Women in Scripture, Old and New Testament
The Bible references given are from the King James Authorised 1611 Version. All bracketed references to the original language, are taken from the Companion Bible.
The following is based on Scripture, the inspired Word of God, which is confirmed in 2Peter 1:20-21, and also in 2Tim. 3:16.
The Timothy reference reads: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God”, [God-inbreathed, Grk.= theopneustos]. Interestingly, this Greek word used, is the only place in the whole of Scripture!
The text continues; “and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof”, [Grk=elenchos, the meaning here is “proof”, not reproof, i.e. correction, and therefore to prove and convict regarding the Word].
“For correction, for instruction in righteousness”.
2Tim. 3:17 reads; “That the man of God” [Grk. Theos = “the revealed God”]; may be perfect [Grk. artios= “fitted]; thoroughly furnished [=equipped] unto all good works” [=every work].
Taking the corrected text together, it reads;
All Scripture is God-inbreathed, and is profitable for doctrine, for proving, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. That the man of God may be fitted, thoroughly equipped unto every work.
This has been laboured to show that the whole Bible is from the mind of Almighty God. However, the correct meaning sometimes has to be worked at in context, and this shows as an example in 2Tim. 3:17. In that verse we see that the word "man" is used in the context. However, the PshittA translates "men and women". Interestingly all the Western Bibles such as KJV, NIV, Schofield, Darby etc., used the same translated word. However, the Interlinear from which these Bibles are derived and which is the Received Text also chooses to use the word "man" but the original Greek and its roots show that it can be mankind, man, or a man. In this case the comments below on the PshittA in our opinion applies due to the context, which applies to both men and women who are Christians. See: Ancient Aramaic Manuscripts, Pshitta O and A:
As stated above there is a difference in the translations. As all Western Bibles were derived from the PshittO which is the Western version of the Old Syriacs. The PshittA is the Eastern version and has only recently been translated from the Ancient Documents using the ancient form of the Aramaic language, by Victor Alexander in the USA. This is mentioned as undoubtedly throughout Scripture there are many parts which apply to both men and women equally; but parts which apply to the male only, the context usually giving the meaning.
All of us receive the world’s data via our senses, which is stating the obvious. We have been conditioned by the “nurture” factors of our backgrounds, and refined/consolidated by our education, our experience, our hurts, our decision etc. etc. Most women today, are heavily influenced by the “new” freedoms that became evident after the second world war, and a good thing too! However, as with men in the past and the present, some groups of women, and individuals, are taking extreme positions on many issues, and as is the case with men, are strident in the pursuit of those extreme positions. However, the Christian man and woman usually want to know, or should want to know, God’s Word on all and every situation in their lives. However, as always, the great enemy of God and man, Satan, will do his worst/best to disrupt and deceive all people, and every situation, when he can! The stage has been reached now, that men and women can be at each other’s throats, at the slightest provocation, and unless Christ and the Word are central in their lives and hearts, disaster follows, with all the secondary suffering for the families and children involved.
The writers have no hesitation in saying, that the situation has worsened worldwide, since the introduction of the theory of Evolution, in the mid-1800s. As this pernicious idea gained ground, the Bible as the God given Reference work for all human life, has lost its position in the relationships of humankind. On top of that, the demonic activity in all areas of life has increased dramatically, to the point where so-called Churches appoint female Priests, Vicars, Elders, Prophetesses etc. many of whom claim to speak for God, and presume to control the lives of their adherents. This particular activity is expressly forbidden in Scripture, but is part of the satanic activity forecast by the Apostle Paul in his letters to Timothy, which included the “unnatural unions” between men and women which are now commonplace! We now have the spectacle of men marrying men, and women marrying women, and being married by a woman priest, or a homosexual Bishop! All of these now common-place situations, are due to the non-adherence, and rejection of Scripture, The Word of God, and relying on human “wisdom” and traditions, which are formed and controlled by Satan.
Remembering as above, that the Bible is God’s Word to us, and that Christ was “the Word made flesh”, we clearly have to take it into account in all our life’s activities! So, mindful of the Bible’s importance, and what it says in “2Tim. 3:16”; what does it say about women and men, and is the instruction the same for the Old and the New Testaments?
We need to start at the beginning of the relationship between God, man, and woman. The first restriction, or command that God placed on Adam (Gen. 2:17), was regarding the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil”, and the prohibition of the eating of its fruit. God said that if Adam disobeyed, “thou shalt surely die”. This commandment was given to Adam, before Eve was created, and therefore was his responsibility.
Eve was then created from Adam’s flesh (Gen. 2:22), and was his responsibility. The serpent [Heb. nachash = the old serpent, transformed as an angel of light], then approached Eve, and confirmed to her that God had given all fruit of the garden to be eaten. Eve agreed, but with the exception of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, and stated, “God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die”. In these words, Eve has misquoted and added to the original, (Gen. 2:16-17). The words “neither shall ye touch it” are not in the original, and the word “lest” is changed from the word “surely”. This may seem pedantic, but is crucial to the case, and the history of mankind from that point. Since that time, the changing and additions to the Word of God, together with the current disregard for It, have caused, and is causing the complete ruin of mankind! In the case of Eve’s distortion and addition, the use of “lest” (in case) implies a possibility, instead of the certainty of death, as the word “surely” (certainly) shows. Satan immediately confirms Eve’s suggestion, and states in Gen. 3:4, “Ye shall not surely die” (emphatic), and goes on to say in V.5, that when they eat, they will be as gods, and will have the knowledge of good and evil. Also in the same verse, Satan implies that God is holding back from them something which they should have! Eve then eats of the forbidden fruit, and gives it to her husband who is with her, and he also ate it, V.6. In Gen. 3:9, God calls to Adam (not Eve) in the garden, which emphasises Adam's position in God’s order, and his responsibility! Adam hid from God, due to the knowledge of his nakedness, and in V.12 blames the woman, and by implication God, for his own lack of integrity, and lack of courage when needed, in not resisting Eve’s wishes! God then berated Eve, who blamed the serpent.
So, Adam blamed Eve and God. Eve blamed the serpent (Satan). Each one would not take responsibility for their actions, despite the fact of their free-will! This has continued ever since, with many variations on the theme!
God then pronounced punishment on each. The serpent is first, and interestingly there is no dialogue between the serpent and God, as both already know their relative positions, since the rebellion of Satan! That is yet to be concluded in the events prophesied in the pages of Revelation.
Satan is told in vs Gen. 3:14-15 that he and the woman would be enemies, and her seed would be instrumental in his downfall! “It (Christ = the seed of the woman) shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel”.
In V.16, the Lord said "I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and they conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be subject to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee”. In today’s world, such a comment is totally unacceptable, even in some Bible believers. In some Eastern religions, there is a titular acceptance. This especially the case since the Women’s Liberation Movement. However, variations of human opinion do not change the inerrancy of the Word of God as we shall see later.
Adam’s punishment is started with the words V.17, "Because thou has harkened unto the voice of thy wife”; (many men would say here that they have no choice). However leaving that, God is saying that he should not have paid heed to her, and should have easily remembered what God had said on the subject, which of course he did! God then pronounces the rest of the punishment, the cursed ground, the sorrow in the eating of it. In V.18, the thorns and thistles, and the eating of the herb. In V.19, the work of the body to bring forth the food, until returning to dust himself! All that because of disobedience!
Reminding ourselves at this stage that we are only concerned with God’s Word, and not with the many satanically inspired human arguments and opinions regarding the Bible, we revisit 2Tim. 3:16, and its expression of the sanctity, purity, and reliability of the Bible, and its use for doctrine, correction, and instruction.
We know from Scripture that created beings, angels and humans have free-will. As is shown throughout Scripture, that free-will is important to Almighty God. As we also know from Scripture, Satan rebelled against God, and has ever since been trying to usurp and undermine all of God’s will for all His created creatures. Scripture says that Satan was the most magnificent being that God created. The word Satan is Hebrew, and means “an adversary, an enemy, an accuser”. He has other names which are related to Greek, and his role in events yet to be. Note that he is a “created” being, not “begotten”, as only Jesus has that designation! Before Satan became the “adversary”, his name was “Lucifer”, which means “Morning star”, and his fall from favour is described in Isaiah 14:12-15.
There is much confusion and myth regarding Satan, starting in the Garden of Eden. He is there in Gen. 3:1, called a “serpent”, from the Hebrew “nachash”, which means “to hiss, mutter, whisper, etc.”, which has been translated subsequently as “serpent”. An allied Chaldean word means “bright”, which chimes with other Scriptural comment describing Satan as having a “glorious appearance”. In Isaiah 6:2-6, the Hebrew word “seraph” is used to describe “Heavenly beings” as “burning bright, and elevated”. In Numbers 21:8, “saraph” is “fiery serpent”. The words seraph and nachash are both used in Scripture to describe a serpent and a glorious spirit being. In 2Cor. 11:3, Paul fears for the Corinthians, that they will be beguiled as Adam and Eve, and refers to the appearance of Satan on that occasion in 2Cor. 11:14!!
So, when Satan beguiled Eve, he was magnificent to behold, as he said “surely thou wilt not die”, Gen. 3:4, and he has been saying it ever since, with the consequence that many humans will listen to him, and will go to their destruction! They will listen to Satan, even though they know the difference between good and evil! Many people are under the impression that they have an enduring part of themselves called the ‘soul’, which is an Ancient Babylonian concept given continuity by the Roman Catholic Church. That is false. At death the spirit of God given to the person for life is taken back to Him Ecc.12:7. The definition of the soul is given in Gen. 2:7. Variations of this erroneous teaching are in the Spiritualist Movement, the New Age Movement, and some Charismatic groups.
IN SUMMARY of this brief description; Satan was the most beautiful of God’s created creatures. He became enchanted by his own beauty and power, and wanted God’s position Ezek. 28. He is cast from favour, Isaiah 14:12. His name is changed after his rebellion to Satan, and he is allowed to try to stop trust and faith in God on Earth, (Job). This process is still under way, and will not end until the events described in Rev. 20!
In the garden of Eden, God set up a situation to counter Satan’s rebellion, and free-will is at the core of that plan! What many people do not know is that all of His Heavenly Creation is watching the outcome of this universal struggle, (Eph. 3:10), and that they too have free-will! We know from Revelation that Satan has had great success in Heaven, and that one third of the angels of Heaven have converted to him! He has been working simultaneously on Earth to capture humans in the same way! There is to be a time, some think soon, when Satan will be cast to Earth for a short time, and that time will be terrible for Earth's inhabitants!
Some will be saying by now, what has this to do with women in Scripture? It has everything to do with the subject! As has been shown the relationship between God, man and woman, broke down in Eden. When a man and woman have a good relationship, especially when both are committed to God and His Word, the original relationship intended between them by God, can draw closer. Perfection cannot be achieved in the present world, but by the now prevailing standards in married relationships, the comparison is very favourable!
Men and women have different roles, which was intended by God! When those roles are honoured, where possible in the present world system, harmony in the relationship has a better chance. The world system (see: Mystery Babylon:) being what it is, compromises have to be made, to enable survival in the physical roles. Whatever those compromises are, which is private and individual, the basic God intended positions cannot be usurped without at least trouble between the couple, and at worst, breakdown! For example, and using extremes, a man even if he is not able to “bring home the bacon”, should not lose the respect of his wife. A woman who is the breadwinner, should not feel superior to her husband, as both of these examples show departure from God’s order! In practice the individuals who are Christians, must work out their own solutions, always with an eye on God’s intentions, and in the end, it is the hearts of the individuals that are key!
As for non-Christians, as everyone knows, the rate of breakdown is extremely high, and in many of the relationships, the world’s latest standards prevail. This often puts the sexes at war with each other on a constant basis, and quite often, women dominate to the point of oppression! This of course is completely out of God’s order, and is exactly what was intended by Satan!! Nothing is more disturbing to a man than a raging, and power hungry woman, and men will of course not accept such. Nothing is more disturbing to a woman than an oppressive and sometimes violent man. Women in the main do not want bad relations with men, but most who are not Christians are subject to the laws of Feminism, which are harsh in the extreme, and in fact are a backlash to the contemptible way women have been treated by men for thousands of years, which in itself is Satanic, and was intended by Satan through men, to arrive at the situation we are now in!
Our Lord, when He was on His Earthly ministry, showed the utmost respect for women, and by His actions and comments made clear for all to see, that women and men were to treat each other with respect and care. When it came to sinning, He condemned both sexes, and also showed the Way, through Himself! As He is the final solution to what happened in Eden, it beholds us as Christians to honour Him in our lives, and to use His Information guide (The Bible) to resolve our problems of behaviour!
As is well-known, in the Old Testament many women were used for the purposes of God, from the high-born, to the lowest classes. A notable example is Deborah, but she was only used in what should have been a man's role, because the men refused! The Lord will not be limited by the reluctance and rebellion of men or women, but He does expect wherever possible His guide-book the Bible to be used. In the present day, there are men and women who claim to be prophets, and to speak for God!, they also use Scripture to substantiate their claims. The Scriptures used are usually taken out of context, in a similar way to those in Eden! Although startling claims are made by many of these men and women, they steadfastly refuse to allow examination of their claims under controlled conditions! There is no doubt that the old Enemy is at work with these people to deceive as usual. The major sin they commit is to mix the Gospel message of Salvation through the Blood of our Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus, with that of the “second blessing”, or sometimes called “the proper salvation, and filling with the spirit of God”. In this description, the major mark of authenticity for them is what they call “empowering”, which means that the individuals will be able to perform “miracles” which were properly attributed to our Lord’s “evidential” miracles, and to the Apostles in the early Acts period, up to the point that the Jews rejected finally their Messiah, at Acts 28:28. This latter movement, which is an offshoot of the Pentecostals, and has many titles, throughout the world, is a major cause of confusion, especially to women, as many women have major roles in their organisation. The only touchstone of truth in these cases, is what Scripture says. As these organizations encourage women to teach and control men, the words of the Apostle Paul are clear, and paramount! 1Tim. 2:11-14!!
The Apostle Paul's warning and prohibition here in these verses, is not because he was a "woman hater" as has so often been said by many in the established Churches, but because he only wrote what he was instructed to do, by Christ Himself! On the few occasions that he ventured his own opinion, he made that clear! In his letters he is clear as to his regard for true women of God! Our Lord so instructed Paul as to their position and activity regarding men, to avoid a repeat of the Eden tragedy, as Satan approached Eve, believing she was more suggestible, and then Adam would more easily be undermined and controlled! (See: Eve and Adam).
It is therefore incumbent on women to seek this knowledge and Truth, and for those that refuse to accept Scripture as it is written, as many do with various excuses, the results for them are individual, either at Christ's Judgement Seat (Bema), or at the Great White Throne Judgement!
Although the title of this paper is regarding women, as is clear, it is almost impossible in the context of Scripture, and the Will of the Almighty, to differentiate between the sexes: as the real subject is the Free-Will: of both!
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