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Women's Report - February/March 2010

MCC U.S. Women’s Advocacy

 

Women of Courage

by Linda Gehman Peachey

 

 Then a wise woman called from the city, ‘Listen! Listen! Tell Joab, “Come here, I want to speak to you.” … Then she said, ‘They used to say in the old days, “Let them inquire at Abel”; and so they would settle a matter. I am one of those who are peaceable and faithful in Israel; you seek to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel; why will you swallow up the heritage of the Lord?’ (II Samuel 20:16-18)

 

How I would love to know more about this woman! We know she was from the city of Abel, in northern Israel. And she was living in the midst of chaos and conflict. David’s son Absalom had led a rebellion against his father and when this was crushed, the northern rebel leader Sheba continued to resist David’s leadership. Looking for support and shelter, Sheba entered Abel and put the whole community in danger, as David’s forces then surrounded the city and started attacking its walls.

This is when this wise woman spoke up. How vulnerable she must have felt, calling out in the midst of battle and asking to speak to Joab, the powerful military commander in charge. Amazingly, Joab stopped to listen. She then appealed to the tradition within Abel of settling disputes peaceably. Placing herself within that tradition, as one who is “peaceable and faithful in Israel,” she challenged his goal of destroying a city which belonged to God. And Joab immediately backed down: “Far be it from me, far be it, that I should swallow up or destroy! That is not the case!”

Tragically, the way out of this situation involved killing Sheba. Joab insisted that he be handed over in exchange for sparing the city and the woman agreed. It would be wonderful if there had been a more creative solution to this situation and no one would have had to die. Nevertheless, the battle ended and the lives of many people were saved.

In this way, this woman models the courage and strength of so many women around the world who step forward to challenge those who threaten their communities. Clearly, Joab was not a man to mess with, as he ruthlessly killed anyone who challenged David or himself. So this woman’s willingness to confront Joab was remarkable and risky. She had no guarantee how he would respond or whether he would listen to her.

Women in Berlin, Germany also took bold and dangerous actions in 1943, when Nazi forces rounded up their Jewish husbands. These German women spontaneously went to where their husbands were being held and demanded to have them back. Soldiers tried repeatedly to disburse them, even firing shots over their heads, but still the women gathered day after day. Again, the women had no guarantee that this would work, or what the final outcome would be. Finally, after days of demonstrating, the men were released and almost all survived the war. (Resistance of the Heart, Intermarriage and the Rosenstrasse Protest in Nazi Germany by Nathan Stoltzfus, Rutgers University Press, 2001.)

In the United States, Fannie Lou Hamer had to flee her home after registering to vote in 1962. Later, she was jailed and severely beaten for her activities with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. In 1964, she and others formed the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, arguing that they should be seated instead of those who had been elected by excluding black voters. Her speech before the credentials committee was televised nationally and although the rules were not changed at the time, she returned four years later as a member of Mississippi's delegation to the Democratic National Convention. There she spoke out forcefully against the escalation of war in Vietnam. A tireless activist, she often inspired others by singing hymns such as “Go Tell It on the Mountain" and "This Little Light of Mine." Her tombstone reads: "I am sick and tired of being sick and tired." (From http://www.fannielouhamer.info/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fannie_Lou_Hamer)

In the late 1990’s, women in Sudan such as Mary Nyaulang Ret and Mawahib Mohamed Ahmed El Haj united across religious and ethnic lines to form the Sudan Women’s Peace Initiative. Despite the fact that women were excluded from the peace negotiations, they persisted in organizing, so that the constitution of Southern Sudan now guarantees women 25% of government positions. These women continue to actively promote peace and reconciliation activities, in order to heal the wounds of decades of war and ensure that the current peace is sustainable. (See WomenLead in Peace and Stability,mentioned below.)

These are just a few of the women from around the world and throughout history who have stepped forward to speak and act for truth, justice and peace. May their example give us inspiration and courage as we seek to follow the way of Christ in bringing good news to the poor, release to the captives and freedom to those who are oppressed. (Luke 4:18-19)

For discussion and reflection

  • Who models strength and courage for you?
  • What other Biblical stories show women taking courageous action?
  • When have you felt the Spirit's call to take a stand on behalf of yourself or others?
  • What bolstered your courage or held you back?
  • How does the Holy Spirit provide wisdom and strength?
 

Resources

 

Recommended

  • Holiness & the Feminine Spirit: the Art of Janet McKenzie, edited by Susan Perry, Orbis Books, 2009. Best-known for her "Jesus of the People," McKenzie's art brings fresh perspective to well known stories about Jesus and his family and followers. This book brings twenty-eight of McKenzie's works together with reflections from women writers from around the world to highlight the power of holiness and the ways in which women participate in the reign of God.
 

Poems and Prayers

 

Decision

 

We sit inside myself:

I: afraid, unsure,

perching at an inner river edge,

burst out to you at last,

“I know it sounds so grandiose—

I want to write poems

to help save the world.”

I: practical, experienced, wise,

look at you with empathetic face.

(How to tell you that the urgency

and pain will go away?

that the world’s too large a place

to fill with your small words?

that your hopeful poems will soon deflate—

balloons sticking to themselves?)

 

I read the writing on my older face.

“That may be right,” I nod, jumping in.

 

Despite it all, I know I have to take

the risk of sending up inflated words.

I have to tell our truth while I have breath.

 

- by Irene Zimmerman, Daughters of Sarah, July/August 1991.

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