Plate 8. The Four Children

A biblical character represents each of the Four Children:
1. Deborah the Wise. Deborah was a judge and a prophetess, courageous, discerning and insightful. Blessed with these qualities, the Israelites sought Deborah for judgment and advice (Judges 4:5). 2. King Ahav the Wicked. King Ahav seeks to acquire Navot’s vineyard. Navot refuses, enraging the king. His wife Jezebel enlists two townspeople to testify falsely against Navot, reporting that he had cursed both God and the king. Navot is stoned to death, and Ahav takes possession of the vineyard (I Kings 21). 3. Lot the Simple. When Avram and his nephew Lot prosper and their possessions multiply, the men can no longer dwell in close proximity (Genesis 13). Avram suggests, “Let us separate: if you go north, I will go south; and if you go south, I will go north.” Lot chooses the plain of the Jordan (Sodom and Gemorrah). While a more mature individual would weigh other factors, Lot makes his decision based on visual appeal. 4. Adam and Eve, Who Know Not How to Ask. Childlike in their innocence, “The two of them were naked, the man and his wife, yet they felt no shame” (Genesis 2:25). Absent from their discourse were questioning and self-reflection. Questions nurture identity and open the door for answers. Inquiry brings the power to understand and to challenge. Adam and Eve are depicted without mouths to show their inability, at this early stage of human development, to formulate questions.