Guest post: The Woman's Role in the Plan of God

Taken from: http://www.bibleviews.com/womanrole.html

God has a beautiful plan for womanhood that will bring order and fulfillment if it is followed in obedience. God's plan is that one man and one woman, of equal standing before Him but of different roles, should be bonded together as one. In His wisdom and grace He specifically created each for his or her role.

At creation, God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and from him God took a rib and made a woman (Genesis 2:2 1). She was a direct gift from the hand of God, made from man and for man (1 Corinthians 11:9). "Male and female created he them", (Genesis 1:27) each different but made to complete and complement each other. Although the woman is considered the "weaker vessel" (1 Peter 3:7), this does not make her inferior. She was made with a purpose in life that only she could fill.

To woman has been given one of the greatest privileges in the world, that of molding and nurturing a living soul.

Her influence, especially in the realm of motherhood, affects her children's eternal destination. Even though Eve brought condemnation upon the world with her act of disobedience, God considered women worthy of a part in the plan of redemption (Genesis 3:15). "But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman." (Galatians 4:4). He entrusted to her the bearing of and the caring for his own dear Son. The woman's role is not insignificant!

A distinction between the sexes is taught throughout the Bible. Paul teaches if a man has long hair, it is a shame unto him, but if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her (1 Corinthians 11:14,15). "The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God" (Deuteronomy 22:5). Their roles are not to be interchangeable.

In the Garden of Eden, God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone," and He made a help meet for him-a companion, someone to satisfy his needs (Genesis 2:18).

Proverbs 31:10-31 tells in detail what kind of helpmeet the woman is to be. The supportive role of the wife to the husband is very evident in this description of the ideal woman. She "will do him good and not evil." Because of her honesty, modesty and chastity, "her husband doth safely trust in her." By her efficiency and diligence she would look well to her household. The basis for her virtue is found in verse 30: "a woman that feareth the Lord." This is a reverential fear that gives meaning and purpose to her life. Only as the Lord lives in her heart can she be the woman she was meant to be.

To become a child of God she needs to repent, confess her sins and accept Christ through faith. With Christ she will be able to live a self-denied life. The Holy Spirit will give strength, courage, and direction to fulfill her duties. He will grace her life with humility, modesty, and with that inner "ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price" (1 Peter 3:3,4). Proper, modest dress adds to the hidden charm of a woman. She should never draw attention to her body by being overdressed or underdressed.

To avoid confusion and establish order, someone needs to be the head and God has ordained that this should be the man (1 Corinthians 11:3). Marriage is to be a harmonious relationship similar to that of Christ and the Church. Christ is subject to God, man is subject to Christ, and woman is subject to man. Why would any woman rebel at her position in the framework of authority when even Christ, the Son, is subject to the Father? As the wife reverences her husband, she is obedient to the scripture (Ephesians 5:33), and her husband is then able to bear the responsibility that God has laid on his shoulders.

The liberation movement has challenged God's blueprint for womanhood. Women are clamoring for freedom and fulfillment by asking for total equality. This puts them into a power struggle- into a competitive role instead of a complementary partnership. Their quest for freedom only leads them into bondage. Nevertheless, the selfishness and ungodliness of many men is without excuse. In this context some of women's frustrations can be understood. Ironically, the very thing that many women are rejecting is God's way of establishing the woman in a life that fully satisfies.

If a women moves aggressively into the man's world and there seeks independence and equality, she loses her femininity, that reserved, modest sweetness that men respect and God approves.

Fulfillment comes as she cultivates those gifts for which she was created. A woman's submission to her husband liberates her from a multitude of frustrating problems, and her submission to God's order frees her from guilt. Submission is a blessing, not a curse!

The pattern of men taking the leadership and women following will bring a blessing to single women as well as married women, to daughters as well as wives.

As an outward sign of this submission and her submission to Christ, the Christian woman is commanded to have her head covered for praying and prophesying* (1 Corinthians 11:3-5). Man is subject to Christ and should therefore pray with his head uncovered. Woman is subject to man and should pray with her head covered. Wearing a head covering is a recognition of this divine order.

[* The writers of the article recognizes a sister should wear it "in her times of private devotions and prayer, the sister's head should be covered. A Christian sister would naturally want to wear the head covering whenever she is giving Christian service. In truth, all of a believer's daily life should be lived in service unto Christ. It seems appropriate, then, that the Christian women wear the prayer covering whenever she appears in public. She thus leaves a constant testimony of her submission to God and her husband.]

Love in marriage is to be pure and is given for pleasure as well as for propagation. Woman was uniquely created for the special task of bearing children, a creative fulfillment. God said, "Be fruitful and multiply" (Genesis 1:28). To purposely choose not to have children is sidestepping God's principle and forfeiting one of the most rewarding experiences in a woman's life.

Woman's first duty is the making and keeping of her home. Many a modern woman chooses a career, hires a baby-sitter, and rushes her children through childhood so that she can be free to pursue her selfish interests. The Bible teaches that women are to be "keepers at home" (Titus 2:5). This means a women is to be there, loving her husband, teaching and enjoying her children, and applying the homemaking arts with joy in her heart. This mother is the heartbeat of the home. She helps lay the foundation of moral standards there. The warmth of her spirit quietly establishes security in the lives of little children-confidence, that in spite of their problems and fears, all will be right. Why would any woman trade this noble place for some dollars earned or for some coveted position? This Bible way is not just being old-fashioned; it is God's order. The women who wholeheartedly accept God's plan will be blessed.

In certain instances, a woman's role extends beyond her home. Examples are given in both the Old and New Testaments of godly women who had responsibilities in God's kingdom. Also today there is a place for the Christian woman to serve within the Church. As she exercises her inborn attributes of love, gentleness, and compassion, she is a living example of that which becomes godliness. Older women are exhorted to teach the young women, "that the word of God be not blasphemed" (Titus 2:4,5). Single Christian women, who do not have the cares of a home and a family, are able to fill a special place (1 Corinthians 7:34).

There are definite guidelines for women's behavior in the Church. They are not to usurp authority over men. Paul instructs, "Let your women keep silence in the churches" (1 Corinthians 14:34,35; 1 Timothy 2:11-15). The order that God has planned for women excludes them from preaching. Faithful women find places for active participation in Christian service where they can humbly and consistently fellowship with other Christians.

May each woman fill her role with the grace of God in her heart, live in submissive obedience to His will, and humbly give of herself in the daily practices of life. As each person fills his respective place in God's plan, there is beautiful harmony that emerges in the heart, the home, and the church.

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Woman as God Intended, part 2

How were women treated in the New testament?

Jesus and Women

Jesus’ attitude to women was probably unique in His day. He talked with the outcasts of society, telling them the good news of the Kingdom of God; he ministered to women and was ministered to by women.

Mary Magdalene was a disciple of Jesus. The mere fact that he allowed women to be His disciples indicates that He valued women and did not treat them as second class citizens. She was the first person Jesus revealed Himself to after His resurrection, thus she was singled out for great honour. If Jesus thought little of women, He could easily have visited the disciples without the intervention of Mary, as He did when He appeared to them in the locked room.

The religious people of the day brought to Jesus a woman they had caught in the act of adultery. They asked Him to be her judge and jury to condemn her; instead He told them ‘let he who is without sin throw the first stone’.  One by one, her accusers left the scene, convicted of his own sinfulness. Eventually Jesus looked up and saw no-one there but the woman, and said to her, ‘Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no-one condemned you? She said, No-one, Lord. And Jesus said to her, Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more’. Far from looking down on the woman, He forgave her sin and restored her dignity.

Jesus was invited to dinner at the home of Simon the Pharisee. Simon failed to follow the usual custom of the day by arranging for someone to wash Jesus’ feet when He entered the house. This was a slight to Jesus and would have been seen as insulting. During the meal, a woman came into the house, wept so her tears fell on Jesus’ feet, wiped them away with her hair, and then poured an expensive jar of perfume on His feet. This woman was Mary from Bethany. She was known as a ‘sinner’ and Simon was amazed that Jesus let such a woman anywhere near Him: ‘If he were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner’ (Luke 7v39). Judas also criticised her for ‘wasting’ the perfume. Jesus, on the other hand, defended her and her actions and did not condemn her. While it was the practice of the religious leaders to keep away from ‘sinful women’, Jesus treated her with respect and dignity.

Mary of Bethany was sister to Martha and Lazarus. Frequently we read of Jesus going to stay at their home, where these two women fed Him and gave Him a bed for the night. Again, Jesus treated them with respect, despite Mary being a woman of ill repute. That is not to say He ignored or overlooked her sin; but He did not treat her the way the religion of the day treated her. Instead He exhibited God’s love towards her.

One final example of the way in which Jesus treated women with respect was when He spoke to the woman at the well in John 4. The woman was a Samaritan; the Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans and would walk past on the other side of the road, rather than be close to one. She was also a ‘sinful’ woman. The mere fact of her being out by herself fetching water in the heat of the day is an indication that she was ostracised by the rest of her society. Even the disciples ‘marvelled that He talked with a woman’ (John 4v27). The ‘rules’ of the day meant a man did not speak to a woman and certainly not a woman of ill-repute! Jesus was different. And as His followers, we are also to be different. We are to treat people with respect, courtesy and dignity; we are not to look down on anyone just because of their status, or their wealth/poverty, or condemn them for their sins and failings. After all, all Christ’s true followers are sinners saved by undeserved grace.

Paul and Women

Many think Paul was anti-women, because he upheld God’s order of things in denying women roles of leadership in the church. I do not believe this is true at all.

When writing the letter to the Romans, Paul singled out Phoebe as someone who was exemplary as a servant in the church. Whether or not she was officially a deacon, I have discussed elsewhere (http://almost-amish.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/women-bishops.html). The fact however remains, that Paul did not ignore her services to the church, or make light of them – he commended her in front of the whole congregation and to all those down the centuries since that time to the present day. Phoebe stands out as a shining example and we would not know that if Paul hadn’t mentioned her.

When Paul went to Philippi, he met the women down by the riverside, where they met for prayer. Again, he did not ignore them, but sought them out. It appears there was no synagogue in Philippi, but the women faithfully met for prayer on the Sabbath day. After he explained the gospel to them, Lydia it seems was converted. Not only was she baptised, along with other members of her household, but she extended hospitality to Paul, Silas and Timothy. After that had been released from prison, they returned to Lydia’s home and met there with the new converts. It might be that the new church had gathered there for prayer for the safe return of Paul and his companions, or maybe the church was now meeting in her house (she was a woman of some substance and quite possibly had a large home). But whatever the reason, Paul met the new disciples before moving on to another place. Lydia was instrumental in forming the church at Philippi and she is the only disciple/convert mentioned by name in that place.

Priscilla is named several times in the Bible, in Acts chapter 18 (in 3 places, verses 2, 18 and 26) and three times in the letters of Paul (Romans 16v3; 1 Corinthians 16v19; 2 Timothy 16v19). Never is she mentioned without her husband. Clearly Paul had a great regard for this married couple; he calls them ‘faithful’ and ‘fellow workers’ in Romans 16, explaining that they had risked their lives for him; and he mentions that the church was meeting in their house, in 1 Corinthians 16. By the time Paul wrote to Timothy, Aquila and Priscilla had clearly moved from Corinth to Ephesus (Timothy was the elder of the congregation at Ephesus). Paul held them in great esteem and respected them for the work they did for the Lord, both with him and on their own. We see from Acts 18v26 that they knew the gospel and that they shared that gospel with others: ‘A certain Jew named Apollos...knew only the baptism of John. So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue [clearly he had not yet heard that Jesus had come, died and been raised from the dead]. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately’ (Acts 18v24-26). Despite persecution, they were preaching the word wherever they went. They had already been sent away from Rome, so had lost their home, but that did not deter them. Paul shows nothing but respect for these two workers for the Lord, who had given him hospitality and shared with him in the work of the Lord.

New Testament Teaching on the Role of Women

Because most of the teaching about women and their role in the church comes to us through Paul’s letters, some have said that Paul hated women. Having seen the way in which Paul treated the various women he encountered on his journeys, it would be inconsistent to suggest he hated women and wrote his letters in order to keep them subservient. On the contrary, I believe he wrote what he did because he wanted to protect women and to ensure they were operating within God’s will in the churches.

1 Corinthians 14v33-40: Paul starts by telling his readers that God is not the author of confusion, but of peace and that this is the way of it in all the churches. It seems the Corinthian church, revelling in their new-found freedoms, were overstepping the mark and going too far. Bearing in mind God’s sense of orderliness and peace, Paul goes on to instruct the Corinthian church that the women in the church ought to be silent and submissive (as opposed to brash and loud); if they need to know something, then they should ask their husbands at home. Paul appeals to the Law (ie the first five books of the Bible, the books of Moses) as evidence to support what he is saying. Now it appears the custom was that after the sermon, the men would ask each other questions and a discussion would ensue. In Corinth, the women were taking part in this discussion and so it has been said that Paul was simply limiting their involvement in this discussion. As we will see later, this is only half of what Paul is meaning (cf 1 Timothy 2). Paul concludes by saying that it is shameful for a woman to speak in the church. He then issues a challenge to the Corinthian church: ‘did the word of God come originally through you? Or was it only you that it reached?’ (v.36, referring to the Corinthians being the only church to allow women to speak in the assembly) and then, ‘the things which I write are the commandments of the Lord’ (v.37), concluding with ‘let all things be done decently and in order’ (v.40). There are matters which can be determined by the local church and there are matters which cannot; in the interests of decency and good order, God has decreed that women do not participate in teaching others in the assembly.

Ephesians 5v22-24 speaks to wives in particular. They are to be submissive to their own husbands, ‘as unto the Lord’ (v.23); in the same way as they submit to God, they need to submit to their own husbands. Paul gives the reason for this: man (the husband) is head of woman (the wife) just as Christ is head of the church. Has Christ ceased to be head of the church? Well in some circles we might be forgiven for thinking that He no longer holds any sway, because the churches do as they please without reference to the Word of God at all. But Christ is still head of the church, therefore women are still to be subject to their husbands. Does this mean men can treat their wives badly and order them about? In case any of his readers might have thought that, Paul goes on to explain that husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. Far from treating their wives as chattels, men were to love their wives in a self sacrificing way. Today people have forgotten this truth; men and women treat each other badly, but that is no reason to reject the Bible, just because some do not follow what it says. God has a high view of women; it is people who have failed to listen and put into practice what God has decreed. Just because some do not obey Christ as head of the church does not negate His headship. It is still His church and we are not free to do with it as we please.

1 Timothy 2v9-15 speaks of God’s plan for women and gives us the reason for it. Paul says women should adorn themselves modestly, not with costly clothing, or jewellery, or fancy hairdos. This would include modest clothing, covered heads (1 Corinthians 11) and not extravagant, for we are not to use our money for ourselves but for the good of others (sell what you have and give to the poor). Instead, women should be adorned with ‘good works’; it is these and not the way we dress which should call attention to ourselves. In Acts 9 we read of a woman who had died. Her name was Tabitha and she lived at Joppa. The local people were upset that she had died and when they heard that Peter had come to a nearby town, they sought him out, begging him to do something to help bring her back, because she was well known and well loved for ‘the good works and charitable deeds which she did’ (v.36). To prove the point, they showed Peter the tunics and garments she had made while she was with them. Clearly she was valued highly – because of her good works and charitable deeds.

Paul in writing to Timothy goes on to give the prohibition so hated by advocates of women bishops today: ‘Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence’ (v. 11-12; note that being silent is mentioned twice in this short extract). From this, women have decided that Paul simply did not like women! But Paul goes on to give the reason for the prohibition: ‘For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression’ (v. 13-14).  Adam being formed first shows that it was always God’s intention that men should have the position of leader. In a marriage for example, you have a committee of two; if there is a disagreement, someone has to have the casting vote. God has decreed that this should be the man/husband. When Eve fell into sin, it was not because she was deceived that caused this prohibition on her, but because she sinned and part of the punishment for her sin was that her husband will rule over her – whether she likes it or not – and women have been rebelling against that ever since, which seems to me to prove the point! Maybe this is what Paul was referring to in 1 Corinthians 14 when he said women are not to speak but to be submissive, ‘as the Law also says’ (v.34).

1 Timothy 5v9 lists the qualifications of an older woman if she is to be accepted into the list of widows by the church. It follows therefore that these qualities are those necessary for a Christian woman before she becomes a widow, as it would be impossible for her to qualify if she had not lived in this fashion. What are these qualities? She must be:

1. The wife of one man (now deceased or she would not be a widow)
2. Well reported for good works (like Tabitha)
3. Having brought up children
4. Lodged strangers
5. Washed the feet of the saints (literally, as well as humbly serving others)
6. Relieved the afflicted (nursed those in poor health, fed those who are hungry, clothed those who are cold – see also Matthew 25v31-46)
7. Diligently followed every good work

High ideals indeed.

Younger women are to:

1. Have children
2. Manage the home
3. Give no opportunity to the adversary (whether Satan or human adversaries) to speak reproachfully.

Older women are also mentioned in Titus 2v3-5 where another list of qualities of a Godly woman is given:

1. Reverent in behaviour
2. Not a slanderer (doesn’t gossip about people behind their back)
3. Not given to much wine
4. Teachers of good things (hmmm, interesting – she can be a teacher)

Her teaching however is limited; she is to teach younger women to:

1. Love their husbands
2. Love their children
3. Be discreet
4. Be chaste
5. Be homemakers
6. Be obedient to their own husbands

Why? ‘So that the word of God may not be blasphemed’ (v. 5) Failing to follow the instruction given in the Bible is blasphemy!

Finally, there is a passage about women in one of Peter’s letters, which confirms what Paul has been saying. Peter says (1 Peter 3v1-6) women are to be submissive to their own husbands, their conduct is to be chaste, and they are to be adorned not with outward show, but the ‘hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God’ (1 Peter 3v4). Even if the husband is not a believer, the wife is to submit, for when the husband observes her behaviour, the husband may be won to obey the Word of God himself. Peter’s reasoning? He appeals to the women of the Old Testament, in particular, Sarah, who obeyed her husband in all things, and he calls Christian women to be like her in doing good.

Why did Paul write these things? Well he leaves us in no doubt: ‘These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly; but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how to conduct yourself in the hose of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of truth’ (1 Timothy 3v14-15). Did he intend them to be simply for that day? Again, he leaves us in no doubt: ‘I urge you in the sight of God...that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing, which He will manifest in His own time’ (1 Timothy 6v13-15). We are to obey the Scriptures until the coming of the Lord Jesus in all His glory. Unfortunately for those who wish to have women in positions of leadership in the church, this applies also to them.

Women as God Intended, part 1

Having said recently that it is not God’s plan for women to be in positions of leadership and authority in the church, it seems a good idea to see what God has planned for women. At the outset, let me say that God has never denigrated women, or made out that they are second class, or inferior to men. Neither did Jesus and neither did the New Testament writers. I am aware that some will disagree with that statement, but I hope to show during this article that it is not in fact the case. In fact, Christianity did much to raise the status of women throughout history.

“Nowhere in God's word is a woman degraded, seen as a second class citizen or a lesser person than a man. She has a specific and vital role in God structure for the family. That role is that she is to be the man's helper and supporter stand alongside him in helping them both in their union to accomplish God's will for their lives.” [The Biblical Order of Men and Women in theFamily and the Church, Cooper B Abrams III]

Creation

From the time of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, women have wanted more. Eve desired the forbidden fruit. Today, women want to exercise ministry in areas that God in His wisdom has determined they should not have. There are many areas of service in the church, family and society at large that are open to women, so why do they continue to fight for those things that are beyond their grasp? Is it because some have interpreted the Bible to imply that women are somehow inferior? Or is it because women think they know better than God? Just why are women dissatisfied and unfulfilled in their God-given roles? Is the role meant to be drudgery? Can there be something positive and meaningful in a woman’s role?

When God created Adam, he gave him the task of tending the garden He had planted: ‘Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it,’ (Genesis 2v15). The word ‘tend’ means ‘cultivate’; in other words, Adam was the gardener. But then God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him,’ (Genesis 1v18). The KJV says ‘an help meet for him’, i.e. a suitable helper and from where we derive the word ‘helpmeet’. Woman was created as complementary to man, neither inferior nor superior, but compatible with him. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), the Bible commentator, said, “The woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be loved by him.” Woman was created with dignity and honour; she was never intended as a second class citizen. However, even in these brief verses from Genesis, we see that the roles of the man and the woman were different. The man was given the task of tending the garden; the woman was given as a suitable helper.

Before too long, however, the world was spoilt by sin. Falling for the serpent’s lies, Adam and Eve lost their state of sinless perfection and with it, they lost the harmony they had hitherto enjoyed. God was likely aware that women would try to dominate men and so, in meting out the punishment to Eve for her part in the original sin, He said, ‘Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you,’ (Genesis 3v16). In short, God said that rather than the way things had been up to this point, He was placing man in authority over women. And women have been rebelling ever since. Not only that, men have been treating women as lesser beings ever since, too. Instead of following man’s lead, today’s woman tries to be in competition with him. Germaine Greer has said that ‘women are the new men’ and we can manage perfectly well without them. Women have striven for equality, but they have gone beyond equality; they want it all and they want it now! And in doing so, they are resisting God and His order for society. Refusal to accept man’s authority is refusal to accept God’s right to make the ‘rules’. Being submissive is not a popular concept in our culture today, yet there is peace to be had in submitting to God’s order.

The Ideal Wife

One of the main Biblical passages that people turn to for a positive view of women is in Proverbs 31v10-31:

¹⁰ Who can find a virtuous wife?
For her worth is far above rubies.
¹¹ The heart of her husband safely trusts her;
So he will have no lack of gain.
¹² She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.
¹³ She seeks wool and flax,
And willingly works with her hands.
¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
She brings her food from afar.
¹⁵ She also rises while it is yet night,
And provides food for her household,
And a portion for her maidservants.
¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
From her profits she plants a vineyard.
¹⁷ She girds herself with strength,
And strengthens her arms.
¹⁸ She perceives that her merchandise is good,
And her lamp does not go out by night.
¹⁹ She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
And her hand holds the spindle.
²⁰ She extends her hand to the poor,
Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.
²¹ She is not afraid of snow for her household,
For all her household is clothed with scarlet.
²² She makes tapestry for herself;
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
²³ Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land.
²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them,
And supplies sashes for the merchants.
²⁵ Strength and honour are her clothing;
She shall rejoice in time to come.
²⁶ She opens her mouth with wisdom,
And on her tongue is the law of kindness.
²⁷ She watches over the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.
²⁸ Her children rise up and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praises her:
²⁹ “Many daughters have done well,
But you excel them all.”
³⁰ Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.
³¹ Give her of the fruit of her hands,
And let her own works praise her in the gates.

While this passage addresses wives primarily, much of what it says can also be directed towards any woman; being married is not a prerequisite for being an ‘ideal woman’.

“When we examine this ancient biblical ideal of womanhood, we do not find the stereotyped housewife occupied with dirty dishes and laundry, her daily life dictated by the demands of her husband and her children. Nor do we find a hardened, overly ambitious career woman who leaves her family to fend for itself.

What we find is a strong, dignified, multi-talented, caring woman who is an individual in her own right. This woman has money to invest, servants to look after and real estate to manage. She is her husband’s partner, and she is completely trusted with the responsibility for their lands, property and goods.

She has the business skills to buy and sell in the market, along with the heartfelt sensitivity and compassion to care for and fulfill the needs of people who are less fortunate. Cheerfully and energetically she tackles the challenges each day brings. Her husband and children love and respect her for her kind, generous and caring nature.

But with all her responsibilities, first and foremost, she looks to God. Her primary concern is God’s will in her life. She is a woman after God’s own heart. Let’s examine the characteristics of this remarkable woman — a role model for Christian women today...” [From Portrait of a Godly Woman]

For a further discussion on the woman of Proverbs 31, please see:

http://www.middletownbiblechurch.org/homefam/prov31.htm

http://www.middletownbiblechurch.org/homefam/prov31.htm

As you will see from these references (I do hope you will read the links), a Godly woman is someone to be sought after and valued (her price is far above rubies); she has a position of responsibility and is well respected. She is no second class citizen and has a wide sphere of influence, including influencing her husband’s position in society. Her home is harmonious, her children are well looked after, her husband holds a good position in the town council (he sits ‘in the gate’), she has money of her own, runs her own business, works hard – and it is thanks to her diligence that all these things are so. How can anyone say that women are not as good as men after reading that?

To be continued...