SERIES: Leadership in Hard Times
How to Lead When You’re Not the Leader
SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus
For the past three or four months we have been devoting our Sunday morning Bible study time to the OT historical book of 1 Samuel. I entitled this series, “Leadership in Hard Times.” The leaders we have examined–both good and bad–have been men, but this morning we come to a passage which focuses upon the leadership of a woman. She is not well-known, even to serious Bible students, for virtually all that we know about Abigail is found in this one chapter. Yet she is a remarkable person in many respects and has much to teach about leadership–to both men and women. I would like to begin by observing that …
Godly women face a difficult dilemma in regard to leadership, particularly in evangelical churches.
That dilemma can be expressed by three propositions:
1. God has gifted many women for leadership.
2. God has called women to be in submission in the home and in the
church.
3. So how does a godly woman use her gift of leadership while living in
obedience to God’s Word?
I feel sure that this is a dilemma not just to an isolated Christian woman here and there, but to many of the women listening to me this morning. How can it be resolved?
The dilemma can be resolved either unwisely or wisely. Some women have unfortunately resolved the dilemma by suppressing their gift of leadership.1 Probably even more have resolved it by denying that God expects women to be in submission in the home and in the church.2 I think both routes are unwise and counterproductive. But what is a better, wiser way to resolve the dilemma? Let’s go back over these three points and discuss them in a little more detail.
1. God has gifted many women for leadership. I believe God has distributed the gift of leadership, as He has all His gifts, without regard to gender. When I look out over the audience in any evangelical church, I find virtually no distinction between men and women in respect to leadership ability. I see both men and women who are quick thinkers, gifted administrators, skillful public speakers, movers and shakers, and highly influential people.
And that should not surprise us, for we see the same thing in Scripture. In both the OT and NT, we find women exercising great and godly leadership in the family of God, even though they lived in a culture that was far more male-dominated than ours today. In the Hebrew Scriptures you have such examples as Sarah, Miriam, Ruth, Deborah, and Esther, while in the NT Scriptures there are leaders like Mary, Priscilla, Phoebe, and Lydia. I have always found it fascinating how many women were among the friends and fellow workers of Jesus and Paul.
I personally think it is indisputable that God has gifted many women for leadership.
However, a second fact is equally obvious to me:
2. God has called women to be in submission in the home and in the church. I’m aware, of course, that this is not a popular concept in the world today and, in fact, is not even very popular in the church. But I don’t know how a person can deny it on any biblical basis. One can, however, easily misunderstand what the Bible says about submission.
The traditional concept of submission has sometimes been that women are to be seen and not heard. The husband is to make the decisions for his family and determine its direction, while the male leaders of the church are to do the same for the spiritual family. Women can care for the home and the children and can teach children or other women, but they are not to be involved in leadership matters. That’s pretty much the long and short of what submission has meant to many.
Interestingly, even secular society, which has no regard for God’s Word or His principles, for centuries found it convenient to borrow from this traditional distorted concept of submission, and the result was that women were restricted in their employment, cheated in their wages, and generally treated as if they were inferior. Only the rare woman with incredible courage and stamina was able to challenge the glass ceiling and achieve her potential in the world of business, education, or politics.
Of course, society has changed dramatically in the last three or four decades in its attitude toward women. Though they have not achieved complete parity with men, women have come a long way toward gaining equal treatment before the law, equal opportunity in business, and equal wages for the same work. I think these changes have been for the good, for I cannot see that the Bible puts any restrictions on women in these areas. Of course, a woman can be tempted to neglect higher responsibilities, like her children, because of the lure of these advancements in the work world, and that is wrong, just as it is for men, but it is hard to fault the advancements themselves.
There have been some positive advancements in the evangelical church as well. It used to be that churches took the position that a woman could not do anything in the church that the Bible didn’t specifically assign to her. Now more and more churches are saying, as I believe they should, that a woman can do anything the Bible doesn’t specifically forbid to her. That, in my understanding, would leave out only serving as an elder, which in my understanding includes the role of preaching pastor.
The Christian home has also made some progress, as more and more men are sharing the responsibilities of childrearing and housekeeping, while their wives are involved regularly in the decision-making process in the home. More couples are reaching the dynamic of a true partnership in marriage.
Unfortunately, the progress which women have achieved in society at large has been used to put tremendous pressure on the home and the church to adopt a whole new paradigm for the woman’s role in those places. The argument is being made, that since the woman’s absolute equality of role has been accepted in business, in government, in the military, in academia, and virtually everywhere else, it ought to be accepted in the home and in the church as well. But the problem with such reasoning is that God hasn’t put any restrictions on the woman’s role in the work world or the military or academia; but He has limited her role in the home and in the church.3
True biblical submission means that God has given the ultimate responsibility for leadership in the home to the husband (Ephesians 5), and the ultimate responsibility for leadership in the church to male elders (1 Timothy 3). I purposely call it “responsibility” rather than “privilege” because that is exactly what it is. Many men do not like the responsibility they are given at home and at church, because it is at times a heavy burden to carry. But God has not given us the option of surrendering that responsibility, and if men do so, they do so to their own harm, as well as the harm of their family and church.
Now you can argue that it isn’t fair that God should assign the ultimate responsibility for leadership in the home and church to one gender, without any consideration of the leadership ability of the individuals involved. But I do not believe this was an arbitrary decision by God. Being our Creator He knows better than we who is constitutionally better equipped for ultimate responsibility and authority in the home and in the church, and He knows that children are going to be much more successful establishing their own gender identities when the fathers and mothers assume the roles He has assigned to them.4
Now if we had time this morning, I would go into some detail about how a man should exercise authority in a home so that submission turns out to be a satisfying and welcome position for his wife. I would simply say today that whenever submission becomes drudgery for a woman, it is likely because it is being misunderstood and misapplied. Furthermore, whenever women in the church find the leadership of the Elders to be an intolerable burden, it is likely because that leadership is being misunderstood and misapplied. When understood and applied well, mutual submission within God-given parameters of emotional makeup and giftedness allows both men and women to live fulfilled and joyful lives.
Now if I am correct that God has gifted many women for leadership, but also correct that God has called women to be in submission in the home and in the church, what are we do to with the dilemma that results?
3. So how does a godly woman exercise her gift of leadership while living in obedience to God’s Word? I think the best way to answer this question is through a case study. I want us to look at Abigail and discern how she exercised significant leadership in a day and time when chauvinism was an art form. Hopefully we can glean some principles that will serve all of us well. Let’s begin by reading 1 Samuel 25:1-39:
Now Samuel died, and all Israel assembled and mourned for him; and they buried him at his home in Ramah.
Then David moved down into the Desert of Maon. A certain man in Maon, who had property there at Carmel, was very wealthy. He had a thousand goats and three thousand sheep, which he was shearing in Carmel. His name was Nabal and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband, a Calebite, was surly and mean in his dealings.
While David was in the desert, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep. So he sent ten young men and said to them, “Go up to Nabal at Carmel and greet him in my name. Say to him: ‘Long life to you! Good health to you and your household! And good health to all that is yours!
” ‘Now I hear that it is sheep-shearing time. When your shepherds were with us, we did not mistreat them, and the whole time they were at Carmel nothing of theirs was missing. Ask your own servants and they will tell you. Therefore be favorable toward my young men, since we come at a festive time. Please give your servants and your son David whatever you can find for them.’ ”
When David’s men arrived, they gave Nabal this message in David’s name. Then they waited.
Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?”
David’s men turned around and went back. When they arrived, they reported every word. David said to his men, “Put on your swords!” So they put on their swords, and David put on his. About four hundred men went up with David, while two hundred stayed with the supplies.
One of the servants told Nabal’s wife Abigail: “David sent messengers from the desert to give our master his greetings, but he hurled insults at them. Yet these men were very good to us. They did not mistreat us, and the whole time we were out in the fields near them nothing was missing. Night and day they were a wall around us all the time we were herding our sheep near them. Now think it over and see what you can do, because disaster is hanging over our master and his whole household. He is such a wicked man that no one can talk to him.”
Abigail lost no time. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys. Then she told her servants, “Go on ahead; I’ll follow you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.
As she came riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, there were David and his men descending toward her, and she met them. David had just said, “It’s been useless-all my watching over this fellow’s property in the desert so that nothing of his was missing. He has paid me back evil for good. May God deal with David, be it ever so severely, if by morning I leave alive one male of all who belong to him!”
When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down before David with her face to the ground. She fell at his feet and said: “My lord, let the blame be on me alone. Please let your servant speak to you; hear what your servant has to say. May my lord pay no attention to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name-his name is Fool, and folly goes with him. But as for me, your servant, I did not see the men my master sent.
“Now since the LORD has kept you, my master, from bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hands, as surely as the LORD lives and as you live, may your enemies and all who intend to harm my master be like Nabal. And let this gift, which your servant has brought to my master, be given to the men who follow you. Please forgive your servant’s offense, for the LORD will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my master, because he fights the LORD’s battles. Let no wrongdoing be found in you as long as you live. Even though someone is pursuing you to take your life, the life of my master will be bound securely in the bundle of the living by the LORD your God. But the lives of your enemies he will hurl away as from the pocket of a sling. When the LORD has done for my master every good thing he promised concerning him and has appointed him leader over Israel, my master will not have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed or of having avenged himself. And when the LORD has brought my master success, remember your servant.”
David said to Abigail, “Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands. Otherwise, as surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, who has kept me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, not one male belonging to Nabal would have been left alive by daybreak.”
Then David accepted from her hand what she had brought him and said, “Go home in peace. I have heard your words and granted your request.”
When Abigail went to Nabal, he was in the house holding a banquet like that of a king. He was in high spirits and very drunk. So she told him nothing until daybreak. Then in the morning, when Nabal was sober, his wife told him all these things, and his heart failed him and he became like a stone. About ten days later, the LORD struck Nabal and he died.
When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Praise be to the LORD, who has upheld my cause against Nabal for treating me with contempt. He has kept his servant from doing wrong and has brought Nabal’s wrongdoing down on his own head.”
Then David sent word to Abigail, asking her to become his wife.
Abigail is a beautiful example of a person who exercises leadership while practicing submission.
The first thing we note in this strange story is that …
Abigail is married to a fool but remains “creatively submissive” to him. When I say that Abigail is married to a fool, I can almost hear some of you ladies saying, “I can already relate to this gal!” And some of you are right, for there are many fools among the male species, even in the church.
Let’s just take a moment and get acquainted with this fool to whom Abigail is marriage. The first thing we are told–even before we learn his name–is that he is very wealthy. Nabal is also surly and mean in his dealings with people. He is rude, uncivil, unteachable, unyielding, and unapproachable. One of his own servants describes him in verse 17 as “such a wicked man that no one can talk to him.” And Abigail herself says of her husband that “he is just like his name–his name is Fool, and folly goes with him” (25:25).
In the Scriptures a fool is not necessarily one who is ignorant or stupid (in fact, Nabal was bright enough to make and maintain his wealth); rather he is one who has rejected the truth of God’s Word. As you read Proverbs you discover that there are only two kinds of people in the world: wise men and fools. Wise men are those who respond to God’s truth in obedience; they fear God and let the truth control their lives. The fool, on the other hand, acts stubbornly in disobedience of God’s truth. You can’t tell him anything or teach him anything.
While we’re getting acquainted with Nabal, let’s review what we know about Abigail. The story indicates she is an intelligent and beautiful woman. She was evidently raised in a secure home, for her name means “the joy of my father.” We’ll learn a lot more about her as we move through this story, but what comes to my mind is the question, “How does a rose like Abigail get stuck with a thorn like Nabal?”
Actually, it’s remarkable how many Abigails end up married to Nabals. Chances are Abigail found herself in this relationship through no fault of her own, for it was customary in that day for a woman to have her husband chosen by her father, and such arranged marriages often turned out to be disasters. But so do many marriages that are entered into because the two people are supposedly “in love.” Unfortunately, some people seem to give less thought to the character qualities of their life’s partner than they do to the model of car they choose to buy.
Abigail is married to a fool, but please note that she does not consider that a sufficient basis for ending the marriage. Nor does she feel called to change him into the man he should be by berating him for his shortcomings. Instead, she remains submissive to him, but you will notice I call her “creatively submissive.” She doesn’t see herself as totally dependent upon her husband, having to ask his permission before taking any action. Nor does she consider herself a doormat for his obnoxious behavior. She doesn’t even feel that she must coverup for him and represent him to be something more than he is.
But she does try to protect him from self-destruction. She’s the kind of wife who wouldn’t abandon her husband because he was an alcoholic, but she would force him into treatment. She’s the kind who wouldn’t leave him because he invested the family into bankruptcy, but she would take over the stock portfolio and the checkbook. Abigail understands the concept of “tough love.” She doesn’t usurp Nabal’s authority over his household, but she looks for creative alternatives to just sitting by and watching him bring tragedy down upon himself and everyone around him.
Abigail is wise in not asking Nabal if she can take provisions to David and his men, because she knows he would refuse. But she also knows that if he were in his right mind he would say “yes,” so she goes ahead and does it. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him; in fact, it will help him, as well as the powerless ones under his protection. So she acts.
I want you to notice one other fact that indicates submission on Abigail’s part. She tells her husband what she has done after the fact. In verse 37 it says that when Nabal sobered up, she told him all these things, and he promptly had a heart attack. I don’t know if that was because of a sudden fear over his narrow escape from David’s sword or because of greed that begrudged Abigail’s generous gift. Certainly, she didn’t know it was going to happen; she was just being honest.
Abigail is a noblewoman but is willing to listen to a servant. Notice the servant’s speech beginning in verse 14. After describing the dangerous situation to Abigail, he concludes, “Nabal is such a wicked man that no one can talk to him.” Now no servant would describe his master to his master’s wife in such a fashion unless he knows in advance that she is a reasonable woman who can be trusted to act wisely with confidential information.
It has been said that you learn more about a great leader’s character from the way he treats a waitress or a janitor than how he treats his peers. I think that’s true. And by the way, it might be wise to stop right here and think about how we treat those people in our lives who are serving us–the teller at the bank, the check-out clerk at the grocery store, the guy who changes our oil. Ephesians 5:21 exhorts all Christians, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
Abigail encounters an enraged David but shows him respect. You recall the story that we read a few moments ago. Running from Saul is not a full-time job, so David and his men also serve as an official neighborhood watch. Though not requested to do so, they have provided protection to Nabal’s herds and shepherds, and, quite in keeping with the customs of that day, David requests some consideration in return–some food for his men who have been living on survival rations. To this reasonable request the surly Nabal responds with contemptuous insults.
And David’s response is, “Put on your swords!” He is enraged! Nabal’s vulgarity provokes a like vulgarity in David, and he determines to kill Nabal and every male in his household. This initial response is surprising, especially when we think about the last chapter. In chapter 24 David rejects any thought of revenge against Saul, even though he has the perfect opportunity to eliminate the enemy who has persistently sought to murder him. Yet here he is ready to break somebody’s head and wipe out his entire family just because that person has dissed him. At one moment David could be the sweet poet and harpist of Israel; the next he is just another Middle East terrorist.
But before waxing too spiritual in our pretended offence, perhaps we should look at our own lives and consider how often we do things that are completely out of character. Or are they? Maybe our true character is identified correctly in Scripture as “fallen creature.” Maybe we need to learn from David’s mistakes rather than feign shock at his behavior. David was nothing if not a man of passion, and passion can lead one to evil as quickly, or maybe more quickly, as it leads him to pursue good.
When Abigail is informed of David’s intention of punishing Nabal’s household for the devilish behavior of her husband, she loses no time putting together a care package for David and his men. When she arrives where David is, she falls at his feet, and with great discernment and wisdom she influences him through a ministry of encouragement, even of exhortation. She exercises leadership while David is scarcely aware that he is being led.
Notice how she does it. First, she turns David’s attention to the Lord. In my estimation, women generally have a greater sensitivity to the Lord’s leading in their lives than do men in theirs. All David can think about is that he has been offended and needs to avenge his honor against this fool Nabal. But Abigail causes him to think also about the Lord. Here are some of her words:
“The Lord has kept you from bloodshed,
the Lord will establish your dynasty,
the Lord will protect you,
the Lord will defeat your enemies,
the Lord has always been faithful,
the Lord will establish you as king.”
And eventually the importance of listening to the Lord comes through clearly to David as he says in response, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel who has sent you today to meet me” (verse 32). He recognizes her as a Savior in skirts, a divine stopsign to keep him from walking in Saul’s sandals. Isn’t it amazing how God sometimes graciously and firmly intercepts us on the road to folly?
Not only does Abigail turn David’s attention to the Lord; she also communicates clearly but gently a warning to the effect that his intended action will bring great evil upon him. If ever someone used a velvet-covered fist it was Abigail. She reminds me of Harry Truman’s definition of a leader: someone who can get others to do what they don’t want to do–and make them like doing it!
One of God’s special gifts to the church is the person who can speak hard truths in a soft manner. Ever known anyone like that? They can tell you you’re a failure, that your behavior is inexcusable, or even that you’re fired, and you can accept it, whereas if anyone else said the same thing you would be livid. What a gift! I had a friend in St. Louis who could do this. She once told me, a Senior Pastor no less, “You are acting like a child, and it’s high time you grew up!” But I could take it from her because I knew she loved me and cared about my personal welfare, my family, and my ministry.
Abigail also had that gift. Her goal is to communicate to David that he is about to make an awful mistake, and there are two ways for her to go about it. One option is for her to say, “David, you’re an idiot. You’re as big a fool as Nabal. He hurts your feelings so you’re going to kill several dozen people! Real smart!” Or she could do as she did, gently warning him that he is about to throw away, in a moment of rage, all he has worked for. She reminds him also that God is quite able to avenge his honor.
How we say what we say is as important as what we say. David sees a gentle and quiet spirit and he hears soft and humble persuasion. Did you notice that 12 times in her brief speech Abigail calls him “lord” or “master” and another 7 times she refers to herself as his “servant.” She wants something important, and she is intelligent enough to know that confronting an angry man with ultimatums or provocation will probably not achieve her goal.
Friends, this is a very effective kind of ministry Christian sisters can have in the lives of Christian brothers, be they husbands or elders. Even when men need to be confronted directly with our shortcomings and stupidity, often we’re too proud to listen. But no man can resist the kind of gentle persuasion used by Abigail. (Please understand that I’m not suggesting that we need to be called “lords”, but a little respect can go a long way. Even a passionate challenge spoken from intense love will work. It doesn’t have to be a kitten’s purr; a desperate, God-fearing lioness guarding either her cubs or her future king can save many).
God rewards Abigail’s submission with exaltation.
I am really amazed at this woman Abigail. Eugene Peterson writes that she accomplishes an amazing feat despite being a marginal person.
“Abigail is marginal because she’s a woman in a man-dominated world. Abigail is marginal because she’s weaponless in a sword-rattling world. Mostly, Abigail is marginal because she’s beautiful in a materialistic, utilitarian world.
Abigail’s beauty is both inner and outer. Her lovely appearance is balanced in the text by the word “discretion” (v. 33). Abigail is as beautiful inwardly as she is outwardly. Abigail’s beauty is a witness to the God-created, God-sustained, God-blessed life that’s everywhere present but frequently obscured by willfulness and blasphemy. Abigail’s beauty surprises David out of his sudden plunge into ugliness, and he sees and hears God again…. Abigail’s beauty puts David in touch, again, with the beauty of the Lord.” 5
David listens to her and accedes to her wishes. He says in verse 33: “May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands.” Proverbs 31:30 tells us, “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeing; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” On the other hand, Proverbs also says, “Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion” (11:22). There is something incongruous about a gold ring in a swine’s nose, and there is likewise something incongruous about a beautiful woman without spiritual discernment. David saw Abigail as a woman with discernment and he praises both the Lord and her.
In verse 35 David says, “Go home in peace. I have heard your words and granted your request.” The Hebrew says literally, “I have lifted up your face.” This is an expression of exaltation. Though the requirement of submission can be looked at as demeaning, it doesn’t have to be. When a Christian sister knows the Lord, knows His word, and is able to use it in a discerning way to help a brother to maturity, she is an incredible blessing to him, and it becomes an exalting experience for her when he responds to the truth.
By the way, men, there is an important lesson for us here, too. We have a responsibility to listen to our Christian sisters and not let our stupid male egos, our pride, or our arrogance stand in the way of being taught by women of discernment. The benefits men can reap when they listen to such women are enormous. And I’m speaking out of sad experience. I could tell you some watershed mistakes I made by not listening to my wife’s discernment and wisdom.
God judges Nabal for his wickedness, and he dies. I wish I could tell you that every time you leave vengeance with God He will deal with your enemy as quickly and decisively as He dealt here with Nabal. In just ten days the man is pushing daisies. But more often God allows the spiritual laws He has built into our universe to take their toll on the disobedient.
Abigail becomes David’s wife. Now we need to be careful at this point. My application is not that if you’re married to a fool and you put your trust in God, He’s going to pull the fool’s plug and give you a prince in his place. It’s a far greater demonstration of His power when God changes the fool into a wise person and heals the marriage.
My principal point is that God exalts Abigail to a place of joy and prominence and uses her to change the course of her own life, as well as David’s and the nation’s–not through attaining some high position of authority and responsibility, but through following the path of submission in her wise and discerning leadership.
Conclusion: Let me suggest to you in conclusion that submission is the path to exaltation, not just for wives and women in the church, but for all of us. And the kind of person God chooses to exalt is the one who is humble and submissive. In Phil. 2 we read the following exhortation, starting with verse 3:
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus….”
And the author goes on to describe a humility such as the world has never seen, before or since.
If the path of submission was acceptable to Jesus, it should be acceptable to us. The world tells us that the way to operate is by Winning Through Intimidation, but God calls upon us to use our gifts of leadership in a manner consistent with our position. If we are in a position of submission, we do not have to abdicate our leadership ability; we just have to use it carefully and humbly. In fact, I’m going to take a risk here this morning and encourage women who may have suppressed their discernment or leadership to step out and speak to their leaders, including me, concerning what they care about, with passion and humility.
And if we are in a position of authority, we are to exercise servant leadership. Elders are told to “be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers–not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock” (1 Peter 5:2, 3). Husbands, too, are challenged to be servant leaders in their homes: “Husbands . . .be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.” (1 Peter 3:7)
I believe anyone, whether in a position of submission or a position of authority, can exercise leadership wisely and effectively. The bottom line is given in 1 Peter 5:5-6: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” He will. You can count on it.
DATE: August 15, 2004
Tags:
Women in leadership
Submission
Wisdom
1. Much of the time women suppress their leadership gifts because men in leadership have silenced them with either overt or covert contempt. Leaders who have done so owe these women an apology and an open door in the future to let them know when they are misjudging them or acting in a condescending manner.
3. Now when I say He has restricted the woman’s role, I do not mean that He has declared her inferior; on the contrary, I think He has elevated her. The true Biblical concept of submission has provided women the best of two worlds–the opportunity to exercise leadership without the excessive responsibility that goes with ultimate authority.
5. Eugene H. Peterson, Leap Over a Wall, 85-86.