Corona Devo 913
I remember watching a Saturday morning cartoon when I was little, and one of the characters was named "She-Ra: Princess of Power". She was beautiful, strong, and powerful. She was the only "She-Ra" I knew, until today when I met another one in the Bible. This one spells her name Sheerah, but (to me) they are both pronounced the same, and their name is not all that these two women have in common.
Sheerah (the daughter of Ephraim) in the Book of I Chronicles in the Bible was also an accomplished woman and a "princess of power", if you will.
How do we know?
The Biblical Sheerah gets a shout-out as the descendants in her family line are mentioned. And while her daddy, Ephraim probably had many daughters, the Bible mentions his ten sons, and only one daughter: Sheerah. And Sheerah is worth mentioning.
She built three towns.
The descendants of Ephraim were... (24) He had a daughter named Sheerah. She built the towns of Lower and Upper Beth-horon and Uzzen-sheerah. ~I Chronicles 7:20, 24
Consider what it takes to build a city, and then consider what kind of woman it would take to build three. I want to be like Sheerah, don't you?
We can infer that she was a hard worker, had initiative, was strong (in spirit if not in body), because things don't get built by lazy people, and Sheerah clearly got things done. She built the towns of Lower and Upper Beth-horon and Uzzen-sheerah. (I Chronicles 7:24).
That takes a special kind of woman.
And while this passage of Scripture doesn't tell us much about Sheerah specifically, the Bible does give us consistent and thorough advice on how to live for the Lord, and (did you know) that God actually does get specific about how to be a beautiful, strong and powerful woman (a Sheerah) in His eyes?
Proverbs 31:
(10) A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.
(13) She...works with eager hands...
(15) She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants.
(17) She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.
(18) She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.
(20) She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.
(25) She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.
(26) She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
(27) She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
(28) Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her...
(30) Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. ~Proverbs 31: 10, 13, 15, 17-18, 20, 25-28, 30
The woman that seeks to emulate this job description is a Sheerah for sure. Beautiful, strong and powerful in God's ways is the fullest embodiment of being beautiful, strong and powerful.
Does it seem flippant to think that God would want us (as women) to be concerned with "beauty" in any way?
Maybe so, but that is because we have mistakenly come to define our "beauty" by the world's standards and false fronts. However, curves, make-up, hairstyles and jewels have never been how God defines beauty. It would do us (and our unattainable fashion-fantasies) some good if we could review and adopt the definition that God would use for a modern-day Sheerah. His idea of beautiful, strong and powerful is much different than what we see plastered on billboards, blinking on our screens, and falling out from magazines...
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. (4) Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. ~I Peter 3:3-4
Wow.
The descendants of Ephraim were... (24) He had a daughter named Sheerah. She built the towns of Lower and Upper Beth-horon and Uzzen-sheerah. ~I Chronicles 7:20, 24
Consider what it takes to build a city, and then let's consider what God wants us to build today?
We too can be beautiful, strong, and powerful in the Lord. His Word gives us great measurements for living and looking like Christ, and (here's a hint), His definition of beauty is nothing like ours:
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” ~I Samuel 16:7
Every once in a while (back in the Bible days and today) there is someone that steps out from the crowd, rises above the "norm", and invests the blood, sweat and tears to build something special.
Sheerah was a beautiful, strong and powerful daughter of God that built great things for Him. We can be one of those people too.
sarah
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