God’s original design of women was good, but Genesis 3 tells us that the fall mars all of creation. In God’s kindness, He still uses both men and women to accomplish His good purposes. Throughout Scripture, including the Old Testament, we see the importance and value of women. God uses the lives of women like Rahab, Ruth, Tamar, Bathsheba, Elizabeth, Anna, and Mary in redemptive history. But if we dig even deeper, Scripture clearly communicates the worth of women. Below is a sampling of some of the ways women played an integral role in Scripture:
The first thing declared “not good” in creation is the lack of a woman. (Gen. 2:18)
The first recorded song in human history is the man rejoicing over the woman. (Gen. 2:23)
A woman will give birth to the Messiah. (Gen. 3:15)
Eve is the first person recorded to speak the name “Yahweh.” (Gen. 4:1)
The first recorded appearance of the angel of the Lord is to a woman, Hagar. (Gen. 16:7)
The first person in the Old Testament to bestow a name on God, “the God who sees,” is Hagar. (Gen. 16:13)
The first person to “inquire of the Lord” was Rebekah, and the first declaration of unconditional election was made to her. (Gen. 25:22‒23; Rom. 9:10‒12)
The first person recorded to dance in worship is a woman, Miriam. (Ex. 15:20‒21)
The first person recorded to speak the divine title “Lord of hosts” is a woman, Hannah. (1 Sam. 1:11)
The faith and help of a woman, Rahab, was pivotal in the conquest of Jericho, and the Messiah was one of Rahab’s direct descendants. (Matt. 1:5)8
While Scripture tells the story of the important role women played in the Old Testament, and how God valued them, the ancient world did not honor or value women. But Jesus, in the New Testament, changed everything for women.
Jesus and Women
In the Gospels, we see Jesus interacting with, caring for, and relating to all types of women. Jewish and Gentile. Old and young. Virgins and prostitutes. His interactions with women crossed ethnic and cultural lines and demonstrated how He valued them. He interacted with women as rational people, not as inferior, even though the ancient world’s treatment of male and female was unequal.
Jesus enjoyed a deep friendship with Mary and Martha, He honored and took care of His mother, and He healed women’s physical bodies and met their greatest spiritual needs. But perhaps the most revolutionary way women are woven into the New Testament is their presence at the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
Women were the last to stay with Jesus at the cross, along with one disciple, John. (John 19:25)
A woman is the final person Jesus directly ministered to before his death. (John 19:26–27)
Women were the first tasked with proclaiming news of the resurrection. (Matt. 28:7)
A woman is the first to see the resurrected Lord, and also the first to touch his resurrected body. (Matt. 28:9; John 20:14)
A woman is the first to hear the resurrected Lord’s voice and the first name he utters is a woman’s. (John 20:14–18)9
The inclusion of women throughout the Old Testament and Jesus’ life and ministry should remind us that we have value and significance in the kingdom of God. We remember that our sympathizing Savior cares deeply for women. Women are created in God’s image, and as Christians, we are being conformed to the image of Jesus.
Adapted from Called to Cultivate by Chelsea Patterson Sobolik (© 2023). Published by Moody Publishers. Used by permission.
