I'm sure I have your undivided attention based on the title of this Memo in the ongoing series focusing on women of purpose in the Bible. It has been taught that the Bible was written by men, but I want to dispute that widely-held belief. While men may have penned the Bible, not all the words originated from their minds or mouths, and I am not talking about dialogue that included quotes from a woman's mouth. Rather than try to explain what I may be trying to say, let's get into what I truly mean.
THE INSPIRED WORD
The Bible is the inspired word of God, isn't it? Of course it is! We maintain that the Holy Spirit moved on the hearts of the writers to wrote what the Spirit wanted written. Evangelicals believe that the very words used were inspired by God. Therefore, if a man was recording what the Spirit inspired a woman to say, then in essence, that woman was the source of the inspiration, and the writer was also inspired, but only to record for posterity what that woman had to say.
Having said that, consider the women who contributed to the inspired words in the inspired Word. What about Mary's words that Luke recorded after her encounter with her cousin: "And Mary said: 'My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name'" (Luke 1:46-49). So who really "wrote" that prayer? Did Luke write it or did Mary compose it and Luke reported it? The correct answer is the latter: Mary "wrote" it, Luke passed it on.
How about Hannah's prayer in 2 Samuel: "Then Hannah prayed and said: 'My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God" (1 Samuel 2:1-2). Isn't that the same as Mary's words when a woman uttered them and the man, recognizing that the Spirit inspired the woman's words, wrote them down for others to read and benefit from?
THEN THERE WAS DEBORAH
Then there was Deborah, whose leadership we looked at last week. After Deborah urged King Barak to pursue and defeat God's enemies, we read this account:
On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:
“When the princes in Israel take the lead,
when the people willingly offer themselves—
praise the Lord!
“Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers!
I, even I, will sing to the Lord;
I will praise the Lord, the God of Israel, in song.
“When you, Lord, went out from Seir,
when you marched from the land of Edom,
the earth shook, the heavens poured,
the clouds poured down water.
The mountains quaked before the Lord, the One of Sinai,
before the Lord, the God of Israel.
“In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,
in the days of Jael, the highways were abandoned;
travelers took to winding paths.
Villagers in Israel would not fight;
they held back until I, Deborah, arose,
until I arose, a mother in Israel.
God chose new leaders
when war came to the city gates,
but not a shield or spear was seen
among forty thousand in Israel.
My heart is with Israel’s princes,
with the willing volunteers among the people.
Praise the Lord! (Judges 5:1-9).
Even if Deborah co-authored this song, it is fair to say that she contributed to the collection of God's inspired words that today we know as the Bible. If God used Mary, Hannah, and Deborah, then it is safe to assume that there were many other women He inspired to do His work that the Bible does not record. Nothing has changed today, for He still wants to use the female half of his human creation to do His bidding. The question is will that female half step up and take their role, or shrink back because of bad theology that God doesn't "use" women, or only uses them to populate the earth?
So how about it, sister? Are you ready to step up and be used of God and fulfill your purpose? How about it, brother? Are you read to sing a duet with a sister in the Lord like Barak and Deborah did? The world needs all of God's children, men and women, to play their part in this wonderful realm called God's kingdom. I hope you won't play small or not at all, but will perform to the full extent of God's purpose for you. Have a blessed week!
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