The Place and Function of Women in the Church: Part 4

Below is but a small measure of revelation that my father had received from the Lord. I hope this will be a blessing to you. All that is written below are the words of my father.

The Place and Function of Women in the Church (Part 4)

In loving memory of my father
Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett
July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023

No Scripture speaks of a female prophet. Scripture speaks of seven women who are called prophetesses: Miriam, Deborah, Huldah, Noadiah, Isaiah's unnamed wife, Anna, and Jezebel. Noadiah and Jezebel are clearly described as false prophetesses (Nehemiah 6:14 and Revelation 2:20). In contrast with the five true prophetesses, the Bible speaks of more than 135 men as prophets. Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron, spoke only once, and that to women only; then Miriam spake against Moses, for which she was turned leprous for seven days. There is no scriptural basis or example for a woman to teach men ... just the opposite.

20 And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.

21 And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for He hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea. Exodus 15:20-21

And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. Numbers 12:1

Isaiah's wife is called a prophetess but scripture never records any time that she opened her mouth to say anything. In Isaiah 8:3 we read that she bare a son unto Isaiah. However, because of the oneness of husband and wife, the example of Isaiah and his wife lends credence to the belief that the wife of a prophet is a prophetess. That leaves Huldah, Deborah, and Anna.

Huldah appears in the Bible only in 2 Kings 22:13-20 and 2 Chronicles 34:22-28. According to Hebrew Rabbinic interpretation, Huldah said to the messengers of King Josiah, "Tell the man that sent you to me..." (2 Kings 22:15), indicating by her unceremonious language that as far as she was concerned, Josiah was like any other man. Normally they would have immediately gone to the greatest prophet of that time, Jeremiah, but he was not in Jerusalem. God had sent him to visit the Jewish exiles in Assyria, where they had lived in captivity ever since Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, had conquered the northern kingdom of the ten tribes of Israel. Jeremiah was to bring them a message of encouragement and hope, assuring them that God had not forgotten them, and that neither should they forget God, but bear bravely their exile until the day when God would gather in all Jewish exiles dispersed in various lands and bring them back to the land of Israel. In Jeremiah's absence, the king's messengers went to the prophetess Huldah, hoping at the same time that her compassionate womanly heart and tender feelings would soften a possibly harsh prophecy that awaited them, and that therefore she would be more likely than would Jeremiah to intercede with God on his behalf. According to the Talmud, Huldah was a relative of Jeremiah, both being descendants of Rahab by her marriage with Salmon. While Jeremiah admonished and preached repentance to the men, Huldah did the same to the women.

According to the Midrash (the genre of Rabbinic literature which contains early interpretations and commentaries on the written Torah and Oral Torah, the spoken law and sermons, as well as non-legalistic Rabbinic literature, and occasionally the Jewish religious laws, which usually form a running commentary on specific passages in the Hebrew Scripture), Jeremiah prophesied in the streets of Jerusalem; Zephaniah delivered his prophecies in the synagogues; and Huldah had a school for women in Jerusalem, where she taught the word of God as it pertained to Jewish women, mothers, and daughters. The latter function of women is confirmed in the New Testament in Titus 2:3-5.

Throughout the Old Testament, women were active in the religious life of Israel, but generally they were not leaders. Deborah (Judges 4) was clearly the exception and not the rule. Of all of the 12 judges mentioned in the Old Testament, Deborah was the only woman. However, Deborah's ministry was to enemies within Israel. All of the other eleven judges prophesied to enemies outside of Israel. There was no woman with an ongoing prophetic ministry to enemies outside of Israel. No woman was a priest. No woman wrote an Old Testament (or New Testament) book. Isaiah 3:12 indicates that God allowed women to rule as part of His judgment on the sinning nation. 

"As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths." 

No queen ever ruled Israel. The closest any woman came to that position was Jezebel, the wife of Ahab. Jezebel was the "de facto" queen of Israel. 

1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.

2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird

3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

6 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.

7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. Revelation 18:1-8

Babylon represents the worldly system consisting of three main parts: economic, political, and religious. It is the kingdom of the devil. It is ruled by a queen who has no husband, no king. It is a matter of the heart (Verse 7). The Lord commands us to come out of her. The United States, even including many in the church, has been rapidly moving toward becoming the personification of Babylon. Note in Verse 7, "I sit a queen and am no widow."

Isaiah 54:5, "For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is His name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall He be called." 

Now, for Anna ... 

25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.

26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for Him after the custom of the law,

28 Then took he Him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,

29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:

30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,

31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;

32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.

34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;

35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;

37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.

38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of Him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem. Luke 2:25-38

"In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established." 

2 Corinthians 13:1

Simeon and Anna are the two witnesses here, and they form a complementary pair. Both are pious and patiently waiting for Israel's redemption. They represent the whole human race, male and female. Simeon is the male witness and Anna is the female witness. The man comes first, but it is not good for him to be alone, so the woman then comes and joins in the work of the man, and together they complete their service to the Lord. After they complete their function and purpose on earth, we never again hear about them again.

We should also note that eleven verses are devoted to Simeon, and primarily what he spoke, whereas only three verses are devoted to Anna, but primarily not what she spoke but her "hidden" work of God. Both aspects of the functioning of the body of Christ are equally important and divinely ordained.

Simeon, which means "one who hears and obeys," was a prophet, because God includes him in divine council, and Anna is a prophetess whom God blesses with favor and grace. Both confess Jesus is the Christ. Their combined evidence is greater than if only one confessed this truth.

The only things we are told about Simeon are those things which matter most to God ... things which pertain to his faith and his character, things which tell about his relationship with God. We are told that Simeon was righteous and devout, which speaks of his personal walk with God and his integrity among men. He was a man of faith and hope, for he "looked for the consolation of Israel," an expression which summarizes the faith of the Old Testament saint in the promises of God concerning the restoration of Israel through the coming of her Messiah.

Next Luke gives us a brief summary of Anna's life. Eighty-four (7 x 12) represents the fullness of God's will in Christ. Seven is the number of spiritual perfection or completion, and 12 is the number of governmental perfection (for example, the twelve tribes of Israel). So 84 is the perfection or completion of God's chosen people in Christ. Anna, like Israel, has come to the fullness of time. With the coming of Jesus, 84-year-old Anna shows us that the Old Covenant system is complete. Now, Jesus brings in a New Covenant. He will destroy the old temple and build a new one ... a temple not made by men with hands ... a temple not made of bricks or stone, eternal in the heavens. (2 Corinthians 5:1).

Anna was a truly remarkable woman. She did not depart from the temple (undoubtedly the Women's Court), worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. Anna was a faithful and godly Jew who received Jesus. She was a humble widow, so in her humility she was able to see Jesus. Even many important Jewish leaders in her day could not recognize Jesus as the Son of God, but Anna saw Him and spread the word to the faithful Jews awaiting their Messiah. God exalts the humble but resists the proud. The verses about Anna say nothing about whether she ever functioned as a teacher, preacher, pastor, elder, deacon, or any other position of authority.

There will be a repeat of the actions of Simeon and Anna in our time. There must be a preaching of Christ in truth, not simply what He has done, is doing, or will do, and not simply to stir the emotions with some new revelation. That was Simeon's part when Jesus first came to the temple. Then we have Anna's part, which has not yet been fulfilled in our day, but which speaks of the fulfillment of ...

Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not Thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God? Joel 2:17

And what follows that? the second coming of the Lord. That will be the final coming of the Lord to His temple, which is His body.

Finally, the only place in the New Testament, to the best of my knowledge, where a pastor speaks is in Acts 15, when James, the pastor of the Church at Jerusalem settled a discussion and disagreement about the place of natural circumcision for a Christian. Ephesians 2:20 says we

"are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone;" 

The majority of the modern-day Christian community has changed that principle to read that we are built upon the foundation of the pastors. That is only one of a number of reasons why the visible church today is basically powerless. The Bible, of course, says very little about the conduct of services when we believers come together. One of the major set of verses concerning the assembly or gatherings of believers is found in 1 Corinthians 14:26-35.

26 How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.

Many years ago, in the early days of our New Testament house church, we were taught that the significance of that verse was "when ye come together, everyone is a mouth." But that is not what Paul is saying. First of all we must understand that the book of 1st Corinthians is primarily a letter of correction. Paul addresses many different areas that had to be corrected. Likewise, Chapter 14 primarily addresses errors in the functioning of their assemblies. What Paul is saying in Verse 26 is that when the Church at Corinth came together, everyone wanted to be seen and heard and it was causing confusion. Back in our old house church days, I used to call that "popcorn." A number of different believers popped up to say something. 

27 If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.

28 But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.

Verse 28 implies that before anyone gives a message in tongues in the assembly, they should know whether or not someone present has a gift of interpreting messages in tongues.


29 Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.

30 If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace.

Verses 29 and 30 imply that the only ministry that should speak (teach or preach) is a prophet, and that there should be more than one prophet in the assembly. (prophets, plural). Note there is nothing in that Chapter that says anything about a pastor.

The word "other" in Verse 29 and the word "another" in Verse 30 are both the Greek allos, which means another of the same kind, not hetereos, another of a different kind. There is no such thing in the Bible as a female prophet, and we have previously talked about prophetesses. No verse in the New Testament speaks of a prophetess speaking in an assembly of the believers.

31 For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.

Verse 31 says that after the prophets have spoken two or three, all may prophesy, but only in the context of the same general word that the Lord has previously spoken through the prophets.

The only problem in our modern-day Christian churches is that very few local churches have one prophet, much less two or three. So we have substituted pastors for prophets. But God does not honor our substitutions. As a result we see a multitude of off-tangent doctrines and confusion. Once more, the gift of prophecy is not at all the same as the ministry of a prophet. Further, just because someone prophesies frequently in church gatherings, does not mean they are a prophet. In our old house church back 40-some years ago, there were two genuine prophets. Unfortunately, one of them rarely spoke, and the other one was not well received because of a spirt of democracy and a lack of understanding of the functions of the various ministries. Now to complete what Paul is saying in 1 Corinthians 14 ...

1 Corinthians 14:2-3, "For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbet in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort."

Many times in the past I have heard a message in tongues in an assembly that was quickly followed by a prophecy. That is not correct. Since a message in tongues is man speaking to God, the interpretation must likewise be man speaking to God. That is confirmed by what happened on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:11, "we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God." 

32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.

33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

34 Let your women [wives] keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.

35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.

The word, speak, in Verses 34 and 35 can be translated as preach. Now the result of 1 Corinthians 14, as it applies to our modern-day assemblies, is that every local church should pray that the Lord will raise up true prophets in our midst. And when the Lord does raise up true prophets, we need to pray for His grace and mercy that we, the church, can recognize and receive from true prophets. That truth is brought out very clearly in prophetic significance in the Old Testament through the days of Samuel and David after the ark was taken by the Philistines. Perhaps more detail on that later.

Now I realize that what we have shared on the function of women in the church may sound new and possibly strange to some of you. The traditions of men have a very strong hold on the minds of even Christian men. Therefore our last word on this topic is: Be like the Bereans, who, from Acts 17, were more noble than those in Thessalonica, for they searched the Scriptures daily as to whether these things be so. But do not lean on your own understanding; instead, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth. Amen.

In our next message we plan to share with you about the three anointings of Jesus, all of which were by women. Until then ...