Wicked Women of the Bible


In the vein of Liz Curtis Higgs' popular series Bad Girls of the Bible, Ann Spangler brings us a fresh take on the genre - Wicked Women of the Bible. I was super excited to read this book. We hear a lot about the men of the Bible, so I love to get a glimpse of the women featured in the Bible to see what lessons I can glean and learn from them as I walk the path of biblical womanhood. The back cover reads:

"What can Jezebel, the Bible’s wickedest queen, reveal about God’s holiness and power and even about his sense of humor? What about the Woman at the Well—the one with five husbands and a live-in lover? And what of the prostitute whose tears bathe the feet of Jesus in front of people who despise her?

There are also “wicked good” women like Deborah, Ruth, Hannah, Abigail, Esther, Mary, and more. What do their lives tell us about God’s invincible love and his determined plan to save us?

In Wicked Women of the Bible Ann Spangler tells the stories of twenty wicked and “wicked good” women in greater detail. At the end of each story, Ann provides a brief section including additional historical and cultural background as well as a brief Bible study in order to enhance the book’s appeal to both individuals and groups.

The stories of these women of the Bible reveal a God who is not above it all but who stoops down to meet us where we are in order to extend his love and mercy."

Ann Spangler takes us through the stories of 20 women in the Bible - some wicked bad, some wicked good. Each chapter features a vignette of the woman's story, written in an extremely engaging fashion - part novelization to make it interesting to read, but based on the biblical facts and accounts. Then, she gives us a section called "The Times" for each woman, giving us a glimpse at the time in history each woman lived and the historical and cultural details that shed more light on their story. Finally, there's the "Takeaway" which features several questions for personal reflection or group discussion. I can't say enough good things about this book - it's highly readable and difficult to put down, yet you'll come away with many spiritual truths - it's definitely not a "fluff" women's book. I also have to mention the gorgeous cover. It's truly stunning and perfectly designed.

The only reason I took off one star is because I felt like she kind of threw Bathsheba under the bus in her chapter. I just finished reading Angela Hunt's Bathsheba (Dangerous Beauty) book, which is a fictionalized yet historically accurate book about Bathsheba, and she paints Bathsheba in a very sympathetic light. Hunt states in her end notes that all women bathed outside in their courtyard at that time period; Spangler claims no self respecting woman would've bathed outside in the courtyard in that time period. I'm not sure which one is accurate - I'm definitely going to do a bit more research on that.

However, that minor quibble aside, I absolutely loved this book. I highly recommend it to every Christian woman. This would make a great book to go through for a ladies' Bible study, small group, or book club. You'll be truly blessed by digging deeper into the accounts of these biblical women. Ann Spangler does a phenomenal job at making the Bible truly come alive.

I received a copy of this book from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

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