8/8/00
Silence: A Woman's Place
There remains some uncertainty
in the minds of some believers today, with regards to the place of a woman within
God's Church. There is scripture that seems to indicate that women are not to be
in positions of authority, and that they are not even permitted to speak out loud
when the Body gathers together.
The scripture seems clear enough, but it is such
a strange concept in our society today, we think that surely this cannot be God's
intention for the partner of Man.
Is there another meaning to the scriptures,
or is this truly the intended role of women in the church?
The bible says that
the Holy Spirit guides us into all truth (John 16:13), and illuminates all of the
mysteries of God (Colossians 2:2,3). Therefore, may it go forth before us and reveal
the will of God for our lives, opening our hearts to the truth, as well as giving
us the strength to accept it.
Let us first take a look at the two
scriptures that indicate women are to keep silent.
1st Timothy 2:8-15
I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.
9 I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided
hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, 10 but with good deeds, appropriate
for women who profess to worship God.
11 A woman should learn in quietness and
full submission. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a
man; she must be silent. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was
not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. 15
But women will be saved through childbearing-if they continue in faith, love and
holiness with propriety.
1st Corinthians 14:33-40
For God is not a God
of disorder but of peace.
As in all the congregations of the saints, 34 women
should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be
in submission, as the Law says. 35 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.
36 Did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only
people it has reached? 37 If anybody thinks he is a prophet or spiritually gifted,
let him acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord's command. 38 If he
ignores this, he himself will be ignored.
39 Therefore, my brothers, be eager
to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40 But everything should be
done in a fitting and orderly way.
The Apostle Paul was the author of both
1st Timothy and 1st Corinthians. This is significant, because if we can gain an understanding
of the writer, we can gain a better insight into his writings. As we look into Paul's
instruction for women, we will understand his words better if we understand his motivations
and his reasons for writing them down.
First, you must understand that Paul
had an abrasive personality. He came across as being very opinionated, very strict,
and very much holier-than-thou.
In 2nd Peter 3:16, Peter makes a comment about
Paul's writings: "He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them
of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which
ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own
destruction."
Peter says that Paul writes some things that are difficult
to understand, and that some people take these things the wrong way, distorting the
truth of what Paul is actually saying. I agree, and this is what I want to make clear
to you as we begin this study.
I have discovered that when you hear Paul make
an arrogant-sounding statement, you need to investigate deeper into his words, because
he is trying to make an important point. As a rule of thumb, if you find yourself
getting offended at Paul's attitude, you have already missed his point.
Paul
was a Roman Citizen with a great education. (Acts 26:24) Peter and John were ignorant
and unlearned men. (Acts 4:13) This difference will be evident in their writings.
Not only will the style of writing be different, but Paul will come across frequently
as being superior. (Acts 22:23-29; 1st Cor. 14:18; Romans 11:13, 14) Even when Paul
refers to his former life of sin, he calls himself the Biggest Sinner (1st Tim. 1:16:
This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came
into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.- KJV; But for that very reason
I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display
his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive
eternal life.-NIV).
Paul habitually comes across as being the Best Christian,
and formerly the Worst Sinner. (He even takes Peter to task in front of a whole crowd
- Gal. 2:11; and after meeting Peter, James, and John, he refers to them as "those
reputed to be pillars", instead of simply calling them pillars of the Church
- Gal. 2:9)
So keep this in mind as you study the words of Paul. He sometimes
came off sounding superior, but that was never his intention at all. This was simply
a result of his upbringing, his education, and his nationality.
Now let's
look at the core of these verses that exude this attitude of silent femininity.
1st
Timothy 2:11,12
A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. 12 I
do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent
1st
Corinthians 14:34, 35
women should remain silent in the churches. They are not
allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. 35 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
The first thing that becomes apparent
when we look at the passage in 1st Corinthians, is that this attitude is the result
of a Law. It is not a manifestation of Paul's contempt for women.
Paul says
that women must remain silent in the churches because there is a Law that says this
is the way things must be.
Throughout scripture, Christians are instructed to
obey those in positions of authority.
Hebrews 13:17 (Obey your leaders and
submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account.
Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no
advantage to you.);
Ephesians 6:5-8 (Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect
and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6 Obey them
not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ,
doing the will of God from your heart. 7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving
the Lord, not men, 8 because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever
good he does, whether he is slave or free.);
Matthew 23:1-3 (Then Jesus said
to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees
sit in Moses' seat. 3 So you must obey them and do everything they tell you…).
These
scriptures explain to us that we must always obey those that have positions of authority
over us, whether they are doing right or not.
1st Samuel 24:1-22 tells the
story of how King Saul was pursuing David in order to kill him. David and his men
were hiding in the back of a cave that Saul soon entered as well, but did not see
them. David not only refused to kill King Saul at the urging of his men, but was
terribly ashamed of the fact that he even dared to cut off a corner of Saul's robe.
Even though Saul was trying to kill David, David refused to harm him because
he was the King, and still called him "my lord", "my master",
and "my father".
(After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines,
he was told, "David is in the Desert of En Gedi." 2 So Saul took three
thousand chosen men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near
the Crags of the Wild Goats. 3 He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was
there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the
cave. 4 The men said, "This is the day the LORD spoke of when he said to you,
'I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.'"
Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul's robe. 5 Afterward, David
was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. 6 He said to his
men, "The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD's
anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the LORD."
7 With these words David rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul.
And Saul left the cave and went his way. 8 Then David went out of the cave and called
out to Saul, "My lord the king!" When Saul looked behind him, David bowed
down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. 9 He said to Saul, "Why
do you listen when men say, 'David is bent on harming you'? 10 This day you have
seen with your own eyes how the LORD delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some
urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, 'I will not lift my hand against
my master, because he is the LORD's anointed.' 11 See, my father, look at this piece
of your robe in my hand! I cut off the corner of your robe but did not kill you.
Now understand and recognize that I am not guilty of wrongdoing or rebellion. I have
not wronged you, but you are hunting me down to take my life. 12 May the LORD judge
between you and me. And may the LORD avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my
hand will not touch you. 13 As the old saying goes, 'From evildoers come evil deeds,'
so my hand will not touch you. 14 "Against whom has the king of Israel come
out? Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog? A flea? 15 May the LORD be our judge and
decide between us. May he consider my cause and uphold it; may he vindicate me by
delivering me from your hand." 16 When David finished saying this, Saul asked,
"Is that your voice, David my son?" And he wept aloud. 17 "You are
more righteous than I," he said. "You have treated me well, but I have
treated you badly. 18 You have just now told me of the good you did to me; the LORD
delivered me into your hands, but you did not kill me. 19 When a man finds his enemy,
does he let him get away unharmed? May the LORD reward you well for the way you treated
me today. 20 I know that you will surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel
will be established in your hands. 21 Now swear to me by the LORD that you will
not cut off my descendants or wipe out my name from my father's family." 22
So David gave his oath to Saul. Then Saul returned home, but David and his men went
up to the stronghold.)
The same lesson of respecting our authority figures
can be learned by examining the circumstances concerning the end of Saul's life.
Saul was mortally wounded in battle, and ordered his armor-bearer to kill him
so that he would not be captured and tortured. The armor-bearer, horrified at the
idea of harming the King, even though Saul himself ordered the deed to be done, refused
to comply. Saul then attempted to commit suicide.
1st Chronicles 10:1-4 (Now
the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many
fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2 The Philistines pressed hard after Saul and his sons,
and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua. 3 The fighting grew
fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him. 4 Saul said
to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised
fellows will come and abuse me." But his armor-bearer was terrified and would
not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it.)
Again, this is illustrated
by David's reaction when he hears about how Saul, unsuccessful in taking his own
life, orders an Amalekite to finish the job. David has the man executed for killing
the Lord's Annointed.
2nd Samuel 1:1-16 : After the death of Saul, David
returned from defeating the Amalekites and stayed in Ziklag two days. 2 On the third
day a man arrived from Saul's camp, with his clothes torn and with dust on his head.
When he came to David, he fell to the ground to pay him honor.
3 "Where
have you come from?" David asked him.
He answered, "I have escaped
from the Israelite camp."
4 "What happened?" David asked. "Tell
me."
He said, "The men fled from the battle. Many of them fell and
died. And Saul and his son Jonathan are dead."
5 Then David said to the
young man who brought him the report, "How do you know that Saul and his son
Jonathan are dead?"
6 "I happened to be on Mount Gilboa," the
young man said, "and there was Saul, leaning on his spear, with the chariots
and riders almost upon him. 7 When he turned around and saw me, he called out to
me, and I said, 'What can I do?'
8 "He asked me, 'Who are you?'
"'An
Amalekite,' I answered.
9 "Then he said to me, 'Stand over me and kill me!
I am in the throes of death, but I'm still alive.'
10 "So I stood over him
and killed him, because I knew that after he had fallen he could not survive. And
I took the crown that was on his head and the band on his arm and have brought them
here to my lord."
11 Then David and all the men with him took hold of their
clothes and tore them. 12 They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul
and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the LORD and the house of Israel, because
they had fallen by the sword.
13 David said to the young man who brought him
the report, "Where are you from?"
"I am the son of an alien, an
Amalekite," he answered.
14 David asked him, "Why were you not afraid
to lift your hand to destroy the LORD's anointed?"
15 Then David called
one of his men and said, "Go, strike him down!" So he struck him down,
and he died. 16 For David had said to him, "Your blood be on your own head.
Your own mouth testified against you when you said, 'I killed the LORD's anointed.'"
Numbers 12:1-15 describes the Lord's punishment of Miriam and Aaron for speaking
out against Moses. (Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite
wife, for he had married a Cushite. 2 "Has the LORD spoken only through Moses?"
they asked. "Hasn't he also spoken through us?" And the LORD heard this.
3 (Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the
earth.) 4 At once the LORD said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, "Come out to the
Tent of Meeting, all three of you." So the three of them came out. 5 Then the
LORD came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the entrance to the Tent and summoned
Aaron and Miriam. When both of them stepped forward, 6 he said, "Listen to
my words:
"When a prophet of the LORD is among you,
I reveal myself
to him in visions,
I speak to him in dreams.
7 But this is not true of my
servant Moses;
he is faithful in all my house.
8 With him I speak face to
face,
clearly and not in riddles;
he sees the form of the LORD.
Why then
were you not afraid
to speak against my servant Moses?"
9 The anger
of the LORD burned against them, and he left them.
10 When the cloud lifted from
above the Tent, there stood Miriam-leprous, like snow. Aaron turned toward her and
saw that she had leprosy; 11 and he said to Moses, "Please, my lord, do not
hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed. 12 Do not let her be like
a stillborn infant coming from its mother's womb with its flesh half eaten away."
13 So Moses cried out to the LORD, "O God, please heal her!"
14 The
LORD replied to Moses, "If her father had spit in her face, would she not have
been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp for seven days; after
that she can be brought back." 15 So Miriam was confined outside the camp for
seven days, and the people did not move on till she was brought back.)
The
language in these last two passages has been the same: David said to the Amalekite,
"Why were you not afraid to lift your hand to destroy the LORD's anointed?",
and the Lord said to Miriam and Aaron, "Why then were you not afraid to speak
against my servant Moses?".
Numbers 16:31-35 describe the punishment
Korah and his men received for questioning the authority of Moses. (As soon as he
finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart 32 and the earth opened
its mouth and swallowed them, with their households and all Korah's men and all their
possessions. 33 They went down alive into the grave, with everything they owned;
the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community.
34 At their cries, all the Israelites around them fled, shouting, "The earth
is going to swallow us too!" 35 And fire came out from the LORD and consumed
the 250 men who were offering the incense.)
Paul himself, apologizes vehemently
after finding out that the man he spoke harshly to was the High Priest of God, in
Acts 23:2-5 (At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to
strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, "God will strike you, you
whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself
violate the law by commanding that I be struck!"
4 Those who were standing
near Paul said, "You dare to insult God's high priest?"
5 Paul replied,
"Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written:
'Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.'")
Our last example,
2nd Samuel 6:20-23, shows how God caused Michal, David's wife, to be barren her entire
life because of speaking against David. (When David returned home to bless his household,
Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, "How the king of Israel
has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his
servants as any vulgar fellow would!"
21 David said to Michal, "It
was before the LORD, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house
when he appointed me ruler over the LORD's people Israel-I will celebrate before
the LORD. 22 I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated
in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor."
23 And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.)
The bible makes it clear to us then, in both the Old and New Testaments, that we
are to honor and respect those that have authority over us; that we are to treat
them as the Lord's Annointed. It doesn't matter if we think that they are being hypocrites,
or if we think they are exceeding their authority, or if we think they are making
fools of themselves, or if we think they are doing things they should not be doing,
or even if they are tracking us down to kill us - they are the Lord's Annointed,
and the authority that they have over us is to be respected and obeyed.
The only
time we are permitted to disobey our authority is when the laws of men contradict
the laws of God.
Acts 4:18-20 : Then they called them in again and commanded
them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied,
"Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather
than God. 20 For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.");
and Acts 5:27-29 (Having brought the apostles, they made them appear before the Sanhedrin
to be questioned by the high priest. 28 "We gave you strict orders not to teach
in this name," he said. "Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching
and are determined to make us guilty of this man's blood."
29 Peter and
the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men!.
Even
Jesus taught this same principle of obeying the rule of those that are over us, in
Mark 12:13-17, when he was asked if the law of paying taxes to Caesar should be obeyed.
(Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his
words. 14 They came to him and said, "Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity.
You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach
the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or
not? 15 Should we pay or shouldn't we?" But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. "Why
are you trying to trap me?" he asked. "Bring me a denarius and let me look
at it." 16 They brought the coin, and he asked them, "Whose portrait is
this? And whose inscription?" "Caesar's," they replied. 17 Then Jesus
said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's."
And they were amazed at him.)
Once you understand this quality that Christians
are to have, specifically that characteristic of obeying one's rulers, you can understand
the passage in 1st Corinthians 14:34 when it says that women are to obey the law
and keep silent while in public.
There remains no such law in our society
today, and as such, women are no longer bound by it. Our study of scripture is far
from over, however, so let us continue.
Notice the wording of the scripture
in 1st Timothy 2:12: I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a
man; she must be silent.
"I do not permit".
Who is speaking
here? Who is the "I" in this passage? This is Paul. He doesn't say that
the Lord does not permit, he says that he does not permit. Paul makes this a personal
statement when he says this. Let's back up and read what Paul wrote just before this
verse.
1st Tim. 2:8 - I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer,
without anger or disputing.
Paul makes the "I" statement again,
and says he wants men to lift up their hands in prayer. Does this mean we are going
about prayer all wrong if we pray without our hands raised? If we pray without raised
hands, are our prayers not heard by God?
No. Deuteronomy 9:25,26 shows Moses
praying while lying prostrate (I lay prostrate before the LORD those forty days and
forty nights because the LORD had said he would destroy you. 26 I prayed to the
LORD and said, "O Sovereign LORD, do not destroy your people, your own inheritance
that you redeemed by your great power and brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand.).
1st Kings 18:39 (When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, "The
LORD-he is God! The LORD-he is God!").
1st Chron. 29:20 (Then David said
to the whole assembly, "Praise the LORD your God." So they all praised
the LORD, the God of their fathers; they bowed low and fell prostrate before the
LORD and the king.).
Sometimes we pray while lying prostrate before the Lord.
Other times we pray while driving in the car (when we are unable to lift our hands).
Matthew 19:13 shows Jesus praying with his hands not raised, but placed upon others,
as we often do when interceding for others in need.
Is it wrong to pray
without upraised hands? No. Paul isn't saying that he requires men to raise their
hands every time they pray, he is actually emphasizing the "holiness" of
the hands. In other words, he wants men to pray with holiness in their lives, and
as the verse elaborates, those who pray should do so in righteousness and without
anger or grudges in their hearts.
He is saying that when we do raise our hands
to God, we should do so with holiness in our lives.
Matthew 5:23,24 explains:
"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that
your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the
altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
God does not want our praises and offerings if we offer them outside of a pure heart.
Hosea
6:6: For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt
offerings.
This is what Paul is speaking of. This is his point. When we commune
with the Lord, we need to do so in holiness, and out of right living.
Jesus
said in Matthew 15:7-9: You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about
you:
8 "'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far
from me. 9 They worship me in vain;
their teachings are but rules taught by men.'
Matthew 6:5-8: "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love
to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I
tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray,
go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your
Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do
not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their
many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you
ask him.
Matthew 12:34-37: Offspring of vipers! how can ye speak good things,
being wicked? For of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good man
out of the good treasure brings forth good things; and the wicked man out of the
wicked treasure brings forth wicked things. 36 But I say unto you, that every idle
word which men shall say, they shall render an account of it in judgment-day: 37
for by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
If
we are full of wicked treasure, then when we speak to the Lord we are bringing Him
wicked things. It is necessary then, that we empty ourselves of the wicked treasure
and fill up on good treasure, so that when we speak, we will be bringing good things
before the Lord.
Paul is not regulating prayer by saying it has to accompanied
by lifted hands, he is saying that when it does come time for us to pray, we need
to approach the throne of God with holiness and righteousness.
Remember, do not
become offended at Paul's words. If you do, you have already missed his point. Keep
in mind that he may sound arrogant at times, and seem to be putting procedures into
place that have no purpose other than to bog us down with rules and regulations,
but nothing could be further from the truth. When Paul begins to offend you, or irritate
you with rules, it is a clue that he is actually trying to impart some Godly wisdom
for our edification. At these times, don't take what he seems to be saying at face
value. Study his words, and dig into the scripture, for you can rest assured that
there is an important truth to be learned.
Let's look at 1st Timothy 2:9,10
for another example of this:
I also want women to dress modestly, with decency
and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, 10
but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.
Again,
we see Paul saying that he wants women to dress in a certain way. They are not to
dress with gold or pearls or expensive clothing, nor are they to braid their hair.
But wait, is this really the point Paul is trying to make?
Some people
believe it is, and therefore forbid women to wear jewelry. Clothing that is extravagant
is also forbidden, but the braiding of the hair is curiously left out of their regulations.
If you are going to live by the Law, you must live by all of it. You cannot pick
and choose which parts you will decide to comply with and which parts you will not
- just as you cannot be alive in Christ and at the same time alive in sin. You cannot
serve two masters. (Matthew 6:24)
Why is it, then, that churches allow women
to braid their hair, when this scripture expressly forbids it?
Actually,
this is just like the previous passage of Paul's that we examined. In verse 8, he
was not trying to say that anytime we pray, we are to do so with raised hands. Rather,
he wanted us to understand that when we do pray, we should do so in holiness.
Likewise,
he is not setting rules here for the wardrobe of women.
His point is this:
Women are to dress modestly (and this means that they are not to dress in such a
way as to bring attention to themselves, but in a way that brings glory to God).
But completely beside the fact of the manner in which they conceal their nakedness,
they are to clothe themselves in good deeds, and allow their Godly actions to be
seen by others. This is what they need to draw attention to: the God of Heaven.
To
this end, they should dress and be clothed with righteousness, that their good deeds
should be seen and that others would be inspired to offer praise to God because of
it. (Matthew 5:16 - In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may
see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.)
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