The Buzz on Deborah and Certain Women

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I'm reading about Deborah in Judges at the moment. In Summer 2013—The Daily Devotional Guide, the lectionary I follow, Patrick Henry Reardon writes this about her:

…"Deborah means bee, because it signifies the law like honey in the wax; that is, it contains in the letter the sweetness of the Spirit." Deborah's very name, then, was the key to understanding her.

…and not only that, but:

It was Ambrose, perhaps, who most eloquently expressed this large dimension of the ministry of Deborah. According to the historical meaning of this story (secundum historiam), therefore, in order to stir up the minds of women, a woman judged, a woman set everything in order, a woman prophesied, a woman triumphed, and, intruding herself into the dispositions of battle, taught men to fight under a woman's command. According to this story's meaning as mystery (secundum mysterium), it is the warfare of faith. It is the victory of the Church. 

…and I thought of the women who come to pray for revival time after time, who pray at the city council meetings, who read the Scriptures, plant things and pray in the city parks, who seem to be the ones running every prayer group in town, and the city is filled with the fragrance of the perfume (John 12:3 and 2 Cor 2:14-16).

Sweetly buzzing.

Of Genealogies, Women and Men

I'm reading the genealogies (all nine chapters of them) in 1 Chronicles in my St James Daily Devotional Guide lectionary. I am fascinated by the little tid-bits of information that are included. There are lists of names, sons of, sons of, fathered and then these little promontories in the genealogical landscape:

• Nimrod who "was the first on earth to be a mighty man"


• Casluhim "from whom the Philistines came"


• Peleg "for in his days the earth was divided"...the footnote tells us the name "Peleg" means division

There are also the women. One pops up every now and then.

• in verse 32, the first woman mentioned: Keturah, Abraham's concubine. I wonder why not Sarah or Hagar?


• in verse 39, we are told “and Lotan's sister is Timna.” She is also mentioned in Genesis in a list of Esau's descendants. Why are no other sisters mentioned? What was special about her? Who needed to know that?


• in verse 50, the writer makes a point of naming Mehetabel, who was the wife of one of the kings of Edom, Hadad, and who was also “the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab.” I wonder whether Matred and Mezahab are male or female? Why is Mehetabel listed when none of the other kings' wives are?

Fascinating, I thought, maybe I'll start making a list of all the women who are mentioned in the Bible. But wait! Somebody has probably already done it and posted it on the web. And so they have. There I found that there are 188 women mentioned in the Bible. I guess God thinks that is enough. If what women say is true about any woman being able to do the work of ten men, then that would be enough, wouldn't it. See the list of women here.

As I have to remind myself in this church business, it's not quantity that counts, it's quality. Thank God for you women.

The Mothers in My Life: Thoughts on Mother's Day

This prayer was compiled by my wife, Jude, to be prayed in our worship service today.

Lord Jesus, today we lift to you all women. Thank you that you made us in your image. Help us to remember that. Help us to remember the example of your mother, Mary – her obedience, her strength, her quiet faithfulness. Lord, look with your love and mercy on all mothers. Rejoice with those mothers who are called blessed by their children. Support and encourage those mothers who struggle with the responsibility of raising children, those whose children have disappointed, those who will not hear from their children today. Have mercy on all those women who want to be mothers and are not, on those who are mothers, but don’t want to be and on those who have never had the opportunity to be mothers. Have mercy on all those who miss their mothers and on those whose mothers have died. Help us to put a new value mothers and motherhood – not as a sweetly sentimental role, but as a vocation, a high calling from you, worthy of our support.

Amen.

I am amazed and enriched by the mothers in my life; my own, my wife, my daughter, my sister and my friends. They are all intelligent, strong, capable, beautiful women who navigate through the joys and sorrows of their calling with such grace. The determined faithfulness they bring to the task, despite the sleep deprivation, frustrations, fears, self-doubt and riskiness of it all humbles me greatly.

I love you all. God bless you.

Women's Work and the Alberta Labour Shortage

Last Friday, CBC Calgary Eye Opener columnist, Deborah Yedlin, laid a guilt-trip on Alberta women for staying at home with their families instead of helping Alberta with its labour shortage. She bemoaned the fact that Alberta has slipped to the bottom of the heap in the number of mothers working outside the home allowing Quebec to take the lead. Part of the reason for Quebec’s lead, she suggests, is the government subsidized child-care system in that province. How can Alberta mothers ignore the example set by their sisters in Quebec and in Europe where mothers have been in the workforce for a couple of generations whether they had to work or not?

Yedlin’s piece disturbed me for a couple of reasons.

First, mothers have a tough enough job doing what they do. If they go to work, they are criticized for neglecting their families. If they stay home, they are accused of allowing themselves to vegetate. In the midst of all that, they struggle with sleep-deprivation when their children are young, trying to maintain a good relationship with their husbands and a million other things. People like Yedlin giving them the gears is not helpful. I believe mothers should be free to do what gives them life. For some, that means staying home. For others, keeping a career on the go. Let them be.

Yedlin (and the Liberal party, now I come to think of it) also imply that a government run child-care system is an ideal to which we should aspire. I forget where I read or heard this: someone observed that in our present culture, community has been been replaced by the state and morality has been been replaced by politics. That reminds me of attempts by communist countries to replace normal nuclear family values and loyalty with a wider state “family” set of values and loyalties. Children were encouraged to turn their parents in if they strayed from the party line. The more government is allowed to be involved in parenting our children the more government values (is that an oxymoron?) will define what families are. Not good.

As far as morality being replaced by politics; we have already gone some distance down that slippery slope. Lord, help us!

I am unhappy with the idea of sacrificing our mothers and families on the altar of Alberta's need for more workers so we can keep up with the Quebec Joneses and have more money to buy more things that we don't need.