Mothers & Daughters of the Bible Speak (Part 3) - Shannon Bream
THE MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS OF THE BIBLE SPEAK
Lessons on Faith from Nine Biblical Families
By: Shannon Bream
I decided to grab a copy of Shannon Bream’s latest book at my local Target and was pleasantly surprised with how well written it was. There was a perfect mix of direct Bible quotes, commentary, and examples from personal life. I’m splitting this review into 3 blog posts as the book is divided into 3 sections - Mothers and Daughters, Mothers and Sons, & Fathers and Daughters.
I hope this summary and review will encourage you also to read this book. It is currently available on Amazon if interested.
In this final post, we’ll dive into the third section of the book: FATHERS AND DAUGHTERS.
[1] Dinah
Her story is found in Genesis 34.
Jacob and his family were living outside of the city of Shechem. He was not living where he was supposed to, or per God’s commands. God had commanded Jacob to live in his native land, not camp outside of a city. Jacob failed to protect and defend his daughter. He also failed to guide and control his sons. In Genesis 34:5, when Jacob first found out about his daughter’s rape, he did nothing. Whereas in Genesis 34:7, Dinah’s brothers’ immediate reaction was rage.
Dinah’s rapist and his father came to Jacob asking for Dinah’s hand in marriage. This may be a custom that is hard for us to understand now. But it was customary during that time. They also tried to sweeten the deal by saying that the two clans could intermarry and share their wealth. Dinah’s brothers, specifically Simeon and Levi, were not happy about this request.
Even during this conversation, Jacob had nothing to say. Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, were the ones who negotiated. They convinced their sister’s rapist that all the men of the city should be circumcised as part of the deal. And then while all the men were recovering, Simeon and Levi attacked the city brutally. They killed all the men, took back Dinah, and took the wealth, women, and children of the city. They showed no mercy.
Jacob played no part in this until after his sons committed this crime. In Genesis 34:30-31, we see Jacob is only concerned with how his sons' actions would affect him. He didn’t care necessarily that they acted rashly and without mercy. He was only concerned that they may have brought danger to him and the family.
We should constantly refocus our relationship as daughters of God on the unwavering truths of His character.
Proverbs 15:3 - The eyes of the Lord are in every place, Keeping watch on the evil and the good.
When others abandon, He is ever-present
Psalm 86:15 - But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.
When others condemn, He is full of compassion
Luke 12:7 - But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
When others neglect, He is attentive
Psalm 147:3 - He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.
When others tear down, He is our Healer
Philippians 4:6,7 - Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
When others are uninterested, He is waiting to listen to our fears and to give us peace in return.
THINGS WE CAN LEARN FROM THIS CHAPTER:
Fathers and daughters are known for having close relationships in our society today. Unfortunately, Jacob was not that kind of father. He failed to protect or defend his daughter. He also failed to correct or control his sons.
Dinah’s story also shows us 2 different extreme reactions to a troubling circumstance. Jacob ‘held his peace’ and did nothing throughout the exchange. Whereas, Simeon and Levi took matters into their own hands and proceeded to kill all the men of an entire city. Neither actions were right.
The main lesson for us to learn from Dinah’s story is that even though our earthly fathers may not come to our aid or defend us, our Heavenly Father will. Even though we may be dealt a bad hand in life, God is always with us.
[2] Esther
Her story is found in the book of Esther.
Esther and Mordecai were not father and daughter, but they were related by blood. Mordecai took Esther in as his daughter after the death of her parents. This is an example of a ‘found family’. “Found families” are an important model of the love and grace of God through His adoption of us, and our own choice of faithfulness to Him.
In this story, we see 2 aspects of the father-daughter relationship. In addition to these, they had love and respect for one another.
A father’s protection - Mordecai instructs Esther to conceal her identity
A daughter’s trust - Esther’s willingness to obey Mordecai even without understanding why
As seen in Ester 2:20, Esther didn’t hesitate to follow Mordecai’s guidance. It was a lifetime habit for her. Mordecai’s instructions to Esther were not just to benefit themselves, but for the entire community. Mordecai was concerned not with Esther’s temporary, earthly safety but with the task she’d been assigned.
The best kind of father mirrors our relationship with our heavenly Father. A father will demand more of us than we think we have to give. He will rejoice with us when we discover that we can do more than we thought we could.
In Esther 4:16, Esther does 2 things:
Gather the community - Esther knew this wasn’t a one-person mission
Called the people to fast - Esther and her attendants also did the same
Part of understanding and embracing true obedience is knowing when to disobey one edit to comply with a different, higher call.
THINGS WE CAN LEARN FROM THIS CHAPTER:
Esther and Mordecai exemplified a perfect father-daughter relationship. Mordecai cared for, protected, and instructed Esther. Esther obeyed, respected, and listened to Mordecai’s words. This relationship was cultivated from the time that Esther was a child. It wasn’t a new idea for her to obey, it was an ingrained reaction.
Esther was in a tough position trying to obey Mordecai, please God, and maintain the rules of the Persian court. She exhibited true obedience by putting her own life on the line to stand up for her people. She did this knowing that she would be disobeying the king, her husband.
[3] Michal
Her story can be found in 1 Samuel 15-16, 18:20-28, 19:10-17, 31:1-6 and 2 Samuel 3:12-16, 6:1-23.
Michal was forced to choose between loyalty to her father, Saul, and the vows she had made to her husband, David. Michal fell in love with David, but it seemed to be unrequited love. Saul saw Michal’s feelings as a tactical advantage against David.
Even though Saul tried to use his daughter against David. Michal still chose to protect her husband. She helped David escape Saul’s threat against his life. But she pretended to still be on her father’s side. As a result, Saul married her off to another man.
Some time passed and David asked that Michal be brought back to him. It doesn’t seem like he did this because he missed Michal or loved her, but rather as a test of loyalty for Abner who was defecting from Saul. It was also another way to triumph over Saul.
Michal had resentment brewing in her heart against David. She tried to compare David’s dancing before the Lord with her father. David called her out on it and reminded her that he was the chosen one, not Saul. As a result of her resentment, she was childless. We don’t know for sure if she was struck barren as a consequence of her actions or if it was because David refused to be with her.
THINGS WE CAN LEARN FROM THIS CHAPTER:
Michal was a pawn for both her father and her husband. Her love for David was used against her and she was then taken away from her second husband who mourned her loss. She was put into a position where she had no control.
While Michal tried to protect David, she did not fully stand by him. She tried to straddle the line of loyalty between her father and her husband. By pretending to be on her father’s side, she ended up getting married off again.
While we can understand Michal’s resentment, especially after the death of her father and brothers, she should not have tried to berate David for rejoicing before the Lord. While she may have witnessed the downward spiral of her father, David was not the same man.
While we may be dealing with bad situations in our lives, it is not a reason to lash out at those around us. We especially cannot do that to God’s people. Michal lashed out at God’s chosen and suffered the consequences of it.