Truths Women Need To Be Told.

Everywhere you look in modern society, women are being told by themselves and others they need to be a certain way. Females are being pulled back and forth in a societal struggle of dominance. What we end up seeing is great hatred and anger building up instead of a biblical response of love. How should Christian women respond, especially in the midst of a very aggressive feminist movement? While I do not have absolute answer, I do want to highlight examples of how the bible talks about women, and how God used women in powerful ways.

20 But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’” 21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?

Romans 9:20-21

The first thing I want to state is this: we are who/what God made us to be, and there is no changing that. From the beginning, God knew we would exist and had a plan for us that would further His kingdom and glorify Him. We will only be content when we get with that program and fulfill our ultimate purpose because that is where we’ll be closest to our Lord. From our looks to our quirky personalities, He formed us a certain way, and how dare we question the being who put us into being. We are examples of his wonderful workmanship.

10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:10

Does this make us beautiful? Not necessarily. While it is true that there are those who are blessed with outward beauty, we become most beautiful to God when we allow his spirit inside of us to shine outwards. This occurs when we feed that spirit through practicing love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

The world tries to tell us that we are beautiful, and we do not need to change who we are. This causes hatred and bitterness towards those who exhibit desirous qualities and encourages pride and arrogance of oneself. The immoral and adulterous woman talked about throughout Proverbs is beautiful and compelling; but, in character, she is bitter, manipulative, and defiant.

For some reason, the image that comes to mind when one thinks of a good christian woman and wife seems to be of a female who’s only purpose is to cook and clean, while not being able to think for herself. However, the bible tells us the importance of a good wife and strong woman. The obvious Proverb that comes to mind in this conversation is 31.

10 [b]A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. 11 Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value…15 She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants. 16 She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. 17 She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. 18 She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.

Proverbs 31: 10-11, 15-18

Is this a woman who seems weak or dull in mind? No, the bible tells us this woman is not only strong in character but also physically in order to do the work she needs to do. She has an understanding of business, finances, and trading (using her own earnings).

A biblical example of a woman like this is Ruth. Known for her loyalty and stubbornness, she is someone to be admired. Ruth was willing to leave everything she knew to stay with her mother-in-law. She had to stay strong and provide for the both of them. Many woman say they want a Boaz when they talk about a future husband, but are we willing to be what drew his attention?

10 At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?” 11 Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. 12 May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”

Ruth 2:10-12

With that being said about being a strong woman, I can now talk about submission without insinuating a need to be weak. I believe there is an importance to submitting; to father, husband, and those in authority. It humbles us and represents the powerful image of the church submitting to our Lord.

To emphasize this, we will look at Esther, another well known female in the bible. It states in chapter 2 that Esther won approval from all those around her and, more importantly, the king. Why is this? In what basically amounted to a beauty contest, Esther was lifted up. While it may have been due to her looks, it doesn’t seem likely this is the only thing that made her stand out when she was surrounded by many other beautiful women. My guess has to do with her character and a submissive nature, which is seen in the following verse.

15 When the turn came for Esther (the young woman Mordecai had adopted, the daughter of his uncle Abihail) to go to the king, she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the harem, suggested. And Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her.

Esther 2:15

Her willingness to listen and obey allowed her to be lifted to a place that God could use her. The book continues and shows the respect she had for the king who was above her. When she find out about the decree to kill her people, Esther does not react in anger but steps out in calm courage, despite the risk to her own life. She saved a whole nation because of the way she acted. Would Esther have been able to accomplish the same if she had acted differently, if she hadn’t humbled herself?

Woman was created from man to be a companion, helper, and complement. We do not need to fear the supposed oppression the world tells us about, but use it glorify God and further His kingdom. God created us to be nurturers and helpers, but for some reason society tells us that is weak. I said earlier we will not be content until we are following God’s intention for us, and I believe that is why there is so much anger and bitterness in things such as the feminism movement. We must stick to what God says we are and act always in love.

18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper as his complement.

Genesis 2:18

Spiritual Wisdom

Imagine in your head the wisest person you know and question why that is. We view people as wise for many different reasons: they give good advice, they make smart choices when it comes to finances or relationships, or maybe they’re just book smart. I want to challenge you to remove that idea of wisdom out of your head as you continue to read and think of of the wisest man in the bible: Solomon.

5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” 6 Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day. 7 “Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” 10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 

1st Kings 3: 5-20

King Solomon wasn’t actually born with the wisdom talked about in 1st Kings and 2nd Chronicles but received it through asking the Lord to grant it to him for the betterment of his people. The Lord came to Solomon in a dream and wanted to grant any request he may have. Let’s pause and take a moment to realize almost anyone else in this position would have asked for a hundred other things before requesting wisdom. However, the Lord was so pleased when Solomon went before Him in thanksgiving first and then asked for a gift that would benefit his kingdom and not himself. The Lord grants this and also blesses Solomon with so much more because of his servant heart.

The first thing about wisdom is that it’s never for ourselves but always for the glorification of God and the furthering of His kingdom. King Solomon acknowledged that he was not prepared to lead the Lord’s people and so asked for help in making wise decisions and judgments. While we ourselves are most likely not in the position of King, God has given us authority over many things in our own lives. When we take Solomon’s example, we see that when we ask for spiritual wisdom, we are asking the Lord to help us make decisions that lead our families towards Him. To help us supervise our employees justly and towards Him. To help us see His truth when talking about political topics so that we can lead this country towards Him. Every decision or conversation that we think we are being wise in should ultimately be pointing ourselves and others towards Him. If it’s not, that’s not wisdom, which means wisdom is largely also knowing when to humble ourselves so that God is being lifted up.

Since we already know God granted Solomon a spiritual wisdom that none in history can compete with, it only makes sense to move into the book of Proverbs, where his knowledge is recorded. The basic idea of wisdom is summed up well I believe in this passage:

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
    but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 1:7

To know how to act wisely is to truly fear the Lord in everything you do. This is because you have such a reverence and respect for Him that everything you do is in accordance to His law. There is a true fear because you understand His strength and might, and He can and will punish the unjust. The rest of Proverbs is great to read if you want step by step guidance in daily life, but it’s advice all stems from that one verse. We are able to gain spiritual wisdom when we guard our hearts from evil and tune them instead to hear the Lord’s instruction. When we can firmly say we are doing God’s will and following His commands, then we know we are making wise decisions. The books of Proverbs says that until we do that, we will never find full happiness in life.

The reason we can never be truly happy until we pursue this wisdom all stems from creation. In Proverbs 8 it talks in depth about how wisdom existed before God even created anything. It is also present in the Garden when Adam and Eve are able to walk side by side with the Lord. The Fall stems from a lack of wisdom, a breaking of God’s commandment. As Christians, we strive towards redemption, a renewal of right standing with God. We do this by taking creation and bringing it back to it’s original goodness through wise decisions in our personal life and as a church.

Ultimately, book knowledge and perfect advice will fail when not grounded on Christ. There is something encouraging in knowing that earthly wisdom is not as important as an understanding of God and His commands, which we can always pursue and grow stronger in.