1 Timothy 2:12
12 But [de] I suffer [epitrepo] not [ou] a woman [gune] to teach, [didasko] nor [oude] to usurp authority [authenteo] over the man, [aner] but [alla] to be [einai] in [en] silence. [hesuchia] KJV-Interlinear
12 But I
do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain
quiet. NASB
With all that we have
covered, here Paul seems to throw a curve at us with regard to the female role
in life.Or did he?
Remember, we live in
this devils world.The world is divisive,
prejudiced, unfair, and certainly tries to create all sorts of artificial
classes among people.Whether divided by
social status, economic status, race, color, culture, or gender, the world is
adamant in its attempt to make everyone unequal, some superior, and others
inferior.
And that only serves to
spark discontent or inordinate competition among people. After all, Satan wants only disruption in Gods plan.Therefore,
when you fall prey to bitterness because of seemingly artificial inequalities,
then you by default, adopt Satans
policy for confrontation, and the many resultant ill feelings that accompany
it.
The Bible teaches
equality among all peoples, and especially between the sexes.
I know. You can quote
this passage and the passages in 1 Cor. 11 and 1 Cor. 14 as examples of female
subordination, but that is because you have no clue as to what these passages
really teach.
The prevailing view of
the womans role did not come from the Old Testament
or from the New Testament, it came from the world in
general.
The Old Testament
affirmed that women have a spiritual status equal to that of men. The Mosaic law was given to all Israel, women as well as men, Deut 1:1.
Both men and women were to teach it to
their children, Deut 6:4-7; Prov 6:20. Protection of the law applies equally to women,
Ex 21:28-32. Women
have inheritance rights, Num 36:1-12. Men
and women participated in the Jewish religious feasts, Ex
12:3; Deut 16:9-15. The Nazirite vow,
was open to both men and women, Num 6:2. Women were involved in spiritual service, Ex
38:8; Neh 7:67. God did not hesitate to deal directly with
women, Gen 3:13; 16:7-13; Judg 13:3. Deborah served as a judge, Judg 4:4-5:31. Miriam,
Ex 15:20, Deborah, Judg 4:4, Huldah,
2 Kings 22:14, and Isaiah's wife, Isa 8:3 are called prophetesses although
their roles were limited.
The New Testament
teaches absolute spiritual equality, Gal 3:28.
The New Testament does
not treat women as inferiors. The seed of the savior was promised and provision
made through, a woman.A woman gave
birth to the humanity of Jesus.The
first person to whom Jesus revealed Himself as Messiah was a woman, John
4:25-26. Jesus healed women, Mark
5:25-34; Luke 13:11-13,). He taught
women, Luke 10:38-42 (quite the contrast to religions like Islam). Women ministered to Jesus and the disciples, Luke
8:2-3. Jesus appeared first, following
His resurrection, to a woman, Mark 16:9; John 20:11-18. Women and men were involved in the prayer
services of the early church, Acts 1:13-14. Peter reminds men that women are to be honored
as fellow heirs of the grace of life, 1 Peter 3:7. The fruit of the Spirit belong to both men and
women, Gal 5:21-22. All the promises,
commands, and blessings of the New Testament apply equally to women and men.
And even though there
are many examples and promises of equalities within the spiritual realm, for
both men and women, we all still live in this devils world, and it is the world
that often times dictates how we behave.
That is where tolerance and humility come into our lives.
It is a mans world, and authority leans
heavily toward the male of the species, whether you like it or not. By the very nature of the relative roles
between men and women, the male is the one who drives and the female is the one
who typically holds the passive role, or the stabilizing role.
Remove the women and
what would the men be doing?Running all
over the place conquering and generally spreading havoc, while looking for the
women.
And then once women are
introduced to the scenario, then society tends to slow
down, having babies, families and communities, etc. But despite their influence, authority still
remains generally with the male.
Since society has a
driving force behind it, when you fight against that force, then you only
introduce yourself to trouble.And this
is one of those instances where it is better to go with the flow, than to fight
it, since the flow in this case actually contributes to the stability of
society, in the form of authority.
Looking around you can
see the obvious dominant role of men and the subordinate role of women. This difference does not make one superior or
inferior, it only places a relative role in society on
each party.
Therefore Paul here
uses that scenario, to advise (for this is not a
command, you will notice).
If I advise you to not
run out in the busy street, if I advise you to not jump off a tall building, if
I advise you to get an education, do these restrict your freedom to choose for
yourself?No. They are good advice, which will help you
have a better life.
And that is the view
here.Authority is only restricted, in
the teaching of the scriptures, to the men.
Paul never restricts women in any other role. You can be a teacher, a mother, an astronaut,
a scientist, a ditch digger, a whatever in life.
The trouble comes when inordinate
competition enters in to the picture because of one gender trying to prove themselves equal because of their gender, rather than competing
on the merits of the work.Or when one
gender brings inordinate competition into a relationship because of ego or
selfishness, at the expense of the relationship.
What happens in these
cases?Unhappiness, hate, revenge,
divorce, etc.
When Jesus first came
into the world, he came, in a humble subordinate role. He assumed authority and command over no one. And, He accomplished His objective, which was
purchasing our salvation.
When Paul stated that God
is the head of Christ, and Christ was the head of every man, and the man the
head of his wife, we know that both God and Christ are equal, and that spiritually,
men and women are equal, however, society must have stability and that requires
authority and respect for that arrangement, otherwise the ensuing disruption would
serve to destroy society.And that is
what Satan would want, of course.
A subordinate role is
not an inferior role, but a compliance with Gods organization and will, so that
your life can be more than you would ever get out of this world, from within a
stable society, and not through a chaotic society.
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