For Such a Time - GIFTS FOR WOMEN - GIFTS - MORE - Adventist Book Centre Australia [with ABC Christian Books, Better Books and Food and Christian Life Resources]

For Such a Time

Chosen women of the Bible

by Ed Dickerson

The Bible is not a haphazard collection of anecdotes. The stories and their cast of characters are not included on a whim.

In the Bible God intervenes decisively in the lives of His people. We can trace His hand at work through stories of the Old Testament heroes Moses, Samuel, King Solomon, and the New Testament champions Peter and Paul as He directs the course of human history. But God does not limit Himself to working through men alone. Dickerson shows that for every hero found in the Bible there is a corresponding heroine.

For Such a Time looks at 15 remarkable women and examines how the biblical authors intentionally shaped their narratives to show how their actions and outcomes parallel those of 15 well-known heroes. Clearly, these were not ordinary women. They did not fit the image of the “perfect woman.” They had little in common with the “ideal woman” pictured in Proverbs 31; but they did share one crucial characteristic with that woman–initiative. They were women who did not hesitate to roll up their sleeves and play an active role in shaping their destiny–even when it meant defying convention.

The Bible is a complex Book and God often surprises us and confounds our expectations. For Such a Time is a thoughtful study. Prepare to be inspired, astonished, and delighted!

Reviews and Endorsements


[ Bookshelf Review ]

It can be easy to fall into the trap of thinking that Bible women were secondary characters, even when they played a pivotal role in a story—after all, they were “only” intentional mothers or bad girls made good—or not—or were merely in the right place at the right time. What is not so readily seen is the parallels between these lesser-known women and better-known Bible heroes. Tamar, Jochebed and the Syrophonecian woman were not bit-part players. For Such a Time looks at 15 remarkable women and examines how the biblical authors intentionally shaped their narratives to show how their actions and outcomes parallel those of 15 well-known heroes. Author Ed Dickerson has clearly done a lot of research—and has given us an explanation of the huge significance biblical women played. Of course, these were not ordinary women, but neither were they “perfect” women. In fact, they often acted against the conventions of their time and culture. They were women who were prepared to seize the imitative and, in so doing, have found themselves recorded among the stories of God’s faithful people as we have them in the Bible. As urged in For Such a Time, this recognition is no accident. You might think this a book about women, for women. You would be wrong. It’s a book for anyone who has an interest in Bible characters. It makes a great a personal devotion. It is excellent for book clubs, prayer meetings or Bible-study groups. Frankly, it should be in every church library. For Such a Time is a book that will stay in your thoughts long after you’ve read the last page. And it’s a book you’ll want to share with someone. —Christine Miles, Adventist Book Centre manager, Auckland, New Zealand