I teach Sunday school (first grade) and the kids love to act out skits of Bible stories. Last week, one of the little girls in my class asked "Are there any girls in this story?" Well, it was the Prodigal Son… so not really. I am trying to find some developmentally appropriate stories that would have a few good female characters. We only have 2 girls in our class. Any suggestions?
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Luke 8 begins with a list of women who helped support Jesus and the apostles out of their own money. That would be a good, though rather short bit you could do.
A GREAT one… the time at the home of Mary and Martha (apparently the sisters of Lazarus from John 11) mentioned in Luke 10.
(Here is the text from NIrV:)
Luke 10:38 Jesus and his disciples went on their way. Jesus came to a village where a woman named Martha lived. She welcomed him into her home.
39 She had a sister named Mary. Mary sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.
40 But Martha was busy with all the things that had to be done. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, my sister has left me to do the work by myself. Don’t you care? Tell her to help me!”
41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered. “You are worried and upset about many things.
42 But only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better. And it will not be taken away from her.”
If I had only one chance to teach little girls, I think I would have to choose that text. It teaches us that the priorities of society (like hospitality in that time), and the roles it tries to force on people (women serving), are not necessarily God’s priorities or the roles he would have them fill.
Esther is probably the biggest story. Ruth was a strong woman too.
Mary and Elizabeth
Ruth
Esther
the book of esther… there are alot..
Deborah = judge, prophet, Rachel = Jacobs wife, thats all I can think of right now
samson and delilah
There was Esther. She persuaded a king to keep from killing he Hebrew kin. And the woman who drove a spike through an evil man’s head, but that might be to graphic.
Rahab,Sarah
Read the book of Esther.
The story of Sampson teaches girls the proper way for a strong woman to deal with a difficult man.
Read the story of Esther or Ruth…very good stories with strong female characters.
Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Moses in the bullrushes has several ladies in leading roles.
Samuel’s mother consecrating her son. (Can’t think of her name)
Queen of Sheba
Rahab in Jericho
The woman who touched Jesus’ hem
Rachel
Need more?
the story of esther or ruth.
The woman who hid the spies
Deborah
Esther
Ruth
Hannah
Mary
The Woman at the Well
Saphira
Ruth, and Esther. Elizabeth in the opening of Luke. In fact, check through Luke and Acts. The author was very progressive concerning gender.
Mary, Ruth, Esther, Eve (she may have been weak with eating of the tree, but imagine a world with no female companions she must have been pretty tough)
Sarah and Ruth come to mind.
Britney Spears ,Paris Hilton ,Linzy Lohan..Skinny twins(Ashly ??)
used to be Madonna and Pamela Anderson but they are kicked out of kingdom…
How about Miriam, Moses’ sister, who put him in the bulrushes to be found. Also their mother who gave up her son to save his life.
Priscilla and Abigail would be two others.
Sarah the wife of Abraham, about her faith
Miriam, Moses’ sister who saved Moses from the Nile and helped Moses led their people out of Egypt.
Esther, a queen who saved her people
Ruth, a devoted daughter in law
Deborah, a charismatic female judge
Hannah, a faithful woman
Mary mother of Jesus, a faithful woman
Mary Magdalene, a devoted woman to Jesus
Etc.
Deborah would probably be the most obvious. Miriam, Moses’ older sister, watched over him while he was in the river and approached the egyptian princess when she found moses. Naaman’s servant girl (who told him about Elijah and God). And of course Esther.
Then there’s all the famous female characters (whether you consider them strong or not depends on who you ask): Sarah, Ruth, the 3 Marys, Martha, Elizabeth
The book of Ruth. The women that poured perfume on Jesus head. The women that washed Jesus feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. The women that let the spies out the window. The women that cried at the foot of the cross, that Jesus was on.
The women at the burial site and ran back to tell the disciples and Peter that Jesus rose. The women at the well who taught us how to witness. Martha and Mary (dinner party and when Lazarus died.) Realy, look at my picture, I’m not a women. Doc
Deborah, Ruth, Esther, Miriam, Huldah, Mary, Queen of Sheba (powerful, at least), and The bleeding woman who touched Jesus’ cloak (you gotta admit, that’s a pretty brave thing considering she would have been thought of as unclean and a large amount of faith),
You have a really excellent list going here.
But my favorite would be Esther. Esther 5:14b
It might just be a timing thing but when Deborah was Judge over Israel, Barak was general. Maybe they don’t know Barak is a biblical name?
Some that I didn’t see in any of the answers above (maybe not appropriate role models, but definitely strong women)
Athaliah – killed all her male relatives so that she could take the throne of Judea
Rebekah – tricked her husband into giving her favorite son his blessing
The wife of Joseph’s master – who tricked her husband into arresting Joseph
Judith – who saved her city from an invading army (much like Deborah and Yael in Judges)
Lot’s daughters, who got their father drunk so that they could sleep with him (without him knowing) and continue his lineage
Tamar, Judah’s daughter-in-law, who tricked Judah into abiding by the Law of the Levirate by *pretending* to be a prostitute. He got her pregnant and, when he found out and decided to kill her for adultery, she proved that he was the father. His response was something like "you have been more righteous than I".
Bath-Sheba, who successfully convinced David to name her son king while David was still alive
I would say that the best role models are
Judith
Deborah (Jdg 4)
Manoah’s wife, the mother of Samson (Jdg 13)
Ruth
Hannah, the mother of Samuel (1Sa 1)
Michal, the first wife of David (1Sa 19)
Abigail, the wife of Nabal and David (1Sa 25)
The "oil widow" (2Ki 4)
The Shunemite (2Ki 4,
Esther
Mary, mother of Jesus
Elizabeth
Mary, sister of Lazarus
Phoebe
Jim, http://www.jimpettis.com/wheel/