Dorcas 29/12/2021

Read Acts 9: 36-42

"Dorcas had a needle," was a line from a chorus which was in the top 20 of Sunday Schools songs in my boyhood years. She was really known as Tabitha in Aramaic and her name means "female gazelle." "Dorcas" is the Greek equivalent of the name. What is the significance of the needle? It links her with sewing and textile manufacture. She made clothes for poor people. There is a lovely description of this lady - she 'was always doing good.' I am not sure if her good works extended beyond her dress-making skills - because we are not told. She was well known for her skills with needlework - but she was not interested in making large amounts of money from her God-given talent at making clothes. She was concerned about poverty and she had taken steps to alleviate this in the town of Joppa. She lived in a port on the southwest coast of Palestine. Away back in the time of Solomon, it became the port for Jerusalem and it remained an important port right through the centuries. When God spoke to the prophet Jonah to go to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, Jonah went to Joppa to get a boat heading in the opposite direction to head for Tarshish in what we now know as Spain (Jonah 1: 3). It is clear that there were ships sailing regularly from this port and heading in different directions to various places in the Mediterranean Sea and beyond. There is still a harbour in Jaffa which is the modern name for this place. Was there a particular reason for poverty in Joppa? The Smith's Bible Dictionary provides a clue - at least in my mind. The entry states that Joppa had a harbour attached to it but the writer adds that it was a dangerous one - and still is dangerous. Sailing was a very risky occupation and it is possible that there were many widows and orphans in the port - because the husbands/fathers had been killed in shipwrecks. We read of such a shipwreck on one of Paul's many missionary journeys (Acts 27:13-44). There is a vivid description of this incident and the devastating and unpredictable nature of sea travel in the first century AD. Sailing ships could easily be blown off course and land on dangerous rocks and loss of life was common. Although it did not happen in the shipwreck described in this chapter, it is clear from phrases used that loss of life would be a regular occurrence - 'a wind of hurricane force' (Acts 27:14); 'ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind'; they were 'driven along' (Acts 27:15); 'they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together'; 'fearing that they would run aground' (Acts 27:17); 'took a violent battering from the storm'; 'throw cargo overboard' to lighten the ship (Acts 27:18); 'fearing that they would be dashed against the rocks' (Acts 27:29); 'the stern was broken into pieces by the pounding of the surf' (Acts 27:41). Sailing was certainly hazardous and not a pleasurable experience. So around the port of Joppa, there would be many widows who had lost their husband in fierce storms. Sometimes they would witness the shipwreck as the sailing ship tried to negotiate the dangerous harbour.

Dorcas was moved to pity at the sight of poverty and this is highly commendable. She did not ignore the plight of the poor people in her town and she set out to use her God-given talents to provide clothing for these poor widows and their families. It is also possible that she may have sold some garments to raise money for food for these poor people. She is a caring and unselfish lady.

But then tragedy strikes. She takes ill from some unidentified sickness and then she dies. Her neighbours and friends are deeply saddened by this event. They may have felt that God was being unjust. It seems unfair when God chooses to let someone of the calibre of Tabitha or Dorcas die. There is no mention of age but it seems likely that her death was unexpected and she is very active. This is not a death from old age. I lost my sister when I was age 25 and she was only 38. She was a very kind, generous Christian lady with a strong social conscience. Why did God choose to take her and not someone else? We cannot question God's sovereignty. As someone quoted at the time of her death, "Our God is too wise to err and too good to be unkind." Peter is used by God to restore Dorcas to life and there is a remarkable similarity between the account of this miracle in Acts 9 and accounts of Jesus performing similar miracles. Peter ordered everyone to leave which was exactly what Jesus had done in the home of Jairus (Matthew 9:25; Mark 5:40). Peter commanded Tabitha to arise (compare Mark 5:41; Luke 8:54) and Peter assisted her to her feet. This miracle had a profound impact on the town of Joppa.

This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. (Acts 9: 42 NIV).

It is possible that some of these converts included the very poor people who had been helped by dear Dorcas. They had come to respect her for her kindness and her good works and the evidence of her miraculous return to life was enough to believe in the same Lord as Tabitha (Dorcas).

This story is not intended to present a stereotype of a Christian woman. In Victorian times elegant young ladies were taught to sew and embroider as these were considered suitable occupations for a genteel society lady. Please do not misunderstand me. I am not condemning women who are interested in any form of needlework. I have always admired the skill of those who could embroider or crochet elaborate designs. The skill of making garments which are comfortable and aesthetically pleasing is greatly to be admired. That is not to say that women should be restricted to this set of skills in the 21st century. The lesson I would like to take from this incident is that all Christians, both male and female, should use the skills you have been given by God in His service. Maybe your skill is as a doctor or a nurse. Maybe you are a teacher of children or young people. Maybe your skill is in the world of engineering, construction or science. God wants us to use our talents and our skills for His glory. I was never taught to cook while at school because it was considered that women should be cooks and bakers. I believe that this is a God-given talent and I love to cook meals for people. I discovered this love of cooking and the thrill of creating a meal from raw ingredients after I was married. I was never encouraged to try to cook anything before then. So Dorcas happened to have a needle and she used that for God. You might have other tools and equipment as well as skills and expertise which you can similarly use in the service of the Master.

Comfort International, based in Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, Scotland

We also need to remember the poor as Dorcas did. Paul was also encouraged to remember the poor by the leaders of the first century Church in Jerusalem and he stated that he was only too happy to do that ( Galatians 2:10). The coming of the welfare state in the 20th century has not eliminated poverty in Scotland. In fact, many children still live in relative poverty in our wealth nation. There is absolute poverty in other parts of the world such as parts of Africa and India. I would highlight the work of Comfort International and there is a link to their website on the Day Share website - www.dayshare.co.uk Go to the menu page and click the link to Comfort International page and then click the link to their website. If you prefer, just click the following

http://comfortinternational.org