Journal: Global Journal of Classical Theology
Volume: GJCT 02:1 (Dec 1999)
Article: God Makes Promises To Women, Too
Author: Lisa F. Cunning

God Makes Promises To Women, Too

Lisa F. Cunning

Much has been written about the promises made by Yahweh to the biblical Hebrew patriarchs. Until recently, however, the divine promises given to the matriarchs in the Hebrew Scriptures have been given short shrift. With the advent of such feminist theologians as Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza, Rosemary Radford Ruether, and Alice Laffey, women and women’s concerns in the “Old Testament” are receiving more and closer attention. This paper, in an attempt to follow in these illustrious footsteps, considers the promises made by Yahweh to the first two Hebrew matriarchs, Sarah (Sarai) and Rebekah.

Sarah - The First Matriarch

Her name, in both its forms, means “Princess”. Isaiah refers to her as the mother of God’s people (Is. 51:2). The New Testament writer to the Hebrews describes her as powerful and a believer in God’s faithfulness (Heb. 11:11). She was “of sufficient stature to be respected by kings in communities outside her own” (Teubal, 1984). Her beauty was such that her husband feared that others would kill him in order to possess her (Gen. 12:11–12; 20:2, 11). She is the only woman in the Bible whose great age is reported at the time she gives birth (Teubal, 1984) and the only woman whose “age is noted at her death” (Frankel, 1996). Her death, according to Jewish legend, occurred when she heard that her husband had raised his hand against her son (Kam, 1995).

The Bible introduces this primary matriarch simply as barren—one who has no child (Gen. 11:30). As Frankel (1996) rightly observes, “from the beginning Sarah bears two names : Princess and Barren One. Between them they shape her life.” Sarah’s life evinces (at least) two major themes, which will be considered here: one, Sarah as true progenitor of the people of Israel; and two, Sarah as archetype for movement from barren hopelessness to fruitful hope. Running through each of these themes may be observed a promise made by Yahweh to this strong and faithful woman.

Progenitor

In the fifteenth chapter of Genesis, we read that God makes a covenant with Abraham (then Abram) to provide him with descendants as numerous as the stars in heaven. In response to Abram’s complaint that he has no offspring, and that a slave will end up being his heir, God makes a specific promise that the heir will indeed be Abram’s “very own issue” (Gen. 15:4, NRSV). In this way we know that Abram/Abraham will be the first patriarch, the first male p...