Righteous and Unrighteous Womanhood
While reading my bible, I stumbled upon the story of Athalia, a queen of Israel who was married to King Jehoram of Judah. Upon first glance, this story does not seem to be significant until you dive deeper into the destruction and chaos this marriage caused upon the nation of Israel. First Athalia, is the daughter of Jezebel and Ahab. We are introduced to this couple in 1 Kings 16:29-34. Ahab was known for being a king who was led by his nefarious wife Jezebel. In 1 Kings 18:4-19, the story recounts Jezebel’s mandate to have the Lord’s prophets slaughtered because they were warning the nation of Israel to return back to God and stop committing idolatry. Sadly, Jezebel is known for being a temptress and one who seduces men to their own destruction (1 Kings 22- Death of King Ahab). Although there is much to say about Jezebel and the Spirit of Jezebel, that is not what we will hark on in this devotional. Instead, we will observe the role women serve as bearers to help bring men closer to God or serve as determinants that drive them away from walking with the Lord.
Going back to the story of Athalia, she begins to fall prey to the sins of her mother, Jezebel. In 2 Kings 11, we see how Athaliah is complicit in serving the god of BAAL, a false god her parents worshiped. In 2 Kings 11:1-16, it is described that Athalia began leading her family to commit idolatry, a sin that is an abomination unto the Lord. Leviticus 26:1 states 26 “‘Do not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in your land to bow down before it. I am the Lord your God. Ultimately it is her dedication to serving a foreign god that drives her destruction. Reading this story, I received much revelation, that we women are tools to either help our husbands and family become closer to the Lord or drive them away from the Lord to commit lives of sin. We first see this mandate from the Lord to help guide our husbands/ family in the book of Genesis 2:18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” It was mandated by the Lord that women help their husbands and family become closer and help them in their walk with the Lord. Simply we can not help but to nurture and prune the potential we see. But because this is a mandate or a natural gift from God, the adversity often uses our gifts as a guise to pervert and distort what is good. In the case of Queen Athalia, she too had a gift and a mandate from the Lord to lead her family to walk in the ways of the Lord. But because she had been indoctrinated and groomed by her parents to do things of the Kingdom of Darkness, she led her family down the same path causing her children to stumble and ultimately lose their lives due to committing the sin of idol worship.
But when women utilize their God ordained gifts the way He intended, it releases blessings upon their families for generations to come. One example is Sarah, the wife of Abraham. She is the mother to the nation of Israel, she had her son Issac, and taught him in the ways of the Lord. She and Abraham’s obedience to the will of the Lord allowed for all the families of the world to be blessed (the birth of our Messiah, Jesus Christ (Luke 2) through Abrahma’s lineage (Gen 12:3). Another example includes Prophet Elisha and his encounter with the Shunammite woman (2 Kings 4:11). In the story, the woman provides a place in her house for Elisha to sleep. Elisha is so moved by the woman’s gesture that he asks her what he can do for her. The woman is grateful for Elisha's question but denies needing anything. Upon inspection Elisha realizes her husband is old and she is without a child. Within a year, the woman conceived a son (2 Kings 4:11-17) . Both of the examples emphasize the power of living righteously and obeying the command of the Lord.
Being a wife, a mother, and a woman comes with much responsibility in the Kingdom of God. The Bible illustrates various women serving in the capacity of leading their families. But the Bible also highlights the heart posture in which they serve. When leading our family to the kingdom of light, it is not to be taken lightly. Motherhood and the role of a wife is a selfless task that requires constant discipleship and dedication. Just like the women used in the example of this devotional, there is much sacrifice in either kingdom. But the question remains, which God will you sacrifice for? The God of this world or the God of this Universe? You decide, but I stress your actions say it all.
So, beloved, if you were thinking about rushing into a relationship without fully reflecting on the dedication and sacrifice it takes to be a righteous woman of God, I urge you to not get into a relationship. As I mentioned earlier, we women have a God given ability to help men. If you are not grounded in Christ the adversary or satan can use your gifting to his advantage and get you to lead someone astray. So, I pray that you fully grasp the spiritual responsibility of being a woman, mother, or wife within the Kingdom of God.
Go in peace,
Selah Exec Board <3