“Wounded Women of the Bible” by Dyer and Samples

It’s a book clearly aimed at women. It’s about women, women of the Bible. It’s written by women. The contemporary stories it includes are about women.

Readers are even addressed as “Ladies.”

Nevertheless, I persevered. I forgot being addressed as a lady and instead focused on the story that was being told.

And Wounded Women of the Bible by Tina Samples and Dena Dyer is quite a story, a story with a point: God uses wounding and brokenness to create something often surprising and sometimes plain astounding.

I like what Dyer and Samples do. They both write each chapter in their own words, and their own understanding and experience. The work from the same Bible character in the each chapter, but they approach their subjects differently, and call upon their own stories and the stories of the people they know today.

Such an approach, of course, transforms the Biblical into the immediately recognizable. We know people like these women. Their stories are familiar. Some of us are living these stories. And the stories are true.

The women they address include the two who argued before Solomon over whose baby was dead, and whose was alive; Abigail, the wife of David; Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and sister to the 12 brothers who became 12 tribes; Ruth of Moab; Hagar, maidservant of Sarah; sisters Mary and Martha who both loved Jesus; the widow who in faith gave the prophet the last of her food.

And others. Weary women. Wounded women. Struggling women. Women who endured tragedy through no fault of their own.

Dyer and Samples put their own skin on the story as well. They tell their stories here, and the stories of friends and family. Wounded Women of the Bible is a book for women, but it’s also a book their husbands, fathers, sons and boyfriends should read, too.

The point of this story of struggle and wounding is, ultimately, the story of hope.

Photograph by x posid via Public Domain Pictures. Used with permission.