Bible Question:
How does the Bible value women? (?)Answered Luke 11:27 Livingfaith Mon 02/5/07, 1:05pm Thank you again for a good answer. The Lord Jesus Christ related to women with grace and without fear. The question that arose had to do more with the historic treatment of women throughout the entire Bible, with an emphasis on the treatment of women by the "people of God", the Jews, the people to whom and amongst whom God first revealed himself, putting His own attitudes on historic display. I find myself wanting to be defensive of the integrity of the Living God in all His dealings with mankind, but women read of the treatment of women in the OT and they come away with an iimpression that women just were not that important to God, whereas God seems to value the men more. (Bathsheeba's experience shows the making whole of David, but says little about the diminishing of Bathsheeba.) My position is that I lack undertanding and the proper anwers have not as of yet been discovered. This ignorance however does not answer the questions. I feel for the women who feel downvalued. I have not done a complete study of all events in the entire Bible as they may have involved women. I have mentioned the high value of the women's ability to give life, but, some women see even that privilege as being burdensome and painful. As you can see, important consideratiions go on in women's minds and hearts. Many women, having few good experiences with the male gender, find themselves in a fix, when they view the Scriptures as being more preoccupied with the deeds of men and, in the women readers' view, less with the imppact of their tender gender. I do not see the Living God as having a "so-called" gender. Women, however, feel sometimes that God has revealed himself as one of the male gender persons. With so few living examples available of male persons having the same attitudes the Lord himself displayed whilst in the world, many a devoted women feels left out and alone. What can be said to women who feel left out in this way? Sincerely, in Christ, Livingfaith |
Bible Answer: Of course the first point that has to be made is that in the beginning God made woman to be man's helpmeet. Each was assigned a role. It was not a case of one being 'superior' but of essential roles. It was sinful man who turned the situation into one of inferior and superior and sinful woman who sees it in that way. Bearing children and shaping the world through them was a huge privilege. Paul saw it as a supreme ministry (1 Timothy 2.15). It is still a main way in which she is to 'work out her salvation'. The strength of the church has always been the children brought up by Christian women. Why then should we see their situation as inferior? Answer because we are like the disciples arguing who is the greatest. Jesus said that we had to see ourselves as the servants of all. Thus we could argue that women were given a huge advantage. But like sinful man, sinful woman wants to be in control. God never diminishes the value of women, it is man who does that. What God did do was try and protect women in the light of the customs that sinful man has established. Women were not on the whole able to take up prominent positions in public because they had to be protected in a world which was violent and lustful. They could not go out into the world as they do today because it was not safe to do so. There were no police. Indeed even Deborah had to have her male support for this reason. Protection depended on the family and was only possible if women were cosseted. Indeed women were so valued that their purity was looked on as of primary concern. Men could be attacked but they could not be violated in the same way as women. And a violated woman would not find acceptability because she had already become another's. It must not be assumed that women in those days felt that their position was second best. They enjoyed the security that this protection afforded. It could be argued that it is women today who devalue themslves by their sexual behaviour. But it is true that as today God's purposes were very much manipulated by men to their own advantage. We must not however blame God for that. And we must remember that in those days might was right in practical living. God knew very well that if His commands were seen as too outlandish they would be ignored. (They were largely ignored anyway. That is the story of the Old Testament). His laws were intended to make a difference. They were not just theoretical ideals. He made them in order to regulate and improve a system set up by men and women (and even then the hand that rocked the cradle had unseen influence). With regard to Bathsheba she was not quite in the same position as David. He was the king which made his sin the more heinous. Thus the consequence for him was seen as important for it affected the whole nation. But she was allowed to live. She received the same mercy as David. She did not come off second best. So the truth is that most of the problem we have with a woman's 'position' is that we look from the world's point of view not from God's. We just cannot bring ourselves to believe that Jesus was actually right when He said that those who truly serve are the truly great ones. |
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Questions and/or Subjects for Bible general Archive 3 | Author | ||
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baldwin | ||
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baldwin | ||
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Livingfaith | ||
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DocTrinsograce | ||
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jonp | ||
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Livingfaith | ||
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Hebers Wife | ||
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SIMPLICITYAIR1971 | ||
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dmcwoolford | ||
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KMc | ||
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Tim3:16 | ||
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matttt34 |