Women: In the Bible
“In the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.” (1 Timothy 3:11)
One of the most divisive questions in the modern church has to do with half of the congregations: women. For a long time, what women could and could not do in the both the sanctuary and in the outside world that encompasses the spiritual was strictly maintained. However, with the arrival of societal changes in gender norms and beliefs, the question of womanhood in the church has become a hot button topic. In this two part series, the roles of women will be elaborated by presenting biblical precedents and then by setting them in our contemporary context : Are women allowed to serve? How are women to serve? What is their role in Yahweh’s greater plan?
To begin our understanding of the role of women in the church today, basic principles need to be established. The first woman, Eve, was made so that the first man, Adam, didn’t have to be alone; someone to help him in his mission (Genesis 2:18). From there, Yahweh took a piece of Adam's rib to form her, hence she was the bones of bones and the flesh of his flesh (Genesis 2:21 - 23). The understanding of a male hierarchy only comes after the fall from grace, when the Lord says that “He [as in man] will rule over you [woman]” (Genesis 3:16). Therefore, while men are above women, there is no place for disrespecting women, as it is something that is frowned upon and repeated multiple times in the Bible, in both the Torah’s law (Deuteronomy 21:10-14) and in common practice (1 Peter 3:7; 1 Timothy 3:1-7).
As to whether women served, there are countless examples of women serving in the Bible; to the degree of which they did such things varies from case to case. In a political sense, women could take positions of power, with the first positive example being that of Esther. She saved the Jewish people from the House of Haman and its enemies (Esther 7:1–10; 9:1–32) all while exercising her full authority to bring back the feast of Purim, peace and security (Esther 9:29 - 31). Queen mothers such as Bathsheba (1 Kings 2:17–19) are also recognized in biblical texts. Only two female monarchs reigned over Israel, those two being Athaliah (2 Kings 11:1–3; 2 Chronicles 22:10–12) and Jezebel (1 Kings 18:4), who were both cruel rulers like almost every other ruler in the history of Israel.
As for the spiritual aspect of serving Yahweh, women held a significant role at precise times. Certain women, such as Deborah, Miriam and Huldah held the title of Prophet with honor, serving the Holy One of Israel in battle (Judges 2:16, 18; 4:10, 14, 24; 5:1–31), in leadership (Exodus 15:20–21) and spirituality. The last of the women mentioned, Huldah, was openly accepted as being a servant who was truly connected to Yahweh; to the point where she was integral in finding the lost books of the Law (2 Kings 22:14–23:3; 2 Chronicles 34:22–32). They even were important in the creation of songs, psalms and prayers (Exodus 15:21; Judges 5:2–3; 1 Samuel 2:1–10). Holding positions of power is seemingly accepted, however, the only element that was forbidden was for women to be priests (Deuteronomy 23:17) as it was a pagan element, often associated to sexual deviance and prostitution.
To be brief, there is undeniable proof in the Old Testament alone to prove that women are meant to serve as well in the eyes of Yahweh. There is enough evidence in biblical texts to present that. What stands is the degree of which women can serve; if they can preach or if they can exercise some authority over demonic spirits. All of those answers are present in the New Testament, and our next installment of Bible 101.