THE
POWER OF A WOMAN
Mother’s
Day, May 10, 2015
INTRO:
Many years ago I had a man suggest to me that women and
children did not need to come to church.
The men should come and be taught and then they should go home and teach
their families! P.N. Kurien, a visiting
missionary and church planter from India, was visiting our church when this
suggestion came forward and his response was,
“Shall we keep women out of the Kingdom of God?”
If you read the Bible with an open heart you will see that
women have an incredible part to play in the advancement of the Kingdom of
God.
1. Jesus elevated the role of women.
Luke 8:1–3
(NKJV) Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every
city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of
God. And the twelve were with Him, 2 and certain women who had been
healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had
come seven demons, 3 and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward,
and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.
2. The early church benefitted from the ministry
of gifted women.
Acts 1:14 (NKJV) These all
continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary
the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
3. Paul declared that in the body of Christ we
are all equal.
Galatians
3:26–29 (NKJV)
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as
many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is
neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And
if you are Christ’s, then you
are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
4. Peter declares husbands and wives are heirs
together of the grace of life.
1
Peter 3:7 (NKJV)
Husbands, likewise, dwell with them
with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of
life, that your prayers may not be hindered.
Women
demonstrate a proficiency in all the Spiritual gifts.
Spiritual
Gifts of Women in the Bible
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Spiritual
Gift
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Scripture
Reference
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Function
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How
to Recognize
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Gifted
Woman
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Prophecy
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Proclamation in order to edify
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•Ability to address audiences with inspired message
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Anna
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Serving
(Ministry, Helps)
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Service
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•Joy in doing for others and meeting needs
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Peter’s Mother-in-Law
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Teaching
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Instruction that is understood
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•Understanding difficult matters;
•Ability to deliver instruction effectively
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Priscilla
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Exhortation
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Persuasion and encouragement
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•Ability to inspire and persuade
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Samaritan woman
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Giving
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Undergirding and supporting
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•Joy in giving, expecting nothing in return
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Widow’s mites
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Leading (Administration)
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Administration
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•Organized; inspires cooperation and teamwork
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Deborah
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Mercy
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Tender sensitivity
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•Concern for those who are hurting
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Dorcas
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Wisdom
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Application of truth
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•Ability to apply knowledge and understanding to life
situations
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Mary of Nazareth
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Knowledge
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Insight and perception
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•Understanding of facts and situations
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Hannah
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Faith
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Optimism and confidence
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•Confidence in the Lord and ability to inspire others
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Syro-Phoenician Woman
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Discernment
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Ability to make judgments
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•Ability to determine good or evil and see
beyond surface
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Abigail
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Evangelism
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Ability to witness in any situation
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•Loves people; talks easily; rejoices to share Christ
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Daughters of Philip
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Hospitality
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Assistance and service
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•Unselfish desire to meet the needs of others
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Martha
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Speaking
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Talks easily and inspires others
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•Likes to talk; interested in others
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Miriam
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Celibacy
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Devotion
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•Content to remain single
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Lydia
(possibly single)
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All of this leads us to our text for this morning. I want to encourage you ladies with the
truth of how important you are to the Kingdom, to this church, to the world,
as well as to your families! We men
need you! The church needs you! The world needs you!
TEXT Judges 4: The Story of Two Remarkable Women
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The theme of the book of Judges
is “Living in the Land But Not
Possessing It”. The main description
of the behavior of the people is found in this verse:
Judges 17:6 (NKJV) In those days
there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
There
is a pattern in the book that is repeated in this chapter:
Sin
> Suffering > Supplication > Salvation…
Judges 4:1–24 (NKJV) When Ehud was
dead, the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord. 2 So the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin
king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who
dwelt in Harosheth Hagoyim. 3 And the children of Israel cried out
to the Lord; for Jabin had nine
hundred chariots of iron, and for twenty years he had harshly oppressed the
children of Israel.
Israel had been at peace for 20
years, but they returned to their sin… reformation without revival, godly sorrow
without repentance, relief without regeneration…
I. The first
remarkable woman: Deborah…
4 Now
Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, was judging Israel at that time. 5
And she would sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in
the mountains of Ephraim. And the children of Israel came up to her for
judgment.
As was true at this time in
Israel’s history, God ruled through appointed men and women known as
judges. God would bring salvation in
response to the cries of His people through these magnificent leaders.
What qualifications did Deborah bring to her new position?
1.
Anointing: she was a prophetess…
Prophetess—a female prophet
Miriam
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Deborah
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Huldah
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Isaiah’s
wife
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Anna
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Daughters
of Philip
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Prophecy
concerning
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2. She was a
homemaker…
The Women’s Study Bible describes
her this way…
Deborah - A Distinguished Judge
Deborah (Heb. “bee”) appears to
have been a homemaker at the time she is selected for service to her country.
Having no aristocratic lineage, she is identified simply as “the wife of
Lapidoth.” Yet Deborah was the only woman in Scripture elevated to high
political power by the common consent of her peers. Though her homemaking
responsibilities well may have taken a backseat during her service to her
country, she described herself as “a mother in Israel” (Judg. 5:7) before she became
a judge. Whether this is a reference to her own offspring or an expression of
her spiritual motherhood toward every son and daughter of Israel is immaterial.
It is thought by some that running
a house does not prepare you for public service, but the Word of God says
otherwise. Proverbs 31 and the Pastoral
Epistles speak to the enumerable tasks and responsibilities that a homemaker
has to keep up with….
1 Timothy 5:14 (NKJV) Therefore I desire
that the younger widows marry, bear children, and manage the house…
Note:
(1) 1 Tim. 5:14, the RV rightly translates the verb oikodespoteo by “rule the
house”, the management and direction of household affairs, literally ‘the
despot of the house’!
So ladies, you are well qualified
to minister in the Kingdom of God because “He is not a respecter of
persons”; your background and your anointing gives you value!
6 Then she
sent and called for Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to
him, “Has not the Lord God of
Israel commanded, ‘Go and deploy troops at Mount Tabor; take with you ten
thousand men of the sons of Naphtali and of the sons of Zebulun; 7
and against you I will deploy Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his
chariots and his multitude at the River Kishon; and I will deliver him into
your hand’?”
Deborah, the anointed of God, was
calling a man to take leadership. Now,
let’s not make more of this than the Scripture does. Barak was not named as a judge; that was
Deborah’s role. Some have taught that
Deborah was there because no man would come and take the position. Although there is some hints in the context
that may insinuate that, the Bible does not specifically state that.
8
And Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will
not go with me, I will not go!”
What do you think? Was Barak a coward? The Bible does not paint him that way. As we will see later, he led the battles and
is celebrated in the song that follows in chapter 5. He is even called a ‘hero of faith’ in
Hebrews 11…
Hebrews 11:32 (NKJV) And what more
shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson
and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets:
Deborah is not mentioned here
even though other women figure prominently in this ‘Faith Hall of Fame” (Sarah,
Rahab, Moses’ mom, persecuted women)… In fact, Deborah is not mentioned again
in the entire Bible after the climactic battle!
Interesting…
9
So she said, “I will surely go with you; nevertheless there will be no glory
for you in the journey you are taking, for the Lord
will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.”
No chastisement, just a prophetic
word that limits his reward…
Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh. 10
And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; he went up with ten thousand
men under his command, and Deborah went up with him.
There is an interesting change in
terminology here. Barak is clearly in
command and Deborah has moved into a support-counsel role. Barak is the military leader; Deborah the
civil leader!
Although Barak and Deborah were
not married, they do illustrate the partnership that should exist between men
and women, husbands and wives; some marriages seem like competitions!
11
Now Heber the Kenite, of the children of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, had
separated himself from the Kenites and pitched his tent near the terebinth tree
at Zaanaim, which is beside Kedesh. 12 And they reported to Sisera
that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor. 13 So
Sisera gathered together all his chariots, nine hundred chariots of iron, and
all the people who were with him, from Harosheth Hagoyim to the River Kishon. 14
Then Deborah said to Barak, “Up! For this is the day in which the Lord has delivered Sisera into your
hand. Has not the Lord gone out
before you?” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men
following him. 15 And the Lord
routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army with the edge of the sword
before Barak; and Sisera alighted from his chariot and fled away on foot. 16
But Barak pursued the chariots and the army as far as Harosheth Hagoyim, and
all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not a man was left.
Israel won a great victory! The song in chapter 5 reveals that God let a
great downpour come and the River Kishon became a torrent to block the retreat
of the enemy!
Isaiah 59:19b (NKJV) When the enemy
comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the Lord
will lift up a standard against him.
II. The
second remarkable woman: Jael…
17
However, Sisera had fled away on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber
the Kenite; for there was peace between Jabin king of Hazor and the house of
Heber the Kenite. 18 And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said to
him, “Turn aside, my lord, turn aside to me; do not fear.” And when he had
turned aside with her into the tent, she covered him with a blanket. 19
Then he said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am
thirsty.” So she opened a jug of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him. 20
And he said to her, “Stand at the door of the tent, and if any man comes and
inquires of you, and says, ‘Is there any man here?’ you shall say, ‘No.’ ”
21 Then Jael, Heber’s wife, took a tent peg and took a hammer in her
hand, and went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple, and it went
down into the ground; for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died. 22
And then, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said to him,
“Come, I will show you the man whom you seek.” And when he went into her tent,
there lay Sisera, dead with the peg in his temple. 23 So on that day
God subdued Jabin king of Canaan in the presence of the children of Israel. 24
And the hand of the children of Israel grew stronger and stronger against Jabin
king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.
Wow! Victory at the
hand of a hammer toting woman! Jael knew
how to use the tent peg and the hammer because it was the job of women to put
the tents up; it was considered “women’s work”.
There are many things in life that seem unimportant and mundane, but
they are the tools that will lead us to victory in the years to come.
Illus:
The Karate Kid, wax on, wax off, paint up, paint down…
Zechariah 4:10 (NKJV) For who has
despised the day of small things?
It was David’s sling that
defeated the giant, Goliath; it was the jawbone of an ass that slew the
Philistines; an army of 300 armed only with trumpets, pitchers, and shouts
routed the Midianites; 5 loaves and 2 fishes fed a multitude; and a woman with
a hammer and a tent peg slew the enemy of Israel!
What do you have in your hand that seems
insignificant? Little is much when God
is in it!
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