Strong Women of Faith

Many years ago, Tammy and I studied the Bible with three teenage sisters. They were receptive to the truth and wished to obey Jesus in baptism, but they had one serious problem. The eldest girl, speaking for herself and her two sisters, said, “We’d love to be baptized, but we’re girls, and women can’t do anything in the Church of Christ.” Tammy and I spent some time discussing all the opportunities women have for service in the church; each congregation where I’ve worshiped would shut its doors were it not for the godly service of the sisters there.

But I do fear that we’ve spent so much time talking about the public prohibitions on women from 1 Corinthians 14:33-35 and 1 Timothy 2:11-14 that we’ve left some sisters thinking they can sit in the pew and do little else. While those prohibitions are from God and unchangeable, God has always used women to accomplish his purpose.
Think of all that strong women accomplished before the time of Jesus:

• Shiphrah and Puah risked their lives to disobey Pharaoh and allow the Hebrew male children to live (Ex 1:15-21).
• Moses’ mother hid her son for three months, because through faith she did not fear Pharaoh’s edict (Heb 11:23).
• Miriam sang God’s praises to the Hebrew women after the crossing of the Red Sea (Ex 15:20-21).
• Skilled women spun linen for the tabernacle (Ex 35:25-26).
• Rahab risked her life by hiding the Israelite spies (Josh 2:4-7).
• Deborah, a prophetess, judged Israel (Judg 4:4), and she led the Israelites against the army of Jabin (Judg 4:6ff).
• Jael took a tent peg and drove it through the head of Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, killing him and giving the Israelites victory over their enemy (Judg 4:21).
• Hannah prayed to God for a son (1 Sam 1:11), and she carried out the vow she made Yahweh (1 Sam 1:24-28).
• The Shunammite woman showed Elisha hospitality (2 Ki 4:8).
• Hulda, the wife of Shallum, prophesied to King Josiah after the discovery of the Book of the Law in the Temple (2 Ki 22:14-20).
• Esther willingly went before the king to save her people, although doing so could have cost her her life (Est 4:16).

You see, women have a long history of rendering faithful service to God. Sister, why
not serve today?