So Deborah wasn't able to lead Israel for 40 years?
It is true that Deborah was a judge in Judges 4. And in the absence of a man, the Lord used Deborah to bring about His will on one occasion. But when it came to going to war with the enemies, she was not about to lead the troops, and so she chose a man, Barak, to lead the troops.
Anna is another name I often see.
She was in the temple when Jesus was taken there to be dedicated in the temple, and she spoke a word from the Lord. But she was not a lifelong prophet. No woman ever had an ongoing prophetic role.
But occasionally, God used women to speak for Him. In the New Testament, it was the daughters of Philip, who on one occasion were used by the Lord to speak, not in a church service, but to speak for God. Those are all exceptions that prove the rule. You just cannot find any woman as a priest, any woman as a spiritual leader, any woman as a prophet anywhere in the Old Testament. But the rebellion was on.
Let's look at Isaiah chapter 3, and I pray you will understand why women must not be pastors.
Isaiah 3 16 “Moreover, the Lord said, ‘Because the daughters of Zion are proud and walk with heads held high” – “outstretched necks,” literally – “and seductive eyes.” So you have women who are stepping out of the God-ordained boundaries of their own husband’s control, and putting themselves on display for others, with seduction in mind. “They go along with mincing steps” – a certain kind of walk that is intended to be seductive – “and tinkle the bangles on their feet, therefore the Lord will afflict the scalp of the daughters of Zion with scabs, and the Lord will make their foreheads bare.’”
I think the worst thing for a woman is to be bald. That’s why those dear women who suffer through cancer and chemo and radiation and all that wear wigs, because everybody recognizes that that’s a woman’s glory. God’s going to make them bald in judgment.
“In that day the Lord will take away the beauty of their anklets, headbands, crescent ornaments, dangling earrings, bracelets, veils, headdresses, ankle chains, sashes, perfume boxes, amulets, finger rings, nose rings, festal robes, outer tunics, cloaks, money purses, hand mirrors,” – this sounds like a list for the next shopping spree – “undergarments, turbans, veils.” What you have here is these women have just gone crazy trying to call attention to themselves instead of humbling themselves in modesty and discretion under the headship of their husband and giving honor to him.
They brazenly flaunt themselves in a seductive way with all this ornamentation: anklets, headbands, crescent ornaments, dangling earrings. So interesting how the Lord is so specific about it, not that any one of these things is wrong in themselves. But this is so outrageous: bracelets, veils, head-dresses, ankle chains, sashes, perfume boxes, amulets, finger rings, nose rings, festal robes, outer tunics, cloaks, money purses, hand mirrors, undergarments, turbans, veils.
Unfortunately, verse 24, “It’ll come about that instead of sweet perfume there will be putrefaction; instead of a belt, a rope; instead of well-set hair, a plucked-out scalp; instead of fine clothes, a donning of sackcloth; and branding instead of beauty.” And then here’s the fallout: “Your men will fall by the sword.” Guess what? When women take over a culture, men become weak. When men become weak, they can be conquered. They can be conquered. You’re watching that happen in the western world today. As more and more and more and more women ascend to power, more and more men become weaker and weaker and weaker, and the level of vulnerability just keeps escalating.
“Your men will fall by the sword because they become weak.” You’ve literally lived out the curse of Genesis 3. You’ve desired to dominate them, and you’ve done it. “And your mighty ones are going to fall in battle. And her gates will lament and mourn,” – meaning the city – “and deserted she will sit on the ground.” Guess what? When all the men have been slaughtered, you can sit there with all your jewelry and junk; you’ve been conquered because you’ve overpowered your protectors. Don’t misunderstand this. This is what we are living in today. The curse has been legitimized, even in the evangelical church now, the last frontier to fall. Empowering women makes weak men. Weak men make everybody, everybody vulnerable to danger.
Chapter 3-12: “O My people! Their oppressors are children, and women rule over them.” Now that’s not intended to be anti-woman any more than it’s anti-children. Let me tell you something: if children are in charge, we’re in trouble. If women are in charge, we’re in trouble. And if you look carefully at our nation you would have to agree that it’s childish, young, inexperienced, ignorant women who are ascending into power.
When you overthrow the divine order, the results are always disastrous. And again, it’s not anti-women any more than it’s anti-children. But it’s a divine judgment on a nation that its young and its women are in power. Young people, it seems to me, and women are taking over churches. So there’s plenty of Old Testament revelation to uphold the New Testament standard for women to keep silent in the churches.
By the way, in the New Testament there was no woman apostle. There was no woman prophet. There was no woman pastor, elder. No New Testament book is written by a woman. No sermon is ever recorded from a woman. And every time God appoints people, whether it’s the apostles or Acts 13, it’s all men. This is the divine order.
Yes, women can share the gospel to men, they play important roles in the Church and missionaries, they do many wonderful stuff in God's name. But that is not preaching. I don't know why is it so hard to see the difference.
