A couple of weeks ago on Mother's Day, I gave a talk in church about how women in the scriptures exemplify attributes of Jesus Christ. I'd like to share it here so we all can appreciate together the great examples of righteousness we have in the scriptures.
In church I had to shorten my talk somewhat, so you could consider the version here the "Director's Cut" :)
Growing up I was grateful for my mom, for the same reasons that many young people are - she drove me to school, cooked dinner, and did the laundry. But there's a lot more to motherhood than doing chores, which I've been learning about in the past few years as I've watched my wife raise our 2 daughters. She sacrifices so much of her free time and personal desires for the benefit of our kids. I am continually in awe of her selflessness, and will be forever grateful for her.
I was asked to speak about "Christlike Attributes shown by women in the scriptures". With it being Mother's day, I thought about using the names of my mother and mother in law, but neither of them appear in the scriptures. Same problem with my wife's name. Fortunately, we named our kids after women in the scriptures, so I'll use those names.
Elisabeth
We'll start with Elizabeth, my oldest daughter, named after an ancestor, as well as the mother of John the Baptist. The name means "God's Promise." In Luke 1 it says that she and her husband were
6 both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless
So Obedience is the first Christlike attribute we can learn about from Elisabeth.
They had lived most of their lives without having any children. One day an angel told Zacharias that Elisabeth would have a child soon. Elisabeth was so grateful, she said
25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.
Gratitude is the second attribute of Christ we see her exhibit in this story.
Later on, when Elisabeth was about 6 months pregnant, her cousin Mary came to visit. Mary had just been told that she also would have a son, Jesus. Elisabeth said to her cousin:
42 Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
Even before the Savior was born, Elisabeth was testifying of Christ. Then she said
45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
This is one of those sentences in the Bible that doesn't quite make sense in our modern ears. But I think this means that she believes and expects the fulfillment of the promises she received, both for herself and Mary. Faith is another attribute of Christ.
Another example of her faith came after her son was born. Earlier in the story, Zacharias (Elisabeth's husband) had doubted the angel's words that they would have a child, and so the angel made it so Zacharias couldn't speak. Part of the prophecy of the angel was that their son would be called John. When it was time to name the baby, someone tried to call him Zacharias, after his father. But Elisabeth said
60 Not so; but he shall be called John
How did she know this? The angel didn't come to her, so Zacharias must have told her somehow (remember he hasn't been able to talk for almost a year). But she believed her husband and the prophecy from the angel, again showing her great faith.
To recap: Elisabeth showed us a great example of obedience, gratitude, and faith.
Abigail
Let's move backwards in time now and look at a woman named Abigail. My youngest daughter is named after her; the name can either mean "father of rejoicing," (probably a reference to God the Father) or "my father's joy". She certainly brings a lot of joy to me.
My Abigail was born last year, shortly before the October General Conference, in which someone talked about the story of the Abigail in the Old Testament. It was by a Sister Kristin M. Yee, and the talk was called "Beauty for Ashes: The Healing Path of Forgiveness." Let's read in her words part of the story of Abigail.
After Samuel’s death, David and his men went away from King Saul, who sought David’s life. They provided watchcare for the flocks and servants of a wealthy man named Nabal, who was mean-spirited. David sent 10 of his men to salute Nabal and request much-needed food and supplies. Nabal responded to David’s request with insult and sent his men away empty-handed.
Offended, David prepared his men to go up against Nabal and his household, saying, “He hath requited me evil for good.” A servant told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, about her husband’s ill treatment of David’s men. Abigail quickly gathered the needed food and supplies and went to intercede."
In the scriptures (1 Samuel 25) it says
she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance.
In addition, she was willing to make intercession for her husband, and begged David to forgive them.
23 And when Abigail saw David, she hasted,... and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground,
24 And fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid.
25 Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man…, even Nabal:... but I thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send.
26 Now therefore, my lord, as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing the Lord hath withholden thee from coming to shed blood, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies, and they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal.
27 And now this blessing which thine handmaid hath brought unto my lord, let it even be given unto the young men that follow my lord.
28 I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid: for the Lord will certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fighteth the battles of the Lord, and evil hath not been found in thee all thy days.
Returning again to the words of Sis. Yee:
In this account, Abigail can be seen as a powerful type or symbol of Jesus Christ. Through His atoning sacrifice, He can release us from the sin and weight of a warring heart and provide us with the sustenance we need.
Just as Abigail was willing to take Nabal’s sin upon herself, so did the Savior—in an incomprehensible way—take upon Him our sins and the sins of those who have hurt or offended us. In Gethsemane and on the cross, He claimed these sins. He made a way for us to let go of a vengeful heart. That “way” is through forgiving—which can be one of the most difficult things we ever do and one of the most divine things we ever experience. On the path of forgiveness, Jesus Christ’s atoning power can flow into our lives and begin to heal the deep crevasses of the heart and soul.
Abigail showed us an great example of both humility and forgiveness.
Hannah
Let's go backwards in time again to before Samuel the prophet was born. My sister's name is Hannah, which can mean "grace." In the Old Testament, Hannah was another women who wasn't able to have kids, similar to Elisabeth, and Hannah was very upset about this. She prayed at the temple often asking for a miracle. On a particular visit to the temple, the scriptures (1 Samuel 1) say
6 And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret,... And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, so he provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat.
It sounds to me like Hannah struggled with anxiety attacks. I personally don't know much about this, but I do know that anxiety is a very real trial that many people face. To those that do have anxiety, there's at least one person who knows what you're feeling - Jesus Christ. To everyone else who doesn't know what it's like to have crippling anxiety - we need to be supportive and non judgemental when others are having a hard time.
Continuing with the story, on this particular year,
10 she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore.
11 And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life
Eli the high priest noticed that Hannah was praying, but didn’t hear her words. He came to her and said
17 Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him...
20 Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the Lord.
In this story, Hannah shows an example of prayer and fasting. She also was faithful to her promise - she gave Samuel to Eli to teach him the ways of the priesthood. Samuel would grow up to be a great prophet, and the one who anointed David to be king.
Robert T. Barrett
Hannah’s story is one of perseverance.
Eve
Now going back all the way to the beginning of our earth, the first woman in the scriptures is Eve. My Abigail’s middle name is Eve. The name can mean simply "life" or "full of life" or "mother of life."
Most of us know of the story of Adam and Eve, how they lived in the garden of Eden for some time before being cast out and becoming mortal. I want to focus on what happened after that, and why Eve was declared to be a worthy “help meet” for Adam. We’ll look in the Book of Moses, an extended revelation given to Joseph Smith, based on the book of Genesis, because it contains more details about Eve that I think help us understand her character better. In chapter 5, it says
1 And it came to pass that after I, the Lord God, had driven them out, that Adam began to till the earth, and to have dominion over all the beasts of the field, and to eat his bread by the sweat of his brow, as I the Lord had commanded him. And Eve, also, his wife, did labor with him.
2 And Adam knew his wife, and she bare unto him sons and daughters, and they began to multiply and to replenish the earth.
They worked together, as equal partners.
4 And Adam and Eve, his wife, called upon the name of the Lord, and they heard the voice of the Lord from the way toward the Garden of Eden, speaking unto them, and they saw him not; for they were shut out from his presence.
5 And he gave unto them commandments, that they should worship the Lord their God, and should offer the firstlings of their flocks, for an offering unto the Lord. And Adam was obedient unto the commandments of the Lord.
Eve was both prayerful and obedient, two very crucial Christlike attributes.
Later on, an angel came to the couple and taught them about the plan of salvation - how if they would repent and believe in Jesus Christ, they could again live in the presence of God. After learning these gospel principles, the scriptures say:
11 And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient.
12 And Adam and Eve blessed the name of God, and they made all things known unto their sons and their daughters.
Again, Eve is showing her understanding of obedience, and how important that is. She was looking forward to the promised blessings: children, joy, and eternal life. She also taught her children the things of God.
Just like Eve and all these other women were examples of Christlike living, I am grateful for my wife, mother, and other women who I have known for encouraging me to follow the example of Christ. Sometimes they do this actively through admonition and encouragement, other times passively through their examples. Both are important.
I am most grateful for my Savior, the One who we are all trying to emulate.
Without Him, this life would be misery and disappointment. But with Him, we can feel enduring joy and one day live with our Heavenly Father and our families.
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