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!