Meet Grace Obaigbona

In Honour of Black History Month, Meet Ambrose Seminarian Grace Obaigbona, Ph.D.

Honoring the Black History Month

As we celebrate Black History Month and prepare for Lent, I would like to celebrate Black men and women in the Bible. The Bible has good things about the Black race and reveals our history, from Keturah, who birthed an exceptional lineage, to Simon of Cyrene, who carried Jesus' cross. Luke 19:10 tells us, "for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." Jesus came to seek every man, woman, and child from every race and culture. The Bible celebrates the black race and does not encourage the enslavement of the black race or any other race. Jesus dedicated all his life to the service of humanity by offering us love, forgiveness, everlasting life, and a relationship with God Himself. No matter what 'race' you identify with, there is a place for you in the Bible; we all contribute to the Bible's history. We are all humans with equal equity!

Thanks for honoring Black History Month. One love!

Below are few examples (but not limited to) of black men and women or African presence in the Bible.

Marriage

Many of the Hebrew patriarchs married or had children with women from African tribes.

Abraham married and had children with Keturah, a lady from the African (Hamitic) tribe (Genesis 25:1-3).

Moses married an Ethiopian woman (Numbers 12:1-10).

Jacob had children with two handmaidens from African tribes, and these children became the patriarchs of two tribes of Israel.

Joseph married Asenath, a high-born, aristocratic Egyptian woman. Asenath had two sons who were important figures in the Israelites’ history: Manasseh and Ephraim, the forefathers of two of the twelve tribes of Israel (Genesis 41:45).

Leader and supporter of the Jews

Tirhakah, the king of Cush, waged war against Sennacherib during the reign of King Hezekiah of Judah and stopped Sennacherib’s intention of destroying Jerusalem (Isaiah 37:9, 2 Kings 19:9).

Helper

Simon of Cyrene carried Jesus’ cross. Cyrene is situated in modern-day Libya on the northern tip of Africa.

An African Queen

The Queen of Sheba ruled in both Arabia and Africa. When she visited Solomon, she was honored with the dignity and status of a head of state (1 Kings 10:1-13).

Prophets and teachers

The Prophet Zephaniah. Zephaniah's father was Cushi, his grandfather Gedaliah, his great-grandfather Amariah, and his great-great-grandfather (King) Hezekiah (Zephaniah 1:1). Zephaniah was active in the religious revival in Judah.

Prophets and teachers: Acts 13:1

A blessed people

A royal priesthood…1 Peter 2:4-10