As part of a long time desire of mine, I’ve begun to look at the lifestyle of women in the Bible, specifically the Old Testament (OT). I’m curious to see perspectives I may have missed in sermons and other studies so far. I want to be sure that the God I know (or making the effort know) was still working in the highly patriarchal society that existed then, and that He Himself is not misogynistic.
Sadly, the view of a misogynistic God is prevalent in different social groups today, and even in the Christian faith. Some Christian women who question these views have been tagged with various “non-conformist” tags, chief of them being feminist (in all it’s different meanings from the user’s perspective). My goal is not to take one view or the other, although my thoughts may express a skewed perspective (I acknowledge that I have biases, some implicit). My goal is for us-you and me, dear reader-to see other perspectives about “the God of the Old Testament” and about the women who lived in those times.
My research of OT women brings me to several references in the Torah in the Hebrew Scriptures, or Tanakh. There are also published articles, including articles in peer-reviewed journals, about the oral tradition of the Hebrew/Jewish culture, where most of the unknown aspects of these women’s lives are told. I’ll however stick to Biblical references and make connections to additional references that are in line with the Bible. This choice is not a repudiation of those sources, and is only intended to serve my aim of throwing more light on what is already outlined in the Bible. I recognize that the OT Biblical narratives are limited on the stories of women because of the patriarchal setting during these times, and I acknowledge that it does not tell a lot of other things we could discover about them.
I believe that this lack of information does not diminish God’s work even though it can take from a broader understanding of their lifestyle. I think it serves to prove the workings of God’s will in the limitations of human culture and societal norms, and yet, through it. I look at this issue in a brief mention of case law and how it helped to frame OT laws. In some of these laws, God seems to bear the same misogynist and patriarchal nature as the popular culture of the day. I will show that this is not what it actually is on a deeper level. Rather, we will see a relationship-seeking God who works through our frailties and limitations to deeply shatter mindsets and perspectives that do not align to His nature and will. And He does this in a communal way.
We will come to see a God who is very present in the daily life of His worshippers, and, unlike other deities, who does not seek to have a demand-supply based kind of worship. He seeks a fully transformative relationship that thrives amidst popular culture and that takes place in a sense of community so that the transformation is lasting and passes on to generations.
Let’s think about it…The God of the Bible engages with human views and invites us to commune with Him, to reason things out with Him. This is not the view of most world religions where a master-servant relationship is predominant. Even in the oldest story about Adam and Eve, we are introduced to this relational God who “walks in the cool of the garden” to fellowship daily with His creation. It should make sense, right? He created man and woman in His image and likeness: a relational God made a relational people. Humans thrive on relationships and community-a principle which is incorporated into the worst form of punishment for crimes-solitary confinement and death (the temporary or total exclusion from community).
I think the same principle of a relational God is why the Bible covers such a wide array of humanness in all its forms-the good, the bad, the ugly. We will come to explore uncomfortable, trigger-inducing narratives that characterize some of the women we read about. Why are these unpleasant stories included in Scripture, and why are the people involved — some who even hurt others — granted the privilege of being included in the Messianic line?
So many questions…some still unanswered. Allons-y. Come with me as we explore and attempt to answer some of these. Let’s consider other perspectives.
