The Bible In Paintings >>> “Women in the Bible” Series ✝️ DEFIANT, REBELLIOUS WOMEN – Mrs. Job, Mrs. Lot, Rachel, Queen Vashti, Sapphira ✝️

[Hebrews 11:6]

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WOMEN IN THE BIBLE
DEFIANT,
REBELLIOUS
WOMEN

		JOB’S WIFE

JOB 1:
The angels a came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. And the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”

“Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give all he has for his own life. But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.”

The LORD said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.”

So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes.

1
FERDINAND VICTOR EUGENE DELACROIX
"Job Tormented by the Demons"

2
WILLIAM BLAKE
"Satan Smiting Job with Sore Boils"

3
"Out of the Depths I Cry to You"

4
JACOB JORDAENS II
"Job"

5
OTTO RAHM
"Job"

6
LÉON BONNAT
"Job"

7
Source

8
Source

9
AINEHI EDORO
"Suffering Job"

His wife said to him, “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!”

He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.

10
JUSEPE DE RIBERA
"Job on the Dungheap"

11
GEORGES DE LA TOUR
"Job Mocked by His Wife"

12
GASPARE TRAVERSI
"Job Mocked by His Wife"

13
GIOVANNI BATTISTA LANGETTI
"Job Cursed by His Wife"

14
Source

15
JAN LIEVENS
"Job"

		LOT’S WIFE

GENESIS 19:
The angels urged Lot, saying, “Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters, or you will be swept away when the city is punished.”

When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them. As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!”

Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens. Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land. BUT LOT’S WIFE LOOKED BACK, and she became a pillar of salt.

16
BENJAMIN WEST
"Lot Fleeing from Sodom"

17
JUAN DE LA CORTE
"Lot and his Daughters Escaping from
the Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah"

18
"Lot and His Daughters"

19
HENRY OSSAWA TANNER
"Sodom and Gomorrah"

20
JOACHIM PATINIR
"Lot and His Family Flee Sodom and Gomorrah"

21
"Sodom's Destruction; Lot and Daughters Escape"

22
"Lot and His Daughters Flee Sodom"

23
GUSTAVE DORÉ
"Lot's Escape from Sodom"

24
GUSTAVE DORÉ
"The Destruction of Sodom"

		RACHEL THE THIEF

GENESIS 31:
The LORD said to Jacob, “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.”

So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah. He said to them, “I see that your father’s attitude toward me is not what it was before, but the God of my father has been with me.

“The angel of God said to me, “I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you. Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land.’ ”

Then Rachel and Leah replied, “Do we still have any share in the inheritance of our father’s estate? Does he not regard us as foreigners? Not only has he sold us, but he has used up what was paid for us. Surely all the wealth that God took away from our father belongs to us and our children. So do whatever God has told you.”

Then Jacob put his children and his wives on camels to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.

Rachel stole her father’s household gods. Moreover, Jacob deceived Laban by not telling him he was running away.

25
LOUIS GAUFFIER
"Jacob Coming to Find the Daughters of Laban"

26
PIETER POTTER
"Jacob Persuades Leah and Rachel to Flee"

27
CHARLES-JOSEPH NATOIRE
"Jacob and Rachel Leaving the House of Laban"

28
FILIPPO LAURI
"Jacob Fleeing from Laban"

29
CORNELISZ BUYS
"The Exodus of Jacob"

On the third day Laban was told that Jacob had fled. Taking his relatives with him, he pursued Jacob for seven days and caught up with him.

Then Laban said to Jacob, “You’ve deceived me, and you’ve carried off my daughters like captives in war. I have the power to harm you; but last night the God of your father said to me, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’ But why did you steal my gods?”

Jacob answered Laban, “I was afraid, because I thought you would take your daughters away from me by force. But if you find anyone who has your gods, he shall not live. See for yourself whether there is anything of yours here with me; and if so, take it.” Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the gods.

So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent and into the tent of the two maidservants, but he found nothing. After he came out of Leah’s tent, he entered Rachel’s tent. Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them inside her camel’s saddle and was sitting on them. Laban searched through everything in the tent but found nothing. Rachel said to her father, “Don’t be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your presence; I’m having my period.” So he searched but could not find the household gods.

30
JACOB VAN ZEUNEN
"Laban Searches Rachel's Tent for Idols"

31
LAURENT DE LA HIRE
"Laban Seeking His Idols"

32
"Laban Seeking His Idols"

33
BARTOLOMÉ ESTEBAN MURILLO
"Laban Searching for his Stolen Household Gods"

34
PEDRO ORRENTE
"Laban Searching for the Idols"

35
AUGUSTIN DE SAINT-AUBIN
"Laban Searching for His Stolen Gods"

36
NICOLAES MOEYAERT
"Laban Searching for His Gods"

37
SEBASTIEN BOURDON
"Laban Searching the Belongings of Jacob"

38
GIOVANNI BATTISTA TIEPOLO
"Rachel Hiding the Idols from Her Father Laban"

39
LAURENT DE LA HYRE
"Laban Searching Jacob's Bagagge for the Stolen Idols"

		QUEEN VASHTI

ESTHER 1:
When King Xerxes was in high spirits from wine, he commanded the seven eunuchs who served him to bring before him Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown, in order to display her beauty to the people and nobles, for she was lovely to look at. But when the attendants delivered the king’s command, QUEEN VASHTI REFUSED TO COME.

40
EDWIN LONG
"Vashti Refuses the King's Summons"

41
GUSTAVE DORÉ
"Queen Vashti Refusing to Obey
the Command of Ahasuerus"

42
ERNEST NORMAND
"Vashti Deposed"

43
PAOLO VERONESE
"The Banishment of Vashti"

44
MARC CHAGALL
"Ahasuerus Sends Vashti Away"

45
FILIPPINO LIPPI
"Queen Vashti Leaving the Royal Palace"

		ANANIAS’ WIFE, SAPPHIRA

ACTS 5:
Sapphira came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?”

“Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”

Peter said to her, “How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”

At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

46
JACQUES BERGÉ
"The Death of Saphira"

47
JEAN PESNE
"La Mort de Saphira"

48
MAARTEN VAN HEEMSKERCK
"Peter questioning Sapphira, who then dies too,
Sapphira carried away and buried by young men,
Ananias carried away and buried by young men"

49
NICOLAS POUSSIN
"The Death of Sapphira"

50
AMBROSIUS FRANCKEN I
Source

51
AMBROSIUS FRANCKEN the Elder
"The Death of Sapphira"

52
SEBASTIEN II LE CLERC
"The Death of Sapphira, Wife of Ananias"

53
English School
"Death of Sapphira"

→ a n d   f i n a l l y ←

54
NICOLAS POUSSIN
"Saphira’s Death"

New International Version ©1984, Abrgd, EMPHASES added
Masthead Painting: “GUEST” by Andrey Mironov

[Hebrews 11:6]

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[Hebrews 11:6]

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A FRIENDLY FORUM

[No name given]

Interesting.

[Hebrews 11:6]

I thought so.

[Red Badger]

No EVE?............................

[Persevero]

I am not sure I would call Queen Vashti rebellious. I was always sort of on her side. She was called in to “dance” for a bunch of guests, the implication is like a strip tease or sexual performance, which I would have refused too!

Perhaps I misunderstand but I don’t think you are to obey your husband if he commands you to do that.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Already covered Eve—she is where this series began. This is far from an exhaustive listing.

[Hebrews 11:6]

I agree with you entirely. Nevertheless, she did defy and rebel—I leave it up to the viewer whether she had sufficient justification.

I suppose one might also make the case that Rachel was merely trying to rescue Laban from idol-worship, or that Mrs. Job was simply trying to spare Job from needless suffering.

[Bob434]

I’ve had a few boils in my lifetime- always a siggle one at a time though, and it was super painful, just the one. Can’t imagine the excruciating pain from boils all over the body! Job did far better than I in not rebelling agaisnt God during that time.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Thanks so much, Bob, for giving us that added perspective. Certainly Satan, given carte blanche, would have made Job's suffering almost intolerable--to the point that his wife advocated ending it all.

But I think you speak for us all when you judge, "Job did far better than I in not rebelling against God during that time."

[InkStone]

Good Morning Dan, and good morning to all.

Like the way you organized this, with several different stories and persons, with differing motives.

Love the #46 relief by Berge’ - Is that bronze?

Thank You Dan!

[Hebrews 11:6]

several different stories and persons

There are several more threads coming employing a similar format, with various themes. Over the two-plus millennia of Bible history, it would be surprising indeed if God's Word did not find occasion for recurring themes. It remains only to gather them up and group them accordingly:

SUPPORTIVE WIVES
SUPPORTIVE MOTHERS
WOMEN WITH FAITH FOR SALVATION AND EVANGELIZING
WOMEN WITH FAITH FOR HEALING
WIDOWS SERVING GOD
GRIEVING WOMEN

and several more.

[InkStone]

Excellent themes Dan; look forward to them all.

[Big Red Badger]

Being a bachelor has it’s advantages...
I Don’t miss her cooking either.

[SisterK]

there is a lot of really good artwork - especially in the Job collection

then the Gustave Dore and Benjamin West are never a disappointment

#29 the exodus of Jacob looks like a carnival, very busy, festive and even carnival tents

[SisterK]

Well, without Queen Vashti’s rebellion (no matter the reason), we would not have Esther.

Again, everything happening according to God’s purpose.

[Hebrews 11:6]

With hindsight we can see your excellent observation about Vashti's exit facilitating Esther's entrance. Not only can God save the Jews through it, but also He achieves innumerable other effects in the lives of Xerxes, Vashti, Esther, Mordecai, Haman, a myriad of marriages, and us through the written legacy. Currently, He has eight billion balls in the air, and He never drops one,

[SisterK]

He has eight billion balls in the air, and He never drops one

it is amazing stuff

[Hebrews 11:6]

While I was praying just now, confessing my sins, an allegorical meaning of Job’s boils occurred to me, prompted by your insightful post.

Since my salvation 45 years ago, God has had to inspire me to scrape off my boils—my sins. When He focuses on a particular one, He inflames it and makes it exceedingly painful to me, so that I will want it gone, too. Then, He teaches me how to scrape it off and how to live without it.

He has made excellent progress at last, but sadly I haven’t come near yet to finishing.

[Bob434]

Yeah it takes a lifetime of sanctification- thankfully it is the job of the Spirit to sanctify us- but it takes awhile to alloqw him to do so