Are You Talking to Me? -- Women in the Church

This has been the hardest to write, and I admit I tabled the subject for some time because I don't feel like anyone will listen or care, or at most they will simply come up with all kinds of reasons why I'm wrong. So, after long deliberation, and letting go of my fear of man, here we are.

Let me begin by saying that I am not a feminist, that I understand as well as the next God-fearing woman that we fulfill different roles than men do. We are physically weaker, more maternally oriented, less brute, we shave our armpit hair, etc. That being said, I have to say that while a woman wants to feel protected by a man, she does not want to feel demeaned by him for the simple fact that she is a woman. I also want to be honest in saying that I don't know all the answers, that I'm not positive of all that I'm about to say, but I at least have a brain (that works!) to question what's been accepted as law - or unspoken rule.

I want to take you all down a logical road. Starting with the word "Law." Mentioned a billion times in Scripture, it was taken to mean "Scripture" when it could have meant traditional Jewish law, the new "law of the covenant," and most often, the law of Moses, or the Old Testament.

I. Traditional law vs. Biblical Law

A. Distinguishing between these is imperative to understanding the Bible; this is mainly demonstrated by Jesus' consistent breaking of Jewish traditional laws. The best example on this topic is the woman at the well.

John 4:7-9 " When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

Traditional Jewish law forbade men to even address a woman:

"A man should ever avoid women; thus he should never make any gestures at them, either with his hands or his feet, nor wink at them, nor jest with them… A man must not greet a woman under any circumstances, and he is forbidden to send his regards to her even through her husband” (Ref. 1)

So here is Jesus breaking traditional rabbinical law, not simply deviating from Jewish prejudice by talking to a Samaritan, but by breaking (in repeated other incidences, too) the law of the Jewish nation. This woman became the first among missionaries carrying the news of the arrival of the Christ to her Samaritan town. She was not scorned for her declarations, for her Witness, (also, highly unheard of) instead they listened to her and went to Him.

B. In the early church, there were traditional rules that were followed in the name of propriety, but was considered as beneath the Law of God. Even today, certain traditions, mentioned in scripture, are not considered relevant. Let me explain since I sounded like a heretic just now.

1. Head covering

1 Cor 11:6 "If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head."

(Vs 11-15) "In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God. Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering."

So here is Paul's reason that women don't wander around with scarves on their heads anymore, but I want you to understand how serious it was that Paul allows this seemingly trivial thing: The removal of the symbol of Eve's shame. Understand, this was not law, traditional or otherwise, except for Paul. He was from the Assyrian city of Tarsus. Assyrian Law required all women to cover their heads in public with "a shawl or a robe or a mantle," with the exception of prostitutes, who are forbidden to cover their heads (ref 2)

Essentially, I think Paul was freaking out in these Roman towns where new Christians thought wearing a head covering was optional. Not because Christ had revealed to him on the road to Damascus that Christian women should cover their heads, but because he came from a background where only prostitutes walked around without one!

2. Silence in the church

1 Cor 14:33-35 "For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. As in all the congregations of the saints, women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church."

Again, if you know the makeup of the traditional temple gatherings, and subsequent church gatherings, the women and men sat on complete opposite sides of the sanctuary. That means if a woman had a question - this same woman who is not allowed by law to speak in public - she would interrupt the ceremonies to lean over her pew and likely in an obnoxious loud-whisper ask her husband - the only male person she's allowed to talk to - whatever it was she needed answers for.

1 Tim 2:11-15 "A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety."

With regard to speaking in public, the Jewish traditional law stated that women were not allowed to participate in public affairs. Eastern women could take no part in public life. This was true of Judaism in the time of Jesus, in all cases where Jewish families faithfully observed the Law.

This is all clearly cultural, and has been recognized as old-fashioned by culture as we know it. Everything from the Sufferage to a woman running for President, the code is no longer valid where I live. Paul was all things to all people, and chose his battles. Yet, for this man who lived his entire life under Assyrian and Jewish law that forbade women to participate in public affairs, it makes perfect sense that he could vehemently preach that a woman should not participate in the teaching of men. GOD didn't say that women shouldn't preach or teach. GOD appointed Deborah to act as judge over the entire nation of His people. By the time Jesus rolled into town, matters had changed. It was a cultural code to treat women like possessions rather than people with the same (and many times advanced) ability to think, that if not followed would lead to certain chaos. God is a God of order, and in order to keep the peace, Paul saw the danger of treating women the same way Jesus did (as equals). Not in heavenly realms, but in the worldly.

C. Women in leadership

1. There existed women apostles, and women leaders in Scriptural texts. Deborah is one of the major ones mentioned in the Book of Judges. I always go back to God's own words: "I the Lord do not change." If He can appoint a woman to judge men, men we know and understand as "God's people," can He appoint women to other positions of authority? These words force me to answer in the affirmative. Absolutely. Probably. Beware the woman that does not heed Him when He calls her.

2. Apart from Deborah, Paul addresses several women as his co-workers, and at least one woman is named as "most prominent among the apostles," Junia, in Romans 16.

Rom 16:7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my countrymen and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.

Fun fact, in the original text the noun "Junia" is unquestioningly feminine (ref 3), but there are several translations into English that turned the original feminine noun to a masculine... likely for the reasons I write about now. Before you get excited about the "countryMEN," political correctness is a thing of the 90s. Plural nouns in Greek are not treated as we do now, therefore "countrypeople" would not have existed in ancient Hebrew.

3. Which leads the logical thinker (I got As in my Intro to Logic course) to understand that [A] Paul knew God is a God of order. [B] Giving a woman authority over a man, back then, would have produced a high state of disorder. [C] Paul's admonishment was not due to foundational belief, it was out of sheer concern for the health of the church.

D. Women are expected to hold equal spiritual status as men.

1. Joel 2:29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

2. Luke 20:35-36 But those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection.

3. 1 Cor 7:34 ...An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband.

I pray that these verses speak for themselves. Basically, women are expected to participate in the spiritual outpouring, which may or may not include the gift and responsibility of teaching, preaching, or apostleship. Men vs. women means nothing in Heaven, therefore in spiritual matters, it should mean nothing here on earth. An unmarried woman is not distracted from devoting herself to the Lord in Body and Spirit. Her job is not to wait around meekly for a husband. It is to devote herself to loving God, serving His people within her means and qualifiations.



References:

0. The Bible (New King James Version)

1. Ganzfried S. Translated by Hyman Goldin. Code of Jewish Law. Volume IV, Chapter 152, Verses 8,9, Hebrew Publishing Company, NY, 2004, p. 20.

2. Pritchard, Ancient Near Eastern Texts, (p. 183). Bible-Researcher.com

3. Strong's Concordance

You Talking to Me? The Holy Spirit

The pentecostal coming of the Holy Spirit was prophesied in the OT. I’d like to take some time here. Rather than citing a bunch of scattered verses here and there, let’s take a quality moment to read through the context of one of these prophesies.

• Joel 2:28a, “And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh.”

There is the all important word to consider, “afterward.” To find out what the prophet, Joel, is talking about we’ll have to rewind a bit. Chapter 1 talks about desolation, “Surely joy has withered away from the sons of men” (Vs 12). He says that everyone should assemble and cry out to the Lord because “the Day of the Lord is at hand; It shall come as destruction from the Almighty” (Vs 15).

Then, the first part of chapter 2 describes the army of God. It’s a pretty fearsome army, but doesn’t sound like anything human eyes have ever witnessed, rather it seems he is describing a heavenly army, a supernatural one. They are the kind of people “the like of whom has never been” and will never be reproduced (Vs. 2), which implies they are eternal beings. Fire goes before them and behind them (Vs. 3), their appearance is like that of horses (Vs.4), the sun, moon and stars all grow dark with their coming (Vs. 10), so we can only assume they are either blocking the view to the heavens, or overpowering it with their heavenly fire. Finally the verse that announces it outright:

• Joel 2:11, “The LORD gives voice before His army, For His camp is very great; For strong is the One who executes His word. For the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; Who can endure it?

The “One who executes His word” can only be one Man, and not just because the “O” is capitalized. Jesus came and executed the prophecies (the word) of the Old Testament. Side note: speculation continues about the term “Day of the Lord." I believe that there are more than one Day of the Lord, and when the term is used in Scripture, usually it is accompanied by "watch out." In this case, I believe the battle, this Day, coincides with the resurrection and what will happen in the spiritual realm at that time. Since this heavenly army is leaving a path of destruction in their wake, we can only assume the enemy is spiritual and horrendous - this is confirmed in later verses.

Then God speaks up, calling everyone to repentance, declaring He is merciful, slow to anger, and He “relents from doing harm” (Vs. 13). Then the bridegroom, who is the NT Christ, and the bride, who is the NT church, are called from their chambers, and the priests weep for God to spare His people (Vs. 16,17). God pities them and answers,

• Joel 2:19 “Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, and you will be satisfied by them; I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations.”

In Jewish culture the “grain offering” did not consist of raw grain. In this context it most probably refers to the grain used, finely ground into flour, mixed with oil, and then made into unleavened bread for this pleasing offering. Wine, in the New Testament, is best known as the unmistakable representation of His saving blood. Oil is used for anointing, which is directly associated with the Holy Spirit. God will send grain, the pleasing offering, Christ’s body, new wine, the blood of Christ, and oil, the anointing of the Spirit of God.

Grain

• Leviticus 2:4-6, “And if you bring as an offering a grain offering baked in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil. But if your offering is a grain offering baked in a pan, it shall be of fine flour, unleavened, mixed with oil. You shall break it in pieces and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering.”

Wine

• Matthew 26:28,29, “Then He took the cup [the traditional Seder drink is wine], and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

Oil / The Holy Spirit

• I Samuel 16:13a, “Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward.”

• Luke 4:18a, “And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, because He has anointed Me” (written in Isaiah 61:1,2)

• I John 2:27,"But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.”

• John 14:26, "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

Getting back to our passage in Joel chapter 2, we’ve established that there will come a great day of judgment, but that God was merciful toward His people. He goes on to say that He will remove us far from the enemy, drive him away into a desolate land, “And his foul odor will rise, because he has done monstrous things” ( (Vs. 20).

• John 3:17, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”

He saves us, declares we will always be satisfied and praise the name of the Lord. (Vs 26). After the coming of the Christ, and the rescue that the Hebrew people have been waiting for since they first heard of a coming Messiah, yet there is more. Much more.

• Joel 2:28-32, “And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. "

The coming of the Holy Spirit who was prophesied in the OT came to “all flesh” in Acts chapter two. The Holy Spirit fell on the Apostles assembled and they began to speak in tongues. I’d like to point out briefly that I was not previously aware that it was the exact prophesy of Joel that was quoted by Peter in his first sermon to the witnesses (Acts 2:17-21). I went to bed last night a little dejected when I read the last lines about the moon turning to blood. That sounds a lot like the end of days, no? The moon never turned to blood in the gospels... I prayed last night, asking Him what my next step should be, and if this study of Joel was moot. I left it up to Him, trusting Him, and this morning I sensed the Holy Spirit had led me to read through the Pentecost again before scratching the whole thing. That was when I found, glaringly obvious, that Peter spoke of the Holy Spirit’s Pentecostal outpouring by quoting the exact Scripture we are going through today. Small point, maybe will awaken the critic in some, but to me, a huge encouragement.

The bit about the moon turning to blood, maybe it’s figurative, or maybe it will really happen before the Second Coming. I’m comfortable with that mystery, and I’ve stated before that this interpretation will focus on the facts.

The facts are these: Joel said the Spirit would pour out on all flesh, and Peter confirmed that this was indeed what had happened at Pentecost. Which brings us to our final blow.

What does it have to do with you or me? I think there’s more. Realigning the focus now, begins with the original descent of the Holy Spirit in Acts. After Peter declares all of what Joel said concerning the outpouring, including “that whoever calls on the Name of the Lord shall be saved,” he goes on to discuss what it all means to you and me.

• Acts 2:32-33, “This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.”

• Acts 2:38-39, “Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

I may as well end this surmise here. The witnesses of the Pentecostal outpouring of the Holy Spirit saw that they were preaching, and the foreigners were hearing them speak “each in their own tongue,” They also re-heard the prophecy of Joel promising that this outpouring would lead to dreams and visions. This is the gift of the Holy Spirit, that is what they heard and saw, and that is what is promised to “as many as the Lord our God will call.”

• Romans 8:28, "28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."

If you love God, you are called.