Every now and
then I pick up a book to give it a quick look through, and before I realize it
I have read most or all of it. That happened to me last week when I picked up Esther or Delilah. My intention was to
read the book’s introduction, which was so captivating that I ended up reading
5 additional chapters. I had to force myself to put the book down and get back
to the tasks I had at hand.
I was introduced
to the book’s author, Angela De Souza, through an online writing community
hosted by Harper Collins. She is primarily a women’s writer and conference
speaker, but this book also contains good stuff for guys too. Throughout the
book the reader will see the M2M box, which means “Message to Men,” with advice
just for the guys. Among the advice, when talking about Samson, is, “You are
not designed to be a wimp, you are not designed to be weak, and you are not
designed to be passive. You are a warrior, so start acting like one (p.34).”
The main focus of
the book is comparing how women use their beauty, whether to save their family
(and a nation) like Esther, or to destroy her man like Delilah. As she states
on pages 110-111, “Beauty can be unveiled strategically or beauty can be
unveiled manipulatively.”
Every woman
possesses charm, and throughout the course of her life she will learn how to
use it’s power over men. Girls need to learn from a young age that the fruit of
the Spirit can shape them into being the young lady that she needs to be. That
is why the author includes chapters on Influence, Respect, Submission, Favor,
Timing, Patience, Gentleness, Courage, Faithfulness, and Proverbs 31.
Even though
Esther and Delilah get most of the attention, the book also looks at Ruth, Jezebel,
and Abigail, and how each of those ladies influenced the men in their lives.
Abigail and Ruth helped bring the Messiah into the world through their
descendants, while Jezebel’s entire family was destroyed because of her
actions.
Esther or Delilah (http://www.kingsdaughters21.co.uk/)
is a great book for any lady to read, regardless of age. Because of the Message
to Men feature, I would recommend it to any guys as well, and even if that part
were not there, I would still recommend it because guys should know what a
biblical woman looks like, and set their standards high.
Comments