SOCIAL EQUITY

8.1 The real family values

8.1.1 A measure of tough love

[This chapter is presented in outline format. Please see the Preface.]

“Anyone who strikes father or mother must be put to death.” (Exod 21:15)

If you refuse to discipline your children, it proves you don’t love them; if you love your children, you will be prompt to discipline them. (Proverbs 13:24)

Don’t fail to correct your children. They won’t die if you spank them. Physical discipline may well save them from death. My child, how I will rejoice if you become wise. Yes, my heart will thrill when you speak what is right and just. (Proverbs 23:13-16)

“For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes those he accepts as his children.” As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Whoever heard of a child who was never disciplined? If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children after all. Since we respect our earthly fathers who disciplined us, should we not all the more cheerfully submit to the discipline of our heavenly Father and live forever? (Heb 12:6-9)

8.1.2 Nurturing self-esteem

And now a word to you parents. Don’t keep on scolding and nagging your children, making them angry and resentful. Rather, bring them up with the loving discipline the Lord himself approves, with suggestions and godly advice. (Eph 6:4)

Then there was an argument among them as to which of them would be the greatest. But Jesus knew their thoughts, so he brought a little child to his side. Then he said to them, “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes my Father who sent me. Whoever is the least among you is the greatest.” (Luke 9:46-48)

Didn’t the LORD make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are his. And what does he want? Godly children from your union. So guard yourself; remain loyal to the wife of your youth. (Mal 2:15)

8.1.3 Escaping dysfunction

So don’t worry about how to answer the charges against you, for I will give you the right words and such wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to reply! Even those closest to you--your parents, brothers, relatives, and friends--will betray you. And some of you will be killed. And everyone will hate you because of your allegiance to me. But not a hair of your head will perish! By standing firm, you will win your souls. (Luke 21:14-19)

8.2 The human rights of gay people

8.2.1 Applying the Golden Rule

“Do not practice homosexuality; it is a detestable sin.” (Lev 18:22)

“A woman must not wear men’s clothing, and a man must not wear women’s clothing. The LORD your God detests people who do this.” (Deut 22:5)

That evening the two angels came to the entrance of the city of Sodom, and Lot was sitting there as they arrived. When he saw them, he stood up to meet them. Then he welcomed them and bowed low to the ground. “My lords,” he said, “come to my home to wash your feet, and be my guests for the night. You may then get up in the morning as early as you like and be on your way again.”
“Oh no,” they said, “we’ll just spend the night out here in the city square.”
But Lot insisted, so at last they went home with him. He set a great feast before them, complete with fresh bread made without yeast. After the meal, as they were preparing to retire for the night, all the men of Sodom, young and old, came from all over the city and surrounded the house. They shouted to Lot, “Where are the men who came to spend the night with you? Bring them out so we can have sex with them.”
Lot stepped outside to talk to them, shutting the door behind him. “Please, my brothers,” he begged, “don’t do such a wicked thing. Look--I have two virgin daughters. Do with them as you wish, but leave these men alone, for they are under my protection.”
“Stand back!” they shouted. “Who do you think you are? We let you settle among us, and now you are trying to tell us what to do! We’ll treat you far worse than those other men!” And they lunged at Lot and began breaking down the door. But the two angels reached out and pulled Lot in and bolted the door. Then they blinded the men of Sodom so they couldn’t find the doorway. (Gen 19:1-11)

That evening an old man came home from his work in the fields. He was from the hill country of Ephraim, but he was living in Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin. When he saw the travelers sitting in the town square, he asked them where they were from and where they were going.
“We have been in Bethlehem in Judah,” the man replied. “We are on our way home to a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim, and we’re going to the Tabernacle of the LORD. But no one has taken us in for the night, even though we have everything we need. We have straw and fodder for our donkeys and plenty of bread and wine for ourselves.”
“You are welcome to stay with me,” the old man said. “I will give you anything you might need. But whatever you do, don’t spend the night in the square.” So he took them home with him and fed their donkeys. After they washed their feet, they had supper together.
While they were enjoying themselves, some of the wicked men in the town surrounded the house. They began beating at the door and shouting to the old man, “Bring out the man who is staying with you so we can have sex with him.”
The old man stepped outside to talk to them. “No, my brothers, don’t do such an evil thing. For this man is my guest, and such a thing would be shameful. Here, take my virgin daughter and this man’s concubine. I will bring them out to you, and you can do whatever you like to them. But don’t do such a shameful thing to this man.”
But they wouldn’t listen to him. Then the Levite took his concubine and pushed her out the door. The men of the town abused her all night, taking turns raping her until morning. Finally, at dawn, they let her go. At daybreak the woman returned to the house where her husband was staying. She collapsed at the door of the house and lay there until it was light.
When her husband opened the door to leave, he found her there. She was lying face down, with her hands on the threshold. He said, “Get up! Let’s go!” But there was no answer. So he put her body on his donkey and took her home.
When he got home, he took a knife and cut his concubine’s body into twelve pieces. Then he sent one piece to each tribe of Israel. Everyone who saw it said, “Such a horrible crime has not been committed since Israel left Egypt. Shouldn’t we speak up and do something about this?” (Judg 19:16-30)

There was homosexuality throughout the land, and the people of Judah became as depraved as the heathen nations which the Lord drove out to make room for his people. (I Kgs 14:24)

He also closed all the houses of male prostitution that still continued from the days of his father Asa. (I Kgs 22:46)

That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relationships with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men and, as a result, suffered within themselves the penalty they so richly deserved. (Rom 1:26-27)

Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, fighting, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They are forever inventing new ways of sinning and are disobedient to their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, and are heartless and unforgiving. They are fully aware of God’s death penalty for those who do these things, yet they go right ahead and do them anyway. And, worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too. (Rom 1:29-32)

Don’t you know that those who do wrong will have no share in the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, who are idol worshipers, adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexuals, thieves, greedy people, drunkards, abusers, and swindlers--none of these will have a share in the Kingdom of God. There was a time when some of you were just like that, but now your sins have been washed away, and you have been set apart for God. You have been made right with God because of what the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God have done for you. (I Cor 6:9-11)

8.2.2 Things that make you go hmmm

How I weep for you, my brother Jonathan! Oh, how much I loved you! And your love for me was deep, deeper than the love of women! (II Sam 1:26)

The chestpiece was made in the same style as the ephod, crafted from fine linen cloth and embroidered with gold thread and blue, purple, and scarlet yarn. It was doubled over to form a pouch, nine inches square. Four rows of gemstones were set across it. In the first row were a red carnelian, a chrysolite, and an emerald. In the second row were a turquoise, a sapphire, and a white moonstone. In the third row were a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst. In the fourth row were a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. Each of these gemstones was set in gold. The stones were engraved like a seal, each with the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. To attach the chestpiece to the ephod, they made braided cords of pure gold. They also made two gold rings and attached them to the top corners of the chestpiece. The two gold cords were put through the gold rings on the chestpiece, and the ends of the cords were tied to the gold settings on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod. Two more gold rings were attached to the lower inside corners of the chestpiece next to the ephod. Then two gold rings were attached to the ephod near the sash. Blue cords were used to attach the bottom rings of the chestpiece to the rings on the ephod. In this way, the chestpiece was held securely to the ephod above the beautiful sash. All this was done just as the LORD had commanded Moses. (Exod 39:8-21)

8.3 The joy and sorrow of sex

8.3.1 Safe sex information is crucial

Run away from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. (I Cor 6:18)

Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of them, Christ and his true way will be slandered. (II Pet 2:2)

If a woman gives birth to a daughter, she will be ceremonially defiled for two weeks, just as she is defiled during her menstrual period. She must then wait another sixty-six days to be purified from the blood of childbirth. (Lev 12:5)

“Whenever a woman has her menstrual period, she will be ceremonially unclean for seven days. If you touch her during that time, you will be defiled until evening. Anything on which she lies or sits during that time will be defiled. If you touch her bed, you must wash your clothes and bathe in water, and you will remain defiled until evening. The same applies if you touch an object on which she sits, whether it is her bedding or any piece of furniture. If a man has sexual intercourse with her during this time, her menstrual impurity will be transmitted to him. He will remain defiled for seven days, and any bed on which he lies will be defiled.” (Lev 15:19-24)

We are all infected and impure with sin. When we put on our prized robes of righteousness we find they are filthy as a menstruating woman’s rags. (Isa 64:6)

“Son of dust, when the people of Israel were living in their own country, they defiled it by their evil deeds; to me their worship was as foul as a menstruous cloth.” (Ezek 36:17)

“Whenever a man has an emission of semen, he must wash his entire body, and he will remain ceremonially defiled until evening. Any clothing or leather that comes in contact with the semen must be washed, and it will remain defiled until evening. After having sexual intercourse, both the man and the woman must bathe, and they will remain defiled until evening.” (Lev 15:16-18)

8.3.2 The taboos of beastiality and incest

“A man must never defile himself by having sexual intercourse with an animal, and a woman must never present herself to a male animal in order to have intercourse with it; this is a terrible perversion.” (Lev 18:23)

“All these detestable activities are practiced by the people of the land where I am taking you, and the land has become defiled. Do not give the land a reason to vomit you out for defiling it, as it will vomit out the people who live there now.” (Lev 18:27-28)

“You must never have sexual intercourse with a close relative, for I am the LORD. Do not violate your father by having sexual intercourse with your mother. She is your mother; you must never have intercourse with her. Do not have sexual intercourse with any of your father’s wives, for this would violate your father.
“Do not have sexual intercourse with your sister or half sister, whether she is your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was brought up in the same family or somewhere else.
“Do not have sexual intercourse with your granddaughter, whether your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter; that would violate you. Do not have sexual intercourse with the daughter of any of your father’s wives; she is your half sister. Do not have intercourse with your aunt, your father’s sister, because she is your father’s close relative. Do not have sexual intercourse with your aunt, your mother’s sister, because she is your mother’s close relative. And do not violate your uncle, your father’s brother, by having sexual intercourse with his wife; she also is your aunt. Do not have sexual intercourse with your daughter-in-law; she is your son’s wife. Do not have intercourse with your brother’s wife; this would violate your brother.
“Do not have sexual intercourse with both a woman and her daughter or marry both a woman and her granddaughter, whether her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter. They are close relatives, and to do this would be a horrible wickedness.
“Do not marry a woman and her sister because they will be rivals. But if your wife dies, then it is all right to marry her sister.” (Lev 18:6-18)

8.3.3 The violations of rape and genital mutilation

But as she was feeding him, he grabbed her and demanded, “Come to bed with me, my darling sister.”
“No, my brother!” she cried. “Don’t be foolish! Don’t do this to me! You know what a serious crime it is to do such a thing in Israel. Where could I go in my shame? And you would be called one of the greatest fools in Israel. Please, just speak to the king about it, and he will let you marry me.”
But Amnon wouldn’t listen to her, and since he was stronger than she was, he raped her. (II Sam 13:11-14)

You may ask yourself, “Why is all this happening to me?” It is because of your many sins! That is why you have been raped and destroyed by invading armies. (Jer 13:22)

I only wish these teachers who want you to cut yourselves by being circumcised…would that those disturbing you would go and castrate themselves. (Gal 5:12)

“If two Israelite men are fighting and the wife of one tries to rescue her husband by grabbing the testicles of the other man, her hand must be cut off without pity.” (Deut 25:11-12)

8.3.4 The world’s oldest profession

“Do not defile your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will be filled with promiscuity and detestable wickedness.” (Lev 19:29)

Wisdom will save you from the immoral woman, from the flattery of the adulterous woman. She has abandoned her husband and ignores the covenant she made before God. Entering her house leads to death; it is the road to hell. The man who visits her is doomed. He will never reach the paths of life. (Proverbs 2:16-19)

One day Samson went to the Philistine city of Gaza and spent the night with a prostitute. (Judg 16:1)

When the LORD first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, he said to him, “Go and marry a prostitute, so some of her children will be born to you from other men. This will illustrate the way my people have been untrue to me, openly committing adultery against the LORD by worshiping other gods.” (Hos 1:2)

Why should I punish them? For you men are doing the same thing, sinning with whores and shrine prostitutes. O foolish people! You will be destroyed, for you refuse to understand. (Hos 4:14)

Now in those days Israel had no king. There was a man from the tribe of Levi living in a remote area of the hill country of Ephraim. One day he brought home a woman from Bethlehem in Judah to be his concubine. (Judg 19:1)

8.3.5 The primal urge to cheat

The LORD gave me another message. He said, “Do not marry or have children in this place. For this is what the LORD says about the children born here in this city and about their mothers and fathers: They will die from terrible diseases. No one will mourn for them or bury them, and they will lie scattered on the ground like dung. They will die from war and famine, and their bodies will be food for the vultures and wild animals.” (Jer 16:1-4)

I wish everyone could get along without marrying, just as I do. But we are not all the same. God gives some the gift of marriage, and to others he gives the gift of singleness. Now I say to those who aren’t married and to widows--it’s better to stay unmarried, just as I am. But if they can’t control themselves, they should go ahead and marry. It’s better to marry than to burn with lust. (I Cor 7:7-9)

Because of the present crisis, I think it is best to remain just as you are. If you have a wife, do not end the marriage. If you do not have a wife, do not get married. But if you do get married, it is not a sin. And if a young woman gets married, it is not a sin. However, I am trying to spare you the extra problems that come with marriage. (I Cor 7:26-28)

The husband should not deprive his wife of sexual intimacy, which is her right as a married woman, nor should the wife deprive her husband. The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband also gives authority over his body to his wife. So do not deprive each other of sexual relations. The only exception to this rule would be the agreement of both husband and wife to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time, so they can give themselves more completely to prayer. Afterward they should come together again so that Satan won’t be able to tempt them because of their lack of self-control. (I Cor 7:3-5)

A wife is married to her husband as long as he lives. If her husband dies, she is free to marry whomever she wishes, but this must be a marriage acceptable to the Lord. But in my opinion it will be better for her if she doesn’t marry again, and I think I am giving you counsel from God’s Spirit when I say this. (I Cor 7:39-40)

Men sleep with their fathers’ wives and have intercourse with women who are menstruating. (Ezek 22:10)

Late one afternoon David got out of bed after taking a nap and went for a stroll on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath. He sent someone to find out who she was, and he was told, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” Then David sent for her; and when she came to the palace, he slept with her. (She had just completed the purification rites after having her menstrual period.) Then she returned home. Later, when Bathsheba discovered that she was pregnant, she sent a message to inform David. (II Sam 11:2-5)

Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD .”
Nathan replied, “The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the LORD show utter contempt, the son born to you will die.” (II Sam 11:13-14)

They commit adultery with their eyes, and their lust is never satisfied. They make a game of luring unstable people into sin. They train themselves to be greedy; they are doomed and cursed. (II Pet 2:14)

“I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust upon a young woman. What has God above chosen for us? What is our inheritance from the Almighty on high? It is calamity for the wicked, misfortune for those who do evil. He sees everything I do and every step I take.” (Job 31:1-4)

“You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust in his eye has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So if your eye--even if it is your good eye--causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your hand--even if it is your stronger hand--causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” (Matt 5:27-30)

“Suppose a man marries a woman but later discovers something about her that is shameful. So he writes her a letter of divorce, gives it to her, and sends her away. If she then leaves and marries another man and the second husband also divorces her or dies, the former husband may not marry her again, for she has been defiled. That would be detestable to the LORD. You must not bring guilt upon the land the LORD your God is giving you as a special possession.” (Deut 24:1-4)

You cry out, “Why has the LORD abandoned us?” I’ll tell you why! Because the LORD witnessed the vows you and your wife made to each other on your wedding day when you were young. But you have been disloyal to her, though she remained your faithful companion, the wife of your marriage vows. Didn’t the LORD make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are his. And what does he want? Godly children from your union. So guard yourself; remain loyal to the wife of your youth. “For I hate divorce!” says the LORD, the God of Israel. “It is as cruel as putting on a victim’s bloodstained coat,” says the LORD Almighty. “So guard yourself; always remain loyal to your wife.” (Mal 2:14-16)

“You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a letter of divorce.’ But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” (Matt 5:31-32)

(But if the husband or wife who isn’t a Christian insists on leaving, let them go. In such cases the Christian husband or wife is not required to stay with them, for God wants his children to live in peace.) (I Cor 7:15)

8.3.6 Nudity in the holy scriptures

And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect from the eyes of others those parts that should not be seen, while other parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together in such a way that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. (I Cor 12:23-34)

When David returned home to bless his family, Michal came out to meet him and said in disgust, “How glorious the king of Israel looked today! He exposed himself to the servant girls like any indecent person might do!”
David retorted to Michal, “I was dancing before the LORD, who chose me above your father and his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the LORD. So I am willing to act like a fool in order to show my joy in the LORD. (II Sam 6:20-21)

The Lord said to me, Go and buy a linen loincloth and wear it, but don’t wash it – don’t put it in water at all. So I bought the loincloth and put in on. Then the Lord’s message came to me again. This time he said, Take the loincloth out to the Euphrates River and hide it in a hole in the rocks. (Jer 13:1-4)

Even as a loincloth clings to a man’s loins, so I made Judah and Israel to cling to me, says the Lord. They were my people, an honor to my name. But then they turned away. (Jer 13:11)

“Come, Babylon, unconquered one, sit in the dust. For your days of glory, pomp, and honor have ended. O daughter of Babylonia, never again will you be the lovely princess, tender and delicate. Take heavy millstones and grind the corn. Remove your veil and strip off your robe. Expose yourself to public view. You will be naked and burdened with shame. I will take vengeance against you and will not negotiate.” (Isa 47:1-3)

Jerusalem has sinned greatly, so she has been tossed away like a filthy rag. All who once honored her now despise her, for they have seen her stripped naked and humiliated. All she can do is groan and hide her face. (Lam 1:8)

“But I came by and saw you there, covered with your own blood, and I said, ‘Live! Thrive like a plant in the field!’ And you did! You grew up and became tall, slender and supple, a jewel among jewels. And when you reached the age of maidenhood your breasts were full-formed and your pubic hair had grown; yet you were naked.” (Ezek 16:6-7)

The queen of Nineveh is brought out naked to the streets, and led away, a slave, with all her maidens weeping after her; listen to them mourn like doves, and beat their breasts! (Nahum 2:7)

8.4 The sacrosanct morality of feminism

8.4.1 Sexism is a cross-cultural sin

On the seventh day of the feast, when King Xerxes was half drunk with wine, he told Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven eunuchs who attended him, to bring Queen Vashti to him with the royal crown on her head. He wanted all the men to gaze on her beauty, for she was a very beautiful woman. But when they conveyed the king’s order to Queen Vashti, she refused to come. This made the king furious, and he burned with anger.
He immediately consulted with his advisers, who knew all the Persian laws and customs, for he always asked their advice. The names of these men were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan--seven high officials of Persia and Media. They were his closest associates and held the highest positions in the empire. “What must be done to Queen Vashti?” the king demanded. “What penalty does the law provide for a queen who refuses to obey the king’s orders, properly sent through his eunuchs?”
Memucan answered the king and his princes, “Queen Vashti has wronged not only the king but also every official and citizen throughout your empire. Women everywhere will begin to despise their husbands when they learn that Queen Vashti has refused to appear before the king. Before this day is out, the wife of every one of us, your officials throughout the empire, will hear what the queen did and will start talking to their husbands the same way. There will be no end to the contempt and anger throughout your realm. So if it please the king, we suggest that you issue a written decree, a law of the Persians and Medes that cannot be revoked. It should order that Queen Vashti be forever banished from your presence and that you choose another queen more worthy than she. When this decree is published throughout your vast empire, husbands everywhere, whatever their rank, will receive proper respect from their wives!” (Esther 1:10-20)

A nagging wife is as annoying as the constant dripping on a rainy day. Trying to stop her complaints is like trying to stop the wind or hold something with greased hands. (Proverbs 27:15-16)

O my son, O son of my womb, O son of my promises, do not spend your strength on women, on those who ruin kings. (Proverbs 31:2-3)

“This is my conclusion,” says the Teacher. “I came to this result after looking into the matter from every possible angle. Just one out of every thousand men I interviewed can be said to be upright, but not one woman!” (Eccles 7:27-28)

Then this message came to me from the LORD: “Son of man, I am going to take away your dearest treasure. Suddenly she will die. Yet you must not show any sorrow. Do not weep; let there be no tears. You may sigh but only quietly. Let there be no wailing at her grave. Do not uncover your head or take off your sandals. Do not perform the rituals of mourning or accept any food brought to you by consoling friends.”
So I proclaimed this to the people the next morning, and in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did everything I had been told to do. (Ezek 24:15-18)

Women should be silent during the church meetings. It is not proper for them to speak. They should be submissive, just as the law says. If they have any questions to ask, let them ask their husbands at home, for it is improper for women to speak in church meetings. (I Cor 14:34-35)

A man dishonors Christ if he covers his head while praying or prophesying. But a woman dishonors her husband if she prays or prophesies without a covering on her head, for this is the same as shaving her head. Yes, if she refuses to wear a head covering, she should cut off all her hair. And since it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut or her head shaved, then she should wear a covering. A man should not wear anything on his head when worshiping, for man is God’s glory, made in God’s own image, but woman is the glory of man. (I Cor 11:4-7)

But in relationships among the Lord’s people, women are not independent of men, and men are not independent of women. For although the first woman came from man, all men have been born from women ever since, and everything comes from God. (I Cor 11:11-12)

And you husbands must love your wives with the same love Christ showed the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by baptism and God’s word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man is actually loving himself when he loves his wife. No one hates his own body but lovingly cares for it, just as Christ cares for his body, which is the church. And we are his body. (Eph 5:25-30)

The enemy will come as swiftly as an eagle, and he will spread his wings against Bozrah. Even the mightiest warriors will be as frightened as a woman about to give birth. (Jer 49:22)

8.4.2 Empowerment and family alternatives

And the LORD replied to Moses, “The daughters of Zelophehad are right. You must give them an inheritance of land along with their father’s relatives. Assign them the property that would have been given to their father. Moreover announce this to the people of Israel: ‘If a man dies and has no sons, then give his inheritance to his daughters. if he has no daughters, turn his inheritance over to his brothers.’” (Num 27:6-9)

And again they wept together, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye. But Ruth insisted on staying with Naomi. “See,” Naomi said to her, “your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. You should do the same.”
But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. I will go wherever you go and live wherever you live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. I will die where you die and will be buried there. May the LORD punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!” So when Naomi saw that Ruth had made up her mind to go with her, she stopped urging her. (Ruth 1:14-18)

Sing, o childless woman! Break out into loud and joyful song, Jerusalem, for she who was abandoned has more children now than she whose husband stayed! (Isa 54:1)

“Fear not; you will no longer live in shame. The shame of your youth and the sorrows of widowhood will be remembered no more, for your Creator will be your husband. The LORD Almighty is his name! He is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of all the earth.” (Isa 54:4-5)

One day Naomi said to Ruth, “My daughter, it’s time that I found a permanent home for you, so that you will be provided for. Boaz is a close relative of ours, and he’s been very kind by letting you gather grain with his workers. Tonight he will be winnowing barley at the threshing floor. Now do as I tell you--take a bath and put on perfume and dress in your nicest clothes. Then go to the threshing floor, but don’t let Boaz see you until he has finished his meal. Be sure to notice where he lies down; then go and uncover his feet and lie down there. He will tell you what to do.”
“I will do everything you say,” Ruth replied. So she went down to the threshing floor that night and followed the instructions of her mother-in-law.
After Boaz had finished his meal and was in good spirits, he lay down beside the heap of grain and went to sleep. Then Ruth came quietly, uncovered his feet, and lay down. Around midnight, Boaz suddenly woke up and turned over. He was surprised to find a woman lying at his feet! “Who are you?” he demanded.
“I am your servant Ruth,” she replied. “Spread the corner of your covering over me, for you are my family redeemer.” (Ruth 3:1-9)

8.4.3 The Bible’s female heroes

Mordecai sent back this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that you will escape there in the palace when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. What’s more, who can say but that you have been elevated to the palace for just such a time as this?”
Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I am willing to die.” So Mordecai went away and did as Esther told him. (Esther 4:13-17)

So the attendants replied to the king, “Haman is out there.”
“Bring him in,” the king ordered. So Haman came in, and the king said, “What should I do to honor a man who truly pleases me?”
Haman thought to himself, “Whom would the king wish to honor more than me?” So he replied, “If the king wishes to honor someone, he should bring out one of the king’s own royal robes, as well as the king’s own horse with a royal emblem on its head. Instruct one of the king’s most noble princes to dress the man in the king’s robe and to lead him through the city square on the king’s own horse. Have the prince shout as they go, ‘This is what happens to those the king wishes to honor!’ “
“Excellent!” the king said to Haman. “Hurry and get the robe and my horse, and do just as you have said for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the gate of the palace. Do not fail to carry out everything you have suggested.”
So Haman took the robe and put it on Mordecai, placed him on the king’s own horse, and led him through the city square, shouting, “This is what happens to those the king wishes to honor!” (Esther 6:5-11)

Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, was a prophet who had become a judge in Israel. She would hold court under the Palm of Deborah, which stood between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites came to her to settle their disputes. One day she sent for Barak son of Abinoam, who lived in Kedesh in the land of Naphtali. She said to him, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, commands you: Assemble ten thousand warriors from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun at Mount Tabor. I will lure Sisera, commander of Jabin’s army, along with his chariots and warriors, to the Kishon River. There I will give you victory over him.”
Barak told her, “I will go, but only if you go with me!”
“Very well,” she replied, “I will go with you. But since you have made this choice, you will receive no honor. For the LORD’s victory over Sisera will be at the hands of a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh. At Kedesh, Barak called together the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali, and ten thousand warriors marched up with him. Deborah also marched with them. (Judg 4:4-10)

I will cause the kings of Israel to conquer Jerusalem, and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipes a dish and turns it upside down to dry. (II Kgs 21:13)

8.5 Abortion and soul placement

For I was born a sinner—yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. (Psalm 51:5)

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. (Psalms 139:13-16)

This is what the LORD says: “The people of Ammon have sinned again and again, and I will not forget it. I will not let them go unpunished any longer! When they attacked Gilead to extend their borders, they committed cruel crimes, ripping open pregnant women with their swords.” (Amos 1:13)

O Babylon, you will be destroyed. Happy is the one who pays you back for what you have done to us.
Happy is the one who takes your babies and smashes them against the rocks! (Psalms 137:8-9)

If two men are fighting, and in the process hurt a pregnant woman so that she has a miscarriage, but she lives, then the man who injured her shall be fined whatever amount the woman’s husband shall demand, and as the judges approve. (Exod 21:22)

Then Ahijah said to Jeroboam’s wife, “Go on home, and when you step into the city, the child will die. All of Israel will mourn for him and bury him, but he is the only member of your family who will come to a quiet end. For this child is the only good thing which the Lord God of Israel sees in the entire family of Jeroboam. (I Kgs 14:12-13)