Women cannot advance their dignity by using their beauty and sexuality. They are created as vessels of dignity already, therefore their sexuality or beauty cannot be used to advance themselves.
Text: Proverbs 31 v 10 - 31
Physical strength can be described in different ways. Beneath the female skin, women possess a source of power that even science has yet to fully understand. Women are better survivors than men. What’s more, they are born this way. Study has shown that under extreme conditions such as famines, epidemics and enslavement, women are able to survive for longer than men. See (Widow of Zarephath 1 Kings 17 v 7 – 16). Across modern populations, women outlive men in almost all instances. Out of the Worlds 43 oldest persons alive, 42 are women. Now adding the Supernatural Power of Christ to all the natural power in a woman, you have a Super Woman. Today, we shall be taking a look at Women of courage and character, strength and dignity who excelled wonderfully in the Bible and who did the female gender proud thousands of years before the likes of Funmilayo Ransome Kuti, Queen Amina warrior of Zazzau, Dora Akunyuli, Ameyo Adadevoh, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Oby Ezekwesili, Hillary Clinton and Angela Merkel.
Queen Vashti - Esther 1 v 10 – 18
King Ahasuerus, after their one week drinking festival decides that he wants to show off his wife's beauty, so he commands Queen Vashti to appear before his male guests. Given the king's drunkenness and the fact that all his male guests are likewise intoxicated, the assumption has often been that Vashti was commanded to show herself in the nude – wearing only her crown. Vashti receives the summons and refuses to comply. Her refusal is yet another clue to the nature of the king's command. Moral Lesson: - Vashti is a heroine in her own right. She refuses to debase herself before the king and his drunken friends, choosing to value her dignity above submitting to her husband's excesses. Vashti is seen as a strong character who does not use her beauty or sexuality to advance herself.
Esther: – Esther 2 v 1 – 23: - After Vashti came Esther, of Jewish heritage who played for and won King Ahasuerus's heart at the behest of her uncle Mordechai. It wasn't because she thought he was such a great dude; it was a strategic move to ensure the safety of the Jewish people. She did the unthinkable, approach the king without being summoned, exposed Haman’s conspiracy and by so doing saving the Jewish people of the Persian Empire.
Rahab: Fearless and Full of Faith: - Heb. 11:31; Joshua 2 v 1 – 21: - Rahab, a harlot chose to have faith and trust in God even though she didn’t know what would happen to her and her family. She had faith in God that He was in control. Rahab trusted in a God she did not know, she had only heard of the great things that our God did for his people. She trusted the spies to keep their word and spare her family and she trusted God to keep her safe. Rahab married an Israelite called Salmon who fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed by Ruth, Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered King David. That puts Rahab in the line of King David!!!
Miriam: – Exodus 2 v 1 – 10: - Miriam penned an entire song in the Bible — the Song of the Sea (Exodus 15:19-21), incidentally, which was one of the most powerful songs about God's miracles that the Hebrews of old ever did hear. As Moses’s older sister, she watched over him when he was placed in a basket on the River Nile. The survival of the leader of the Exodus, Moses, depended on the courage and ingenuity of his sister Miriam. In the wilderness, she was their sole hookup for water. Because of God's fondness for Miriam, she was provided with a transportable well, which she shared with everyone.
Deborah: The Judge - Judges 4:5: - The only female judge mentioned in the entire Bible, Deborah, she practiced law under a palm tree. Deborah, like a true modern woman, also worked a few side jobs as a prophet and a warrior. Her multitasking was crucial, as the Israelites were, at the time, being oppressed by the people of Canaan. With a nudge from God, Deborah declared a revolt on Canaan, and correctly predicted that the Israelite would win the war.
Conclusion: - Women are built with power and made for resilience and persistence through tough times. Women of valor are fearless, full of faith, courageous, value their dignity with a strong character not using their sexuality or beauty to advance themselves. God values such women.