All God's Women

Michal looked down from her perch in the palace and saw the festivities. There was her husband in the middle of the crowd, the king of the land, stripped of his royal garb, leaping and whirling before the Lord, acting like a common man rather than dignified royalty. And the Bible tells us that as she watched him, she despised him in her heart...

The heroic efforts of Mephibosheth’s nurse saved the young son of Jonathan, and because of her courage in grabbing him and hiding him away, he was later able to take his rightful place at the king’s table with David. 

His nurse never got to witness the fruits of her effort. But God used her to save an heir to the kingdom...

Once David was anointed king, it didn’t take long to acquire more wives. In addition to Ahiroam, Abigail, and Michal, he married Maacah, Haggith, Abital, and Elgah while living in Hebron.

What must it have been like for these women living together in the palace, married to a king, raising his sons, none of them having a close relationship with their husband...

Life as a royal woman in the days of the kings was not an easy life. Men used women as political pawns to show power and to get what they wanted. 2 Samuel chapter 3 tells the stories of Rizpah and Michal caught up in political games.

Rizpah was only a concubine, not receiving the respect that came with being an official wife. Then her reputation was questioned due to a power play between Ishbosheth and Abner...

Ahinoam and Abigail were in Ziklag when the Amalekites invaded the city and burned it down. The two women, along with the other women and children of David’s army, were taken captive by the Amalekites.

What an adventure it must have been for these two women, following around their husband and his army, being captured by enemy forces, being rescued by their husband, and finally witnessing their husband take over as ruler of the land...

Saul and the medium of En Dor were sworn enemies. Although he wasn’t living right, Saul was known as a man of God. This woman would have been an enemy of God, and yet, when Saul was in need of her help, she was there for him.

When she saw how upset Saul was, she was immediately compassionate, trying to nurse him back to health. Even though he was given a death sentence, she did her part to provide for him and his servants, giving them a fatted calf, the very best she had to offer...

King Saul sought direction for his life. The prophet Samuel was dead, and when Saul called out himself to God, the Lord didn’t answer him. So in true Saul fashion, he took matters into his own hands.

Although he had driven out the spiritualists from the land, his servants told him about a woman in nearby En Dor who conjured up the dead. 

He disguised himself and went at night with two other men to consult with the woman. He asked her to conduct a seance for him...

When David learned of Nabal’s death, he sent word to Abigail asking her to be his wife. She went in haste and rode on a donkey, bringing with her five maidservants. 

Abigail left her wealthy adobe in order to join David’s camp in the wilderness. She knew, though, that it was only a temporary situation and that eventually he would be king...

Abigail begged David to listen to her, apologizing for her husband, explaining that he was a fool. She then took responsibility herself for the situation, explaining that she should have seen David’s servants and provided for them.

Abigail could have done nothing. It wasn’t her problem. But she assumed responsibility for Nabal’s actions and saved the day...

Though Michal saved David, that appears to be the end of any love she may have had for him. From that point, David became a fugitive, and Michal lost her love for him. 

Michal loved the handsome young man who stood up to a giant when everyone else ran away in fear. She loved David when he was promised to marry her sister. She defied her father in defense of David. But once he lost his place of prominence and hid away in the desert, she had no use for him...