Feminism and Faith

But Jael, Heber's wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to Sisera while he lay fast asleep, exhausted.  She drove the peg through his temple into the ground and he died....
Most blessed of women be Jael...at her feet he sank, where he sank, there he fell--dead. 
                                                                                           Judges 4:27; 5:24,27


(To read the whole story of why Jael killed Sisera read Judges 4-5.)

Now, I love to read about Mary, mother of Jesus, and Sarah, mother of Israel.  But why don't we get to hear sermons on women like Jael?  She's one of my favorite Bible characters.   And what about Deborah and Lydia?  A judge and a business woman.  Fabulous!
Like Christine de Pizan, these women didn't set out to be champions of their gender but were just doing what needed to be done.   Faithful would describe them better than feminist.  They had confidence in God and themselves and followed His leading.  They didn't let being the "frail, fairer sex" limit them.  Because of their faith we are still encouraged by them over a thousand years later. 
God's work isn't always what we think or want it to be.  Not all women are wives, not all are mothers, not all work outside the home.   Whether you're a businesswoman, a stay at home mother, or trying to balance both, if you're following God's leading you can be confident you're exactly where you need to be. 
Is there a Bible character--male or female--who inspires you? Why?