Unlike many similar books, which do not go beyond simple "accounts," merely transcribing what the biblical text says with a few added details, Kuyper takes a stand and draws conclusions. He fully delves into the difficult questions of each case and openly expounds his own criteria, drawing practical applications. And the most surprising thing is that frequently these conclusions are not far from those we would adopt in the current era.
For example, in the case of Jeroboam's wife (1 Kings 14), he states that: «the Scriptures teach us with this episode that wives are not obligated to obey their husbands if they induce them to commit acts and do things that are against the law and the will of God.»
Regarding Rebecca, he points out that she was partly responsible for the enmity between Edom and Israel, due to her lack of impartiality in affection and treatment of her twin sons, favoring Jacob over Esau, an enmity that endured until the times of Jesus and Herod (who was an Edomite).
When talking about the Queen of Sheba, Kuyper suggests that:
"The Queen of Sheba was a restless young woman eager for new experiences, not unlike many of today's girls, also anxious to know everything and experience everything. If many of our current teenagers, so eager to travel and see the world, had lived in Solomon's time, they would undoubtedly have also traveled to Jerusalem, just as they now travel to London, Paris, Vienna, or Berlin... And they would have been ecstatic and awestruck contemplating the external majesty of the Temple building, just as they do today with the Eiffel Tower, the Brandenburg Gate, or Westminster Cathedral. And that is fine, but: «they should not forget the words of Jesus when he says: “The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here” (Matthew 12:42). And that Jesus asks them, in addition to admiring the beauty of the things created by him, to heed his Word and surrender their hearts to him...»
It is, therefore, a book that transcends its time, since most of its conclusions and practical applications are as valuable and practically applicable today as they were when Kuyper wrote them. Kuyper never disappoints his readers.
Together with its companion "Women of the New Testament," they constitute highly appropriate material for Bible study groups, especially women's groups.
