GOD’S WOMAN: How Will You Stand?
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35
13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Ephesians 6:13
For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14
In December of 2014 sweet Cynny Anderson sent me an email wondering if I would be willing to complete a writing assignment on “God’s Woman”. I could pick any Biblical character in scripture – as long as she could be described as “God’s Woman” I supposed - and I could pick just about any month to have my assignment published. I thought I would choose a relatively simple assignment by picking a familiar subject and by selecting a month well into the year 2015.
I selected Esther. My writing deadline would be September 2015.
The early months of 2015 brought a flurry of activity and craziness at work and in my personal life, and my little writing assignment was swept from the front burner, to the back burner to oblivion as more pressing obligations made their way to my shoulders. A plethora of health challenges, work projects and financial obligations kept me busy and distracted but I kept a somewhat wary eye on current events in the world. Like many followers of Jesus, I love Israel and pray that our country would continue to protect her best interests, and my heart grieves when Israel is attacked. I pray that our country’s leadership would take a stand against hunger, against oppression for those who are weakest, and that we would protect “the least of these”; especially the unborn. And I pray for the division and pain brought about by both secular special interests and well-meaning religious people alike when it comes to the implications of gay marriage.
In late spring it became clear that the Supreme Court would be interpreting a case that would have repercussions across all state lines. It was not going to be a given either way, and in the end it was decided by one vote. But on June 26, 2015 our country was changed in a way that was unimaginable to me. What I immediately felt was that I had suddenly been transported to a foreign land. Not to be overly dramatic, I don’t think it is a stretch to say that looking at a rainbow lit White House on the news that evening somehow resembled the landscape of a new Babylon to me. And for Christians, especially those of us who have big mouths and plan to continue talking about Jesus – either at work, or at the grocery store, or wherever – exile was going to become, well, tricky.
Kim Davis was sued on July 3rd by the American Civil Liberties Union in federal court for not issuing marriage licenses to gay couples. She is among a number of other Christians who have been in the headlines for their religious convictions getting in the way of this new law that has been passed. I have followed this with interest because Davis is the first elected official that I’ve noticed standing on the 1st Amendment.
As most Christian readers are aware of by now, Davis is a baby Christian – 4 years old in the Lord. This perhaps explains why the world wants to annihilate her – and why I want to just throw my arms around her. She is not perfectly wise, or perfectly well spoken…she just loves Jesus. I remember being that new in the Lord; and wanting nothing more than Jesus and his Presence all day long, to be with His people and to follow Him. And like me, her love for Jesus - imperfections and all - and her obedience to God follow her to work.
The case heated up as it captured the attention of both sides of the controversy. Her family received death threats, and threats that she would be raped. Some religious supporters, unfortunately, told the media that she should continue to “stand against the gays” – which doesn’t reflect any philosophy that ever came from Davis. Supporters of gay marriage said that she should do her job or be fined. I had an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach as I watched the news and prayed for her, and wondered how things would unfold.
In the end, on September 3rd, Davis was jailed. She had broken no law. In fact, she had suggested a way to modify marriage licenses so that they could be issued without her name. But she was unwilling to issue a license with her name on it – any marriage license, to anyone. She had simply taken her stand.
Also on September 3rd, I received an email from Cynny Anderson reminding me that my writing assignment on Esther was due on the 18th.
I woke in the night when Davis was in jail praying for her. I wondered if she were scared. I wondered if she missed her husband, what sounds she heard in jail at night. I wondered if it was cold, and if they left those fluorescent lights on. I wondered if she was awake. As I thought about her, I thought of Esther, and what I would want to say to you. I felt like the two subjects were related.
Esther is the end-all be-all role model for women who take a stand. Esther had qualities that were critical to her success. She employed these qualities, and she did so at the right time.
She won hearts with her character as well as her beauty. She was among hundreds of other beautiful young virgins brought to the palace for the king. But she humbly accepted the advice of the Eunuch Hegai, and selected only those garments and treatments that he recommended prior to meeting King Xerxes. She had favor with him not just at first, but later in the story, when her life was at stake.
She loved. Jesus said in the New Testament that we would be known as His disciples by our love for one another. Esther was more concerned about people that she didn’t even know than she was about her own life!
She was a planner but she also took action! When Esther learned from Mordecai that Haman planned to annihilate the Jewish people, she didn’t exactly refuse to help; she simply told him that anyone who went before the king uninvited is almost always killed. Keep in mind this is the same Mordecai who had told Esther to keep her Jewish ethnicity hidden from Xerxes! Imagine how surprised she must have been at Mordecai’s response:
“Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:13-14
Courageous Confrontation. I heard recently again my favorite definition of courage – it is not the absence of fear; no – it is persevering even while you are afraid. Imagine having to face a dinner party with your husband King Xerxes, king of the world at that time (side note: for those of you who have seen the movie “300” – that was King Xerxes!), and the only other guest is his right-hand man, Haman, whom he trusts, who is trying to kill you and everyone in your family and your entire race. And yet, she took her stand and saved her people.
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I believe we are, as followers of Jesus, living in such a time as this, or soon will be. I think times like this have happened in some degree or other all through history, and God in his sovereignty had given believers their moment to stand. I think of people like Corrie Ten Boom and her sister Betsie, and other Christians in Germany who aided Jews who were hiding from Hitler and Nazi brutality, and how they stood. I think of the 100,000 Christians who were martyred last year for taking their stand. I think of missionaries who have stood in unfamiliar lands, and been imprisoned.
I think of the original disciples – Jesus told them the night He was leaving that He was giving them a new command, and that by this command the world would know we are His disciples. Love one another. And ultimately this is how Davis is persevering, and this is how we will.
We need armor. I mention the Armor of God at the head of this writing – one of these pieces of armor is the Breastplate of Righteousness. Jesus Himself clothes us in righteousness; our own righteousness is filthy rags, so watch that you leave that at home. I came across this verse as well which lines up with Jesus as our Righteousness:
But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. I Thessalonians 5:8
Echo, along with the other campuses of TrinityLife, has a mission statement that we frequently repeat: Being and Making Disciples. We say this to remind ourselves that this is what Jesus told us to do. God has given each of us His Holy Spirit. We encourage our hearts with His word, which will teach us of His truth, His faithfulness, His unchanging character, and His unmovable, unfailing love – with us to the end of the age.
This reminds me of the ongoing marriage discussion. I actually have not yet heard a Christian other than me make this observation – raise this “objection”, although it’s entirely possible that I missed such a radio or television broadcast - and this is why I suppose my heart is so pierced by the June Supreme Court ruling. It is very simple – it isn’t just because for the first time in the history of the world men are marrying men and women are marrying women. It isn’t just because of what else this could lead to. It isn’t just because of the implications to my religious freedom, although it clearly is in danger. No. The reason my heart breaks is that marriage, as the Apostle Paul points out, is the mirror image of Christ’s relationship to the Church.
“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. Ephesians 5:31-32
In fact, one day, we who call Jesus Lord will all be at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb- because we are the bride of Christ.
Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.) 9 Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” Revelation 19:6-9
We are the bride of Christ. As such is it difficult for me to, without argument, see marriage relegated to something so carnal and secular. How can a court dismantle something so clearly defined by scripture? And that is why my heart breaks. Not just because of how sin is spelled out in the Bible – we are all sinners. But because of the special things marriage itself represents symbolically to the Church and to Christ.
But make no mistake, it also pains me to hear Christians brutalize people who are made in God’s image and tear them down when they do not agree with our Biblical standards. It is our job to show them our standards in a loving way, so I wish, as I watch the news, that I would hear of Christians going out of their way to show people with whom they disagree some degree of friendship, honor and love. In this manner, we will have an opportunity to grow in relationship with the people with whom we differ, and, in doing so, have a chance to show Jesus, not just the scriptures that point out their sin. They haven’t agreed to live in accordance with our scriptures. It is the Holy Spirit’s job to bring them into a relationship with God. We participate by loving them.
Back to Esther. As a lone representative for an endangered people, Esther saw her chance to make a difference in her world. She found herself quite literally in the midst of a secular agency fighting for the lives of her countrymen – for her fellow Jews. But she didn’t do this with picket signs and shouting. She prayed. She fasted. She even cooked! She actually met with her enemies! And in the end, she carefully timed the revelation of the truth so that it would have the most powerful impact to the most powerful people who could make a difference. She, like Davis, stood in her secular position to make a difference in her world. She felt overwhelmed and uncertain, and needed help. But she did not give up – even when facing danger. As women of God, we can prayerfully consider the impact that Esther’s leadership and character could make when the time comes for us to make our stand – when the day of evil comes - for such a time as this.
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Jane Lyall has attended Trinity since 1999. She is married to Michael and is step mom to Julia. The Lyall family attends church at Echo in Perry Hall. Jane works as a Personal Assistant for a private family in Monkton Maryland. She also volunteers at Birthright Pregnancy Center in Bel Air, loves writing, public speaking, missions, and pit bulls. Not necessarily in that order…
