Women in Ministry and Leadership, An Anthology

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE

UNIT ONE: BIOGRAPHIES

PART A: WOMEN OF THE BIBLE

Hagar: A Hero for Women Oppressed and Invisible

Shannon Polk

Miriam: Israel’s Forgotten Prophet

Stephanie Nance

Rahab: Leader from Within the Walls of Jericho

Victoria Womack

Lydia: Leader Extraordinaire

Ava Oleson

Priscilla: A Leader in the Early Church

Linda Seiler

Junia: A Female Apostle

Linda Seiler

The Elect Lady of 2 John: Symbolic Name or Historical Woman

Loralie Crabtree

PART B: WOMEN FROM HISTORY

Hatshepsut: Leadership Principles and Legacy

Trina Pennington

Desert Mothers

Lisa Potter

Catharine Beecher: American Education Pioneer

Jodi Faulkner

Phoebe Palmer: The Mother of the Holiness Movement

Brenda C. Pace

Florence Nightingale

Susan Comiskey

Fanny Crosby: The Blind Poet

Lisa Potter

Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell: The Moral Fight

Alaina G. Battaglia

Harriet Tubman: Moses of Her People

Irene Runge

Lillian Trasher: Lady on a Donkey

Kathleen Hardcastle

The Life of Corrie ten Boom

Jodi Detrick

Vonette Bright: Soul Winner and Prayer Warrior

Jamie Morgan

PART C: CONTEMPORARY WOMEN

The Life of Peggy Musgrove

Kerry Clarensau

Hillary Rodham Clinton: A Public Servant’s Faith in Action

Erica Abell Huinda

V. Cheri Sampson: For Such a Time as This

Deborah Fulthorp

UNIT TWO: WOMEN-IN-MINISTRY TOPICS

PART A: BIBLICAL-THEOLOGICAL ISSUES

The Trinity: Hierarchy or Mutuality

Linda Seiler

1 Corinthians 14

Vicki Judd

Women, Prophecy, and Preaching

Stephanie Nance

PART B: CONTEMPORARY ISSUES

The History of Women’s Education in America: 1770-1850

Jodi Faulkner

Matriarchal Societies

Trina Pennington

Participant Voices: African Feminism

Mindy Hines

The Departure of Women from the American Church

Loralie Crabtree

Women Who Travel for God: A Biblical Perspective

Jodi Detrick

The Origins of Attitudes Toward Feminist Theology: Contributors, Constraints, Lessons, and Responses

Loralie Crabtree

Implicit Bias: The Subconscious Barrier to Women in Leadership

Erica Abell Huinda

The Damaging Effects of Gender Stereotyping on Identity Formation

Susan Comiskey

APPENDIX 1: ELEVATOR SPEECHES

Why Not Women?

Kerry Clarensau

God Created Them

Lisa Clements

Equally Spiritually Gifted

Loralie Crabtree

Appointed by God

Rebecca Henslee

God Does Not Discriminate

Jason Lundy

I Am Confident

Ruthie Oberg

I Will Not Settle for Less

Brenda Pace

Gifts to the Church: Women in Ministry

Trina Pennington

APPENDIX 2: RECOMMENDED READING

PREFACE

It is with joy and thanksgiving that we offer this anthology of seminary-student papers on the biblical-theology of women in leadership! Here is the brief story behind this publication.

The Assemblies of God Theological Seminary (AGTS), Evangel University (EU), in Springfield, MO, has a very effective Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) degree program. Designing cohorts around specific ministry foci has contributed to their success.

In February 2009, the very first Women in Leadership cohort (WiL1) was launched; in February 2011, the second (WiL2); by October 2013, the third (WiL3); in October 2015, the fourth (WiL4); and in March 2018, the fifth (WiL5). (Though these are cohorts offered by the D.Min. department, occasionally masters students are permitted participation in them.) I (Deborah M. Gill) have had the joy of teaching the biblical theology course for these wonderful groups of women (first in October of 2009, next in the June of 2012, and in June of 2014, March 2016, and June 2018). By popular demand, the course (Biblical Theology of Women in Leadership [BTh of WiL]) came to be offered to also non-cohort members—both female and male: first to masters students, then to undergraduates, and finally to doctoral students.

I designed the pre-session written assignments for that course to enhance student interest and engagement when the students meet as a class.

First, each student writes one short biography on a woman from Scripture or history whose life inspires her. Then, in class, each student makes a presentation on their chosen woman. (Students opting for additional academic credits have the choice to write additional papers or longer papers.)

Second, each student chooses one passage in Scripture, one topic from history, or one issue in current society related to women that is of significant importance to them, personally, and writes a short paper on it. During class discussions, each student contributes on the issue of their specialty.

On the last day of class, each student recites a brief elevator speech presenting their personal biblical-theology supporting a woman’s calling to ministry, both theirs and others’. Then, we anoint them with oil, lay hands on them, and pray a prayer of commissioning that they each may fulfill their unique God-given calls.

(Several weeks after the class, each student synthesizes all their biblical-theological learning on women in leadership—from this class, their outside required readings and research, and from their whole lives’ experience—in a personal reflection paper called My Journey to Ministry.)

Though the content of the post-session assignment is personal and confidential, the other three written assignments are appropriate to share publicly; and many of these papers have been very inspiring to all classmates. From the very first offering of this class, there was a desire on the students’ part and mine to share these papers more widely. So, following teaching my first (2009) class, for WiL1, I posted student papers on my faculty webpage for others to access: https://agts.edu/faculty/deborah-m-gill/.

At AGTS, we have a policy that students may not earn an A+ on a paper unless it is publishable. Since a number of these student papers deserved that distinction, I set out to see if we could publish them.

Prior to teaching the third (2014) class, for WiL3, I secured funding from an advocate of women in leadership to publish these papers as an e-book. This funding has made it possible to employ the professional services of several former AGTS students who were also previously my Teaching Assistants. Special thanks are due to Stephanie Nance for her excellent work in editing papers for publication. (Dr. Nance earned, at AGTS, the M.Div. in 2008 and the D.Min. in 2013, was in my first BTh of WiL class as part of WiL1, and had been my Teaching Assistant in Expository Preaching: Narrative class). I am thrilled that since March 2019, Dr. Stephanie Nance teaches this class! Sincere appreciation is also due to Tae Kang for his superb work in formatting the book for e-publication. (The Reverend Kang earned the M.Div. at AGTS in 2012 and was my Teaching Assistant in New Testament Theology class.)

We wish to acknowledge all the students in the several classes over the years that have contributed and will contribute to this publication. They are a great group of Christ followers and my dear friends.

Class of October 2009:

Jodi Detrick, Vicki Farina, Barb Gilliam, Kathie Hardcastle, Karen Johnson, Vickie Judd, Kathy Key, Stephanie Nance, Ava Oleson, Shannon Polk, Kelly Preston, and Stephanie Townsend.

Class of June 2012:

Annie Bailey, Emily Barney, Kerry Clarensau, Loralie Crabtree, Amy DeVries, Deborah Fulthorp, Fay Nieman, Kristen Harvey, Brenda Pace, Sheri Ray, Vicki Sielaff, Linda Sielaff, Linda Seiler, and Kristi Singer.

Class of June 2014:

Gail Johnsen, Kim Martinez, Tessie Odun-Ayo, Kristin Wilson, Esther Chia, Nyree Brodrick, Rachael Butler, Lisa Clements, Irene Runge, Brandy Wilson, Christina Ketchem, Mary Beth Thoms, and Judy Rachels.

Class of March 2016:

Esther Chia, Gail Johnsen, Eleanor Kue, Kristi Lemley, Kimberly Martinez, Jamie Morgan, Theresa Odun-Ayo, Esther Sanchez, Rebecca Henslee, Yoriko Yabuki, and Kristin Wilson.

Class of Spring Semester 2017:

Brian Gill, Kimberly Hinz, Jason Lundy, Ester Mirembe, Kristina Purshaga, Victoria Reeves, Brian Roden, Laura Beth Scott, Kendi Satterfield, Krista Spencer, Michael Trask, and Victoria Womack.

Class of June 2018:

Alaina Battaglia, Susan Comiskey, Allison Cunningham, Debbie Gillispie, Erica Huinda, Crystal Martin, Trina Pennington, and Edna Quiros.

In addition to the papers written for the BTh in WiL class, I am also very appreciative to Loralie Crabtree for permitting the inclusion of several longer papers written for other classes but related to the theme of this anthology (Origins of Attitudes Towards Feminist Theology and Women as Assemblies of God Church Planters.)

Our prayer as editors and authors is that these papers will challenge others—male and female—to be all that God has called them to be!

Deborah M. Gill and Stephanie Nance, co-editors

May, 2014 (first edition)

Springfield, MO

Deborah Menken Gill has ministered as a teacher, pastor, in missions, and directing Christian Education and Discipleship for the Assemblies of God USA. With a Ph.D. in Biblical Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary, she serves today as Professor of Biblical Studies and Exposition, Chair of Masters Programs, and Chair of the Bible and Theology Department at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, Evangel University. Her husband, Jan, is an architect specializing in church design.

Deborah has long been an advocate of women in ministry and leadership, both in her denomination and beyond. She contributed to the founding of Women of the Cloth (the Credentialed Women’s Fellowship of the Minnesota District of the Assemblies of God); of Christians for Biblical Equality, International; and of the Men and Women in Ministry Partnership issue group of the Lausanne Movement; and served many years on the Network (of women in ministry in the AG). Deborah has also written widely on related topics, from her masters thesis: Gynecomorphisms in the New Testament; her doctoral dissertation: The Female Prophets: Gender and Leadership in the Biblical Tradition; to contributing as a resource person in the preparation of the Assemblies of God Position Paper on Women in Ministry. The biblical theology of women in ministry and leadership book, which she co-authored with Dr. Barbara Cavaness Parks, God’s Women—Then and Now, is currently available in four languages and three more languages are in process of translation.

Stephanie Lynn Nance resides in Virginia where she serves as the Adult Spiritual Formation Pastor at Chapel Springs Assembly of God. Originating from Oklahoma, Stephanie has lived and served in ministry in Alaska, Missouri, and Virginia. She holds a Doctor of Ministry degree, with a focus on women in leadership and spiritual formation, and a Master of Divinity in biblical preaching from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary (AGTS). She teaches as adjunct faculty at AGTS and the University of Valley Forge Virginia Campus.

With a passion for seeing men and women working alongside one another as co-laborers in God’s kingdom, Stephanie currently serves as the Female At-large Executive Presbyter with the Potomac Ministry Network. From 2009-2014, she worked for the Assemblies of God’s Network for Women in Ministry, supporting the national effort to develop female ministers. In 2017, Stephanie co-authored a chapter in Women in Pentecostal and Charismatic Ministry on Living a Theology of Co-Gender Ministry.

UNIT ONE: BIOGRAPHIES

PART A: WOMEN OF THE BIBLE

HAGAR: A HERO FOR WOMEN OPPRESSED AND INVISIBLE

Shannon Polk

CONTENTS

NOTES

BIBLIOGRAPHY

And she had nothing to fall back; not maleness, not whiteness, not ladyhood, not anything. And out of the profound desolation of her reality, she may well have invented herself.

Toni Morrison, Sula.

The quote taken from the novel Sula by Toni Morrison depicts the inexpressible pain that most women of color shoulder daily. Because of the absence of safety within the traditional societal constructs, which protect their peers, women of color have had to name and invent themselves in a culture where their presence remains relatively invisible. To this end, it is no wonder that so much theological scholarship has been written about Hagar by African-American female scholars. Hagar, a desert matriarch, symbolizes a freedom birthed in oppression and the reward of obedience to an unseen God.

Some scholars estimate that Hagar lived around 1800 BC. According to theologians, Hagar’s story begins when Pharaoh gives Hagar to Sarai. In Genesis 12:10-13, Abram requests that Sarai deceive Pharaoh by lying about her marital status and saying that Abram is her brother.¹ Pharaoh brings Sarai into his palace and extends his generosity to Abram by giving him various cattle and servants in verses 15-16. Theologians believe that Hagar was one of the female servants given to Abram, and when Abram left Egypt Hagar was a part of the caravan.

When reviewing the etymology of the name, the word Hagar means flight or stranger.² Dictionaries also state that the name means immigrant or to emigrate.³ The name Hagar also translates as the word forsaken and shares a close resemblance to the word sojourner.⁴ What a fitting name for the woman who would flee from her oppressor twice, be forsaken by her impregnator, and sojourn through the desert to her homeland alone.

To understand the appeal of Hagar’s story, the reader must examine her life through a feminine lens. Hagar’s narrative is powerful and timeless because it speaks to many different women. She speaks to women living under oppressive political and religious regimes where females have no voice and women are treated as chattel. She speaks to prepubescent girls and budding young women who through no fault of their own find themselves working in the sex trafficking industry, often sold into this life of slavery by a family member. She speaks to millions of women who have suffered sexual abuse by the hand of the very caregiver who was supposed to protect them. She speaks to single mothers who because of the hand of fate are single and alone, but too frequently ostracized by respectable married women. She speaks to women who were once slaves and yet still bear the burden of slavery. Moreover, she speaks to women who appear invisible to the world but live under the watchful eye of the Lord.

Genesis 16:1 identifies Hagar first by station as Sarai’s servant, then by nationality, Egyptian, and finally by name. The description demonstrates to the reader how insignificant she was as an individual. Her value to Abram and Sarai rested in her ability to serve them effectively. One can surmise that she was chosen as the personal handmaiden to Sarai because of the education she received in Egypt. Perhaps she was a skilled and trained servant and therefore benefitted Sarai more as a personal attendant than an unlearned slave could.

One could imagine the relationship between Sarai and her servant Hagar. Sarai epitomized the rich, powerful beauty queen. Here was someone whose beauty was so breathtaking that her husband lied to protect his life because he believed that men would murder him to espouse her. Because of her beauty, Pharaoh enriched Abram with cattle and servants. In contrast, Hagar was given away inconsequentially to a foreigner. Her role was to serve namelessly and unobtrusively. It begs the question if Pharaoh even knew her name. Moreover, did Sarai know her name before the day that she decided to use her as a concubine?

The beginning of chapter 16 shows Sarai wrestling with her infertility and trying to bring her husband’s vision to fruition. As the queen of her domain, she envisions everything within her reach as a tool, including the people under her authority. In verse 2, Sarai instructs Abram to lie with Hagar and produce an heir. Sarai behaves as only a woman of privilege could behave. She forces her servant to marry her husband and produce a child that would belong to Sarai. Hagar becomes the first surrogate mother. Scripture gives no account of Hagar’s feelings about the arrangement. One would expect her to behave as someone who was both appalled and honored. It would appall her to learn of such a heinous assignment, to be betrothed to a man who was already married and several years her senior. Certainly, she has heard her mistress speak of the God who has blessed Abram and promised to produce a nation from his seed. While attending to her maid, Hagar has learned of the one true God and has observed how God has favored Abram. She probably observed them praying and sacrificing to Him and perhaps she has even come to believe in Him.

Once Hagar conceives, she begins to recognize her power. In her womb, she carries the chosen seed and she must be cared for in a special way. Now she has becomes the mistress, her needs must be attended to, and she needs a servant to assist her. As a nameless servant was transforming into the vessel for an emerging nation, she must have realized the power that she now wielded. Her identity as an oppressed person became the lens through which she saw the world. The most critical decisions in her life up to this point, where she would live, what she would do for a living, whom she would marry, when should she begin a family, were made by someone else. She learned to swallow the abuse like a bitter pill and accept her station in life. She knew she was voiceless and that her offspring would share that fate. Unlike the Hebrew slaves who had to be released every fifty years, non-Hebrew slaves were passed down as an inheritance from generation to generation (Lev. 25:46). One could postulate that she dreamt of a life where she could define her life according to own her wishes as desires. Perhaps she imagined a life where she could repay all of those individuals who had mistreated her. When she became pregnant, the balance of power in Abram’s household shifted in favor of Hagar.

Power in the hands of the oppressed will be cruel to the oppressor without the presence of forgiveness. Like the abused child who becomes an adult and abuses their children, Hagar did not end the cycle of abuse with her mistress; instead, she perpetuated it. Hagar began to realize that her open womb represented all that Sarai ever desired and she began to despise her. She began to despise her shallowness, her indifference to the servants, and maybe her beauty. Hagar recognized her power and she began to inflict pain upon her mistress. It would appear that Hagar saw herself in a station above Sarai because she was carrying Abram’s child—the one thing Sarai could not do (Gen. 16:4).

Sarai greatly troubled at the behavior of her servant asks Abram for counsel, and Abram grants her carte blanche to deal with the situation. Sarai utilizes her unconditional authority to put Hagar in her place and according to Genesis 16:6, Sarai began to mistreat her. Other translations say that she dealt with her harshly.⁵ The aggregate understanding is that Sarai dealt so cruelly with Hagar that she fled their tents and headed for the desert.

Interestingly, in the desert we observe a foreshadowing of God’s voice speaking to His people, providing them with hope and courage. Hagar is alone and pregnant. The power that she thought she had becomes meaningless once Sarai receives Abram’s blessing to deal with her in whatever manner Sarai sees fit. Here in the desert, Hagar will speak to God personally and receive a promise of hope that will sustain her for several years.

Genesis 16:7 finds the desert matriarch on her way back to her homeland of Egypt using the road to Shur. The wilderness of Shur was between the camp of Abram in Kadesh and Egypt.⁶ The direction tells the reader that Hagar responded to the challenge of mistreatment in a very common manner—she left the place of pain in search of the familiar. The query arises how a Christian should respond to a crisis. Hagar’s response was understandable. She was running to her past. When the present does not make sense, people find security in their past. Hagar was no different.

The symbolism of her desert theophany brings a powerful message to women who believe that God does not see them. Hagar rested by a spring in the desert (Gen. 16:7). Springs are a symbol of new life, new beginnings, and refreshing. Deserts represent barrenness, unfruitfulness, and hopelessness. Therefore, in the midst of a hopeless situation, we can expect that Hagar will be refreshed by the presence of the LORD. The first aspect of this encounter that signifies a change for Hagar is the manner in which the angel addresses her. Unlike the first mention of her name in verse 1, the order of address changes in verse 8. The angel begins by calling her name and then he refers to her role as Sarai’s maid. By stating her name before her position, the order of words indicate that the LORD saw Hagar’s worth as an individual, not just in her position.

A critical question will begin the healing process for Hagar. The angel asks her Where have you come from and where are you going? One could rephrase the question to say, Where did you begin and where will you end? To begin the process of renewal and refreshing, Hagar would need to redirect herself. The process of reorientation required that she examine the route that led her to this present place and that she identify a future destination.

The purpose of psychological therapy is to identify the decisions and events that have shaped a person’s identity and determine the root causes of the individual’s pain. The purpose of life coaching is to help a person identify a goal and help them recognize the obstacles they need to overcome to achieve these goals. The angel served as Hagar’s therapist and life coach. As it often happens in a first session with a therapist or coach, Hagar was so consumed with her present situation she failed to address the relevant question posed to her by her therapist. In her response to the angel, Hagar did not state her direction but her present activity. She explained that she was running from her mistress (Gen. 16:8). The present crisis of fleeing her oppressor consumed her mind, and she did not have the strength to consider any other options.

During the cold war, many Russians defected and requested political asylum in America to escape a tyrannical, oppressive government. Democratic citizens respected and celebrated their choices to live in a free state. Given the brutal history of slavery in America, the northern states and Canada celebrate the story of runaway slaves traveling to freedom in the north. In contrast to traditional Western expectations, the angel did not encourage Hagar to continue her journey to freedom. Instead, the angel told her to return to her mistress and submit to her (Gen. 16:9). Christians desire to hear the voice of God during stressful situations, but they do not want to hear Him contradict the desires of their hearts. One must believe that the angel’s command discomforted Hagar initially. She had run into the desert to flee her mistress’s cruelties and now the angelic sent to comfort her instructed her to return to a life of slavery. However, the angel did not leave her without a hope.

The angel gave her a matriarchal promise in the desert akin to the promise given to Abram. He said that her descendants would grow to an amount that would be too numerous to count. Chapter 20 indicates that because the child was the progeny of Abram that the promise made to Abram was extended to his child. However, because the Lord only provided such reasoning for Abram’s comfort and not to Hagar, it seems as though there is an additional explanation. It appears that the promise of multiplication was given to comfort Hagar so that she could endure the hardship that she faced upon her return to Sarai.

In addition to the promise of the survival of her lineage, she received a prophetic word regarding her son. She learned of his name and his temperament. The name Ishmael means God hears.⁷ The unborn heir receives this name because God heard of Hagar’s misery. The name Ishmael reaffirms that God hears Hagar’s prayers and that He pays attention to her pain. It indicates that although her station remains one where her voice exists powerless, her voice can reach the ear of God and move Him to action. The angel describes her son as wild, free-spirited, and untamed. The prophecy states that Ishmael will live in opposition to his brethren and them to him. Some commentaries identify such behavior as indicative of an independent spirit.⁸ Certainly, a slave girl would rejoice to know that her son would live a life of freedom, even if it meant that he would have to fight continuously to keep it.

The promise became the hope of a future for her children and her grandchildren. Due to her new self-image, she would feel empowered enough to name her Consolator. She named God. Verse 13 states that because of her desert theophany, she realized that although she lived as a nameless slave girl, numbered among Abram’s possessions, that God saw her. As a result, she named God as the One who sees me or El Roi (Gen. 16:13). In her excitement of being fully recognized by the Lord, she proclaims that she has seen the One who saw her. The Lord sought her out, gave her a promise that only Abram had received, and blessed her with a future. How empowering it must have been for Hagar to have such an encounter with God.

In Womanist and Mujerista theology, power for African women and Latinas derives from the ability to name oneself.⁹ Hagar became a forbear to the women who would come after her. Until the angelic encounter, Hagar allowed her circumstances as a slave, a concubine, and a surrogate define her identity. Hagar represents the oppressed woman God liberates while in slavery and as a result, she begins to define herself. She took her power from her encounter with the Lord and did the most powerful thing she could—gave Him a name. She would no longer see herself as a slave invisible and forgotten; instead, she would become a matriarch who would be remembered for generations.

Fourteen years after the birth of Ishmael, Sarah and Abraham give birth to Isaac, the promised seed. In Genesis 21:9-10, Ishmael mocks his half-brother and his stepmother commands Abraham to send the boy and his mother away. As the wife who bears the child of promise, Sarah returns to her previous status as the supreme matriarch and exiles her rival. Abraham meekly obeys his wife and sends Hagar into the desert, armed with bread and water. Once again, our hero finds herself persecuted harshly and now she struggles to protect her son from the sizzling desert sun. Hagar cries out to God in anguish, wondering if the God who saw her in her first wilderness experience could see her now. The text indicates that Ishmael offered up some sounds, because the Scripture states that the Lord heard his voice. It should be expected that God would listen to the boy whose name meant God hears.

One could speculate that on this second journey she had no hope, in part due to the increase of her age and the direness of her circumstances. On the first journey, she ran away, but she knew that she could return to her place of bondage. As a person in exile, she recognized that she did not choose her second journey and thus, she knew that she had no home to which she could return. On the last journey, she found a resting place by a well of spring water. Unlike her last sojourn, Hagar could not see her place of refreshing until the Lord opened her eyes. Again, the angel of the Lord comforts Hagar and reminds her of His promise to her and the boy. He opens her eyes to see the well and she and Ishmael are refreshed. Oppressed people often experience the same tragedies and offenses repeatedly. Believers find comfort in knowing that God will remind His people of His promise as often as necessary to keep them on task. Hagar, armed with the promise of God, returns to Egypt with her son and finds him an Egyptian wife to marry. God stays with Ishmael as he matures, and Hagar witnesses God honoring His promises to a slave girl.

The story of Hagar resonates with people who have a cultural history of colonialism, oppression, and bondage. Her life embodies the hope of one woman whose relationship with God contradicted societal norms. To women aspiring to live their dreams, no matter how incredulous that might seem, Hagar represents a different kind of liberty. Her liberty came through the faith that God could liberate a slave, even when she was still captive. She reinvented herself because of her conversation with God, and she dared to invent a new name for God. Her boldness and her courage speak to twenty-first-century women who dare to live free from bondage and in obedience to the call of Christ.

NOTES

¹All Scripture references, unless otherwise notes, are from the Today’s New International Version.

²M. G. Easton, Hagar, Blue Letter Bible, http://www.blueletterbible.org/Search/Dictionary/viewTopic.cfm?type=GetTopic&Topic=Hagar&DictList=2#Easton's (accessed December 2009).

³James Crichton, Hagar, Blue Letter Bible, http://www.blueletterbible.org/Search/Dictionary/viewTopic.cfm?type=GetTopic&Topic=Hagar&DictList=4#ISBE (accessed December 2009).

⁴Abarim Publications’ Biblical Name Vault, Meaning, Origin and Etymology of the Name Hagar, http://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Hagar.html (accessed December 2009).

⁵New American Standard Bible; New Living Translation.

⁶BibleAtlas.com http://bibleatlas.org/shur_desert.htm (accessed December 2009)

⁷Footnote (a) in the TNIV in Genesis 16:11.

⁸Fausset Jamison, Brown Bible Commentary, http://bible.cc/genesis/16-12.htm (accessed December 2009).

⁹Gloria Ines Loya, Considering the Sources/Fuentes for a Hispanic Feminist Theology, Theology Today, http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3664/is_199801/ai_n8798231/ (accessed December 2009).

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Abarim Publications’ Biblical Name Vault. Meaning, Origin and Etymology of the Name Hagar, http://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Hagar.html (accessed December 2009).

Bailey, Wilma Ann. Black and Jewish Women Consider Hagar. Encounter Christian Theological Seminary (Winter 2002): 37-44.

Crichton, James. Hagar. Blue Letter Bible, http://www.blueletterbible.org/Search/Dictionary/viewTopic.cfm?type=GetTopic&Topic=Hagar&DictList=4#ISBE (accessed December 2009).

Easton, M. G. Hagar. Blue Letter Bible, http://www.blueletterbible.org/Search/Dictionary/viewTopic.cfm?type=GetTopic&Topic=Hagar&DictList=2#Easton's (accessed December 2009).

Holladay, William L. Outcasts and Forbears Christian Century Vol. 113, Issue 19 (June 5, 1996): 613.

Keller, Catherine. Delores Williams: Survival, Surrogacy, Sisterhood, Spirit. Special Issue, Union Seminary Quarterly (Fall 2004) 84-94.

Loya, Gloria Ines. Considering the sources/fuentes for a Hispanic feminist theology. Theology Today. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3664/is_199801/ai_n8798231/ (accessed December 2009).

Thomas-Smith, Karen. Seeing through the Eyes of our Sister, Hagar: An Expository Sermon. Genesis 16:1-16, 21: 1-21 and John 4:5-14. Review and Expositor 105 (Winter 2008): 135-138.

MIRIAM: ISRAEL’S FORGOTTEN PROPHET

Stephanie Nance

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

MIRIAM THE CHILD: EXODUS 2:1-10

MIRIAM THE PROPHET: EXODUS 15:19-21

MIRIAM CORRECTED: NUMBERS 12

MIRIAM’S DEATH & LEGACY: NUMBERS 20:1

MIRIAM COMMISSIONED BY GOD: MICAH 6:4

CONCLUSION

NOTES

BIBLIOGRAPHY

INTRODUCTION

When asked about the prophet Miriam, many people only identify her as Moses’ sister whom God struck with leprosy for challenging her brother. The story of Moses and the mighty deliverance of God’s people often overshadow Miriam’s story. Like any leader, Miriam had strengths and weaknesses. The Church tends to remember great men of God like David, Moses, and Elijah, celebrating their leadership abilities and faith in God despite their failures. Miriam, however, is too often remembered only for her mistake in challenging Moses instead of for her strong leadership role in Israel’s history and her powerful proclamation of God’s faithfulness. Miriam’s story needs to emerge from the shadows. Interestingly, Miriam is the only woman in the Bible whose recorded story spans childhood to death.¹ Although an abundance of texts detailing Miriam’s life does not exist, what does exist tells the story of an inspirational leader and prophet whom women and men can admire and emulate.

MIRIAM THE CHILD: EXODUS 2:1-10

The first glimpse of Miriam comes at the beginning of the Moses narrative in Exodus 2:1-10. Although the text does not mention her by name, from the unfolding of the Moses story in Exodus and Numbers, scholars generally acknowledge Miriam as the sister who assists Pharaoh’s daughter with baby Moses. Numbers 26:59 confirms that Jochebed bore three children: Aaron, Moses, and Miriam, with Miriam most likely the oldest of the children. It is unknown how much older she is than Moses, but Aaron is said to be three years older than Moses. Since Miriam speaks to Pharaoh’s daughter and takes the lead in a complicated situation, Miriam would most likely be older than Aaron.

Hearing the cries of her fellow Hebrews as the Egyptians treated them harshly, Miriam knew anyone falling into the hands of the Egyptians, especially Pharaoh, would not receive proper treatment. When the order came from Pharaoh to throw all the newborn Hebrew boys into the Nile, Miriam must have experienced terror at the thought of losing her brother. As she listened to the mothers’ screams as their newborn sons were ripped from their arms and thrown into the river, Miriam worked diligently to help her mother hide baby Moses from both the Egyptians and other Hebrews. If it got out that they were hiding Moses, Miriam’s whole family could have been killed. At three months old, however, Moses became too active and vocal to keep hidden any longer. God would have to intervene.

Jochebed knew that her son was special, but she would now have to trust God to protect him. By watching her mother wrap her brother in a blanket, place him in a basket, and hide him along the Nile, young Miriam learns the ultimate lesson in trusting Yahweh. Hidden, Miriam watches from a distance to see what will happen to Moses. When Pharaoh’s daughter discovers the baby, Miriam’s interaction with the young woman reveals that God’s hand powerfully rests upon Miriam as she uses her leadership skills to guide the situation to an ingenious solution. God uses her to save the life of Israel’s future deliverer. Miriam’s leadership skills not only played a vital role in delivering her brother from the hands of the murderous Pharaoh, but God would use them once again when He finally delivers the Hebrews from the hands of Pharaoh.

MIRIAM THE PROPHET: EXODUS 15:19-21

The narrator fades Miriam from the scene for several years as Moses lives the privileged life of an Egyptian in Pharaoh’s palace, revolts against the people who raised him, murders, flees to the desert, and then receives a summons by God to return to Egypt and deliver the Hebrews from slavery. The narrator tells of the ups and