|
Introduction:
The way some people talk, you would think the sum total of the
Bible’s presentation of womanhood could be found in three
passages: Ephesians
5:22-24; I Corinthians 14:34-35; I Timothy 2:11-15. We
make no apologies for these verses because God is our Lord. We are
not willing to go out on our own because God’s verses do not fit
with our culture’s ideals. Rather, we will do what He says
because we believe His way is best. Further, we recognize as long
as Adam is the one who was created first and Eve is the one who
was deceived first, these verses govern us. They were not a matter
of cultural service, but of the creation order. These verses do
not talk about the worth of women, but about their roles in the
family and congregation. We each have different roles and must
work to fulfill ours as God decreed. Sadly, because these verses
do not mesh with modern feeling, many have falsely accused the
Bible of being anti-woman. This is patently false. The Bible does
not present women as backwards, ignorant, worthless decorations to
hang on the arms of men. Granted, the Bible does present negative
pictures of sinful women as it also presents negative pictures of
sinful men. Keep that in mind when you read passages like Proverbs
19:13; 27:15. These passages do not tell us what women are
like, but sinful women. That is like Proverbs
26:1, which does not talk about all men, but foolish men.
Let’s look at a handful of righteous, wise women. This will give
us a better idea of God’s perspective on womanhood, providing us
with a better perspective. Discussion: I.
Wise and righteous women of the Bible. A.
Esther:
Can any look at Bible women neglect Esther? When God’s people
are threatened by the accuser (Haman), she is convinced to do
something about it. First, she implements a three day fast. On the
third day, she went into the presence of the king to identify the
accuser of her people. In the moment the accuser thought he was
most victorious, he suffered his greatest defeat (Esther
4-5). Are you getting the picture created here? Esther is
a female shadow of Jesus Christ Himself. Esther is an antitype
that foreshadows the ultimate victory God’s people had over the
accuser through the ultimate deliverer, Jesus. Esther is not a
backwards, ignorant, worthless decoration for the men of the
story. She is the deliverer. B.
Rahab
and Ruth: These were not only women, but foreign women. That is, they
were not Jews. In Joshua
2, none of the men of Jericho were willing to recognize
what Rahab did—help the Israelites and be saved from
destruction. Rahab delivered not only herself, but her whole
family (Joshua
2:11-14; 6:25). Ruth, a Moabitess, was willing to give up
all to follow her Jewish mother-in-law (Ruth
1:16-17). The reason I tie these two women together is
found in Matthew
1:5. Both were in the lineage of Jesus. These foreign
women were blessed because of their wisdom in following God. The
Old Testament message was clear. If God would bless even these
foreigners when they wisely submitted to God, how much more will
He bless His people when they follow Him? These women were not
worthless, but wise and honored by God. C.
Abigail:
In I
Samuel 25, we meet Abigail, who would end up as the wife
of David. Her husband Nabal was a fool. Despite David’s
protection of Nabal’s shepherds, Nabal would not help David.
Abigail went to David and appeased his anger. She saved her
husband from David’s wrath and David from taking vengeance. Of
course, Nabal’s folly brought God’s judgment and he died. We
must give serious consideration to who was wise and who was
foolish here. D.
Wise
Woman of Abel:
Abel had apparently been considered a city filled with wisdom (II
Samuel 20:18). But on one particular day, they were
foolish, except for one wise woman. Sheba, a Benjamite, had
rebelled against King David. He was easily overcome and fled to
the city of Abel. Joab, David’s commander, besieged the city.
Because of this one man, an entire city was going to be destroyed.
One woman realized they should find out what Joab wanted. In II
Samuel 20:20-21, Joab explained he only wanted Sheba, but
he was willing to tear down the city to get him. The wise woman
went back to the people and they wisely followed her counsel. They
cut off Sheba’s head and tossed it over the wall. Their city was
delivered because they heeded the counsel of this woman of wisdom. E.
Deborah
and Jael: According to Judges
4:4, Deborah was a prophetess and a judge in Israel. She
had called Barak to step up to the plate and be a deliverer, but
Barak couldn’t handle the pressure. He would only go if Deborah
would go with him. In Judges
4:9, she explained because Barak had balked, he would not
receive the glory. Instead, Sisera would be delivered into the
hand of a woman. That woman wasn’t Deborah, however. It was Jael,
the wife of Heber. In Judges
4:17-22, Jael killed Sisera and delivered the Israelites
in her wisdom. Jael was honored as most blessed of women in Judges
5:24. F.
Proverbs
31 Woman:
“An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than
jewels” (Proverbs
31:10, ESV). Here is a woman that provides for her
household’s future. She works in real estate. She has wisdom in
the market place both buying and selling. She runs her home
smoothly. Her family is prepared for trouble. Her husband is known
in the gates because of her support. Her children rise up and
bless her. Her husband praises her. Her works praise her in the
gates. That is, in the center of the city’s life and wisdom,
this woman is known and praised. G.
No doubt, we could look at other examples. We haven’t
even looked at the New Testament accounts of Mary the mother of
Jesus or Mary Magdalene and others. But can we not see women are
held in high esteem by God and demonstrably honored in the Bible? II.
Lessons for us. A.
Lessons for women: 1.
Pursue
righteousness:
Please keep in mind these honored women were not the contentious
women of Proverbs
19:13; 27:15. These were righteous women who pursued the
glory of God. If you wish to be a woman God honors and people
praise, pursue righteousness. 2.
Seek
wisdom:
These were women of wisdom. All the statements about folly among
men in Proverbs apply
to womanhood as well. Abigail, the woman at Abel and the Proverbs
31 woman sought and made use of wisdom. Notice Proverbs
31:26. Keep in mind the statement made in Proverbs
31:16. This woman gave consideration before acting. That
is the beginning of wisdom. Don’t act rashly. Take time. Give
thought. Follow wisdom. 3.
Be
a helper:
None of the women mentioned were seeking their own glory. Esther
was submitting to Mordecai and helping her people. Rahab was
helping her family. Ruth was submitting to her mother-in-law.
Abigail was trying to save her husband. The woman of Abel was
trying to help her city. Deborah was helping Barak. Jael was
helping Israel. The Proverbs
31 woman does good to her husband all the days of his
life. Our culture teaches women to seek their own glory. The Bible
teaches you to attain glory by being a wise and righteous helper
of others, especially your husband and family. B.
Lesson for men: 1.
Respect
your wife’s wisdom:
Women are different from men. They perceive differently, think
differently, reason differently and communicate differently. In
general, we might say men are more logical. Women are more
intuitive. Men think about step A which leads to point B from
which we draw conclusion C. Women drink in bigger pictures and
intuit a conclusion. Often, they have a “feeling” and cannot
express exactly why. But their intuitions are often right. We men
have a tendency to discount our wives’ wisdom because it cannot
be laid out in a sequential and logical order. We make a grave
mistake when we do. How logical was it to help David the renegade
against King Saul in I
Samuel 25? Yet, Abigail could intuitively see the mistake
her husband had made. Abigail became queen and Nabal, the fool,
died. We must not disrespect our wives’ wisdom because it is
different from ours. Rather, we must respect it. Her wisdom can
perceive what our logic sometimes cannot. Men, we need to remember
when God chose to personify wisdom, He used a woman (Proverbs
1:20). 2.
Seek
your wife’s counsel:
How many men were in the wise city of Abel when Sheba fled there
in II
Samuel 20? Yet, it was only when they followed the wisdom
of the woman of Abel that the city was saved. How might Nabal’s
fate have been different if he had consulted his wife first?
Sadly, too many of us think we must be all wise and make all
decisions from start to finish without any wise counsel from our
wives. No doubt, we can make some decisions on our own. But if we
respect our wives’ wisdom, we will seek their counsel. In the
end, we are the leaders, we will make the decision and we will
give account for it. But why would we make a decision without
seeking the counsel of one of the greatest sources of wisdom God
has given us? According to Proverbs
12:15, the way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but the
wise man listens to advice or seeks counsel. Men, let us not be
fools. 3.
Allow
your wife to help:
We know Genesis
2:18, which provides the over-arching principle of the
woman’s role in the family. Eve was created to be a helper, a
partner. Sadly, most men don’t want a helper, they want a
servant. They have taken the wife as helper to mean the man
decides what he wants and then expects the wife to be his lackey
to accomplish it. No wonder so many today rebel against God’s
plan for women. They think the Bible supports the misguided men
who do not understand the roles of either husband or wife as
taught in the Bible. Men, our headship is meted out in service to
and sacrifice for our wives and children (Ephesians
5:25). Our headship means leading our family in the
direction that is best for our family, not for us. With that goal
in mind, allow your wife to be the helper God intended her to be.
Don’t push her into the role of pawn, let her be your partner.
Yes, as we have said, you are the head. In the end, the decision
is yours and you will be the one who gives account. Don’t you
want all the wise help you can get so you can give account for
good things when you stand before God in judgment? Having studied
these things, I can’t help but think about I
Timothy 3:2 and Titus 1:6. Why must an elder be the
husband of one wife? Was it to prove he could be a good manager of
his home? No, that was why he is supposed to be a father. Is it
possible the bishop must be married because when he has no wife to
help him his wisdom is incomplete? Just something to think about. Conclusion: The Bible is not anti-women. Certainly, the Bible presentation of women’s roles in the church and family does not correspond with our culture’s desires. But God, through the Bible, highly honors the sisters among us. We must as well. Let us all learn the lessons we can glean from these wise women of the Bible. Women, be the righteous, wise helpers God intended. Men, respect and seek counsel from the helper God has given you. Her worth is far above jewels. Make sure you treat her that way.
Glory
to God in the church by Christ Jesus
|
||||||||||
