Are The "Divine Council" "gods?"

 ….. no.


But since you're here, let me show you what it its. 

Surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets. - Amos 3:7 NASB 95

Lets look at that from a few other translations. 

 For the Lord Jehovah doth nothing, Except He hath revealed His counsel unto His servants the prophets.- Youngs Literal Translation

 Because the Lord YHVH will not do a thing except He has revealed His secret to His prophetic servants.- Hebrew 

For the master God will not do anything unless he reveals his teaching to his servants the prophets -Greek Septuagint 

The council is the prophets of whom God tells His secret plans to. 

 

Then God said to Noah, “The end of humanity has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of people; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth.-Gen 6: 13

The LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do- Gen 18:7

Then the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.” 11 The Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. -1 Samuel 310-11

And he instructed me and talked with me and said, “Daniel, I have come now to give you insight with understanding. “At the beginning of your pleas the command was issued, and I have come to tell you, because you are highly esteemed; so pay attention to the message and gain understanding of the vision. Dan 9:22-23

Now the word of the LORD came to me saying- Jeremiah 1:4

God tells us Himself that there are no other "gods" in the real sense. 

“I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me; 6 That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun that there is no one besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other, 7 The One forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the Lord who does all these.- Isaiah 45:5-7

“Has a nation changed gods when they were not gods? But My people have changed their glory for that which does not profit.- Jeremiah 2:11

SO... What do we do with things like the mention of gods of Egypt and that Psalms 82 passage? 

Thus says the Lord, “The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush and the Sabeans, men of stature, will come over to you and will be yours; They will walk behind you, they will come over in chains and will bow down to you; they will make supplication to you: surely, God is with you, and there is none else, No other God.’”- Isaiah 45 14

How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?- John 5::44

God takes His stand in His own congregation; He judges in the midst of the rulers. 2 How long will you judge unjustly  And show partiality to the wicked? Selah. 3 Vindicate the weak and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and destitute. 4 Rescue the weak and needy; Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked. 5 They do not know nor do they understand; They walk about in darkness;  All the foundations of the earth are shaken. 6 I said, “You are gods [ Elohim/Judges], And all of you are sons of the Most High. 7 “Nevertheless you will die like men  And fall like any one of the princes.” 8 Arise, O God, judge the earth!  For it is You who possesses all the nations.- Psalm 82

The EXACT same word for "god's" in Psalm 82 is used for Judges in Exodus 21:6

Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.- Exodus 21:6

It would be silly to think that God is advocating that a slave the wants to remain in his masters house because he loves him, should go before "gods"... "god's" that God has instructed us to not even mention. 

You Can't Sit With Us

  It's nearly 2am on the Sabbath and I was trying to lay in bed and pay attention to some assassin movie when God started stringing passages together in my mind. I hope that this post acts as something akin to a timeline or narrative that paints a picture to put certain passages into the right doctrinal context.  There are certain passages that come up with mainstream Christian theology that tradition has passed down improper context, and Messianic theology takes them one by one and usually restores context. Instead of watching assassin movies and eating ruffles, God impressed in upon me to get out of bed and thread these passages together. Ultimately, These passages have one common denominator, and that is that many Jews/Pharisees believed that if you didn't obey their version of the Law of Moses (which usually includes the traditions of the elders being regarded as Commands of God) in order to be saved, you were unclean.

Let's look at the issue in scripture. I'm going to do my best to do this in the right order of coherent context. Scripture wasn't written the moment it happened, but in retrospection to give an accounting of events transpired.

Acts 15:1 Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.

Men were saying not only was works being done, but to be SAVED, to come into the faith you had to FIRST obey the CUSTOM of Moses. Not the Law of Moses I.E Commands of God, but the CUSTOM, the HABITS, the TRADITIONS. The issue outright from the start is Pharisaic traditions and regarding those that keep them as clean, and those that do not as unclean.
The parties involved were these "some men" who were saying that people are unclean if they're not circumcised in the manner of the customs, which prompted a dispute with some of the believers among the Pharisees that agreed that circumcision and Law observance is to happen

I'm going to pause there an start building the context that lead to this. If we rewind prior to this event, we know that this dispute about being unclean and making bread unclean was addressed by the Savior

The Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered around Him when they had come from Jerusalem, 2 and had seen that some of His disciples were eating their bread with impure hands, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, thus observing the traditions of the elders; 4 and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as the washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots.) 5 The Pharisees and the scribes *asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?” 6 And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:

‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me. 7 ‘But in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’

8 Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.”9 He was also saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. Mark 7:1-8

They regarded eating with unwashed hands as unclean, they forbid it. They also washed themselves coming back from the market where unclean people sold unclean things. The Pharisees were regarding people as unclean that do not follow the traditions of MEN, which they equated to being equal with the commands of God. Alright, bring that back to Acts 15 where some men were saying this

Acts 15:5 But some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.”

Now there is a group of Pharisees that are investigating the claim of "some men" from Judea who were saying that anyone that doesn't obey our customs is unclean. They investigated the matter and had come to the conclusion that it is necessary to circumcise them and direct them to observe the Law of Moses.
Paul gives us more insight on this event and how it affected Peter 

Galatians 2
But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. 13 The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, “If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?

"Some men" and their pushing tradition and regarding gentiles as unclean, lead a group of these influential Pharisees astray. Peter, fearing these influential Pharisees stopped eating with Gentiles in order to compel the Gentiles to succumb to the TRADITIONS OF THE PHARISEES. This results in Paul rebuking Peter. We don't have word as to how much weight that rebuke held. What we do have though is God rebuking Peter in a manner that held

Acts 10 

On the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. 10 But he became hungry and was desiring to eat; but while they were making preparations, he fell into a trance; 11 and he *saw the sky opened up, and an object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground, 12 and there were in it all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air. 13 A voice came to him, “Get up, Peter, kill and eat!” 14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean.” 15 Again a voice came to him a second time, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.” 16 This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into the sky.

Peter became hungry and was desiring to eat. While they were making preparations, we don't know if that meant slicing bread for sandwiches or the set up for the washing of the hands, but when Peter ate HE HAD BEEN WITHDRAWING FROM THE GENTILES REGARDING THEM AS UNCLEAN. He has this vision from God who tells him not to consider unclean what He has made clean- Using the imagery of cleaning and unclean animals at the hour Peter would be withdrawing from Gentiles regarding them unclean.

Acts 10 Now while Peter was greatly perplexed in mind as to what the vision which he had seen might be, behold, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions for Simon’s house, appeared at the gate; 18 and calling out, they were asking whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was staying there. 19 While Peter was reflecting on the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you.

As Peter was asking God "what does that even mean, What are you trying to say to me???" Gentile men from a Gentile house appeared to him and requested that at the time when he would have been separating from Gentiles and regarding them as unclean, that he come to this famous Gentiles place.

Acts 10:27As he talked with him, he entered and *found many people assembled. 28 And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean.

The Commands of God NEVER call the Gentile unclean and it NEVER says to not associate with a foreigner, THOSE ARE PHARISAIC TRADITIONS. If the Torah was not for Gentiles, then would God say over (Leviticus 18:26 ) and over (Leviticus 22:18-21) and over (Leviticus 24:16) and over ( Leviticus 24:22) and over (Numbers 9:14) and over (Numbers 15:15-16) and over (Numbers 15:29-30) and over (Deuteronomy 16:13-15 ) and over (Deuteronomy 26:10-11) and over (Deuteronomy 31:9-13) and over (Ecclesiastes 12:13)  again that it is? Peter preaches the Gospel to them and there is an OUTBREAK OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD. Peter then understands while standing in the room full of Gentiles who have the Spirit of God poured out on them, who were being regarded as unclean by "Some men'' and Pharisees, being told that they had to be circumcised and follow Customs and Traditions and the Commands of God all to be saved and favored by God- did NONE of that and were harboring the indwelling Spirit of God just as they were.

While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. 45 All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.

The group that had come with Peter of the Circumcision, are amazed seeing the same thing that Peter is seeing. After seeing this happen, He goes back to the group of Pharisees who heard about the whole thing and they have questions.

Acts 11:1 Now the apostles and the brethren who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those who were circumcised took issue with him, 3 saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”

Some of this circumcised believing group was upset that Peter had violated the traditions, just like many of the Pharisees were upset at the Savior Yeshua for violating the traditions of handwashing. Peter retells the whole story and the result is this

8 When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.”

This brings us to the conclusion of the totality of the Jerusalem council and the matter of if Gentiles can be saved and THEN learn the commands of God, or if they had to follow the Commands of God the way the Pharisees do it- In order to be saved. That conclusion is that they should start with 4 commands that won't get them removed from the assembly and that they are to come and learn the Commands of God each Sabbath when it is preached.

Acts 15:21 For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”

However, that doesn't settle the matter completely. That only deals with the group of believing Pharisees. Not the unbelieving ones that are still telling Gentiles that they have to convert, follow the customs, get cut, and follow the Law of God. 

Which brings us to Paul writing to the Gentiles in Colossians encouraging them to not be pressured by these Pharisees that are pressuring them to convert and to stop keeping the Sabbath or the commands because they're not "Jewish". They're trying to dissuade the people they regard as unclean for not converting, from obeying the commands of God, performing them without the traditions of the elders which they regard as being equal to the commands themselves. Let's look in Colossians 2 with Paul's warning/ encouragement to new converts

 Col 2 Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— 17 things which are a shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. 18 Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind 19 and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.

Don't let them tell you that you can't eat bread because you didn't buy a copper pot and say their specific prayers over the water, just like they tried to do with Christ. They're performing rituals and motions but they're not attached to the HEAD, the MEANING , the SOURCE of what those things mean which is CHRIST who rebuked them for doing those things INSTEAD of the COMMANDS OF GOD. He continues 

20 If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, 21 “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” 22 (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? 23 These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.

Paul is directly calling out these Pharisees and teaching people to not obey them or their teachings! It's not the commands of God that are the self made religion, it's the customs and traditions of the elders. Having died with Christ, you don't need this man-made push for ritualistic conversion to be saved because you are saved. Your act of circumcision for the purpose of conversion would be severe treatment of the body and self -abasement... you don't need to do that for Salvation. Don't let them tell you a different Gospel contrary to having faith, believe, Christ will lead you and the Spirit of God will guide you in walking according to His Law and what His righteousness means instead of the filthy rags of flesh.

We know this is what Paul means because the angry mob tries to kill him for it. 

Acts 21;27

When the seven days were almost over, the Jews from Asia, upon seeing him in the temple, began to stir up all the crowd and laid hands on him, 28 crying out, “Men of Israel, come to our aid! This is the man who preaches to all men everywhere against our people and the Law and this place; and besides he has even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” 29 For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.

So you have one group of Pharisees saying that you have to convert to their traditions to be saved, and then you have Paul and the rest saying that you're saved THEN you keep the commands of God, not before. With keeping this idea of eating and not eating and matters of conscience that might offend another in mind, let's look at Romans 14

 13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this—not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way. 14 I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 15 For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil; 17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. 20 Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense. 21 It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles. 22 The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. 23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.- Romans 14:13-23

Paul is addressing Eating and not Eating things that are food- this does not apply to things that God has said are not food. What is the process of eating and not eating? Fasting. Times of fasting is being addressed in Romans 14 when it refers to days and we can see this because the Pharisees made a complaint to Christ. 

 

8 John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and they *came and *said to Him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” 19 And Jesus said to them, “While the bridegroom is with them, the attendants of the bridegroom cannot fast, can they? So long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. - Mark 2:18-20

In Romans 14, Paul is addressing that in Christ all foods are clean, He's addressing that everything that God has already deemed food by scripture in the word of God is food of faith; and eating things that are not food, not to be eaten according to the Word of God, is unclean and not of faith.  Now with this Pharisees traditions of saying that they get to define things that God says are food in faith, and deciding which days to fast, and saying that in order to be saved you have to convert and follow the Traditions and the Law of God first before being saved- This is a gospel that is different than the gospel that the Apostles were preaching which taught that you were saved first, and then obedient to the Law of God and under no obligation to keep Pharisees traditions/ Oral law.  Now read Galatians with the knowledge that Paul is NOT preaching against God's Law/ his commandments, but these Pharisees

6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; 7 which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ -Galatians 1:6-7

Paul goes on to cite the very incident in Acts 15 

 Then after an interval of fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also. 2 It was because of a revelation that I went up; and I submitted to them the gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but I did so in private to those who were of reputation, for fear that I might be running, or had run, in vain. 3 But not even Titus, who was with me, though he was a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. 4 But it was because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage- Galatians 2:1-4

So there it is. The full on Pharisees vs Gentiles matter and the case of Pharisees traditional law vs God's Law. Pharisees trying to be justified by works to be saved, and people of faith justified by faith that results in works. 

Helper or Co-Head

Take a look around and compare our culture with what the word of God says we are to be and you'll see stark contrasts.  We are seeing men trying to be women and women trying to be men. We're seeing attempts to be rebrand and redefine marriage . They're trying to say that men can get pregnant and have periods. They're trying to redefine what love is rather than how God and His word define it.

 We're to look at the word of God and conform to it, not our society around us. Our society has infiltrated the church and church structures and is trying to use the mask of sounding holy while pushing these cultural redefinitions. Why is it so important to talk about headship, and authority? Because God structured it. Because we are called to be men and women of GOD, and we are called to reflect HIS glory, which includes gender roles and the family structure. 

A lot of doctrines and ideas have been tossed around in my hearing and I usually just file them away in my mind under the heading of "something about this topic doesn't sound right: look into it later" . For example, when I looked into the "Sons of God are Angels" doctrine, I found the exact opposite to be true (this isn't yet ANOTHER  post on that, its ok). Another one, which I'll be going over in this post is the "Ezer Kenegdo" and the subject of Headship/Authority. Though there is MUCH to be said about men and how men need to die to themselves to lead like Yeshua, this post is mostly going to address the aspect of women. 

God: Keep the Sabbath 

Women: Ok

God: Don't eat unclean 

Women: OK

God: Submit to your husband in everything 

Women: Woah, hold on there Bud... what if...

Sound familiar? What about this: 

Women: Men should lead

Women : To be in submission to a man's authority is slavery 

This dichotomy is a lose-lose for men that grinds away at the functionality God designed in their role as men. When looking at the origins of headship and the functionality of men and women we have to look at the first enactment thereof.  One presentation of the Ezer Kenegdo/Neged is that Man and Woman are co-equal in the matters of Biblical authority.  Man was created and God saw this and said it is not good for man to be alone, so He made Eve. 

Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.”- Gen 2:18

The words used are Ezer, and Neged- but with the Hebrew grammar that turns into Kenegdo somehow, but it looks like this 

 

What it means is a helper opposite of him. 

The way some people advocate the interpretation is that phrase "opposite to him" to mean equal in strength to oppose him. They use this because the term "Ezer" is used in other places to denote military assistance. One of the issues with this is that to read into it that the woman is to be the "Xena" to his "Hercules", is to injecting a narrative into the understanding when this word merely means "Helper" "sitting across from him". Advocates of this position have stated that because the word Ezer "help" is used in several places in reference to God "Helping" Israel in distress. Due to Israel asking for  this "help",  then in the garden when woman is made to "Help" man, she would be a Warrior instead of "Help" in response to his being one person in a kingdom of pairs. This places in woman in the position of God as the helper to Israel.  If a child needs help putting their shoes on and a sibling helps(Ezer) them does this make the sibling fit for war and an equal authority in his parents house? It does not.  Someone alone needs help, just as someone needs help. Eve wasn't there to wage war, She was put there to help. What war was in there in the pre-fall garden? 

To make the speculation that to be opposite of the man means to be equal in authority, but dismiss that the "curse" God gives over the woman is 1. Pain in conception. 2. pain in childbirth. 3. the desire for her husband (directly leading to) and that instead He will RULE over her. The text states that the man will have dominion over the woman 

That is synonymous with having authority over her.  This is headship. As we'll go over, this headship is still prescriptive in the New Testament. Whenever the subject of headship is brought up, many- and I'd go so far to say most-women in our society and culture picture a man Dominating and controlling, An apocalyptic warlord type that rules by force and makes women his slaves. THIS IS NOT THE BILICAL EXAMPLE OF THE WAY A MAN IS TO BE. I'll probably say that a few times in this post because every conversation I have on this subject, it is like no matter how many times I stress that point, The words are dismantled in someone's mind and reassembled in a way that sounds like "Men should control women". 

Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.- Ephesians 5:22-24

The husband is the head of the wife  the way Christ is the head of the church. Does the church regard it self an equal authority to Christ? Not unless you're Catholic. As the church is subject to Christ ( the church is acknowledging the Messiah's headship and authority) so also wives ought to be [ Submitted] to their husbands in everything. Most women who buck this are following the leadership of men that did not love them as Christ loves the church, men who refused to submit to Christ and to love their wives the way that Christ loves the church. Where these men lead an example of rebellion against the command of God to love their wives in HIS example, so too do many women follow suit in not submitting to their husbands. 

==== This is not about giving power to men or authoritarian control to men this is not about enabling abuse by men- as those are NOT the example of Christ to His church====

A husband has loving compassion for his bride, As Christ does the church
A husband seeks input from his bride, As Christ does the church
A husband gives sacrificially for his bride, As Christ does the church
A husband gives good gifts and provides the righteous desires of his wife, as Christ does the church
A husband guards against evil that seeks to destroy his family, As Christ does the church
A husband leads his wife in the Word, As Christ does the church. 

He's not a micromanager. As the example of Adam in the Garden with Eve, Eve ate the apple, but Romans says that sin entered through one man, Adam. When Adam sinned, God who I believe knew that Eve ate the apple first, called out to Adam to account for his actions.  This is why Paul cites this n 1 Timothy

    but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness. 11 A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. 12 But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. 13 For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. 14 And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. -1 Timothy 2:10-13

Paul isn't just tossing out an opinion. He's not being sexist. He's citing the authority role that is given to the man, of headship. Men are to take input from their wives and attend to their needs, but when it goes wrong, that responsibility is on the shoulders of the man to have been doing what should have been done

 In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, 2 as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior.- 1 Peter 3:1-2

Of note is that these verses written to the wives of pagan husbands emphasize submission the most. Peter says that obedience is the way in which to win the unrighteous husband, not resistance. THIS IS NOT ADVOCATING FOR SUBJECTING TO ABUSE .  This demonstrates that the Biblical patriarchy of male headship and authority in leading the wife is established, and that even the new converts should exemplify this in order to show God to their husbands. This is stated in Titus 2

 so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored. - Titus 2:4-5

The word of God is dishonored when authority/headship/rule is wrestled from the man and the man is subdued under the woman as exactly what the "curse" in Genesis states. If Submission meant only giving way when you agree, that isn't submission that is agreement. Thats bargaining. 
TO BE CLEAR, SUBMITTING TO A HUSBAND IS NOT SLAVERY

In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself- Ephesians 5:28

This is not the attitude of someone who deprives another for amusement, he gives to his wife in the way that he would give to himself. The husband makes judgments, like the example of Christ and the church. In making a judgment, he considers what is best for his wife and the family. He takes her counsel and input. He inquires God about matter. He then makes a judgment on a matter. The judgment is not passing authority to his wife and submitting to her headship, it is a judgment in her favor championing the wisdom and good counsel that she has provided. If the wife offers good counsel and wisdom and the husbands judgment is to not listen to it, THEN THE REPROACH IS ON THE HUSBAND. 
The Greek word for submit is hypotassō and it means:

..In this example,  hypotassō is
To arrange under- the husbands authority
To put in subjection- to the husbands authority 
To obey- ones husbands ruling
To submit to ones control- the one being the husband 
To yield to ones admonition or advice- the one being the husband
To obey/ subject- to your husband. 


Advocates of egalitarian authority innately in practice make null and void all other commands in scripture of submission by that we are all to submit to each other. The verse cited for these grounds is still in Ephesians 5 :21

and subject yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ Ephesians 5:21

It is easy to understand how one derives that we're to submit to one another and that the only headship/ authority is Christ. Yet, if we take this at face value with no surrounding context, then the next two verses have no meaning when they say 

Wives, subject yourselves to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. Ephesians 5-22-23 

Rather in the fuller context we see the practice of COMMUNAL submission as verse 15 points out

So then, be careful how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise Ephesians 5:15 

In goes from communal households collectively submitting to each other as a community, to the specific commands to husbands and wives about headship and submission in the marriage.  If we were to interpret verse 21 as the blanket headship, this then gives the entire neighborhood authority to govern the marriage between God, Man and Woman. I do NOT think that the community does or should have the INTIMATE form of Authority in the marriage between husband and wife. 
One of the common arguments against the word headship saying what the Greek defines it as saying is to convey that headship means something else entirely. As I most recently heard expressed

"Head doesn't mean authority it actually means the source, like the head of a river. it’s the source of its beginning."

The problem with this is that the Greek DOES mean authority. The same Greek that is used in Ephesians 5 and 1 Peter 3 to say that wives should submit to the authority of their husbands is also used in the Septuagint for the following verses

You have him rule over the works of Your hands;

You have put everything under his feet,- Psalms 8:6 

Rule over- Hypotassō  

My faithfulness and my fortress, My stronghold and my savior, My shield and He in whom I take refuge, Who subdues my people under me. - Psalm 144:2

Again  Hypotassō   shows that rule is not source, it is authority/ ruling/ headship over. For a second lets indulge the analogy of the river, if  Hypotassō  was to mean source, it would be in the reference of the authority flowing from the  source of the husband to the wife. Even if we were to not take Hypotassō  to mean authority, headship and ruler the way that it does we still have another Greek word that means as such, Kephalē

Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ households of the sons of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the city of David, which is Zion.- 1 Kings 8:1 

Solomon isn't assembling all the sources of the tribes, Thats just Jacob. He's assembling the authority, the leadership the Kephalē

You have delivered me from the contentions of the people; You have placed me as head of the nations; A people whom I have not known serve me. - Psalms 18:43

David is not the source of the nations. He's placed in Kephalē- authority and leadership of the nations. 

So the Lord cuts off head and tail from Israel, Both palm branch and bulrush in a single day. 15 The head is the elder and honorable man, And the prophet who teaches falsehood is the tail. 16 For those who guide this people are leading them astray; And those who are guided by them are brought to confusion. - Isaiah 9:14-16

The head Kephalē  = the elder/ honorable man leader- contrasted with the tail/fool, one who teaches falsehood. 

    The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “For this reason we have now returned to you, that you may go with us and fight with the sons of Ammon and become head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.” 9 So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you take me back to fight against the sons of Ammon and the Lord gives them up to me, will I become your head? - Judges 11:8-9

It wouldn't make sense to be asking "Can I become your origin/ source" of all the inhabitants of Gilead or the Elders. It only makes sense in the context of becoming the Authority/ Ruler/ Headship 

   Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and chief over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words before the Lord at Mizpah.- Judges 11:11

They made him the Authority- Head- Chief-Kephalē

“You have also delivered me from the contentions of my people; You have kept me as head of the nations; A people whom I have not known serve me. 2 Sam 22:44

A people that he has not known now sever him as Head/ Authority/ Kephalē. 
The word for head as authority in the Greek Kephalē  is used in 1 Cor 11:3

 But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.- 1 Corinthians 11:3

We can see from the 2.A. that the Greek word for head, is Husbands authority in relation to his Wife, in the same manner of 2.B. that Christ is the Lord the husband  and of the Church. If we are to take the two words Ezer Naged/Kenegdo to mean warrior of the same authority of her husband, then these examples lose meaning and these words lose meaning.  Sarah uses the same definition of 2. A when she refers to Abraham as lord/master. This is cited in 1 Peter 3 

   For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands; 6 just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear. 1 Peter 3:5-6 

In a recent discussion it was suggested that doing this very thing would be like essentially abandoning autonomy and just becoming like a doll or a plaything to a man. However, what we see in the example of Abraham and Sarah is quite the opposite in the Hagar situation. Sarah wanted Hagar gone. Did Sarah remove Hagar- who was her maidservant? No. Sarah brought the matter up to her husband in submission. Abraham wasn't wanting to to do that as the text says that he was really bothered by this. What did He do? He SUBMITTED TO GOD THE WAY SARAH WAS SUBMITTING TO HIM, and God was the one that made the judgement- Do what your wife is asking of you. Sarah got her way. Sarah was not without voice. She was not a slave. Abraham loved his wife the way that Christ loves the church! Yeshua in the garden didn't want to go to the cross, but He prayed as an example of perfect submission to the Father "your will be done not mine" and then GAVE UP HIS LIFE FOR US!!! 

Again 1 Corinthians 11 we see this headship, the Kaphale / the Authority stated outright

3 But I want you to understand that Christ is the head [kephalē] of every man, and the man is the head [kephalē] of a woman, and God is the head [kephalē] of Christ. - 1 Cor. 11:3

Christ is the Authority over every man, man over a[his] woman. This is in direct contradiction of the interpretation that the woman's authority is = to her husband egalitarian mindset of Ezer Naged/Kenegdo. It points back to the context that woman is the help man. Just as Esau despised his birthright and traded it for stew, women in our culture have traded this gift of being cared for and provided for and loved, and cherished, and valued and the ability to love and sow into a husband... and they have traded it for genuine slavery to the corporate machine, and bosses that they're forced to submit to in a way that they fear from a husband. 

So many women IN THE CHURCH think that submitting to their husband is a form of slavery, but they do not think this same thing about submitting to Christ, and Christ says to submit to your husbands! That is obedience to Christ. ITS NOT ABOUT DOMINANCE AND CONTROL TO THE MAN, it's about TRUSTING GOD and having FAITH IN GOD  that the man you CHOSE to marry is going to also be obedient to GOD 


There are examples of headship/authority all over the scriptures and commands of God

        Also if a woman makes a vow to the Lord, and binds herself by an obligation in her father’s house in her youth, 4 and her father hears her vow and her obligation by which she has bound herself, and her father says nothing to her, then all her vows shall stand and every obligation by which she has bound herself shall stand. 5 But if her father should forbid her on the day he hears of it, none of her vows or her obligations by which she has bound herself shall stand; and the Lord will forgive her because her father had forbidden her. - Numbers 30:3-5

By the Headship/Authority of the father, the woman breaking a vow is not under penalty This same authority set up is for husbands to wives 

     However, if she should marry while under her vows or the rash statement of her lips by which she has bound herself, 7 and her husband hears of it and says nothing to her on the day he hears it, then her vows shall stand and her obligations by which she has bound herself shall stand. 8 But if on the day her husband hears of it, he forbids her, then he shall annul her vow which she is under and the rash statement of her lips by which she has bound herself; and the Lord will forgive her. - Numbers 30:6-8

How many women commit to something they wish they hadn't and wish they could get out of it. Try Biblical Headship/Authority.  The nullification of vows passages themselves show that the egalitarian co-Head authority isn't Divinely structured. This is not the Ezer Kenegdo/neged Xena warrior mindset. She is someone across from him reminding him always to be more like the Messiah, to die to self, to love, to submit to God in his actions the way or greater than the way she is submitting to him. To serve him, and along with him,  not war against him like the "curse" states. 

Even if we were for some reason to outright ignore BOTH Greek words talking about the husbands headship we still have it from God. There is also a section of Numbers 5 that says that the wife is under the authority of her husband. The word husband is added to the text, a practice that I don't normally endorse,  but the context is clear that it is an appropriate translation. 

The priest shall have her take an oath and shall say to the woman, “If no man has lain with you and if you have not gone astray into uncleanness, being under the authority of your husband, be immune to this water of bitterness that brings a curse; 20 if you, however, have gone astray, being under the authority of your husband, and if you have defiled yourself and a man other than your husband has had intercourse with you”

This is the law of jealousy: when a wife, being under the authority of her husband, goes astray and defiles herself- Numbers 5:19-20;29

Even if we were for some reason to outright ignore BOTH Greek words talking about the husbands headship we still have it from God as shown above and from Genesis itself. 

To the woman He said, “I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth, In pain you shall deliver children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.”-Gen 3:16

God expressly states that the husband does in fact rule as in authority. That same word is used when God warns Cain 

“If you do well, will your face not be cheerful? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master H4910 it.” - Gen 4:7

Do you see the parallel of "The Desire will be over your husband" and "Sin is lurking with desire for you" and the parallel between " And he will rule over you" with "you must master it" . It is the same word of overcoming in regards to authority. 

When we state to our Christian brothers and sisters that obedience to God's Law is love, they so often reply that "The Law is bondage". We who walk in God's Law know that obedience is freedom, and the lie of it being bandage becomes almost laughable. It's a delight to bask in the joy of our God. 

The world tells us that same lie about marital submission, calling it bondage and slavery

...and men, If you are dominating your wife in authoritarian power trip, REPENT because you are doing evil. 

Sons of God (Simplified)

1 John 3:10

No one who has been born of God practices sin, because His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin continually, because he has been born of God. 10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother and sister.

“You are sons of the Lord your God; you shall not cut yourselves nor shave a bald spot above your forehead for the dead. For you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for His personal possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.- Deut 14:1-2

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.- Matthew 5:9

For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons and daughters of God.- Romans 8:14

For the eagerly awaiting creation waits for the revealing of the sons and daughters of God.- Romans 8:19

 “I will call those who were not My people, ‘My people,’

And her who was not beloved, ‘beloved.’”26 “And it shall be that in the place where it was said to them, ‘you are not My people,’ There they shall be called sons of the living God.”27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, “Though the number of the sons of Israel may be like the sand of the sea, only the remnant will be saved; - Romans 9:25-27

For you are all sons and daughters of God through faith in Christ Jesus.- Galatians 3:26

Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba! Father!” - Galatians 4:6

But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. - Luke 6:35


13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, 15 but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”’” - 1 Chron 17:13-16

Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.-  Luke 20:34-36

(This verse states that the Angels do not die and therefore are not the sons of the resurrection the way the sons of this age who parry and are given in to marriage are, in contrast to the Angels that do not marry )

According to ALL Of these passages, The sons of God are those who are of obedient faith in Christ, Yeshua.  In every instance of these passages the sons of God ( and daughters) are human people, and not any type of angelic beings. 

5For to which of the angels did He ever say,

“You are My Son,

Today I have fathered You”?

And again,

“I will be a Father to Him

And He will be a Son to Me”?- Hebrews 1:5

If the answer to this question is that He called ANY angels son, then the answer is that Angel. Except He never calls any angels son. The context of this is that Yeshua is the Messiah, but the point still stands that if any angel is called son, then the meaning becomes nonsense. 


10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven. - Matthew 18:10
 
If the Angels are continually before God then why would they have to take a special appearance to be before Him if we were to read Job as being about the Angels instead of obedient faithful believers appearing before God? 

Job 1
6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.
Job 2
Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord.


Who are these sons of God? As all the scriptures above pointed out, They are the faithful people of God. Why are they appearing before God? Because they are commanded by God to do so at the appointed times 

14 “Three times a year you shall celebrate a feast to Me. 15 You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in that month you came out of Egypt. And no one is to appear before Me empty-handed. 16 Also you shall keep the Feast of the Harvest of the first fruits of your labors from what you sow in the field; also the Feast of the Ingathering at the end of the year when you gather in the fruit of your labors from the field. 17 Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord God. Ex 23:14-17

23 Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel. 24 For I will drive out nations from you and enlarge your borders, and no one will covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before the Lord your God.  Ex 34:23




So through out scripture the faithful are sons of God, The faithful are to appear before God at the appointed times unlike the Angels which are always before Him. The faithful are the ones that marry in this current age, unlike the Angels who do not die. 


Keep that all in mind when you read Genesis 6 and it says that the sons of God took wives, and then it resulted in violence. 

Deut 32The Rock! His work is perfect,

For all His ways are just;

A God of faithfulness and without injustice,

Righteous and just is He.

5“They have acted corruptly against Him,

They are not His children, because of their defect;

But are a perverse and crooked generation.

Fallen Angels cannot be called sons of God because they are defective. 

False Prophet(ess)

 Deacon

• one who executes the commands of another, esp. of a master, a servant, attendant, minister

• the servant of a king

• a deacon, one who, by virtue of the office assigned to him by the church, cares for the poor and has charge of and distributes the money collected for their use

• a waiter, one who serves food and drink

Overseer

• an overseer

• a man charged with the duty of seeing that things to be done by others are done rightly, any curator, guardian or superintendent

• the superintendent, elder, or overseer of a Christian church

1 Tim 3
It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. 2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. 4 He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity 5 (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), 6 and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. 7 And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

8 Deacons likewise must be men of dignity, not double-tongued, or addicted to much wine or fond of sordid gain, 9 but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 These men must also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach. 11 Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things. 12 Deacons must be husbands of only one wife, and good managers of their children and their own households. 13 For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus

From 1Ti 3:1 we see the requirements for the Overseer, and then in verse 8 we see the qualifications of a deacon. Note that these are two separate positions? There are those who would say that being a deacon is the same as being in the office of overseer, but that place is to be exclusively for men.
Some try to make that a case about sex, but its about headship and coverings.


Coverings

If the Pastor is to show love for his wife as an example of how God loves the church, can that be the case with a woman over her husband or does that muddy the Biblical roles?

Ephesians 5

 Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.

The example given is that Christ is the head over His bride, and the Husband is the picture of Christ over his bride. Men are supposed to lead. 

When it is mentioned that men are supposed to lead, being as an overseer or as husbands in their own houses, this causes friction in the minds of many women. Many of them have distorted any example of a woman doing something right in the Bible to wrongly mean that it is a scriptural justification for Women being the head and the leader instead of the man. Women are godly when the function in the capacities that they were designated.

Gen 3

For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

Here we have the first example of a woman leading a man. It didn't go well. Interesting enough that Eve sinned first... When God arrives, who does He call out to? Who is responsible? 

 Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” 11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”

It was Adam's job to guide his wife.  It was Adam's position as the covering over her just as Yeshua leads us. Adam was made in God's image this way too. Men are to be the gatekeepers against that which is death entering in. Numbers 30 is an entire chapter about vows made and being dismissed by men on behalf of women

•  2 If a man makes a vow to the Lord, or takes an oath to bind himself with a binding obligation, he shall not violate his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.

• 5But if her father should forbid her on the day he hears of it, none of her vows or her obligations by which she has bound herself shall stand; and the Lord will forgive her because her father had forbidden her.

•  7 and her husband hears of it and says nothing to her on the day he hears it, then her vows shall stand and her obligations by which she has bound herself shall stand. 8 But if on the day her husband hears of it, he forbids her, then he shall annul her vow which she is under and the rash statement of her lips by which she has bound herself; and the Lord will forgive her

• 13 “Every vow and every binding oath to humble herself, her husband may confirm it or her husband may annul it. 14 But if her husband indeed says nothing to her from day to day, then he confirms all her vows or all her obligations which are on her; he has confirmed them, because he said nothing to her on the day he heard them. 15 But if he indeed annuls them after he has heard them, then he shall bear her guilt.”

• 16 These are the statutes which the Lord commanded Moses, as between a man and his wife, and as between a father and his daughter, while she is in her youth in her father’s house.

Is this to say that women don't have discernment? That women cannot extract wise and important spiritual truth from the Bible? I'm not saying that. In fact women can teach other women and children. 

1 Tim 2 

But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. 13 For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. 14 And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. 15 But women will be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint.

When feminists and the well intentioned but deceived twist and distort women in the Bible to be as pastors over men, they leave out examples like 

Numbers 31

15And Moses said to them, “Have you spared all the women?

16“Behold, they caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to be unfaithful to the LORD in the matter of Peor, so that the plague took place among the congregation of the LORD!

Revelation 2 

14‘But I have a few things against you, because you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality.

15‘So you too, have some who in the same way hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.

16‘Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will wage war against them with the sword of My mouth.

Balaam was evil. He had the gift of prophecy though. Because he had this gift, we should not think that he was a leader over Israel or that he was fit to lead. 

In every instance of the word Overseer in scripture, the word has referred to a man.  Critics seek to justify their position using examples like Deborah. 

Judges 4 

Then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud died. 2 And the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; and the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim. 3 The sons of Israel cried to the Lord; for he had nine hundred iron chariots, and he oppressed the sons of Israel severely for twenty years.

The framework is that Israel is in the midst of punishment. This isn't the standard operating procedure.

Now she sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali, and said to him, “Behold, the Lord, the God of Israel, has commanded, ‘Go and march to Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from the sons of Naphtali and from the sons of Zebulun. 7 I will draw out to you Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his many troops to the river Kishon, and I will give him into your hand.’

Who did God command? Was Deborah to lead the people? No, God did not command Deborah to lead the people, God called Barak.If Deborah was the Overseer as some make her out to be, why does God command her to tell Barak instead of just telling her?  Barak, instead of trusting in the Words of the Lord, took Deborah. 

Deborah makes a point of derision saying 

She said, “I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the honor shall not be yours on the journey that you are about to take, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hands of a woman.”

Dishonor on Barak because a woman is where he should be. Deborah was a prophetess, but a prophetess is not an overseer. That prophecy about Baracks honor being sold into the hands of a woman, isn't Deborah its Jael. That does not make Deborah or Jael an overseer of the congregation. 

Three judges are listed before her: Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar.

Judges 3

• The Israelites cried out to the LORD. SO THE LORD RAISED UP Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s youngest brother, as a deliverer to save the Israelites.

• Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD, AND HE RAISED UP Ehud son of Gera, a left-handed Benjaminite, as a deliverer for them. The Israelites sent him with the tribute for King Eglon of Moab.” 

Why does in not say that the Lord raised up Deborah?  Was she a prophetess? Yes. Did she do right, Also yes. Was she an overseer/Pastor? No.
 

Ephesians 4

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ

One of the texts that gets abused by those twisting scriptures to justify the errant doctrine of women pastors, is Ephesians 4. They attempt to say that because there is no gendering in the giving of these gifts, that means that where it says that some can be pastors and teachers, that means that women can be pastors over men.  Except Ephesians 4 doesn't say that the gifting of pastors or teachers means that a woman can be over a man. A woman can have the gift of being the pastor to other women and children. That does not make her a pastor over a congregation of men, of which, scripture states that she is to be silent.  

Pastor

• a herdsman, esp. a shepherd

• in the parable, he to whose care and control others have committed themselves, and whose precepts they follow

• metaph.

• the presiding officer, manager, director, of any assembly: so of Christ the Head of the church

• of the overseers of the Christian assemblies

• of kings and princes

A Pastor is and Overseer. I read a blog titled " There are no women Pastors in the Bible... (because there are no Pastors in the Bible)" This is another example of errant teaching from a woman trying to be a teacher.


What about Pricilla? That is another example that is twisted into something it shouldn't be. This is what the text says

Acts 18
4 Now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was mighty in the Scriptures. 25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John; 26 and he began to speak out boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.


A man named Apollos is already mighty in the Scriptures, Accurately teaching, and gets pulled aside by a MAN and his WIFE to do some fine tuning. NOWHERE in this does it show that this woman was a pastor over men.

Lets look at Huldah, another one.

2 kings 22 

1 When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes. 12 Then the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Achbor the son of Micaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant saying, 13 “Go, inquire of the Lord for me and the people and all Judah concerning the words of this book that has been found, for great is the wrath of the Lord that burns against us, because our fathers have not listened to the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.”So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter); and they spoke to her.

We have a King, and Priest, asking inquiring of God and they go to a mans wife who is a prophetess. She tells the King what God has said. That is not being an overseer over the congregation. That is not being a Pastor. That is God using someone to bring repentance to Israel. 

Then the king sent, and they gathered to him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem. 2 The king went up to the house of the Lord and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests and the prophets and all the people, both small and great; and he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the Lord. 3 The king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to carry out the words of this  covenant that were written in this book. And all the people entered into the covenant.

At which point was there a woman pastor or overseer? There wasn't. This isn't an example of a woman governing doctrine over men, no matter how some misapply it. Can women prophesy? Yes. Can women be pastors? No. There are some to say that when Paul tells women to be silent in church that means that they aren't to make any sound at all. They take this hyperliterally and force there to be a contention with Ephesians 4 and the gifts. They say how can one prophesy if they're to be silent in church, as if this is a refutation of the scriptural mandate itself. I've heard some say that the scriptural directive that women keep silent in church is to be effectively rendered moot because it was a cultural thing regarding new converts... but Paul clarifies in the qualifications of Men who would be pastors that they are not new converts. Paul's statement that women aren't to be pastoral teachers isn't just for new converts or he'd have said new converts. Instead he makes another specific directive about the qualifications. There remains no clear feminist interpretation of what Paul was allegedly saying (if we are to not take the clear directive for what it is) in light of this point. By shoehorning this perspective in, we knock other matters out of alignment 

Paul's statements on the men's roles are in agreement with Peters when he writes in 1 Peter 3 

In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, 2 as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior. 3 Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; 4 but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. 5 For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands; 6 just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear.

7 You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.

This is not a statement of superiority but one of order. This is a command of rightly defined roles. It doesn't say, " If your husband isn't doing right, You lead and teach and become a pastor of your home and an overseer in your congregation". Isaiah talks about women being leaders as a punishment at a time when people were scrambling to make anyone a leader. Isaiah 3 

When a man lays hold of his brother in his father’s house, saying,

“You have a cloak, you shall be our ruler,

And these ruins will be under your charge,”

7 He will protest on that day, saying,

“I will not be your healer,

For in my house there is neither bread nor cloak;

You should not appoint me ruler of the people.”

8 For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen,

Because their speech and their actions are against the Lord,

To rebel against His glorious presence.

9 The expression of their faces bears witness against them,

And they display their sin like Sodom;

They do not even conceal it.

Woe to them!

For they have brought evil on themselves.

10 Say to the righteous that it will go well with them,

For they will eat the fruit of their actions.

11 Woe to the wicked! It will go badly with him,

For what he deserves will be done to him.

12 O My people! Their oppressors are children,

And women rule over them.

O My people! Those who guide you lead you astray

And confuse the direction of your paths.

These women that are teaching that women should be in the pastoral position that is Biblically reserved for a man, guide people astray and confuse the direction of the paths of God. Some try to dismiss this passage of  Isaiah as only being about Ahaz, but the passage regards Judah as fallen and Jerusalem stumbling. It says THEY have brought evil on themselves. THEIR faces will bear witnesses against them and THEY will display their sin like Sodom. 

There are plenty  more examples that can be given of women in the Bible being taken out of context. Moses' wife circumcised his kids to save her husband's life, and this was a righteous act where Moses was not operating in the area of which he was to be operating. Did this make Moses wife a pastor/ Overseer ?No. did it make her a woman that did a righteous act when a man had not done what he was supposed to and his life was at stake? Yes. 

What about Miriam? Wasn't the thing that she grumbled saying was that "we all hear from God" asserting that there was no difference between her , Aaron and Moses? Yet, only she was put outside the camp for a sin that encompassed her and Aaron. The point alludes to Miriam making an assertion to be in the same positioning as her Male brothers. The result is that she is set outside the camp for 7 days, where a Priest would have to come and check to see if she was healed of her leprosy in order to be readmitted to the camp.  In Deuteronomy 1 we see Moses recall how he set Men over Israel, but women are not mentioned.  

I didn't want to have to write this post. I've been on a personal note dealing with my own health and state. I had a friend that I considered as blood started drifting into this. I gave caution that this subject would be our undoing and I made an effort to strengthen the bonds of our relationship aside from this.  I didn't take it as a personal grievance in which I had to go to her over and argue in private because my stance is Biblical, not personal. They took it as an insult that I didn't debate them over this but instead discussed the subject matter. I was right that this would end our bond.This stuff breaks my heart when I see people in error that are twisting scriptures and the argument is at its core "did God really say?"

"If you interpret this passage here, and you ignore that context there , then this passage could be interpreted this way and if we interpreted it that way then this passage could be taken this way and if we do that, then there isn't an issue with whatever doctrine we're reading into the text"

I don't know how to end this. 

Women aren't pastors though, no more than men calling themselves women are women.