1Timothy 2:9-15
The passage that we have before us this morning is primarily looking at the role of women within a church situation, I recognise that for many of you here this morning and for many women in many churches, this is a make or break passage, it was interesting a few weeks ago, when we started 1 Timothy 2, a certain lady came up to me at the end of the message and asked ‘What about the end verses, what do they say’ well this is where we find out.
God willing, the ice that I skate on this morning and next Sunday morning for we are going to take 2 weeks to look at this passage, will not be to thin and the ladies of the church, my wife included, will still be speaking to me at the end of this message.
It would be good to split our time into 3.
Firstly- Let us examine where we are today and in particular the role of women in our country at this time.
Secondly – Let us look at the days and time that Paul lived in, particularly looking at the role of women.
Then, next week
Thirdly let us look at what Paul is saying in the passage before us.
First main point
What is the role of women in our society?
We live in a day and a time when the role of the woman has changed drastically in the society that we live in, gone are the days where the woman was in many homes seen and not heard, women from their school years are now being encouraged to compete with the male of the species, after all it is a free world that we live in and all should have equal opportunities and be able to develop their gifts, both male and female alike, so called feminism is on the increase and if we were able to talk to people who were in their 50’s just 70 years ago, so that takes us back to 1934, many of them both men and women would be flabbergasted to see the role that women play in society today.
Listen to these words and see if you can think who they might have been written by.
‘It was a custom of my father and mother to make the round of our bedrooms every night before going themselves to bed. When they entered my room that night I was still awake, but for some reason I chose to pretend I was asleep. My father bent over me, shielding the candle flame with his big hand. I cannot know exactly what I thought was in his mind as he gazed down at me, but I heard him say, somewhat sadly, "What a pity she wasn’t born a lad."
My first hot impulse was to sit up in bed and protest that I didn’t want to be a boy, but I lay still and heard my parents’ footsteps pass on toward the next child’s bed. I thought about my father’s remark for many days afterward… It was made quite clear that men considered themselves superior to women, and that women accepted this situation. I found this view of things difficult to reconcile with the fact that both my father and my mother were advocates of women having the vote’. [Emily Pankhurst]
Whilst some 45 years later, the year is now 1913, it’s the 8th of June.
The place Tattenham Corner
The Derby is being run and the Kings horse is Anmer.
As the hooves of the horses pound the turf and as the jockeys encourage the horses on to speeds of 30mph suddenly Emily Davidson steps out in front of the Kings Horse in order to raise awareness for the suffragette movement, she died some 4 days later from her injuries, yet the public whom she was so desperately trying to reach, with the plight of women were more interested with the plight of the Kings horse and it’s jockey. It was some 5 years later before women gained the right to vote.
On here headstone in ‘Morph’ in Northumbria are the words ‘Deeds not words’
Some 18 days later a different Emily, Emily Dawson is made the first Female Magistrate in the UK and as we look at our nation over the last 25 years, we see the almost meteoric rise of women to places of power and authority, starting most famously with our first Lady prime minister
And as we look at our nation today, we see every post, from that of company director to football chief executive, in every sphere of industry there seems to be a woman making her mark and in many a household up and down this land, the woman is the chief wage earner. Never though should we underestimate the role of a woman as a ‘Homemaker’, how many other jobs require the person to be a nurse, doctor, cook, cleaner, laundry expert, TV analyst, psychologist,
Agony aunt, gardener, year planner, diary, telephone directory, computer expert and a million other things all rolled into one and be on call 24 – 7. The powers that be in this land of ours seem at last to be recognising the coloration between juvenile delinquency and there being no mum at home, yet even so the women who seek to be mothers in the Biblical sense are often ridiculed and belittled, not by men, but by other women. May I take this opportunity ladies to encourage those of you who mothers and those of you who are prospective mothers and even those of you who are Grandmothers or Aunties, never underestimate the role of a mother, we are studying 1 Timothy, Timothy a young man who was profoundly influenced by his mother and his grandmother, may you be women who influence boys and girls to the glory and extension of God’s Kingdom.
Sadly often this is not the case in the days that we live in, even within the church, but yes these
are the days that we live in and God has placed us where we are for such a time as this.
Why you may now be asking, why all this background about us, what about the bible passage that we read together, that’s what we are here for, not a history lesson.
I believe that it is good for us at times to realise just how far we really are from the day’s and times of the Bible, we live in day’s and times where women are heralded at least as equals.
In Paul’s day, well let’s move onto our second main point and look at:
What was it like for women in Paul’s day?
When Paul wrote this letter to Timothy, women were seen as second class citizens.
Women’s behavior was extremely limited in ancient times, much as the women of Afghanistan during the recent Taliban oppression.
Unmarried women were not allowed to leave the home of their father.
Married women were not allowed to leave the home of their husband.
They were normally restricted to roles of little or no authority.
They could not testify in court.
They could not appear in public venues.
They were not allowed to talk to strangers.
They had to be doubly veiled when they left their homes. 4
In the Hebrew Scriptures, women were generally viewed in a negative light, as: we can see from certain scriptures.
Genesis 2:18 page 5 [Helper]: this was seen of being a lower status- subservient in character.
Genesis 3:16 page 6 [and he will rule over you]
Genesis 4:19 page 6 Lamech takes 2 wives, polygamy, so do Esau, Jacob, Ashur, Gideon, David, Solomon.
Genesis 19:4-8 page 19. It’s okay to rape Lot’s daughters.
Genesis 21:10 page 21 Hagar – concubine – one whom you live and have sexual relations with outside of wedlock. As did Gideon, David, Nahor, Jacob and Eliphaz.
Leviticus 27: 1-10 page 131
Numbers 3:14-15 page 136
Leviticus 12:1-5 page 113
We could go on, but I am sure that you begin to get the picture, a woman’s lot in O.T. and in N.T. times before the coming of Jesus was not an easy one. It was not that God had made them any different in his relationship and saving grace, no it was the way that things were interpreted by the people of the day and in particular the men.
They were viewed in the same way as women are viewed in many eastern cultures and world religions today. At best servants of the men, suitable only for bearing children, keeping house and servicing the man as and when required.
May what we have looked at this morning help us to understand just where Paul is coming from when we take a more detailed look at verses 9-15 of chapter 2 next week God willing.
