What if there were no women in the Bible?--Mother's Day Sermon

Some people over the years have felt that the Bible is derogatory toward women—that it pictures women as being inferior to men and thus some kind of second-class citizens. But in reality, women play an absolutely crucial role at every stage of the biblical story. In fact, I would argue that because of the Bible, Christians hold women in higher esteem than any other religion in the world. Today, I would like you to consider the question, “What if there were no women in the Bible?” How would the story of Scripture be different if the contributions of women were removed from it? We’re going to consider a number of different women one by one to highlight their contributions to the story of Scripture. 1. Eve We might as well start at the beginning with Eve. Eve had an obvious and absolutely crucial role in the story of Scripture—without her, there would be no human race! That is precisely why God said that it was not good for Adam to be alone. The only time in the creation week that God said something was not good was when Adam was still alone. God could not give His final “seal of approval” to creation until He created woman. Think about that—what higher compliment could possibly be given to women? Adam by himself was not enough for God’s plan to be carried out; without Eve, the plan could not have moved forward. After Adam and Eve, the story of Scripture quickly comes into focus upon the children of Israel. On numerous occasions, that nation—and thus the family of Jesus—were saved from tragedy by the brave actions of women 2. Hebrew midwives (Exodus 1) When the children of Israel were slaves in Egypt, Pharaoh commanded all male Hebrew babies to be killed. But the Hebrew midwives refused to carry out this command and thus saved their people from possible extinction 3. Pharaoh’s daughter (Exodus 2) This brave woman found the infant Moses in a basket floating in the Nile. Pharaoh’s own daughter disobeyed her father’s command and spared his life, thus saving that man whom God would later use to free His people from their slavery in Egypt and to give us the first five books of the Bible. 4. Rahab (Joshua 2) As the Jews were preparing to carry out God’s command to conquer the Promised Land, they sent spies into Jericho, the first city that had to be taken. Rahab hid the spies from the city leaders and let them know that the whole city was overcome with fear, because they had heard what God had done for the children of Israel. Without her, the spies may have been captured, and the people may not have had the courage to lay siege to Jericho. 5. Deborah (Judges 4) Deborah was a prophetess and a judge, meaning that God spoke through her to the people, and she settled disputes among the nation. During her time, the Israelites were in danger of being enslaved by the Canaanites. The men who led the army were too afraid to go into battle, so Deborah went with them to give them confidence, and the enemies of Israel were defeated. 6. Ruth (Book of Ruth) Ruth was not even Jewish by birth, but she embraced the God of Israel and became a direct ancestor of the Lord Jesus Christ. Without her, we would be without a beautiful picture of redemption and salvation, and the line of King David and the Lord Jesus would not exist. 7. Hannah (1 Samuel 1-2) Hannah was the mother of Samuel, the first prophet that God raised up after a long silence during the time of the judges. He essentially functioned as another Moses just before the people demanded a king for themselves. Without Hannah and her willingness to dedicate Samuel to God’s service, the children of Israel would have been without their main leader during his lifetime. 8. Esther (Book of Esther) Esther became the Queen of Persia through God’s providence, and she used her influence with the king to save the children of Israel from being annihilated by their enemies. Thus, the nation—the family of Jesus—was once again saved from extinction by a woman. 9. King Lemuel’s Mother (Proverbs 31) Many people don’t realize that the description of the excellent wife in Proverbs 31 was a poem of sorts from a mother to her son, which was undoubtedly meant to teach him about the kind of wife he should desire. This motherly advice has helped so many young men over the years. Without it, men would be even a little more clueless as we seek a wife for ourselves! 10. Solomon’s wife (The Song of Solomon) Since marriage is such an important relationship, it only makes sense that God would give us an entire book about it. Through the interaction of Solomon and his wife, we learn so much about romance and the realities of true love. 11. Mary (Luke 1) Mary obviously played a crucial role in the story of Scripture. Without her, we would not have the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ! Mary is probably the most revered woman in the world today. Now I must say that some of the attention that Mary receives goes too far, particularly within the Catholic Church, but Mary was correct when she said in Luke 1:48-49, “from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” Mary herself puts our focus on the proper person—God, the Mighty One—but we can highly respect Mary for her willingness to suffer potential shame and misunderstanding in order to obey God. 12. Jesus’ female disciples (Luke 8:1-3; Luke 24) Many people don’t realize that in addition to the twelve apostles, Jesus also had a group of female followers who traveled with Him during His ministry. According to Luke 8:3, these women “provided for them out of their means.” This is the only reference we have to any of Jesus’ disciples providing for the group’s needs. Undoubtedly Jesus received hospitality as He traveled, but without these women, His ministry may not have been financed. And let’s not forget that some of these same women were the first ones to discover that Jesus’ tomb was empty! 13. Phoebe (Romans 16:1-2) According to Romans 16, this woman was the messenger who carried the letter to the Romans from Paul to its destination in Rome. Without her, we may not have this important letter that has sparked so many revivals throughout the history of the church. 14. Lois and Eunice (2 Timothy 1:5) These women were the grandmother and mother of Timothy, whom we read about in the book of Acts and in the two letters that were written to him by the apostle Paul. We don’t know much at all about Timothy’s grandfather or father, but we know that these two godly women passed a genuine faith in God down through the generations of their family, and their faithfulness has touched the entire world. Without them, there would be no Timothy, and we would be missing two books of the Bible that are so important for our understanding of how we are supposed to act in the church today. Their example should be an encouragement for all mothers. Little did they know as they told little Timmy the stories of the Old Testament, that one day their faithfulness would impact the whole world. And so it is with you, mothers—you have no idea how God may use the smallest of sacrifices that you make in raising your children. So be faithful in your calling as mothers, and let all of us honor our mothers for all that they mean in our lives.