As people of faith, our response in these difficult moments can be life-defeating or life-affirming. This study examines one woman's response to tragedy: the story of Rizpah in the Bible. In 2 Samuel 21, we meet Rizpah, a mother grieving over the untimely deaths of her two sons.
Story Overview:
A prophet died and left debts that his widow and two sons could not pay. The creditor decided to take the two sons as slaves in payment of the debt. When the widow begged for Elisha's help, the Lord miraculously provided them with enough oil to sell and pay off the debt.
But Matthew names Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and ”are you ready? ”the mother of the sons of Zebedee (Matthew 27:56)!
Elisha instructed the widow to borrow as many vessels as possible from all her neighbors. She poured her small amount of oil into each vessel; each of them remained full. When she told Elisha of the miracle, he said “Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt; you and your children shall live from the rest.”
“Go to your neighbours and borrow as many empty jars as you can,” Elisha told her. “Then you and your sons go into the house, close the door, and start pouring oil into the jars.
The widow of Zarephath plays a small but important role in Elijah's story. She feeds Elijah in her home. Soon after, her son dies, and Elijah pleads to God for the power to resurrect him. The Rabbis derive from this that if someone opens his house to you, you are responsible for that person's well-being.
2:18, 26; 1 Sam. 3:1–19). Eli had two sons, Hophni and Phinehas. Together the three of them labored as priests at Shiloh in the tabernacle, where the ark of the covenant was housed (see 1 Sam.
Some wish the ceremony that celebrated the beginning of the alleged marriage of Jesus and Mary Magdalene to be viewed as a "holy wedding"; and Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and their alleged daughter, Sarah, to be viewed as a "holy family", in order to question traditional gender roles and family values.
Obedience is shown through actions, not just words. That's the point of Jesus' parable of the Two Sons found in Matthew 21:23-32. “I'll believe it when I see it…” This is an oft-quoted maxim that reminds us how important it is to follow through on promises.
Jesus healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, and even brought the dead back to life. More importantly, He made these miracles possible.
The story of the widow of Nain whose son Jesus raised from the dead, is only told in the gospel of Luke. In Luke's account, this was the first time a person had been raised from the dead. The story of the widow's son is a powerful reminder that our God can do anything.
Not only did Jesus have power over death, but He also defeated death by rising from the dead. Like the WIDOW'S Son, we were all DEAD in our SIN. Like the WIDOW, we were all HELPLESS and HOPELESS on our own. But Jesus came to give us LIFE.
Jesus used this parable to expose the hypocrisy and hard-heartedness of the Pharisees and religious leaders in contrast to those who recognize their need for a savior, repent, and humble themselves before God.
Matt. 21 Verses 28 to 32
A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. [29] He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. [30] And he came to the second, and said likewise.
11 Jesus then told another story: 'There was a man that had two sons. 12 The younger son went to his father and said to him, “Father, please give me now my part of your things.” So the father gave both sons the part of his things that each of them should have.
A careful look at the New Testament shows that Mary kept her vow of virginity and never had any children other than Jesus.
Probability theory tells us, however, that if Jesus had any children, his biological line would almost certainly have either died out after relatively few generations, or else would have grown exponentially so that many millions of people alive today would be direct descendants of Jesus.
"Christian tradition has long held that Jesus was not married, even though no reliable historical evidence exists to support that claim," King said in a press release.
In the biblical Book of Genesis, Cain and Abel are the first two sons of Adam and Eve. Cain, the firstborn, was a farmer, and his brother Abel was a shepherd. The brothers made sacrifices to God, but God favored Abel's sacrifice instead of Cain's.
The book of Genesis mentions three of Adam and Eve's children: Cain, Abel and Seth. But geneticists, by tracing the DNA patterns found in people throughout the world, have now identified lineages descended from 10 sons of a genetic Adam and 18 daughters of Eve.
Their first children were Cain and Abel. Abel, the keeper of sheep, was highly regarded by God and was killed by Cain out of envy. Another son, Seth, was born to replace Abel, and the two human stems, the Cainites and the Sethites, descended from them.
Deborah. As the only female judge mentioned in the Bible, Deborah is known for being a compassionate leader (of which there weren't many in Biblical times). She worked to purge the nation of those who kept Israel spiritually complacent and under slavery to the Canaanites, returning to worship of the one true God.
These prominent women include the Matriarchs Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah, Miriam the prophetess, Deborah the Judge, Huldah the prophetess, Abigail (who married David), Rahab, and Esther. A common phenomenon in the Bible is the pivotal role that women take in subverting man-made power structures.
Judith, the Biblical widow, infiltrated an army and beheaded Holofernes.
The story of the prodigal son is a picture of God's love for us as His children. God's love for us does not depend on our faithfulness; it is unconditional. He loved us while we were still sinners. Though we are demanding and do not remain faithful, God is still our faithful and loving Father.