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Introduction

In this Newsletter,  the place of women in God´s divine plan is discussed. It presents discussions on the need to see both men and women as vessels God uses without discrimination. He speaks and listens to all without regards to whether one is a male or female. The cases of Manoah and his wife and the daughters of Zelophehad are presented.

Manoah and his Wife

  “And the Angel of Jehovah appeared to the woman and said to her, Behold now, you are barren and do not bear. But you shall conceive and bear a son. And now, please take heed, and do not drink wine nor strong drink, and do not eat any unclean thing. For lo, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head. For the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb. And he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines. And the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came to me, and His face was like the face of an Angel of God, very terrifying. But I did not ask Him where He came from, neither did He tell me His name” (Jdg 13:3-6).

 As indicated in the above quote, Manoah and his wife prayed together but the Lord God sent angels to bring response to the woman. It is read that Manoah prayed to God to see the angel himself so that he would instruct them about how to care for the child the Lord had promised them. The Lord answered his prayer but the angel came again to his wife (Jdg 13:8-9). When Manoah´s wife got his husband to see the angel, Manoah demanded of the angel to tell them what to do, but the angel told him that of all that he had said to the woman she should observe to do that (Jdg 13:13).

It is believed that the appearances of the angel of the Lord in the Old Testament are pre-incarnation appearances of our Lord Jesus Christ himself, because the identity of the angel seems to be that of Yahweh Himself. On the other hand, it may be that the angel’s visit is considered to be as if Yahweh were Himself present, since He conveys Yahweh’s words directly (The Preachers’ Commentary ). Why should God choose to communicate with the woman directly but not with her husband? This presupposes that God chooses whoever He chooses to speak with irrespective of their gender. Manoah´s wife was blessed to have an encounter with God. The role of this woman here is similar to that of a spiritual leader over her husband. This represents a perfect example of women empowerment.

If a wife does not understand something in the Bible or has a question to ask, she should ask from her husband (1Co 14:35) but in the case of Manoah and his wife the reverse was true. It might be said that this has nothing to do with the work of the ministry or the five-fold ministry of the Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers (Eph 4:11). God using women as His faithful prophetesses have already been detailed in our previous Newsletter.

Daughters of Zelophehad: Mothers of Women´s Rights

It is worth nothing that discrimination of all forms against women is not the will of God. The verdict on the plight of these daughters, as detailed below, is a clear example. As the daughters of Zelophehad stood before the tabernacle of the congregation, they petitioned Moses and Eleazar, the Priest and said:

“Our father died in the wilderness, and he was not in the company of those who gathered themselves against Jehovah in the company of Korah, but died in his own sin, and had no sons. Why should the name of our father be taken away from among his family, because he has no son? Therefore give us a possession among the brothers of our father” (Num 27:3).

The daughters of Zelophehad broke a tradition because they had a just petition to present to their leaders. Moses, recognizing that the women´s case was laudable but because the law does not allow that, decided to approach God for His instruction. Many of the people of God today may only insist or make a decision based on what they feel about the situation. When Moses consulted with God, he was told that the women speak right, so he should give them a possession of an inheritance among their brethren and that the portion of their father must pass to them (Num 27:7). Hitherto, women in those times, in Israel, did not have any inheritance. Moses was further instructed by God to make it a law, that if a man dies and have no son, his inheritance should pass to his daughters (Num 27:8).

It is believed that if some of the Israelite women had petitioned Moses and the leadership of Israel again, that, it is unfair for their brothers to inherit land or property from their fathers while they inherit nothing, God might have asked Moses to distribute a person´s wealth, in the event of his/her death, equally among all his children regardless of their sex or gender. God hates unjust scale (Pro 11:1, Pro 20:23), but people must supplicate to Him for Him to act in their favor.

Conclusion

It could be said that, the fight for women´s right by women, is an old-age phenomenon. Our interpretations of scriptures make it appear that the world leaders are wiser and justice seekers than God. God forbid! Women´s rights or gender equality is God´s own original idea so no one should take credit for it.

Prayer: May God give us the wisdom we need, to live together as equals, while respecting and valuing each other as the image of God. Dear Lord, may your word impact our cultures to see your will for all mankind. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen!

Introduction

Gender inequality and subordination of women have continued throughout human history till the present times. This is not to be blamed on God because our cultures and traditions have contributed to our interpretations of Holy Scriptures on this subject. Jesus rebuked the Jewish leaders when He mentioned that they make the word of God void or no effect with their traditions (Mk 7: 13). The following detail the equality of male and female in the Old Testament writings.

Women in the Old Testament

Holy Spirit: Not a Discriminator of Persons (Joel 2:18)

“And it shall be afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh. And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; your old men shall dream dreams; your young men shall see visions. And also I will pour out My Spirit on the slaves and on the slave women in those days” (Joel 2:28-29).

Joel in this scripture, gives no boundary about who God chooses to use. God, through this scripture promises women, men and all humanity the outpouring of His Spirit. No one is a left out. Both men and women are receivers of God´s gifts of the Holy Spirit, which is intended to equip people to prophesy, to dream dreams and to see vision among others. Among all the people in Israel, The Lord God set His eyes on Deborah and used her to lead the whole population. This is discussed below.

Deborah: the Prophetess and the Judge

This section discusses the intention of God to use both men and women to accomplish his divine purpose on earth.
“And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, judged Israel at that time.
And she lived under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim. And the sons of Israel came up to her for judgment. And she sent and called for Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, Has not Jehovah, the God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men of the sons of Naphtali and of the sons of Zebulun? And I will draw Sisera to you, the captain of Jabin’s army, at the river Kishon, together with his chariots and his multitude. And I will deliver him into your hands. And Barak said to her, If you will go with me, then I will go. But if you will not go with me, I will not go. And she said, I will surely go with you. But the journey that you take shall not be for your honor, for Jehovah shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh” (Jdg 4:4-9).

Deborah was anointed prophetess over all of Israel. As a prophetess, she did foretell of the future and spoke on the behalf of God. Being a judge just as Samuel and other judges in Israel were, she judged Israel at that time; toward the close of the twenty years’ oppression under Jabin, king of Canaan. Deborah was visibly endowed with gifts and grace. She stood to teach the oracles of God and called the people of Israel back to repentance. She was a woman of justice and honor (Jdg 5:7). She organized and led war against their enemies or oppressors and defeated them. The land of Israel had forty year peace under the reign of Deborah (Jdg 5:31). It is believed that if there were some other women who distinguished themselves as Deborah did, God would have equally used them to accomplish His purpose used Huldah the Prophetess.

Hulda: the Prophetess

“And Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. And she lived in Jerusalem in the second part. And they talked with her. And she said to them, So says Jehovah, the God of Israel, Tell the man who sent you to me, So says Jehovah, Behold, I will bring evil on this place and on the people of it, all the Words of the Book which the king of Judah has read; because they have forsaken Me, and have burned incense to other gods, so that they might provoke Me to anger with all the
works of their hands, therefore My wrath shall be kindled against this place, and it shall not be quenched” (2Kgs 22:14-17)

One of the outstanding prophetesses of God in the old testament is Hulda. It is read how the king of Judah sent Hilkiah, the High Priest of God (2Kgs 23:4) and other men to this prophetess for the Word of God to the nation. One should ask why these noble men were sent to a woman but not to other male prophets? It may be that the delegates respected the office of this women more than others or they saw her as just equal as her male counterparts.

The prophetess said to the men who were sent to her that “this is the word of God to the king”. If someone receives God´s Word and he or she is able to tell it to the people to repent and seek the face of God, is it not same as preaching or teaching people the ways of God? She told the king the council of God. It is undeniable truth that all the inhabitants of the city of Jerusalem, including the priests, males and females, respected this woman. Did the prophetess not have authority of God over these delegates and the king himself? She was able to go to the presence of God to receive his will for the king. The role of this Prophetess was similar to that of Samuel, the Seer or of Elijah or any one of them.. This is a clear evidence that God does use all people who desires to be used of Him. The next woman worthy of note is Samson´s mother.

Conclusion

It needs to be mentioned that God, in sundry times, had used women to display His glory just as He used men. God does not place limitations on anyone who desires to yield to His call into Ministry. Both men and women are being called into full participation in the work of the church. Putting stumbling blocks in the ways of women in the work of the Ministry is an injustice to the Word of God.

Prayer: May the Lord God Almighty forgive us for resisting women to enter into their calling. We pray that Lord, grant men the grace to be able to embrace women as their co-workers in your vineyard as you deem it fit. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen!