Home 

Let Your Women Keep Silence!

PART 2

Table of Contents
PART 1
IN THE BEGINNING
THE OLD TESTAMENT VIEW OF WOMEN
HAS GOD EVER EMPOWERED WOMEN?
A PROPHETESS IN ISREAL

PART 2
DEBORAH ARISES IN ISREAL!
THE UNHERALDED PROPHETESS
THE WOMAN WHO CHANGED HITORY
MORE OF GOD’S LEADING LADIES

PART 3
THE ROLES WOMEN PLAY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
MARY’S EXEMPLARY ROLE
A WOMAN SPEAKS OUT
THE ACID TEST-CHRIST’S ATTITUDE TOWARD WOMEN
THE PENTECOST EXPERIENCE—NOT FOR MEN ONLY!
I SUFFER NOT A WOMAN!

PART 4
ROMANS 16—WHY SO MANY WOMEN?
DID WOMEN PROPHECY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT?
ARE THERE SEPARATE GIFTS FOR MEN AND WOMEN?
THE ISSUE OF SUBMISSION

PART 5
THE DIFFICULT WORDS OF PAUL
1 CORINTHIANS 14:34-35—WHAT DID PAUL REALLY MEAN?
I TIMOTHY 2:11-15—MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE!
THE FINAL ANALYSIS

DEBORAH ARISES IN ISRAEL!

One of the most moving and inspiring examples of courage, strength, wisdom, and righteousness, in all the Biblical record is found in a woman named Deborah. After the death of Joshua, Israel was ruled by a series of judges, most, if not all, of them specially called and raised up by Yahweh as deliverers of Israel. In fact, the word translated as deliverer is the Hebrew term yasha, and it is customarily rendered as savior. In fact, the name for the Messiah, though commonly called Jesus in English, is, of course, Hebrew, and is actually a combination of the word yasha and the tetragrammaton or YHWH.

In one respect, therefore, these judges who arose in Israel during this very difficult period of time were, in a manner of speaking, ancient types of the ultimate Deliverer or Savior that would find its fulfillment in the man Yahshua the Messiah. And this would include, of all people, a woman, namely Deborah.

During the reign of Joshua, Israel remained faithful to the Eternal, and they in turn saw His great works and received His blessings. When Joshua died at the age of 110, the elders of that generation continued his righteous rule and the people were obedient. After their deaths, however, the people began to forsake the Lord, and serve Baal and Ashtaroth. God then delivered them into the hands of their enemies. We read in Judges 2:16:

“Nevertheless the Lord raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.”

This began a pattern of behavior among the Israelites. When they turned away from God, He withdrew His divine protection from them, and they suffered at the hands of the various tribes that inhabited Canaan. Then a judge would be raised up who would rally the people, and for a while they would return unto Yahweh. Then upon the demise of the judge, they would backslide into sin and wretchedness. This sort of thing went on for generation after generation.

Othniel, the brother of Joshua’s righteous companion Caleb, was the first of the judges of Israel, followed by Ehud and Shamgar. After their passing, however, we read:

“And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord...And the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, who dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles. And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel” (Judg. 4:1-3).

Now the stage was set for Deborah to arise in Israel. The people were at the most critical point in their history since crossing the Jordan. There are some very interesting and telling points with regard to Deborah, important information that is easily and quite often overlooked by readers of the Bible. Here is how the Scriptures introduce her:

“And Deborah, a PROPHETESS, the WIFE of Lapidoth, she JUDGED Israel at that time. And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in Mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment” (Judg. 4:4-5).

Please note the underscored words in this passage. First of all, Deborah was a prophetess. She is the second woman so named in the Scriptures as functioning in this gift of the Spirit. Being a prophetess means, of course, that she prophesied, meaning that she spoke the words of God under inspiration of the Holy Spirit. These could be words of warning, words of instruction, words of encouragement, or words of prediction, God being the determining factor in precisely what message He intended delivered to the people.

That a woman should operate in such a spiritual function cuts across the grain of many people’s false teachings and assumptions. That God should choose to use a woman in what is generally considered to be a man’s arena of operation is a hard pill for some to swallow. Let there be no doubt in your mind that Deborah was a woman who kept silence! In fact, her calling was to open her mouth and speak the words of the Almighty! And I can guarantee you there wasn’t a man in all of Israel who told Deborah to shut up and keep quiet!!

Note also that Deborah was not a single woman. No, she was married. She had a husband, a man named Lapidoth. Now this is most intriguing. Why do you suppose that God, whom many believe simply prefers men over women, or at the least, chooses to use males rather than females, would give the gift of prophecy to Deborah, and, as far as we are told, not to her husband? Was he an infidel, a drunkard, a bum? If so, why would someone of Deborah’s stature have married the man in the first place? No, there is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that Lapidoth was anything but a decent man and good husband to Deborah. He just wasn’t a prophet!

Being a prophetess gave Deborah a special distinction throughout Israel, just as being a prophet would for a man. But in the case of Deborah, there was more, for we are told that Deborah also was a JUDGE of Israel as well! This was unprecedented for that time, that a person should function both on the prophetic level and the administrative level simultaneously. In fact, in all of Israel’s history, only two people have ever been both prophet and judge–Samuel and, yes, you guessed it, Deborah!

Examples of Deborah’s prophesying are found in Judges 4:6, 9, and 14. Note the first of these which was directed toward a man named Barak, the military leader of Israel’s army.

“And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh-naphtali, and said unto him, Has not the Lord God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali, and of the children of Zebulun? And I will draw unto you to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into your hand” (Judg. 4:6-7).

We might be tempted to ask the question, why was a woman prophesying and judging Israel, when a man like Barak was obviously available? Did God make a mistake in this instance? There are some who actually believe the notion that there simply weren’t any qualified men in Israel at this time, so God was left with no choice but to work through a woman to lead His people. If this wasn’t such a poor contention, it would be quite laughable. Suffice it to say, God chose Deborah to operate as she did because that is precisely whom He wanted to fulfil these roles at this time in history. Case closed! There are no other ideas worthy of consideration. Any other suggestion is only an attempt, veiled or otherwise, to excuse God’s use of a woman in what is perceived and/or assumed to be the exclusive right of men.

Barak, listed in Hebrews 11 as one of the heroes of faith, is there for the very reason that he believed in and trusted that the word he received through Deborah was indeed legitimately from Yahweh, and, in the long run, he acted on it. When he was first summoned, however, he exhibited hesitance, not due to his lack of faith in the authenticity of Deborah’s instruction, but more out of the need he felt for specific guidance in such an apparently risky campaign, and perhaps a little out of just plain fear as well. He responded by saying to Deborah:

“If you (Deborah) will go with me, then I will go: but if you will not go with me, then I will not go” (Judg. 4:8).

This sounds as though Barak was afraid, and no doubt there was some fear involved, as it naturally would be with most any human being facing the difficulty with which Israel had to contend. But Barak was more likely exercising good judgment on his part in his insistence that Deborah accompany him on this mission. For one thing, it was Deborah who had the word from Yahweh as to how the armies should proceed. Barak felt that, under the circumstances of being greatly outnumbered by the enemy, as well as not having the full support of all the tribes, he needed to have the judge and prophetess of Israel by his side.

Deborah’s response was most interesting. It is in the form of a prophecy. She tells Barak:

“I will surely go with you: notwithstanding the journey that you take shall not be for your honor; for the Lord shall seel Sisera (the enemy leader) into the hand of a WOMAN” (Judg. 4:9).

This situation cannot help but attract our attention and raise certain questions. First of all, Israel is being led by a woman, who also happens to be a prophetess, which really made her both the administrative, as well as the spiritual, leader in all of Israel. Now, when the nation is faced with one of its most formidable military challenges, Deborah prophecies to Barak that this coming victory, to be achieved by divine intervention, will not be to the honor of the captain of the army, but rather that Yahweh will arrange things so that Sisera, the feared Canaanite general, shall be delivered into the hand of yet another woman! Should this strange turn of events that would eventually transpire be viewed as something of a rebuke against Barak and what might be perceived as his unmanly reaction to Deborah’s challenge? There may indeed be a certain amount of truth to such a contention.

The details of the great battle that took place, and how the Almighty defeated the armies of Sisera, are contained in both Judges 4 and 5, two separate accounts, the first in the form of prose, and the other a poem, known as the Song of Deborah, which is regarded as the earliest form of Hebrew poetry of which we have record. It is majestic in tone and content, and indeed one immediately gets the intense feelings involved in this spectacular, divinely orchestrated turn of event. Here are the opening lines:

“Praise you the Lord for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves. Hear, O you kings; give ear, O you princes; I, even I, will sing unto the Lord; I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel. Lord, when you went out of Seir, when You marched out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped...the mountains melted from before the Lord, even that Sinai from before the Lord God of Israel. In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travelers walked through byways. The inhabitants of the villages ceased in Israel, until that I DEBORAH AROSE, that I arose a MOTHER IN ISRAEL...The kings came and fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo...They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera” (Judg. 5:2-7, 19-20).

In her song, Deborah pays special honor to the woman who slew Sisera. Her name was Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite. Interestingly, just like Deborah, Jael had a husband, and as in the case of Deborah, God chose to use the female of the household to accomplish His purposes. Deborah immortalized the daring action of Jael by saying:

“Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent. He (Sisera) asked water, and she gave him mild; she brought forth butter in a lordly dish. She put her hand to the nail (tent spike), and her right hand to the workman’s hammer; and with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote off his head, when she had pierced and stricken through his temples. At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down; at her feet he bowed, he fell: where he bowed, there he fell down dead” (Judg. 5:24-27).

This episode became one of the most famous and celebrated in all of Israel’s history. It is mentioned in both I Samuel and the Psalms as one of the greatest examples of Yahweh’s intervention to fight for His people. And to think that the two real heroes of this mighty encounter were both women is quite revealing, and indicative of the absolute fact that the Almighty acts in His perfect, sovereign way to work out His will upon the earth. He is not limited to the use of men only, and will choose whom He will choose, and no one dare dictate to Him who or what those choices should be!

THE UNHERALDED PROPHETESS

Miriam and Deborah are admittedly two of the more well-known female Biblical characters. Both of them were gifted in the area of prophecy, and Deborah was also give the top administrative or government position in Israel. If we had no other examples but these two women, we would have ample Scriptural evidence that God both gifts and uses women as He sees fit, and at times in the very same manner as He does with men. There are, however, other examples, lesser known perhaps, but still most important to our discussion and to the understanding of exactly how the Almighty thinks and operates in the area we are studying.

After the reign of the righteous Hezekiah of Judah, his son Manasseh began a long and evil rule, undoing just about every good thing that Hezekiah had established. Manasseh caused the Jews to sin more egregiously than even the heathen nations around them. When the king died, his son Amon succeeded to the throne, and we are told that he did evil in the sight of the Lord, following in the footsteps of his notorious father. His reign was mercifully short, however, when his own servants conspired against him, and after only two years in office, Amon was murdered in his own house, and his son Josiah was made king in Jerusalem.

It would be difficult for us to imagine just how much degeneration transpired during the combined reigns of Manasseh and Amon. Hezekiah’s many reforms were abandoned, pagan worship re-established, including even the sacrifice of children to the gods, and the temple itself was desecrated and in a state of utter disrepair. By the time that Josiah ascended the throne at the tender age of 8, the land of Judah was in a desperately immoral condition. It was not a time in which many would have chosen to be king.

Josiah, however, was different. It is truly amazing how one of the best rulers ever, Hezekiah, could produce the most evil king, Manasseh, whereas just a generation later, one of the worst of the Jewish monarchs, Amon, could be the father of Josiah, a young man who would turn out to be, second only to David, the most righteous king of Judah! Surely the Almighty had a direct hand in such things.

Josiah, we are told, “did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left” (II Chron. 34:2). The new king began to seek Yahweh at an early age, and in the 12th year of his reign, he started to purge Jerusalem and Judah of all the groves and high places of pagan worship. He even extended this cleansing to include the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, and Naphtali.

Then a crucial event occurred. Six years later, in the 18th year of his reign, he began the repair of the Temple. When his representatives presented the high priest Hilkiah with the necessary funds for the work, Hilkiah informed Shaphan the scribe that he had made an incredible discovery–amidst the rubble of the Temple, he had found a copy of the law, most likely the Torah scroll, which had been lost during the reign of Manasseh. Shaphan immediately took it to the king and read it to him.

When Josiah heard the sacred words, his heart was smitten, he tore his robe, and wept, for he well knew how evil the people had been during the reigns of his father and grandfather. He fully understood that Judah was under a curse, and had incurred the wrath of the Almighty. Josiah immediately sensed that he needed direction from God as to what to do and how to proceed. For that he would turn, not to Hilkiah the high priest, nor to Shaphan the scribe, nor to Ahikam, Achbor, Asahiah, or any of the other men of position in the realm, but rather to the prophet of God, the spiritual leader of the nation, and, from God’s perspective, the occupier of the most important office in the land.

During the reign of Josiah, the one who is remembered most as a prophet in Judah was Jeremiah, famous for being one of the writing prophets whose words are preserved in the Hebrew Scriptures. He was close to Josiah, and it is written that, upon the king’s untimely death:

“And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women spoke of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations” (II Chron. 35:25).

When the Scriptures state that these things are written in the lamentations, it is referring to the Biblical book by that name. It is the short writing that follows the prophecy of Jeremiah. It is a part of the third section of the Hebrew Scriptures usually called simply the Psalms, but these books are also known as the royal letters, since each of them is associated in some way with a king or queen. The book of Lamentations was written by Jeremiah upon the death of Josiah and the destruction that soon followed.

In addition to Jeremiah prophesying during the reign of king Josiah, there was also another prophet in Judah at this time. Notice the proof in the first chapter of Zephaniah:

“The word of the Lord which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of JOSIAH the son of Amon, king of Judah” (Zeph. 1:1).

Two of the Biblical writing prophets were, therefore, functioning in Judah during the reign of Josiah–both Jeremiah and Zephaniah. The point in all of this information is that when king Josiah desired the words of Yahweh, he did not send his men to inquire of the senior prophet Jeremiah, nor did they go to the young Zephaniah. The following passage from II Kings 22 should prove quite telling and compelling:

“And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shapan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king’s, saying, Go you, inquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us...So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went unto HULDAH THE PROPHETESS, the WIFE of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college), and they communed with her” (II Kgs. 22:12-14).

For those in the Body who still cling to the erroneous notion that women are simply to be silent ornaments among the people of God, how, pray tell, would you even begin to explain the above quotation? Granted, we know very little about Huldah, but what we are given is plenty! She was a prophetess, which means that she not only spoke under inspiration the words of Yahweh, she was also known throughout the land as functioning in this capacity.

Five of the most important and powerful men in the kingdom, including the high priest himself, went, not to a male prophet, but rather to Huldah the prophetess, a woman, to receive a word from the Almighty. Note also that Huldah was married. Even her husband’s name is listed in the account. Should not the men have at least consulted with him first? Wouldn’t that fit in far more comfortably with the conventional notion that many have today with regard to women’s restricted roles in the churches?

Hopefully, the examples of Miriam, Deborah, and Huldah will cast a different light upon this controversial subject for many believers who have tended to hold on to ancient human interpretations of the Scriptures. Considering the information we have covered thus far in our study, what conclusions can we honestly draw concerning prophetesses in the Old Testament period? First of all, were there others? The answer is affirmative, if for no other reason that what we read in the book of Isaiah.

In one particular instance fairly early in Isaiah’s career, God told him to do something rather unusual, though not totally uncommon for certain prophets, and that was to take a pen and write the name of his future son on a large scroll as a prophetic sign. As we pick up the story in Isaiah 8:2, note what is said:

“And I (Isaiah) took unto me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah. And I went unto the PROPHETESS; and she conceived, and bare a son. Then said the Lord to me, Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz. For before the child shall have knowledge to cry, My father, and my mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of Assyria” (Isa. 8:2-4).

In this instance, it appears that the prophetess mentioned, though unnamed, was actually Isaiah’s wife. We know nothing else about her, except what we read in this short excerpt from chapter 8. We do know enough, however, to establish that she was indeed a prophetess, the same Hebrew word being used to designate her as was the case with Miriam, Deborah, and Huldah.

In addition, it is interesting to note that Jewish rabbinical tradition recognizes seven prophetesses who preached and prognosticated unto Israel, namely, Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Abigail, Huldah, and Esther. It, therefore, goes without saying, that God unquestionably has used women in the roles both of prophets, as well as judicial/administrative leaders, that they were known and recognized by their fellow countrymen as such, and were held in the highest of esteem by kings and priests alike. No prejudicial thinking or erroneous assumptions regarding the role of these or any other women whom God has chosen can take away from or undo the work of service which they have performed through the centuries under the direction of the Holy Spirit. Nor should such an attitude prevail in today’s Church with respect to how the Almighty chooses to use female believers in accomplishing His purposes upon the earth. Anyone interested in seeing Body healed, and the Church brought together, gifted, empowered, and bearing much good fruit, ought to check their hearts with regard to the subject of our study. The holding back of women in the Body of believers over centuries of time has produced a multiplicity of problems that need to be forthrightly addressed and resolved.

THE WOMAN WHO CHANGED HISTORY!

Believe it or not, there is a woman from the Bible who was literally instrumental in changing the course of the history of God’s people. She came from humble Jewish origins. Indeed, when we first encounter her, she is in captivity in the land of Persia, along with many of her fellow countrymen, including her cousin, Mordecai. Esther’s parents had died while she was still young, and Mordecai, her much older cousin, raised her as his own daughter. Mordecai was a uniquely savvy individual, and when it was reported that king Ahasuerus had deposed Vashti as queen, and was seeking her replacement, Mordecai immediately sensed the significance of the situation, and began preparing his young niece Esther to be taken before the king. It wasn’t long before she had captured the king’s heart and been selected to his queen.

During the first portion of the book of Esther, Mordecai is the central character, and his many skills are amply demonstrated, even to the saving of the king’s life on one occasion. When the chief prince Haman the Agagite began to formulate a plot to destroy the Jewish captives, Mordecai seized the opportunity to take advantage of Esther’s newly acquired position in the kingdom.

In chapter 4, he gets word to her, and from that point onward, Esther takes charge of the situation, demonstrating her own courage and ability to the full. Now remember that Esther is young, unskilled in the ways of the world, and, above all, a woman! According to the way many believers view the role of women in the assemblies, Esther must prove to be quite an embarrassment to them.

Here is a perfect situation where God, of course, had other options at his disposal, but chose to work through a woman to literally save His own people from destruction. This was a woman who, as it were, went from the proverbial rags to riches, from a young naive female Jewish captive to queen of the Persian Empire. Esther indeed became a woman to be reckoned with. She became a person of influence, inside knowledge, and power, and she used every source available to her to carry out the plan put in her heart by the Almighty. What she decided was immediately accepted by Mordecai and the people. Her word was obeyed to the letter.

We all know the end of the story. Haman and his evil agenda were exposed to the king, and Ahasuerus simply turned the tables on this despicable Agagite (descended from Agag of the line of Esau or Edom…), by hanging Haman on the very gallows he had built to achieve Mordecai’s death. The Jews went on to slay the sons of Haman and defeat their enemies in Persia, all under the aegis of the king himself.

In the end, Esther ordained the feast of Purim as a celebration of the Jewish victory over Haman, and of thanksgiving to Yahweh for His mercy and blessing. Purim became a fixed part of the Jewish Festival Scroll, and the book of Esther is read year on this special occasion. It is still kept by faithful Jews and others to this day.

Why didn’t God use a man instead of a woman to accomplish His purposes? We all know for a fact that He could have done so. Rather He purposely chose Esther, not when she was exalted and powerful, but when she was young and unknown in the entire kingdom. Since the Eternal states in His word that He never changes, could we not all agree that, if He used someone like Esther for such an important and dangerous assignment, He could surely use women in any number of other ways His purposes to achieve, including even in the churches today? I believe that the answer is indisputably YES, and that all of God’s people ought to accept this fact, and allow Him the right to do as He wills, instead of designing human conventions that seek to limit His power and how He decides to use it. If we continue to resist in this matter, it will not bode well for us. God is going to be God, and He will do what He will do! It is inevitable, and I, for one, want to be on the right side of this issue, namely the side of Yahweh Himself.

As a fitting conclusion to this episode in our discussion, it good to note that the Jews consider Esther to have been one of the seven great female prophets or prophetesses through whom God spoke to Israel in ancient times. Although there were almost certainly more than seven, it is good to know that the Jewish understanding on this subject is clear, both in terms of Esther herself, and the divine use of woman in general. Esther was used by Yahweh to change the course of history with respect to the Jewish people. The subsequent returns from exile led by Nehemiah and later Ezra would not have been possible had it not been for the decisive and fearless planning and action of Esther and Mordecai. These are truly two of the great heroes of faith in all of history, and one of them is a woman!

MORE OF GOD’S LEADING LADIES

Although we need to spend an ample amount of time in the New Testament, there are still other outstanding examples of feminine service among God’s people. Time and space does not permit to delve into each and every possibility, but certainly we could not leave out the story of Ruth and Naomi, and the effect it had on the future of the Promised Seed Line.

The Book of Ruth, though bearing her name, was probably not written by the character Ruth, but it most assuredly was written about this remarkable woman and her determined and courageous mother-in-law, Naomi. This particular story is relatively short, but packed full of types and symbols of the Messiah and His spiritual Bride. In this sense, Ruth is a type of the Bride, and Boaz, the near kinsman of Naomi, typifies Yahshua the Messiah. The story is set around the time of the early spring barley harvest, and the book is part of the Jewish Festival Scroll, being read at the appropriate time of Pentecost.

Since this story is familiar, I will not re-tell it here in this study, but it is good to ponder how two strong and courageous women were used so prominently by the Almighty to establish an important link in the royal lineage from which the Messiah would eventually descend. And Ruth wasn’t even an Israelite, but rather a Moabitess, a Gentile, someone unconnected to the great promises given to Abraham.

Both Ruth and Naomi had lost their husbands, and Naomi decided to return to her home in Bethlehem Ephratah. This was the very specific place from which the prophecies of Micah would later predict the Messiah would arise. Ruth refused to stay behind in Moab, and so clung to her mother-in-law, accepting Yahweh as the true God, and His Torah as the law which would govern her life. It becomes clear early on that Naomi had a spirit about her that was quite rare and most remarkable. She was far-sighted and tenacious, and had a quiet force about her that was difficult to stem. When she got something in her mind, she found a way to get it accomplished, which is precisely what she did in the case Ruth.

Naomi became Ruth’s counselor, coaching her on how she should behave, dress, and present herself. When she learned that Ruth had been invited to glean in the fields of Boaz, she immediately sensed the significance of this fact, for Boaz was a rich and powerful man who just happened to be close kin to Naomi.

Ruth, of course, was a young widow, and since she had bound herself to Naomi, she was accepted by the Jews as one of their own. Widows were almost always a seriously disadvantaged class, including Judea. Time and time again, we read in the pages of the Hebrew Scriptures God’s commands to take care of the widows. Boaz was always careful to obey this statute, leaving a reasonable portion of the harvest for all of the gleaners. Of course, once he learned of the plight of Naomi and Ruth, his near kin, he provided even extra for them.

Among the Hebrew culture, it was considered a particularly terrible tragedy for a man to die without producing a son to carry on the family line. In the case of Ruth, of course, her husband, as related earlier had indeed passed away. There can be no question at all that Boaz found Ruth most attractive, and went out of his way to be kind to her and Naomi. It so happened that Israel had been given a law called the Levirate Marriage, which allowed a brother or a cousin or nearest kinsman to inherit the deceased’s property only by marrying his widow and offering her a chance to have children. The kinsman, however, had to have the means to support a wife, as well as the desire to dwell with her.

Naomi, of course, was quite familiar with the Jewish customs, and therefore she carefully advised Ruth of what she must do with respect to Boaz. According to the law, the widow in question had to claim her right to the Levirate Marriage. The male kinsman was not obligated to marry the widow of his deceased relative, and had the right to decline the proposal. If the closest kinsman refused, then the next closest could avail himself of the opportunity.

In chapter 3 of the book of Ruth, we see Naomi instructing her daughter-in-law on the technicalities of the Levirate Marriage. If you have wondered about the seemingly strange goings-on between Ruth and Boaz in this part of the story, the fact is that the procedure followed by Ruth was simply the standard way of a widow claiming her right to a Levirate Marriage. Ruth went to the threshing-room floor where Boaz was sleeping, turned back the blanket at his feet, and lay down. When Boaz awoke, he immediately sensed what was happening and agreed to act on Ruth’s behalf. Of course, in the case of Boaz, he already was in love with Ruth, and this was a golden opportunity for him as well.

To conclude the story, we read in Ruth 4 the following words of Boaz:

“Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren...And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The Lord make the woman that is come into your house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do you worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem...So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the Lord gave her conception, and she bare a son...and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David” (Ruth 4:10-13, 17).

The marriage of Boaz and Ruth is a beautiful type of the union between the Messiah and His Bride, and was absolutely critical with regard to the lineage, not only of David, but of Yahshua the Messiah. Ruth is one of only four women that are listed in the genealogy of Christ in the New Testament. For a poor Moabite peasant girl, whose husband had died and left her a widow, Ruth became one of the most outstanding figures in all of Biblical history.

Ruth and her tenacious mother-in-law Naomi worked together as an inseparable and unbeatable team. Although always appropriately deferential in their behavior, they were also bold, determined, and wise, qualities that the Almighty deeply appreciates in women, especially those whom He intends to use for His divine purposes.

Space does not permit a thorough discussion of every woman who figures in the Biblical record. In addition to Ruth and Naomi, about which much more could have been said, we have other key Godly women in the Hebrew Scriptures who serve as excellent examples of women functioning in various roles in the service of the Lord.

Take, for instance, Abigail, the wife of a wretched man named Nabal. During the long, difficult period when David was fleeing for his life, either on the run or hiding out in caves to avoid king Saul’s wrath, he and his men encountered the herdsmen of Nabal, a wealthy, but evil man of Carmel. David and his soldiers converse with the shepherds and treat them well, but things began to change for the worse when David sent a contingent of messengers to Nabal himself requesting sustenance for he and his men. Nabal, described in the Bible, as a churlish man, was particularly nettlesome on this occasion, and flatly refused to even recognize David or his request.

The future king immediately ordered 400 of his soldiers to arm themselves and follow him to Nabal’s house, but a servant learned of the plans and told Nabal’s wife, Abigail, about the impending danger to her husband, and the reason for it.

Now, at this juncture, one might assume that Abigail, who was certainly not in love with Nabal and who taken much abuse from this man, would have simply realized her place and held her peace. Most women of that era would surely have followed such a course, and indeed many today, were they living in that historical period, would be in agreement–but not Abigail! She sensed the danger involved, and immediately ordered her servants to amass a huge larder as we read in I Samuel 25:

“Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs...and she said unto her servants, Go on before me; behold, I come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal” (I Sam. 25:18-19).

When she reached David and his army, she bowed at his feet, and proceeded to intervene on behalf of her sinful husband. Her plea, recorded in verses 24-31, is passionate and powerful, but her words constitute much more than that. Remember that the Jews later came to consider Abigail as one of the seven great prophetesses of Israel, and true to form, her speech to David indeed turned out to be a prophecy–a genuine prophecy that came to pass. Needless to say, David was highly impressed, saying:

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who sent you this day to meet me: and blessed be you advice, and blessed be you, which has kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with my own hand...Go up in peace to your house; see, I have hearkened to your voice, and have accepted your person” (I Sam. 25:32-33, 35).

The rest of the story is well-known among most Bible students. Within a few days, Nabal is struck dead by the hand of Yahweh, and when David learns of this event, he immediately sends for Abigail, and she becomes his wife, and bares him children.

David undoubtedly appreciated what he saw and heard with regard to Abigail. Though she was a woman, David listened and hearkened to her words. He could see that she was wise, not to mention bold. For a woman to do what Abigail did would be tantamount to putting her own life on the line. She risked everything to communicate something exceedingly important to David, who clearly recognized that this was directly from the hand of God Himself!

Abigail was a righteous and courageous woman, but she DID NOT REMAIN SILENT!! Rather she voiced herself to David in a humble, but firm fashion, and she got what she desired! Would that there were more woman with the strength of character displayed by Abigail! To become the wife of the future king of Israel was not what she was seeking. She received that honor from the Almighty as a blessing. And faithful, righteous women today who comprehend how Yahweh has gifted them and use what they have been given, can also expect God to respond in the same positive manner as He did toward Abigail.

Other significant women during the Old Testament period all made their own contribution to the work of God in their time. Individuals such as Rahab, who is listed in the famous faith chapter of Hebrews 11, and who is one of only four women listed in the genealogy of the Messiah; and Hannah, the mother of Samuel, and another of the prophetesses of Israel; and even Bathsheba, though perhaps most well known for participating in the sin of David, nevertheless figured prominently in the latter years of David’s reign, and was especially bold before the king to insure that her son Solomon inherited the throne of Israel upon the death of David.

Although our coverage of the Old Testament period has been necessarily brief, we can still be absolutely certain that the Scriptures clearly show that God does not consider women as second-class citizens or mere slaves to men. And while it is true that the role of women in general has been relegated to the bearing of children and the service of men, the reason for this is not that God desires such a set of circumstances, but rather that He permits them based upon the choice made in the Garden of Eden by Adam and Eve. They chose to go the way of the forbidden tree, of earning salvation through dint of their own efforts, rather than by trusting God and His grace. He, therefore, left man to operate under a curse–one that for most people still has not been lifted to this day.

Of course, for those who are truly in Christ, such a curse has indeed been removed, and the chance to understand and practice the genuinely proper roles of men and women has been granted. This is all part of the restoration of the rejected tree of life. As we now enter into the New Testament to complete our study, keep in mind that what we are attempting to do is perceive this issue from the perspective of Yahweh, not through any kind of human lens.

Part 1  | Part 3  | Part 4  | Part 5