Sheerah: The Unnoticed Woman Who Built 3 Cities

We know about great women like Deborah, Esther and many more in the Bible - who is incredibly inspiring & won the battles, inspite of all the weaknesses or troubles they had. Similarly, we see another great woman who is not famous, not recognised and a woman who is mentioned in a single verse. In 1 Chronicles 7:24 we see —  Sheerah, the daughter of Ephraim who built 3 cities — Lower Beth Horon, Upper Beth Horon, and Uzzen Sheerah. Sheerah (שְׁאֵרָה / She’erah) generally means - REMNANT OR Left behind. 

In those days(In modern days too), family honor, name & legacy were usually carried by sons. So, Fathers proudly mentioned their name of the sons wherein Daughters were rarely highlighted, and their contributions were often ignored. When we read the genealogy of Ephraim in 1 Chronicles 7:20-29 , many sons are listed, but Sheerah appears only in one verse. 

Through this we can understand or it might be possible that she might have not received the same attention, encouragement, or importance as the sons in the family got. Yet Sheerah didn't put herself down or didn't wait to be recognised but did something remarkable & stood as the only woman who built 3 cities in the Bible and also named them wisely. The Bible records that she established two important cities, Upper Beth Horon and Lower Beth Horon, which later became important locations in Israel’s history. She also built another city that carried her own name, Uzzen Sheerah. According to these verses Joshua 10:10–11, 1 Samuel 13:18 & 2 Chronicles 8:5 (also 1 Kings 9:17) we understand that; 

• Upper Beth Horon and Lower Beth Horon cities were located in important regions that influenced trade, travel, and defense.
• Their locations helped to protect the region and control movement of traders and armies during the wars that time.
• The city Uzzen Sheerah was named after Sheerah, showing the lasting impact of her work.

This tells us something important about Sheerah. She was the girl who was left behind or rejected, wasn't recognised through the family nor anyone. But she didn't give up on anything — Instead she built 3 cities that would help the communities generations to generations during the wars especially.

Her story quietly reminds us that sometimes the people who are unnoticed become the ones who does greater things that would really impact well — be it in the Church, Family or Work place, Schools or Colleges etc,. 

Sheerah’s name appears only in one verse, but the cities that she built speak much louder than the silence around her story. Sometimes the greatest legacy is not in how much recognition we receive, but in what we choose to do & what we did despite being unnoticed & rejected. 

Let us remember one thing, we are more and highly valued in sight of GOD no matter what the world talks about you — The God who is watching you will reward you according to your thoughts and deeds. Do it for God not for the world. 

• Even if others fail to see our  value, God sees it. 
• Even if people does not uplift us, we can still rise and create something great with the one who strengthens us.