Several years ago I was asked by a young adult who was helping with Kentucky Changers about what the Bible said about the characteristics of a godly woman. At that time in his life journey, he was truly seeking to know these characteristics as he considered his future. I asked him to give me a day to think about it. The next day, I shared some examples of godly women from the Bible with his group at Kentucky Changers.
In this Women’s History Month, I thought about what I shared and found a file copy. In honor of some women of the Bible, I share with you.
Proverbs 31 Woman – The verses of this chapter are the sayings of Lemuel, “an oracle his mother taught him.” Right there, we have a mom teaching her son what a godly woman is like. Here we find that she was a hard worker, a good business woman, respected, made her husband look good, wise, and practical.
Deborah – Her story is found in Judges 4-5. She was a judge, leader, and also a singer.
Huldah – See both 2 Kings 22:14-20 and 2 Chronicles 34:22-28. Huldah was a woman who remained faithful to the Lord when evil kings ruled. Eventually, under Josiah, there was a return to the Lord and the temple was repaired. When the Book of the Law was found and read to the king, the priests wen to Huldah to learn what it meant.
Sheerah – Mentioned in 1 Chronicles 7:24 as a builder, Sheerah built three towns: Lower Beth Horon, Upper Beth Horon, and Uzzen Sheerah.
Mary – Luke 2:26-48. Her story is woven throughout the gospels, but her mention here is for her obedience to the Lord’s will. Mary was a woman of deep faith.
Elizabeth – Luke 2:39-45, 56. Elizabeth was a woman who was sensitive to the Lord and mentored Mary.
Women followers of Jesus – Luke 8:1-3. The group included Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and many others. Luke notes that these women supported the ministry of Jesus out of their own means. (This means they raised money for missions. I like to think of them as the first WMU!)
Lydia – Acts 16:13-15, 40. This businesswoman not only believed in God and responded to Paul’s preaching, but also practiced hospitality by opening her home to Paul and Silas and other believers.
Priscilla – Mentioned in Acts 18 as a tentmaker with her husband, Aquila. Later in the chapter we see that she was also a teacher when she and Aquila invited Apollos to their home and explained the gospel to him more adequately. In Romans 16:3, she is mentioned first (Priscilla and Aquila) in Paul’s greeting to them as fellow workers in Christ Jesus.
Lois and Eunice – 2 Timothy 1:5. This grandmother and mother passed on their faith in God to Timothy.
Romans 16 women – This chapter of greetings mentions a number of women who were significant in Paul’s ministry. Included in the list are Phoebe, Mary, Tryphina, Tryposa, Persis, and Rufus’ mother (not named). These women are cited for their contributions and work for the Lord.
There are certainly other women in scripture, but these are some that I admire. And for the record, the young man who asked the question has since found a godly woman and will be married soon.
