Women of the Bible: Inspiring, Sorrowing, Evil, Abused, and Unexpected: A 13-week Study of Over 100 Women in the Bible

By Linda Wentworth Barnes

Several women stand out when reading the Bible and, understandably, most studies of biblical women focus on them. Delving into the other lesser-known women mentioned in the Bible is an eye-opening adventure. Women of the Bible explores what we can learn from over 100 biblical women (including the big seven: Eve, Deborah, Ruth, Esther, Sarah, Elizabeth, and Mary), some of whom are only found in one or two verses. By grouping similar women together, we get a picture of how God has shown love to, has worked in and through, and has singled out women since the beginning of time.

The thirteen weeks of the study include the following:

* Leaders of the faith

* Admirable foreign women

* Abused women

* Humble servants

* Women who made their own way

* The worst women

* Women of great sorrow

* Women who did the right thing

* The good, bad, or some of both

An in-depth Leader's Guide is included which provides additional questions for groups or individuals.

Linda Wentworth Barnes has been a pastor's wife for over three decades. She is the author of another study entitled Pride and Humility: A Guide to Better Understanding Yourself and Others. She and her husband are currently serving a church in San Antonio, Texas.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jun 21, 2024
• ISBN: 9798890432476

Book preview

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Women of the Bible: Inspiring, Sorrowing, Evil, Abused, and Unexpected

A 13-week Study of Over 100 Women in the Bible

Linda Wentworth Barnes

ISBN 979-8-89043-246-9 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-89043-247-6 (digital)

Copyright © 2024 by Linda Wentworth Barnes

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

I would like to dedicate this book to Robin Witt, my dear friend of over fifty years, who supported me through each stage of the preparation of this study and offered invaluable advice and guidance.

Introduction

Week 1: Leaders of the Faith—Old Testament

Leaders of the Faith

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Week 2: Leaders of the Faith—New Testament—Part 1

Leaders of the Faith

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Week 3: Leaders of the Faith—New Testament—Part 2

Leaders of the Faith

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Week 4: Admirable Foreign Women

Admirable Foreign Women

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Week 5: Abused Women

Abused Women

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Week 6: Humble Servants—Old Testament

Humble Servants

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Week 7: Humble Servants—New Testament

Humble Servants

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Week 8: Women Who Made Their Own Way

Women Who Made Their Own Way

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Week 9: The Worst Women

The Worst Women

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Week 10: Women of Great Sorrow

Women of Great Sorrow

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Week 11: Women Who Did the Right Thing or Stood up for What Was Right—Part 1

Women Who Did the Right Thing or Stood up for What Was Right—Part 1

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Week 12: Women Who Did the Right Thing or Stood Up for What Was Right—Part 2

Women Who Did the Right Thing or Stood Up for What Was Right—Part 2

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Week 13: Good, Bad, or Some of Both?

Good, Bad, or Some of Both?

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Leader's Guide

About the Author

I would like to dedicate this book to Robin Witt, my dear friend of over fifty years, who supported me through each stage of the preparation of this study and offered invaluable advice and guidance.

Introduction

When reading through the Bible, we tend to notice mostly men being used by God, with the spotlight focusing on an occasional woman such as Eve, Deborah, Ruth, Esther, Sarah, Elizabeth, or Mary. This study will look at those seven women but will also include over one hundred other women who have something to teach us about following God.

Delving into the many and varied women of the Bible has been an eye-opening adventure for me, and I hope you will experience this as well. We will see how women were leaders in the faith, how many were humble servants, and how others stood up for what was right. Some of our time will be spent looking at the difficult stories of abused women and women of great sorrow found in the Bible. We will honestly include the worst women as well as women who made their own way in life (for good or bad). Extraordinary consequences came out of the lives and actions of some of the women in the study.

One week of the study will look at a few miscellaneous multifaceted characters. Another will focus on six admirable foreign women. This thirteen-week study is by no means an exhaustive study of all of the women of the Bible, but it is a representative look at the wide range of women mentioned.

It is surprising how much God worked in the lives of women in what we generally consider to have been a patriarchal time. Women held positions of leadership, were respected by the men around them, and were singled out not only by God but also by servants of God such