“ The Boldness Of Not Being Alone”

In the Old Testament, when Abraham and Sarah took God’s promise into their own hands out of pure impatience, they forced a woman, a slave, into a precarious situation.

 While she was pregnant with Abraham’s child, she was mistreated and ran away, but God revealed himself to her and blessed her.

Hagar was at the mercy of a soon-to-be nation and a product of a patriarchal hierarchy, but the Lord made sure she wasn’t alone — that he was there with her no matter what the world told her.

She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me” (Genesis 16:13).

When Tamar took matters into her own hands and Judah tried to cover his sins with hers, God protected her and exposed Judah.

Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah” (Genesis 38:16).

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

Jesus showed grace to the Samaritan woman at the well who was living with a man who was not her husband (John 4). He revealed to her what the Living Water could do — more than any earthly pleasure. Yes yes.

He also showed grace to the woman caught in adultery, They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. Well.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” which may or may not have been her fault in that time and place, and revealed to her true sacrificial love (John 7:53-8:11).

The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, (Exodus 34:6).

They were the rebel women of their day — willing to do what they believed was right, no matter the personal cost:

Rahab was a prostitute in Jericho, she risked her own life to save the Israelite spies.

Tamar disguised herself, pretending to be a prostitute, to seduce her deceased husband’s father. She tricked him also, by keeping proof he was the one who slept with her. She gave birth to his son.  

Ruth was a Moabite widow who pursued a relationship with her Jewish kinsman, Boaz. She took the lead by offering herself to him in marriage. She bravely went against cultural and even racial expectations. 

Mary was a young girl. She was not married yet became pregnant. Unheard of and punishable by ex-communication and possibly abandonment. She became the mother of the Son of God! 

In His day, Jesus may well have been labeled a progressive based solely on His treatment and inclusivity of women. He showed his peers how He viewed women to be equal to men and worthy of honor, respect, and freedom.

Boldness!