This one-year devotional program offers contemporary Christian women a chance to study the lives and legacies of 52 women in Scripture. Some, such as Eve or "Lot's wife," are prominent and well-known biblical figures. Even the lesser-known women--such as the daughter-in-law of Judah, Tamar, who disguised herself as a prostitute--offer provocative and fascinating stories. What shines through in this well-written book is the authors' great respect for these gritty, intelligent, and occasionally flawed women. The authors briefly tell each woman's life story in an enchanting storytelling voice, helping readers to see how these ancient stories still have meaning centuries later. The book is well-organized, offering a woman's story for every week of the year, as well as a week's worth of structured lessons and reflections.


Book Description
With distinct, vivid accounts of fifty-two remarkable women in Scripture, this book offers a way for readers to nurture their relationship with their Heavenly Father and gives them a glimpse into the lives of Old and New Testament women.


From the Back Cover
Women of the Bible focuses on fifty-two remarkable women in Scripture -- women whose struggles to live with faith and courage are not unlike our own. Far from being cardboard characters, these women encourage us through their failures as well as their successes. You'll see how God acted in surprising and wonderful ways to draw them -- and you -- to himself. This year-long devotional offers a unique method to help you slow down and savor the story of God's unrelenting love for his people, offering a fresh perspective that will nourish and strengthen your personal communion with him.


About the Author
Ann Spangler’s books have sold more than one million copies. The author of such bestsellers as Women of the Bible and Praying the Names of God, she has compiled several humor collections, including She Who Laughs, Lasts; Don’t Stop Laughing Now; and Look Who’s Laughing. An award-winning writer, she lives with her two daughters in Grand Rapids, Michigan.;Jean E. Syswerda is a writer and former editor and associate publisher at Zondervan Bibles. She is coauthor (with Ann Spangler) of the best-selling Women of the Bible. She and her husband live in Allendale, Michigan.


Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
ABIGAIL
Her Name Means My Father Is Joy
Her Character: Generous, quick-witted, and wise, she is one of the
Bibles great peacemakers.
Her Sorrow: To have been mismatched in marriage to her first
husband.
Her Joy: That God used her to save lives, eventually making
her the wife of David.
Key Scripture: 1 Samuel 25:242
Mo n d a y
HER STORY
Blockhead, numskull, nincompoopthe words strike us both harshly and humorously. But any woman married to a man worthy of such labels would have little to laugh about.
Abigail must have felt suffocated, having been paired with just
such a husband. Her father may have thought the wealthy Nabal was a catch, little realizing the mans domineering attitude might one day endanger his daughters well-being. But fools and ruin often keep close company, as Abigail soon discovered.
For some time Abigail had been hearing of David: his encounter
with Goliath; his ruddy good looks; his prowess in battle; his rift with King Saul. Recently, he had become her near neighbor in the Desert of Maon, west of the Dead Sea, where he had taken refuge from Saul.
Since David had arrived with his six hundred men, marauders kept clear of her husbands livestock, and Nabals flocks prospered as a result. But when David sent ten of his men to ask Nabal for provisions,
Nabal, who had grown richer by the day thanks to David, nearly spit in their faces. Who is this David? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where? Rich though he was, Nabal had just foolishly insulted the regions most powerful man.
Aware of their danger, one of the servants ran quickly to Abigail,
begging her to intervene. As Nabals wife, she must have suffered his arrogance every day of her life. But this time his folly jeopardized the entire household. Wasting no time, and without a word to her husband, she loaded a caravan of donkeys with gifts for David and his menfreshly baked bread, skins of wine, red meat, and various delicaciesand took them to Davids camp. As soon as she saw him, she
fell to the ground at his feet, making one of the longest speeches by a woman recorded in the Bible:
My lord, she pleaded, let the blame be on me alone. May my
lord pay no attention to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his namehis name is Fool, and folly goes with him. But as for me, your servant, I did not see the men my master sent. Please forgive your servants offense, for the Lord will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my master, because he fights the Lords battles. Let no wrongdoing be found in you as long as you live. Even though someone pursues you, your life will be held securely by the Lord your God. But the lives of your enemies he will hurl away as from the pocket of a sling.
These last words, of course, reminded David of his success against Goliath, erasing his anger and enabling his gracious reply:
Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands. If you had not come quickly to meet me, not one male belonging to Nabal would have been left alive by daybreak. In addition to saving lives, Abigails wisdom had spared David from sinning, reminding him that vengeance belongs only to God.
After her encounter with David, Abigail went to Carmel, where
Nabal had been shearing his sheep and celebrating his good fortune.
Once again, she found him playing the fool. Oblivious to danger, he was drunkenly presiding over a festival banquet, like a great king. She
waited until morning, when he was sober, to tell him what had happened.
As soon as Nabal heard the news, his heart failed. Ten days
later he was dead.
Arrogance, greed, and selfishness had conspired to rob Nabal of
any good sense he might once have possessed. Thinking himself a great man when he was only a small one, he lost everything. Abigail was Nabals opposite, a woman whose humility, faith, generosity, intelligence, and honesty made her wise. Rather than putting others at risk by an ungoverned tongue, her gracious words saved lives. Few husbands and wives were ever so illsuited to each other.
When David heard the news of Nabals death, he sent word to
Abigail, asking her to be his wife. This time it was Abigails choice whether or not to marry. She accepted, becoming Davids third wife and eventually mother to his second son, Kileab.
Unlike Michal, who had been a mere pawn on a chessboard, Abigail was a woman who rose above her circumstances to change the course of events. Though Scripture doesnt offer details regarding her daily life, it is logical to suppose she was a good wife to Nabal. Even her entreaty to David was the act of a good wife. Perhaps her virtues were not inborn, but developed in the midst of a difficult marriage.
Or perhaps her marriage was actually the catalyst for her character, helping her to cultivate contrasting virtues to Nabals vices. Regardless, through her quick-witted action, she spared her husbands life and goods. It was God, not Abigail or David, who paid Nabal back for his arrogance and greed.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Women of the Bible focuses on fifty-two remarkable women in Scripture -- women whose struggles to live with faith and courage are not unlike our own. Far from being cardboard characters, these women encourage us through their failures as well as their successes. You'll see how God acted in surprising and wonderful ways to draw them -- and you -- to himself. This year-long devotional offers a unique method to help you slow down and savor the story of God's unrelenting love for his people, offering a fresh perspective that will nourish and strengthen your personal communion with him.

Author Biography: Ann Spangler is the author of several best-selling books, including Women of the Bible, coauthored with Jean Syswerda. The former editorial director and vice-president of Servant Publications, she was also a senior acquisitions editor at Zondervan. She lives with her two daughters in Grand Rapids, Michigan.Jean E. Syswerda is a writer and former editor and associate publisher at Zondervan Bibles. She is coauthor (with Ann Spangler) of the best-selling Women of the Bible. She and her husband live in Allendale, Michigan.

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