“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14
Traversing the many concrete steps downward to where the guide had stopped, I glance behind me. At the foot of those stairs in Auckland is a colorful fresco with the words “The Vote” and the date 1893. I ask the guide about the significance and learn that in 1893, New Zealand was the first self-governing country to give women the right to vote. I am both surprised and fascinated to hear this story of how the Suffrage Movement grew out of the Temperance Movement by wives who were tired of their husbands’ drinking and domestic abuse. By going door-to-door, the women who felt called to right these injustices obtained signatures from 32,000 women, a quarter of the female New Zealand population at the time. Those pages of signatures were fastened together and rolled up on a broomstick. Taken to the legislature in 1893, the scroll was ceremoniously unrolled down the center aisle. The women spearheading this campaign made their point. And the rest is history.
March marks Women’s History Month in the US (and in the UK and Australia) when we honor the women who have contributed greatly to our society. We owe a debt of gratitude to the many women who were overlooked or marginalized at the time, but who relentlessly pursued acts of courage, compassion, and justice. Today we reap the benefits of their persistence through medical and science discoveries, inventions, and just laws. Their visionary leadership created community, art, and education. These trailblazing women who significantly impacted our society throughout history had a real sense of purpose and a tenacity to reach their goal.
Throughout the Bible, we see stories of women who were also brave, purposeful, and tenacious. We meet Esther in the Old Testament book that bears her name. As queen of Persia, she puts her life on the line in order to save her people. In requesting a meeting with King Xerxes, Esther literally can receive the death penalty for such a brazen request. As her cousin Mordecai reminds her, perhaps it’s for this very purpose that she is the queen of Persia. Convinced, Esther states that if she perishes, then she perishes. She risks her life to save the Jewish people from being annihilated by Haman, the racist courtier who is more interested in his own power than any relations of the queen’s. Through her cunning, Esther ultimately exposes Haman and his diabolical plans and saves her people.
Esther’s story is one of bravery, yet she clearly feels unworthy of the role and unsure of whether she can even do any good. But yet, she persists while risking her own life. And a whole people group is saved that day.
Other women in the Old Testament demonstrate how even less queenly decisions have eternal consequences. Ruth wasn’t thinking about the lineage of the Messiah when she gathered the leftover grain from Boaz’s field. Likewise, Rahab was only focusing on saving her immediate family at Jericho. Yet, for each of them, their courage launched a series of events that culminated in the birth of Christ.
As we move into the New Testament, we see that Jesus celebrates women. At a time when women are considered mere property with no rights of their own, Jesus goes against the grain of His culture to show the many women He encounters both honor and respect. In simply talking to them in public, Jesus bucks the norm. He notices them, sees them as individuals, shows them respect, and listens to them, scandalous actions for the times. When Jesus converses with the woman at the well (John 4:25-26), He gives her the privilege of being the first person to whom He declares that He is the Messiah. Likewise, Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-18) is the first to see Him resurrected. In other examples, Jesus brings grace and mercy to the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11) and compassion and healing to the woman with a bleeding disorder (Mark 5:24-34).
In reading the stories of women in the Bible, we see that God weaves the events of their lives together to create a tapestry showing His love and compassion for all humankind. He takes brave acts, purposeful missions, and divine appointments and knits them together in a chain of history, for His glory and our good. Likewise, God intertwines our stories into His master narrative along with the stories of those who came before us and those who will come after us, all for His purposes.
In last month’s blog, WWJD?, we discussed Jesus’ mission and how our mission can mirror His ministry to the poor, the imprisoned, the disabled, and the oppressed and more. What do you sense God calling you to do? Perhaps like Esther, it’s a mission God has placed on your heart or maybe like Ruth, it is a call to be faithful in everyday decisions. If you are feeling pandemic-weary, perhaps being faithful in taking care of yourself with kindness and compassion is enough for now. Whether the calling seems mundane or magnanimous, be brave and tenacious in pursuing God’s path and purposes for you. It might just be the necessary link in a chain of events that God is orchestrating for His glory and our good.
As we celebrate Women’s History Month, may we courageously hold tight to the cords of our faith as the Master Weaver makes history through us. May we remember that throughout the ages, God makes history through those who are faithful to Him to bring about His good and perfect will. Like Esther, perhaps we are here in this moment of history for just such a time as this.
Lord Jesus, by breaking cultural norms, You elevated women to a higher place than society allowed. Thank You for all the women who have come before me and those who will come after me. Show me my place in Your lineage as Your beloved child and in Your history as Your vessel of grace. May I use the unique gifts and talents You’ve bestowed on me along with the passions and desires of my heart to bring glory to Your Holy Name and good to my fellow humankind. Amen.
Text and photographs copyright © 2021 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of The Lightpath, a bicycle path in Auckland, New Zealand, repurposed from an off-ramp.
Not a subscriber to the blog posts? Click here to subscribe.
A NOTE ON RACIAL JUSTICE: Becoming antiracist is a journey. Together, we can make a difference. Will you join me? Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice. Click here to learn more.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
Women's Suffrage Memorial in Auckland, New Zealand:
Traversing the many concrete steps downward to where the guide had stopped, I glance behind me. At the foot of those stairs in Auckland is a colorful fresco with the words “The Vote” and the date 1893. I ask the guide about the significance and learn that in 1893, New Zealand was the first self-governing country to give women the right to vote. I am both surprised and fascinated to hear this story of how the Suffrage Movement grew out of the Temperance Movement by wives who were tired of their husbands’ drinking and domestic abuse. By going door-to-door, the women who felt called to right these injustices obtained signatures from 32,000 women, a quarter of the female New Zealand population at the time. Those pages of signatures were fastened together and rolled up on a broomstick. Taken to the legislature in 1893, the scroll was ceremoniously unrolled down the center aisle. The women spearheading this campaign made their point. And the rest is history.
March marks Women’s History Month in the US (and in the UK and Australia) when we honor the women who have contributed greatly to our society. We owe a debt of gratitude to the many women who were overlooked or marginalized at the time, but who relentlessly pursued acts of courage, compassion, and justice. Today we reap the benefits of their persistence through medical and science discoveries, inventions, and just laws. Their visionary leadership created community, art, and education. These trailblazing women who significantly impacted our society throughout history had a real sense of purpose and a tenacity to reach their goal.
Throughout the Bible, we see stories of women who were also brave, purposeful, and tenacious. We meet Esther in the Old Testament book that bears her name. As queen of Persia, she puts her life on the line in order to save her people. In requesting a meeting with King Xerxes, Esther literally can receive the death penalty for such a brazen request. As her cousin Mordecai reminds her, perhaps it’s for this very purpose that she is the queen of Persia. Convinced, Esther states that if she perishes, then she perishes. She risks her life to save the Jewish people from being annihilated by Haman, the racist courtier who is more interested in his own power than any relations of the queen’s. Through her cunning, Esther ultimately exposes Haman and his diabolical plans and saves her people.
Esther’s story is one of bravery, yet she clearly feels unworthy of the role and unsure of whether she can even do any good. But yet, she persists while risking her own life. And a whole people group is saved that day.
Other women in the Old Testament demonstrate how even less queenly decisions have eternal consequences. Ruth wasn’t thinking about the lineage of the Messiah when she gathered the leftover grain from Boaz’s field. Likewise, Rahab was only focusing on saving her immediate family at Jericho. Yet, for each of them, their courage launched a series of events that culminated in the birth of Christ.
As we move into the New Testament, we see that Jesus celebrates women. At a time when women are considered mere property with no rights of their own, Jesus goes against the grain of His culture to show the many women He encounters both honor and respect. In simply talking to them in public, Jesus bucks the norm. He notices them, sees them as individuals, shows them respect, and listens to them, scandalous actions for the times. When Jesus converses with the woman at the well (John 4:25-26), He gives her the privilege of being the first person to whom He declares that He is the Messiah. Likewise, Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-18) is the first to see Him resurrected. In other examples, Jesus brings grace and mercy to the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11) and compassion and healing to the woman with a bleeding disorder (Mark 5:24-34).
In reading the stories of women in the Bible, we see that God weaves the events of their lives together to create a tapestry showing His love and compassion for all humankind. He takes brave acts, purposeful missions, and divine appointments and knits them together in a chain of history, for His glory and our good. Likewise, God intertwines our stories into His master narrative along with the stories of those who came before us and those who will come after us, all for His purposes.
In last month’s blog, WWJD?, we discussed Jesus’ mission and how our mission can mirror His ministry to the poor, the imprisoned, the disabled, and the oppressed and more. What do you sense God calling you to do? Perhaps like Esther, it’s a mission God has placed on your heart or maybe like Ruth, it is a call to be faithful in everyday decisions. If you are feeling pandemic-weary, perhaps being faithful in taking care of yourself with kindness and compassion is enough for now. Whether the calling seems mundane or magnanimous, be brave and tenacious in pursuing God’s path and purposes for you. It might just be the necessary link in a chain of events that God is orchestrating for His glory and our good.
As we celebrate Women’s History Month, may we courageously hold tight to the cords of our faith as the Master Weaver makes history through us. May we remember that throughout the ages, God makes history through those who are faithful to Him to bring about His good and perfect will. Like Esther, perhaps we are here in this moment of history for just such a time as this.
Lord Jesus, by breaking cultural norms, You elevated women to a higher place than society allowed. Thank You for all the women who have come before me and those who will come after me. Show me my place in Your lineage as Your beloved child and in Your history as Your vessel of grace. May I use the unique gifts and talents You’ve bestowed on me along with the passions and desires of my heart to bring glory to Your Holy Name and good to my fellow humankind. Amen.
Text and photographs copyright © 2021 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of The Lightpath, a bicycle path in Auckland, New Zealand, repurposed from an off-ramp.
Not a subscriber to the blog posts? Click here to subscribe.
A NOTE ON RACIAL JUSTICE: Becoming antiracist is a journey. Together, we can make a difference. Will you join me? Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice. Click here to learn more.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
Women's Suffrage Memorial in Auckland, New Zealand:
Close-up of painting of scroll with signatures:
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