Throughout the Bible, the voice of the woman in the presence of men seems muted except for a few instances. We hear the voice of Deborah in the book of Judges and the voice of Esther in the book named after her. The book of Ruth shows the voices of Ruth and Naomi but mostly in the presence of each other. In the genealogy of Jesus in the book of Matthew, only four women are mentioned: Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba and Mary. Note that Bathsheba was not mentioned by name but as the wife of Uriah. This is an interesting observation, but not just in the general sense. These women, except for Mary, were broken women. Rahab had been known for running a hostel, not honorable. Ruth had been previously married, widowed and then remarried. Bathsheba was likely “taken” without consent by King David in the “heat” of his idleness, sinning before God. Mary had not been married when she had Jesus. In the sight of onlookers, she was a flawed woman. I find it interesting that God would honor these women in such a beautiful way. Women seem to have either been forced to the back or accepted that their place was in the back whether or not it was God’s preference. Bathsheba had no voice when David took her (2 Samuel 11). Tamar, the daughter of David who was taken by her brother, had no voice (2 Samuel 13). Tamar, the daughter-in-law of Judah, who kept being married off to the brothers, had no voice (Genesis 38). Where did this begin?
In the book of Genesis, after Adam excitedly called Eve the bone of his bones and the flesh of his flesh, she seemed to feel the freedom of being his wife. In fact, when the serpent came to both Eve and Adam (Genesis 3:6… “and her husband with her”), he addressed Eve alone. We see Eve respond, happy to share with the serpent what God had told them about the trees. I bet her husband was proud to hear her speak the commands of God. He did not step in at that point to tell the serpent to address him. He allowed them to engage in the conversation. The serpent then beguiled Eve, as naïve as she was. She was a trusting being. Why wouldn’t she trust, when her husband with her, her covering and her protection, was with her and did not tell her not to eat? So, she ate and offered to him, and both Adam and Eve were cursed. When God came and asked Adam what they had done, Adam immediately pointed his finger at his wife: shaming her and betraying her before the God who was present at their union. God was the One who created their union. I can imagine Eve’s shame, her face and her hurt, as she heard her husband blame her. I can imagine her fear as she realized that what they did could not be overturned. That in many ways, she would be alone. Her relationship with her husband would never be the same. To confirm it, in Genesis 3:16, the Lord informed her that the result of eating the fruit meant that her husband would “rule over [her].” This would be her curse for the rest of her life. Eve stopped speaking at this point.
Oh! But how beautiful it is that Jesus came to break curses and every bondage on earth: to free every man and every woman from the slavery that the enemy has entangled them in. I praise Jesus just thinking about it. When Jesus was touched by the woman with the issue of blood, He very well could have continued to move. Jesus knew all things. He was the same One who told Nathaniel He had seen him while he was yet under the fig tree. But Jesus decided to give the woman a voice: a chance to share her story. Jesus went to the Samaritan woman and addressed her. He got looks from others about talking to this woman. He wanted to hear her voice and He did. In return, she brought all her people to hear Him. When the “adulterous woman” was brought to Jesus, He did not judge her as the Pharisees thought He would. He asked them to judge themselves first. When no one stoned her, He let her know she was pardoned. When the Canaanite lady came to beg Jesus for her daughter, the disciples asked Him to shoo her (Matthew 15:23). It seemed that He would do this. He made a statement about children and dogs (verse 26), but it turned out that He was giving the world and the disciples a chance to see something magnificent: the faith of a woman and a loving mother. Jesus did not hesitate to grant her wish in the midst of her faith. Like the women were treated, so were the children. When children were brought to Jesus, the disciples tried to turn them away but Jesus spoke up for them.
Jesus always said He showed the heart of His Father, our Father, the Lord God Jehovah. In Isaiah, God calls Himself a Husband to the rejected woman and to the widow. Throughout the books of Kings and Chronicles, we see God going to the houses of hurting women to give them hope: the Shunamite woman (2 Kings 4), the widow whose oil did not stop following till her jars were finished (2 Kings 4), the daughters of Zelophehad who were almost denied their fathers’ inheritance (Numbers 27), and more. God is the One who fights for the oppressed (Zechariah 7:10, Proverbs 22:22-23, Jeremiah 7:5-7, Amos 2:6 and more). Jesus came to remind the world that those who have been muted, definitely the women, were seen by Him. He came to model how the women were to be treated: to be loved and respected as sisters, as they too would have a place in heaven.
Jesus has given Eve back her voice, not to be ruled over (Genesis 3:16) anymore but to be honored (1 Peter 3:7, Ephesians 5:25, 1 Corinthians 12:23). Eve has her place beside her Adam, not to rule over him either but to be the companion and help-meet she was created to be.
To oppress the woman and to take her voice is to seek the wrath of God. To protect her is to gain God’s favor. Think on Proverbs 18:22. In all, the woman must go to her Maker to receive ultimate protection. Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised (Proverbs 31:30). The woman after Jesus is stronger than Eve, not by their might, but by the Spirit of God and Christ that lives within them.
To God be the glory!
Prayer:
Lord, may I treat every woman like my sister and like myself, and in doing so, glorify Your Holy Name now and forevermore. In the mighty name of Jesus. Amen!!
