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“Fair defect of nature,”
God has chosen to confer singular honors upon woman throughout the sacred Scriptures. They who disparage her capacities, and pour contempt upon her understanding; they who contemn her faithfulness, and distrust her truth; they who make her man’s household drudge, or the mere instrument of his pleasures or convenience—have none of them any warrant in Scripture for so doing. Although we may not overlook the sad part which woman took in the fall of our race—yet that terrible damage, which was not, after all, wholly her work, may be held to have been fairly and fully counterbalanced by the part she had in bringing salvation. It was not without some such significance that the illustrious “seed of the woman” who took upon him “to bruise the serpent’s head,” was “born of a woman,” and nourished from her breast.
But let us look at the women mentioned in Scripture, and observe how few of them are undistinguished by some useful quality or holy grace. Some are seen to have been endowed before men with supernatural knowledge, being favored by the Spirit of God with the high gifts of prophecy—such were Miriam, Deborah, Huldah, and Anna. Others are noted for their sagacity and understanding, for which indeed they were proverbial—such as the woman of Tekoah, and the wise woman of Abel-Bethmaacah. Sarah lacked not strong capacities of faith, and strong was the faith of Rahab, of Samson’s mother, and of that alien woman whose faith won from Christ a blessing which then belonged to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” only. Some have shown greater courage for the church, and manifested firmer resolution, than men have done. Did not Deborah encourage Barak to the war against the innumerous hosts and iron chariots of Jabin, and adventure her presence with him to the war, when, without her, he—the selected champion—was afraid to go? And who could be more resolved to jeopardize her life for God’s people than the beautiful Esther, when she uttered and acted upon the memorable words, “If I perish, I Perish.” Others are famous or memorable for various things. For attention to God’s word—as the Virgin Mary, and as Lydia. For going far to seek knowledge—as the queen of the south to hear the wisdom of Solomon. For works of charity—as Dorcas. For works of pious zeal—as the women whose busy hands in spinning and needle-work, helped forward the labors of the tabernacle. For fervency in prayer—as Hannah. For patient waiting for God in daily fasting and prayer—as Anna. For the cordial entertainment of God’s messenger for his sake—as the Shunamite woman, as Lydia, and as one of the gospel Marys. For the fear of God—its the midwives in Egypt. For courtesy to a mere stranger—as Rebekah. For humility and patience—as the aged Naomi; and for truthful and devoted affection is the beloved Ruth. In Thessalonia, not only “devout-Greeks,” not only humble persons, but “chief women not a few,” were among the first to receive the Gospel at the preaching of Paul and Silas; and among the learned of Athens, an Areopagite cannot become a believer without a woman, Damaris, to join with him. In what have men been, in fine, renowned, wherein some women have not been remarkable? In wisdom, in faith, in charity, in love to the world, in regard for His servants, in fervent affections, and in the desire of heavenly things. If men have suffered imprisonments, cruel persecutions, and bonds for Christ—women have done no less. When persecuting Saul made havoc of the church, not only men but women were torn from their homes and committed to prison; and his commission had equally injurious respect to the believers, “whether they were men or women,” Act_8:3; Act_9:2. And although we confine our illustrations chiefly to the Scripture itself, it is impossible in mentioning this, not to call to mind the numerous illustrious women who, in a later age, were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection, and who might say with Anne Askew in the prison-house—
“I am not she that lyst
My anker to let fall
For every dryslynge myst;
My shippe’s substancyal.”
Nay, more than this, have not the female worthies of the Scripture often, in many respects, surpassed the men of their own day and generation? Who entertained Christ so much, so devotedly, and so often as Martha and Mary? Who are in any texts noted to have contributed to our Lord’s necessities, but women? Who, of all the ordinary followers of Christ, took note of the place where he was buried, but women? Who first went to the sepulcher to anoint his body with sweet spices, but women? In Act_16:13, we may read of a congregation of women to whom Paul preached, being gathered together at the accustomed place of prayer, as being more forward in their faith, it would seem, at that time, than the men.
Some might count it tedious, were we to mention all the notable things reported concerning women in the Holy Scriptures, and the excellent graces that were bestowed upon them. Yet may we not pass without a thought, the knowledge which Priscilla shared with her husband, in the ministry of the Gospel, which qualified her no less than him to instruct even the eloquent Apollos; nor Lois and Eunice, by whom the well-beloved Timothy was trained up in the knowledge of the Holy Scriptures; nor Persis, “who labored much in the Lord”—Php_4:3—as many other women did. But not to dwell further on particular instances, it may be well worth our while to note one great matter that deserves to be mentioned to their praise, and to be held in everlasting remembrance. We have read of men once held in high esteem, who became apostates—Demas, Alexander, Philetus, and others; but never, by name, in all the New Testament, of a woman who had once been reckoned among the saints. This is great honor. But not only have women been thus honored with extraordinary gifts; they have been otherwise favored with special marks of attention from the Lord. To whom but unto women did Christ first appear after his resurrection? Of what act did He ever so speak as to render it everlastingly memorable, but of that woman’s who poured upon his feet her alabaster box of precious ointment, and to whom he promised that, wherever in the whole world his Gospel should be preached, there should her work of faith be held in remembrance!
Nor do the honors rendered to women in the Sacred Scriptures end here. One of the precious epistles of the beloved disciple is addressed to “the elect, lady;” and in the Old Testament, two of the six unprophetical books that bear the name of individuals present to us those of women—those of Ruth and Esther. It is with the former of those names that we open this volume.
It is with the book of Ruth that we are now concerned. As this book appears to have been written for the purpose, principally, of tracing the genealogy of David to a source most honorable, an, as it does contain a genealogy traced down to him, it must have been written during his reign, or soon after. Although it is expressly stated that the incidents took place “in the days when the judges ruled,” this beautiful history does, therefore, connect itself as much with the period upon which we enter as with that through which we have passed. In one point of view, it is an appendix to the book of Judges; in another, it is an introduction to the history of the kings. With its interesting incidents we are therefore enabled to commence this volume. The simple and touching interest of the story—the beautiful and engaging rural scenery which it exhibits—the homely and honest manners which it describes—and the impressive and heartfelt piety which pervades the whole, render it the most remarkable picture of ancient life and usages extant, and give us a far more complete idea of the real conditions of Hebrew life, in the early ages of their settlement in Canaan, than we could otherwise possess. The young and the old read it with equally enrapt interest; and we have known strong and rough voices break down with emotion in reading aloud some of the passages that occur in the progress of the narrative.