Misunderstood
By Vicki Andree
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About this ebook
As you read these stories, I hope you will take some time to think about giving grace to others instead of judging. Judging is the easiest and most natural thing we do when things don't look right to us.
A Holy God above us sees all. I would rather err on the side of grace than judgment.
What if some women in the Bible weren't the evil souls portrayed by Biblical scholars throughout history? Suppose their stories were interpreted through a different lens?
In the past, most accounts of women have been portrayed by men. What if, like many women throughout history, these women were simply misunderstood?
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Misunderstood - Vicki Andree
Society.
Dedication
Gina and Renee, daughters I love. Wives of my sons, mothers of my grandchildren, blessings to everyone.
Preface
Make no mistake about this: I love the Scriptures. For the better part of my life, I have turned to them for guidance and support. The Bible is God’s love letter to us. I believe every word of it is truth and that it was written by the Holy Spirit through the hands of chosen men and women. My sentiments about the Scriptures are reflected in the verses of Psalm 19, beginning with verse 7:
The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.
They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.
My intention in writing this book is not to rewrite Scripture but to encourage readers to reconsider the notes and commentaries written years ago by learned men.
Commentaries have made an enormous contribution to those of us who want to better understand the Bible. In many cases I agree completely with their remarks. However, in the case of judgments against women, opinions written by men from ages past leave me wondering if these men fully understood. Therefore, I must study beyond their opinions.
The men who wrote the commentaries were not eyewitnesses to Biblical events any more than we are. One should always question notes and commentaries. When the Holy Spirit prompts me to think more deeply about a Scripture, I must disregard the commentary. Preconceived notions and limited information in notes written by human beings who were influenced by their environment and culture must be tossed aside.
So let’s use our heads. Don’t accept someone else’s opinion when it makes no sense or when there is room for discussion. That’s what Bible study is about.
Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate what Bible scholars have provided to me and other Bible students, helping us understand the Word. However, if some of these commentaries had been written by women, they would most certainly tell a different story.
The simple reason is that God created men and women differently.
Excerpts from Dr. Michael Conner’s article Understanding the Differences Between Men and Women
relate a few of those differences.¹ He writes:
For centuries, the differences between men and women were socially defined and distorted through a lens of sexism in which men assumed superiority over women and maintained it.....
The vision of equality between the sexes has narrowed the possibilities for discovery of what truly exists within a man and within a woman. The world is less interesting when everything is the same...
The physical differences between men and women provide functional advantages and have survival value. Men usually have greater upper body strength, build muscle easily, have thicker skin, bruise less easily and have a lower threshold of awareness of injuries to their extremities. Men are essentially built for physical confrontation and the use of force. Their joints are well suited for throwing objects. A man’s skull is almost always thicker and stronger than a woman’s. The stereotype that men are more thick headed
than women is not far fetched. A man’s thick headedness,
and other anatomical differences have been associated with a uniquely male attraction of high speed activities and reckless behavior that usually involve collisions with other males or automobiles. Men invented the game chicken,
not women. Men, and a number of other males species of animal seem to charge and crash into each other a great deal in their spare time.
Women, on the other hand, have four times as many brain cells (neurons) connecting the right and left side of their brain. This latter finding provides physical evidence that supports the observation that men rely easily and more heavily on their left brain to solve one problem one step at a time. Women have more efficient access to both sides of their brain and therefore greater use of their right brain. Women can focus on more than one problem at one time and frequently prefer to solve problems through multiple activities at a time.
This is just a peek into the differences between men and women. But you get the idea. Many more differences exist, and if I tried to list all of them, I would need to write another book!
In a physical fight, the woman would most probably be the underdog. I’ve always been for the underdog, perhaps because I’m the oldest of four children. My job as the oldest child was to set an example, teach the others simple things about life, and protect them, though I must admit that when I was younger, I did not always exhibit the characteristics of a protector. Early on, I remember noticing a bassinette and thinking it was for my doll. When mother arrived with my new little sister, I was quite offended that she slept there.
I actually tried to get into the bassinette, but my three-and-a-half-year-old self wouldn’t quite fit. My motivation was that if I got into it, by rights of possession, it would be mine. The new baby couldn’t take it away from me. However, the new baby had Mother on her side, and I was banished from the bassinette.
I probably did as much or more of the things older siblings do to the new arrivals. However, defending my siblings as we grew up became instinctual. Without a second thought, I would jump to their defense.
At times I complained about my siblings, but if anyone else said anything demeaning about them, I made it clear that I would not tolerate such judgments. Relationships are complex, and family relationships seem to be the most complex of all.
In any case, as I mentioned before, I have always been for the underdog.