Sample Chapters

Trusting like Noah’s Wife

Years: ~3000-2900 BC
Reference: Genesis 6-10
Member of Jesus’ Bloodline

Genesis 6 describes a world “gone wrong.” People were so corrupt that it broke God’s heart. Their wickedness was so evil that God regretted putting them on the earth. Up to this time, people would live upwards of seven hundred years. But being grief-stricken, God decided man should only live to one hundred and twenty years. In Genesis 6:3, He said, “.. . . ‘My Spirit will not put up with humans for such a long time’ . . . “ The people’s behavior was so violent and reprehensible that God decided to wipe out the whole earth and start again. A reset, if you will. A do-over.
“But Noah found favor with the Lord,” says Genesis 6:8. The Bible describes Noah as righteous, blameless, and in fellowship with God.
Noah and his wife had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. Along with their wives, there were eight in the family total. We don’t know exactly how old Noah was at this point, but God told Noah to build a large boat. He was very specific about the measurements, saying it should be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. God instructed him to waterproof it with tar, inside and out. There were to be three decks inside, which would hold stalls throughout. This boat would have been enormous. It was the length of one and half American football fields, the width of about five minivans end-to-end, and a height greater than a four-story building.
God explained to Noah that He would soon flood the earth and destroy every living thing, but He promised that he would keep Noah and his whole family safe. So, let’s imagine Noah going home and telling his wife about this endeavor. Did she laugh at first, thinking it was a joke? How long did it take her to realize he was serious? Moments? Days? Months? Years? Did Mrs. Noah say, “There goes Noah again. He always has his head in the clouds, with God.” I’d like to think it was a family effort, but the Bible doesn’t actually say that it was. But, if Noah was as righteous as the Bible says, then surely his family trusted him enough to believe and contribute.
So, over the next 50 to 120 years – we don’t know exactly how long – they built what we commonly refer to as the ark. That means 50 to 120 years of neighbors ridiculing them, friends trying to dissuade them, and back-breaking, manual labor. In those days, it already took an enormous amount of work just to meet basic needs. Imagine adding a huge boat to your to-do list as well. Was Noah’s wife already used to being an outcast, or did the evil people of the time decide this was the final straw in a long line of many sanctimonious missteps? We complain about our lives and how we “can’t catch a break,” but they lived up to 8 of our lifetimes. Mrs. Noah’s patience and determination to support her husband had to have been guided by the hand of God. Certainly, she was just as upright and virtuous as her husband. No married couple could live that many years together and not be in synch.
God also told Noah what to pack on the ark. He said to take a pair of every kind of unclean animal – male and female, and seven pairs of every clean animal. The clean animals were those suitable for sacrifice or eating. This would have meant animals that chewed cud and had split hooves, like cattle, sheep, goats, or deer. And birds like doves or pigeons that were often used as sacrifices. They were also to pack enough food on board for the family and all the animals.
Seven days before the flood, God told them to start loading the ark. He said he was sending the animals to them, so while there was some wrangling going on, God’s hand was guiding them the whole time. For a while, God had been sending the animals Noah’s way. Did critters accompany them everywhere they went? Was it normal for Mrs. Noah to be headed to town with a monkey on her shoulder and a pig trailing behind?
For seven days, they loaded the ark and God closed the door behind them. Did Mrs. Noah panic as the door was closing them in? They had spent all these years planning and preparing, and now it was unfolding before them. This dream had turned into reality. And then came the rain.
For 40 days, the sky opened up, the rain poured, and water surged from beneath the ground. How long after it started raining, did it take their friends and neighbors to realize that maybe Noah and his family weren’t so crazy after all. Did they pound on the ark, or try to break open the door sealed by God? Did Mrs. Noah feel the pressure of being left as the only living mother to her three daughters’-in-law. Were the girls’ families just on the other side of the door, soon to be washed away forever? She must have felt so overwhelmed by the thought of consoling them through their grief and encouraging them to move forward? How long would they all be stuck in this ark together?
Daily life on the ark would have been a challenge, with only one window at the top letting in light. Feeding the animals likely took all day, every day. Imagine the amount of waste they dealt with. And hopefully the body heat from all the living things kept everyone warm as earth’s ecosystem was adjusting to its changing environment.
They floated on and on like this, day after day, for another 110 days. After 150 days in the ark, the mountaintops became visible and the ark came to rest on the mountains of Mt Ararat. Noah waited 40 more days and then sent out a raven that flew back and forth until the water receded. A week later, he sent out a dove, and it returned the same day. Another week after that, he sent out a dove, and it returned with an olive branch. I can only imagine the tears of joy that came to Mrs. Noah’s eyes. This was a sign that the earth was being restored, and life was beginning again. After so many days of repetitious chores, there must have been a celebration aboard the boat that night. Dancing, singing, rejoicing together. Today, the olive branch is still a symbol of victory and peace.
Seven days later, Noah sent out a dove for the third and final time. This one never returned, proving the earth was habitable again. They removed the cover from the roof and saw that the ground was no longer covered by water. They now had to wait for the ground to harden. This likely took one or two months. These must have been the longest days of their lives. With sunshine now pouring in, they likely spent as much time as possible enjoying its warmth and watching the birds and clouds overhead.
At last, God told them it was time to leave the boat and release the animals. I truly wonder how long it took to get everyone out the door. Once again, God organized them by pairs as they spread into the wilderness to restore life across the earth.
Noah built an altar and made a sacrifice before the Lord. God was pleased with the aroma and promised, “ . . . I will never again curse the ground because of the human race . . . “ Genesis 8:21. Then God blessed Noah and his sons and told them to go have lots of babies. The earth had to be repopulated, and of course, after a year cooped up together in the ark, I’m sure they were more than happy to take on that challenge.
A colorful glow cast down upon them, and they turned their eyes toward the sky. God’s promise was sealed with a rainbow in the clouds – a reminder to Himself and a visible sign of the covenant He made to every living creature.
Carver / Flawed and Chosen

Disobedient like Lot’s Wife

Years: ~1970-1900 BC
Reference: Genesis 18-19, Luke 17:32

Lot was Abraham’s nephew, the son of his brother Haran. When Haran died, Abraham took Lot and his family with him when he left his homeland. Together, they traveled from Ur to Canaan. For a time, they lived as wealthy nomadic herders, moving where their herds could graze. They had so many animals between them that their shepherds began arguing over land. To avoid conflict, they decided to part ways. Lot chose the region around the Jordan Valley, which looked lush and prosperous, and settled near Sodom. Sodom was one of five “Cities of the Plain.” Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar were the others. We know they were located somewhere near the Dead Sea and that the land was fertile. Genesis 13:10 says, “…like the garden of the Lord.”
We don’t know exactly how Sodom and Gomorrah’s descent into wickedness began, but in Ezekiel 16, they are described as prideful, arrogant, lazy, inhospitable, gluttonous, haughty, and “committed to abominations.”
One day, Abraham was hosting God and two angels in his home. Can you imagine hosting God? No pressure there, right? He fed them, and it was then God told Abraham he would have a son. After dining and visiting together, the three men prepared to leave. They all walked outside together and looked out toward Sodom. “Should I hide my plan from Abraham?” the Lord asked the angels. He turned to Abraham, “I have heard a great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah because their sin is so flagrant. I am going down to see if their actions are as wicked as I have heard. If not, I want to know.” The two angels headed toward Sodom, but God stayed with Abraham.
Up to this point, Abraham had a history of rescuing his nephew. Not long before, Lot had been caught up in a regional war between several kings, and invading armies had taken Lot prisoner when they captured Sodom. Abraham gathered an army of 318 trained men, pursued the invaders, successfully rescued Lot, and brought him back home. So once again, here he was, wanting to protect Lot—but this time from God’s wrath. Then began the negotiations.

Abraham approached him and said, “Will you sweep away both the righteous and the wicked? Suppose you find fifty righteous people living there in the city—will you still sweep it away and not spare it for their sakes? Surely you wouldn’t do such a thing, destroying the righteous along with the wicked. Why, you would be treating the righteous and the wicked exactly the same! Surely you wouldn’t do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”
And the Lord replied, “If I find fifty righteous people in Sodom, I will spare the entire city for their sake.”
Then Abraham spoke again. “Since I have begun, let me speak further to my Lord, even though I am but dust and ashes. Suppose there are only forty-five righteous people rather than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?”
And the Lord said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five righteous people there.”
Then Abraham pressed his request further. “Suppose there are only forty?”
And the Lord replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the forty.”
“Please don’t be angry, my Lord,” Abraham pleaded. “Let me speak—suppose only thirty righteous people are found?”
And the Lord replied, “I will not destroy it if I find thirty.”
Then Abraham said, “Since I have dared to speak to the Lord, let me continue—suppose there are only twenty?”
And the Lord replied, “Then I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.”
Finally, Abraham said, “Lord, please don’t be angry with me if I speak one more time. Suppose only ten are found there?”
And the Lord replied, “Then I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”
(Genesis 18:23-32)

I find it interesting that Abraham stopped negotiating at ten people. Perhaps that’s how many were in Lot’s household, and after bargaining down to ten, he felt relieved that once again, he had saved Lot’s life.
When the two angels entered Sodom, Lot greeted them and welcomed them into his home for the night. They hesitated at first, but upon Lot’s insistence, they relented and followed him home. The Bible then says that Lot “prepared a feast” for them. In those times, men were responsible for hospitality to guests, but the women of the household would prepare the food. If there were servants, they would help.
During the evening, all the men of Sodom surrounded the house. They asked Lot to hand over the two men so they could assault them. Lot went out to calm them down and offered his virgin daughters instead.
The Bible then says the men of the city turned on Lot and ridiculed him for being an “outsider” and judging them. They threatened him and then advanced to break down the door of the house. So, at this point, Lot’s wife may have been furious with Lot – and terrified. The noise of the mob outside would have been deafening. Her husband had invited strangers into her home, offered her daughters to the mob, and now the men of the city were trying to break down her door.
But the two angels reached out, pulled Lot into the house, and bolted the door. Then they blinded all the men, young and old, who were at the door of the house, so they gave up trying to get inside.
(Genesis 19:10-11)

Apparently, there were not even ten righteous people in Sodom because the angels explained to Lot how they were sent by God to destroy the city. They advised him to warn any other family members, so Lot ran to warn his daughters’ fiancés, but they thought he was joking and paid no attention. What a night of despair this must have been for Lot’s wife. As the angels urged them to leave, she had to walk through the home they had built over the years—deciding what to take and what must stay behind. Every corner of that house held memories of their very comfortable life together: raising their daughters, preparing meals, sitting by the fire. By morning, everything they had worked for would be gone.

At dawn the next morning, the angels became insistent. “Hurry,” they said to Lot. “Take your wife and your two daughters who are here. Get out right now, or you will be swept away in the destruction of the city!”
(Genesis 19:15)

When Lot still hesitated, the angels physically took Lot and his wife and daughters and rushed them to safety outside the city. They said, “Run for your lives! And don’t look back or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away!” Then Lot argued with them about going to the mountains. Yes, he argued. He asked to go to the nearby village, Zoar, instead. They agreed and told them all to hurry. Lot and his family reached Zoar “just as the sun was rising over the horizon.”

Then the Lord rained down fire and burning sulfur from the sky on Sodom and Gomorrah. He utterly destroyed them, along with the other cities and villages of the plain, wiping out all the people and every bit of vegetation.
(Genesis 19:24-25)

Genesis 19 states in verse 26, “But Lot’s wife looked back as she was following behind him, and she turned into a pillar of salt.” I’m sure, at some point, each one of them looked back on Sodom out of curiosity. The passage doesn’t say at what point during their journey that Lot’s wife looked back. We only know it was while she was following behind her husband. So what made Lot’s wife looking back so different from the rest? Behind them, everything she had known was about to disappear in fire. Her home, her neighbors, her daughters’ futures would all be gone. Was her look back filled with longing for the lifestyle she left behind? The people she left behind? Did her past have such a hold on her that when faced with the choice between life or death, she turned back to death? Was that decision made in disbelief of the angels’ warning, or out of grief that her life would never be the same?
The Bible says Abraham got up early that morning, after what was likely a long night of unrest, and looked across the plain toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and “watched as columns of smoke rose from the cities like smoke from a furnace.”
In Luke 17:32, in the New Testament, it says, “Remember Lot’s wife” as a warning not to cling to your old life. How often we hold onto the past because that’s all we know. We miss the signs God is giving us to let go and let Him lead us to a place where His goodness will overwhelm us and help us flourish. Only in total trust in God’s guidance and obedience to His words can we find true peace and abundance. It’s waiting—we just have to move forward rather than looking back.
Carver / Flawed and Chosen

Fierce like Jael

Years: ~1200-1150 BC
Reference: Judges 4-5

I must say, Jael is one of my favorite women of the Bible. Her story is minimal, yet so powerful and a fulfillment of prophecy.
Jael was a Kenite, the wife of Heber the Kenite. Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, was also a Kenite. The Kenites traveled with the Israelites after the Exodus, and in Judges 1:16 it says they settled among the tribe of Judah. The Kenites were known to have no fixed home. They were either entirely mobile or paused seasonally in various locations.
In the Kenite community, the women were responsible for setting up and maintaining the tents. These tents were not lightweight polyester or nylon like today’s; they were large, heavy structures made of woven goat hair and usually contained several rooms. A tent stake in Jael’s time was much different from those we use today. A typical stake would have been wooden or metal, about a foot long and an inch in diameter. It was pointed on one end, with a hook on the other where ropes were fastened to hold down the tent. A mallet and stake would have been normal household tools in Jael’s world, and she would have been both familiar and comfortable with them.
In Judges 4, it says, “Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, now that Ehud was dead. 2 So the Lord sold them into the hands of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor.” For 20 years, Israel was oppressed by the major Canaanite city of Hazor. King Jabin had 900 iron chariots, which gave him the upper hand. This allowed him to exploit and take advantage of the Israelite people. Judges 4:3 says he “had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years.” Sisera, King Jabin’s army commander, led those 900 iron chariots.
The Israelite leader, prophetess and Judge, Deborah, took her fellow Israelite, Barak son of Abinoam, aside and instructed him to gather 10,000 men and go to Mount Tabor. She told him God would draw Sisera’s army to the Kishon River, where Israel would attack from the mountain and win the battle. Barak said he would go only if Deborah went with him. She agreed but prophesied that the honor of the victory would go to a woman.

“Certainly I will go with you,” said Deborah. “But because of the course you are taking, the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman.”
(Judges 4:9)

Barak gathered his men, and he and Deborah headed to Mount Tabor. When Sisera and his army assembled at the Kishon River, Deborah gave the signal, and Barak led his men down from the mountain. Judges 4:16 says, “Sisera’s troops fell by the sword; not a man was left.” At Barak’s advance, Sisera got down from his chariot and fled on foot.
There was an alliance between King Jabin of Hazor and the family of Heber the Kenite, so Sisera fled to Jael’s tent. She met him and welcomed him in. He lay down, and she covered him with a blanket. He asked for water, but she gave him milk instead. He told her to stand guard and ensure that no one knew he was there.
Jael patiently waited for Sisera to fall into a deep sleep. His exhaustion from the battle, and the milk and warm covering she provided, created the perfect opportunity she was waiting for. With steady hands, she took a tent stake and drove it through his temple and into the ground. In one single moment, she had taken down the commander of a 900-chariot army, fulfilling Deborah’s prophecy.
Shortly afterward, Barak approached in pursuit of Sisera. Jael went out to meet him and led him to where Sisera lay pinned to the ground beneath him.
I have so many follow-up questions that go unanswered. Why did she do it? Perhaps she sensed Sisera’s defeat was imminent. Maybe she could see Israel rising to power and wanted to show political alignment. Perhaps she believed harboring him would endanger her family if the Israelites prevailed. Maybe she felt loyalty to Moses’ extended family, even though her husband was aligned with King Jabin. At what point did she decide to kill him? As he approached? Was it right before she gave him the milk instead of water? Could she feel God nudging her to fulfill His plan? And can you imagine the conversations that took place in her home that night?
God used a housewife with household tools, to fulfill a prophecy that would change the course of history.
In the next chapter, Judges 5, Deborah and Barak sing “The Song of Deborah,” praising Jael.

The Song of Deborah (Judges 5:24–27)
“Most blessed of women be Jael,
the wife of Heber the Kenite,
most blessed of tent-dwelling women.
He asked for water, and she gave him milk;
in a bowl fit for nobles she brought him curdled milk.
Her hand reached for the tent peg,
her right hand for the workman’s hammer.
She struck Sisera, she crushed his head,
she shattered and pierced his temple.
At her feet he sank,
he fell; there he lay.
At her feet he sank, he fell;
where he sank, there he fell—dead.”