Chapter
1
Women Preaching the Gospel?
". . . there is neither male nor female in Christ," (Gal. 3:28).
This book is not written for advancing the so-called "Women's Liberation." We believe that women were truly liberated when Jesus died to release them from the bondage of both sin and the Law. We believe that in these last days, many women must claim their deliverance to fulfill their destiny to spread the good news of the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.
JESUS AND WOMEN
Women have been confined to an inferior, passive role in church leadership. Does the Bible have a plan for women? Did Jesus Christ discriminate against women?
Women figure prominently in the ministry of Jesus. He healed them. He spoke of them in his sermons and parables. From the New Testament writings, know they had a plane of considerable importance in the early churchwomen are among those who were cast into prison because of their faith, (Acts 8:3:9:2).
Numerous women are named in the various epistles of Paul, indicating their rather extensive role in the work of the church. They were treated with respect.
OLD TESTAMENT
Does the Old Testament give male a superior position to dominate over women through a curse?
Deborah, Judge and Prophetess whom God anointed for leadership in the Old Testament, used her to transmit His divine will, both sacred and civil to the Israelites, Judges 4: 4-11. This is the first female government on record. She had supreme power in both civil and religious affairs; Lapidoth, her husband, was in the government. She sent for and appointed him to be general of the armies. She had supreme power in the State.
Barak agreed to go only after Deborah consented to go. Deborah stressed the cowardice of Barak and the entire nation when she reminded Barak that a woman, not he, would receive credit for the victory (V. 9). This shows that in the democratic social organization of early Israel, women occupied, if not an equal position with men, at least a higher one than among other pagan nations.
The term prophet (Hebrew, nabhi) indicates the prophetic office and shows a person who received a message directly from God and conveyed it to the people. That person was a spokesman for God. God revealed through Deborah that he would lure Sisera and his troops to the Kishon River, ten miles west of Mount Tabor. Usually the Kishon was only a trickle. The river became a swollen torrent following a rainstorm. "I will... give him into your hands" (4:7) foresees the result. (5:21).
Deborah led the army while the Lord, threw them all into confusion, caused chariots to break, effecting universal disorder into all their ranks. Barak and his men had little to do but kill and pursue, and Sisera, to escape, was obliged to abandon his chariot. This was done by supernatural agency; God sent His angel and confounded them.
Several tribes would not support her, not because she was a woman, but for the reason that they stood in mortal fear of the Canaanite military prowess, especially of their "chariots of iron." In other weapons as well, the Israelites felt their inferiority to the enemy. Sisera had assembled a great host and nine hundred chariots against Deborah and Barak. Lifted by Deborah into a heroic mood, the Israelites poured down the slopes of Mount Tabor upon the enemy and routed them. Sisera fled on foot with Barak in pursuit of him. As he passed the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite who was not an Israelite, he asked her to hide him in her tent. Jael with a workman's hammer and nail and smote Sisera in the temple and killed him. Deborah and Jael were surely the heroines of the great victory in the Old Testament.
Huldah is another story of equality of the spirit shown in 2 Kings 22:14; 11 Chronicles 34:22. She was renowned as a prophetess, wife of Shallum, keeper of the wardrobe in Jerusalem in King Josiah's reign. He began to reign when he was eight years old. When he was 26, the finding of the "Book of the Law" gave great impetus to his reforms. However, the people were idolaters from the wicked long reign of Manasseh. They had nearly obliterated God from their thinking. There were delays in Josiah's reforms, but he could not avert the fast approaching doom of Judah.
Deuteronomy was found by the high priest Hilkiah during the repairs of the Temple was taken to King Josiah. He immediately had it sent to Huldah. She replied with the dire warning that God's day of reckoning for the nation was fast approaching, but would be temporarily delayed because of King Josiah's piety and wish for reform.
It is interesting that the King James Version of the Bible makes note that Hulda was the wife of a wardrobe keeper and she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college. Hulda was a prophetess. Moreover, she was also educated. The king sent Hilkiah and the priest; Ahikam the son of Shaphan; Achbor the son of Michaiah; Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king saying: "Go ye, enquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found . . . " 11 Kings 22:12,13.
Notice the stature of the men sent to ask of a woman what the Spirit of God was saying to the nation! Hulda began, "Thus saith the Lord . . . " giving them a sure word from God concerning His wrath and calling for repentance because of the nation seeking other gods. Deborah and Hulda lived before the Babylonian exile.
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