Reading With the People of God #10 Kingdomنموونە

Focus of the month: (Kingdom)

7 Now, therefore, thus shall you say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be prince over my people Israel, 8 and I have been with you wherever you have gone and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. 9 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall waste them no more, as formerly, 10 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will subdue all your enemies. Moreover, I declare to you that the LORD will build you a house. 11 When your days are fulfilled to walk with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. 12 He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. 13 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from him who was before you, 14 but I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.’ ”.

- 1 Chronicles 17:7-14

Women in the Word

There is a beautiful intertwining of men and women in the Body of Christ, each with various talents and abilities given by God (1 Peter 4:10, James 1:17, 1 Corinthians 12:4-7). Today is a wonderful opportunity to particularly study the influence of women in the Word and mark their impact on the initial contribution to the church.

It is worth noting that during the time of the early Church, women across cultures from Roman and Greek to Judaism were treated as inferior, with limited powers, and expected to fill roles such as mothers and wives. In this regard, God did not hold women to this paradigm as He has great regard for both men and women (Genesis 1:27, Galatians 3:28).

At first glance, Romans 16 appears to be a long list of commendations, but dig deeper, and much weightiness is to be found! First off, of the 28 names listed, 9 of these are women. Slaves were also included: Ampliatus, Urbanus, Rufus, and house church members. In opening, Phoebe is the first to be mentioned with great recommendation. This is because she is delivering the letter, as referenced in Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans by Martin Luther. Moreover, she is a deacon (listed as “servant” in ESV) and “patron of many.” “Patron” in Greek means “prostatis,” which is a title of significant honor. Junia, the female apostle, is listed as “well known.” John Chrysostom best signifies this,

“Indeed, to be an apostle at all is a great thing; but to be even amongst those of note; just consider what a great encomium that is...Oh, how great is the devotion of this woman, that she should even be counted worthy of the appellation of apostle."

Paul calls Rufus’ mother his own, which likely means she showed great compassion and maternal affection. Rufus was the son of Simon of Cyrene, who carried the cross for Jesus (Mark 15:21).

In this passage, we observe that no matter our gender, marital status, finances, or abilities, we can glorify God today and spread the message of Salvation.

“Therefore, as we see the worth of women, created in his image, we see the glory of God. As we see how God loves and uses women in the storyline of the Bible, we see the glory of God. And as we see how God redeems women in Christ, we see the glory of God.” (Worthy, 2020).

* Primer contributed by Liz Williams, Joyfully Consecrated to God