’s meat to dogs.’ Unperturbed by His discourteous response, the Syrophenican woman’s own retort was equally curt, ‘But even the dogs can eat the crumbs from the children’s table.’

But even the dogs can eat the crumbs from the children’s table.
What my favourite character A reveals and shares with me about her relationship with The Messiah is this: ’Although I am religiously distant from You, although my culture brings a distance between us, although I am precluded from accessing You because of my Syrophenican genealogy, although You are God and I am man, I will, nevertheless, access You, I will beg of You and I will, I must, have my need met by You.’ The Syrophenican woman realised that her deliverance from what threatened to wedge a distance between her and the Lord could only come by her steadfastness of faith and her persistence – despite what others may think or say.

And indeed the Messiah, the Syrophenican woman’s Messiah, our Messiah, responds to her that even amongst the Jews He had not seen such faith. Being a rewarder of them who diligently seek Him, the Messiah meets her at the point of her need, healing the woman’s daughter in turn.

Spiritual Comas et al
The testimony of the Shunammite woman blows my mind no end (the book of 2 Kings, chapter 4). My biblical tutor here, the wealthy, generous, middle-aged, God fearing woman, has gone into a spiritual coma.

She had grown so familiar with her barren womb that she cared not to remember that she was barren at all, preferring her focus to be on honouring God and supporting the ministry needs of His prophet, Elisha. God was distant from her in that one significant area and she had closed the door for any form of restoration. What she failed to remember though was that one of the many ways in which she could honour God was also to believe in His Word that He could speak and breathe the breath of life into her barren womb.

On being known among your people but dieing inside
Touched by the generosity of the Shunammite woman, Elisha enquired of her on a pressing need. Like the Messiah, he wanted to reward her in God and show her the power of His love. But the Shunammite woman gave Elisha a loaded, abrupt, almost dismissive reply: ‘I am known among my people.’ Never mind me, she seemed to say, I do well. I don’t need and neither do I want to be reminded of my shame.

Elisha came to know that this my biblical favourite character B had no child, and he went on to prophesy to her womb saying that within a year she would give birth. Scornfully, the Shunammite woman asked Elisa not to toy with her emotions. God had seemed so distant that she would not even perceive deliverance when it knocked at her door.

The Lord's ever present mercy
But such a reverent and kind heart does not go unnoticed by the great God we serve and I am certain that the Lord needed her to know that He had heard all of her prayers, even the ones she had failed to utter to Him but which had been written all over her wounded heart. And of course she went on to have a child.

The reason why the Shunammite woman impresses me is that even when God seemed distant, she chose still to serve Him. The Bible records that this was a wealthy and respected woman. She dwelled among her people and did good. She appeared not to have let her overwhelming need engulf her life. She moved on in life and in God despite her need. What a great testimony.

And finally mother Hannah
All those years of waiting and trusting God to make true her desire to conceive. All those many long years of enduring mockery from Peninah and her children.

And Hannah just kept going to Shiloh. She just kept on going to Shiloh. She kept praying. She would not, she could not, let Him go. She had to keep trusting – even if it was for her own sanity. She had to believe that her story had to change. That’s the notion of desperation again.

When it seemed like the storm would never end she prayed a desperate prayer during one of those trips to Shiloh. ‘Give me a child, and I will dedicate him to You’. What sacrifice. And Hannah laid with her husband, Elkinah, the bible records.

Now the rest is history.