ATHALIAH !!!!!!!!
# 1 _When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family of the house of Judah. (2 CHRONICLES 22:10)
Athaliah, daughter of Israel's wicked king Ahab, is one of the bad babes of the Bible. Instead of being a godly mother, Scripture tells us she encouraged her son, Ahaziah, to do wrong (See 2 CHRONICLES 22:3). After becoming king of Judah, Ahaziah joined his uncle Joram, king of Israel, in a battle against Hazael, king of Aram. Following the battle, the warrior Jehu, who had already killed many of Ahaziah's heirs, wiped out Judah's king, too.
# 2 _When Athaliah heard the news, she immediately sought to kill off all her grandchildren so she could gain the throne. Once she did that, her claim would be reasonably uncontested. This power-hungry woman literally sacrificed her family on the alter of her own ambition.
# 3 _Had she been successful, the line of the Messiah would have been destroyed. So God placed a faithful woman, Jehosheba, near Ahaziah's son Joash. This half sister of the dead king saved her nephew and his nurse, hiding them in a bedroom. For six years the child king remained in hiding at the temple while his gradmother ruled (See 2 KINGS 11:2__4).
# 4 _In the seventh year of Athaliah's rule, the priest Jehoiada introduced Joash to the Iraelite war commaders. They covernanted with Joash and protected him while Jehoiada anointed him king. Hearing heard the noise of her grandson's coronation, Athaliah called out, "Treason!" but the troops ignored her objections and obeyed the priest. Removing her from the temple, they took her life in Jerusalems Horse Gate.
# 5 _Athaliah's actions are shocking. Few of us would sacrifice our childern or grandchildren to gain power. But sometimes our fast-paced, twenty-first century existence causes us to shortchange our family of time and attention. If our jobs always come first, we travel incessantly, or we plce our children too often in the hands of others, perhaps we've begun to make the same mistake as this wicked queen. We don't have to serve a pagan god or want to rule a nation in order to get our priorities mixed up.
# 6 _If we fail, we aren't bad babes in the mold of an Athaliah__but we do need to repent, confess our wrongdoing, and find a way to make changes. Maybe that means reorganizing our time, refusing a promotion, or working a part-time job. Whatever it takes, let's not sacrifice our families to get ahead. Because, in the end, we won't be ahead at all__either with our loved ones or the God we serve.
ANNA !!!!!!
There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at the very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. (LUKE 2:36__38)
# 2 _This is all we know of Anna__you've just read the whole biblical accout of her. But it is enough to give a thumbnail sketch of her character abd devotion to God. Her name means "gracious," and grace seems to have permeated her life. She married, but after her husband died, she dedicated the rest of her life to God. Hers was a service of many years; at eighty-four, this widow was still constantly in the temple. She may have lived within the temple confines or perhaps lived nearby and simply spent most of her time "at church" Certainly her fellow Jews would have honored her for remaining single and dedicating her life in devotion to her Lord.
# 3 _As a prophetess, Anna held a position of honor. Clearly God spoke to her as she remained in the temple, worshiping, fasting, and praying. Is it any wonder that when the Messiah first entered the temple, she walked in on Him and His parents? Surely God led her there, to be blessed by the sight of the One she had long hoped for. Immediately recognizing Jesus, she thanked her heavenly Father and spread the news to others.
# 4 _When we share Anna's ability to obey, we'll discover how gracious God has been to us. His spiritual blessings will spill over into our lives and others', too.
AHINOAM !!!!!!
# 1_Abigail. . .went with David's messengers and became his wife. David had also merried Ahinoam of Jezreel, and they both were his wives. (1 SAMUEL 25:42__43)
Nearly every time the Bible mentions Ahinoam, David's other wife, Abigail, appears, too. Though Ahinoam was first married to David, the wealthy Abigail seems to overshadow her. Ahinoam didn't even come from an impressive city, for Jezreel was only a town in the hill country of Judah. Since her name means "gracious," perhaps Ahinoam never made trouble__but she had to feel slighted.
# 2 _With David and Abigail she traveled to find protection among the Philistines, so Saul could not destroy her husband. While David went to war at the Philistine king Achish's side, the Amalekites raided his home at Ziklag, capturing Ahinoam and Abigail. David returned early to rescure the women. What a joyous moment it must have been for Ahinoam to see her husband and his troops, for she might otherwise have become a slave.
# 3 _After Saul died, David became king of Judah, and Ahinoam bore his son Amnon. Amnon would grow up ti dishonor his half-sister Tamar, but Ahinoam may never have known that__since she's not mentioned in the story, she may no longer have been living.
# 4 _Ahinoam has only a small part in biblical history, though she was the wife of a king. She may have been quiet and faithful, getting less press than Daviv's other wives. Like Ahinoam, can we take a backseat? Or would we become resentful, needing front-page attention to be satisfied??
ADAH !!!!!!!!!
Lamech married two woman, one named Adah and the other Zillah. (GENESIS 4:19)
# 1 _Lamech, a man of Cain's line, became the first poloygamist in Hebrew history, marrying both Adah and Zillah. Though it might have seemed fun to him, what a wreck it made of woman's lives for centuries. For though he was the first to do it, he was hardly the last Hebrew to think more wives were better. From his example came a long history of marital confusion, conflict, and disobedience to God.
# 2 _ The Bible describes Adah and Zillah's children, but does not tell us how their mothers got along. Yet if Hebrew family history is any example, they probably didn't have a smooth life. For God intentionally commanded that one man should marry one woman (See GENESIS 2:23__24). Those who disobey God pay a price, so marital harmony probably wasn't a part of this tenthold.
Lamech's rebelliousness didn't limit itself no marriage. He took vengence by killing a man who wounded him. Like Cain, he overeacted and failed to seek God's counsels.
# 3 _From Adah's story we learn the importance of following God's laws. What must it have been like to live with this angry man? And how could Adah share her husband with Zillah, yet understand God's complete commitment to those who love Him?
# 4 _This quick picture of Adah's life teaches us to let God control our marital choices. In Him, we'll experience the warm, loving relationship we're looking for. Apart from Him, we may feel only pain.
ACSAH !!!!!!!
# 1 _And Caleb said, "I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher." Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it; so Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage. (JUDGES 1:12__13)
Caleb's declaration seems strange to us. How could he almost raffle off his daughter to the man who was successful in battle? But in Israel a victory in battle could pay off the bride price, which was owed to the father before the marriage. So maybe the man who really wanted her got her through his bravery.
# 2 _And the man who won Acsah would have been a good choice as a husband. Othniel became the first major judge of Israel, the leader who freed the nation from subjection to Cushan-Rishathaim, king of Aram. (Read JUDGES 3:8__9)
# 3 _As part of her dowry, Acsah received dry land in the Negev. So she told her husband to ask Caleb for another field, one that had springs. When Othniel didn't do it, Acsah took on the task hersef and got the land. Surely Caleb was a loving father, being generous with his daughter.
# 4 _What did Acsah think about this marriage? We don't know. Sometimes brides were asked for their consent, or perhaps Caleb saw this as a way to give her the man she wanted without asking money from his brother. Either way, what a method for finding a good man!! No woman today would think of it.
# 5 _Like Acsah, we may find romance in unexpected places. Let's remember to let God do the choosing for us__and no matter what the time or situation, we will be blessed. After all, look at the husband Acsah got.
ABISHAG !!!!!!!
Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful girl and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
(1 KINGS 1:3)
Abishag had an unusual job: keeping the old and infirm King David warm. And not just by covering him with blankets__the comely Abishag was expected to crawl into bed with the king. David's servants said to him, "Let her lie in thy bosom, they my lord the king may get heat" (1 KINGS 1:2 kjv). That's exactly what happened, as Abishag "ministered" to David in a nonsexual way.
# 2 _We have no biblical record of Abshag's feelings toward her job. Perhaps she was pleased to be chosen as the great king's personal body warmer. Maybe she found lying in bed with a dying seventy-year old man distasteful. Possibly, her feeling shifted from day to day.
# 3 _Our feelings toward our own responsibilities__at home, at church, at the office, wherever__can vary widely. But whatever we've been called to do, we should do to the best of our abilities. As the apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, "Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful" (! CORINTHIANS 4:2).
# 4 _Dream job or nightmare, know that God has called you to this particular time and place. Do your best__and, if appropriate, pray for the chance to move on.
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ABIJAH !!!!!!!!! Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king , and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother's name was Abijah daughter of Zachariah.
(2 CHORNICLES 29:1) There are not many reference to Abijah in Scripture, but a very important one commends her son, the king of Judah: "Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him"
(2 KINGS 18:5). Abijah's husband, Ahaz, surely never influenced his son to trust in God, for he increasingly worshiped the pagan gods and even closed Jerusalem's temple. If either of Hezekiah's parents positively influenced his faith, it would have been Abijah. # 2 _No matter what a child has experienced, one faithful parent can have a powerful influence for God. While her husband gave himself over to pagan gods, Abijah's quiet faith may have turned her son to the Lord. It is no different today. God still raises up the children of faithful mothers. The unfaithfulness of a father can even become a clear warning and sad contrast to a mother's faith. No matter what challenges a mother faces, Father God always remains with her, if she trusts in Him and prays faithfully for her child. Though a human father may fail, our Lord never will.
