Women Should be Silent in the Church???

Where do people get this idea from? In I Corinthians 14: 34-35 we read, “The women should keep quiet in the churches, for they are not authorized to speak, but should take a secondary and subordinate place, just as the Law also says. But if there is anything they want to learn, they should ask their own husbands at home, for it is disgraceful for a woman to talk in church (for her to usurp and exercise authority over men in the church)”. When the Jewish people had a question for their Rabbi, they would pose their question, and the Rabbi would give a responsa. In this passage in Corinthians, the people are asking their Rabbi, Paul, a question. Paul repeats this question in verses 34 and 35 ( see above) and in verse 36, he answers them. “What! Did the word of the Lord originate with you (Corinthians), or has it reached only you?” He was so incredulous that they should ask such a question that that is the only answer he would give.

Whenever you see something like this in the Bible, you must see what has happened consistently in the Bible concerning the question. Paul arrived in Ephesus to start a ministry with Aquila and Priscilla to help him. Priscilla was a woman. She worked with Paul and Aquila as an equal. In Acts 18: 26, BOTH Aquila and Priscilla took Apollos and “expounded to him the way of God more definitely and accurately”. God appointed Deborah as one of the judges over Israel in Judges 4:4. In verse 5 we read that “She sat under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites came up to her for judgment.” Deborah spoke to the people as she gave out her godly wisdom. She did not ask a man if she could speak or what she should say. Huldah was a prophetess who was spoken of in II Kings 22: 14-20. At this time Josiah was King. The book of the Law had just been discovered and when it was read to King Josiah, he knew their fathers had not been obeying God’s Laws. The king sent his people to Huldah to inquire of the Lord for them as to what they should do about this. Huldah speaks her answer to them for five verses. This is not a woman keeping silent or going to a man to see what she should say. Queen Esther had to speak to the king in order to save her people. She was not silent.

If the devil can convince false religions that women are to be silent, controlled, or completely covered so they appear insignificant, he has been able to silence half of God’s workers. This is his plan. God must be able to use his female workers just as He does his male workers. Every one is just as important to be heard as is the other. Godly women, I encourage you to work diligently to fulfill the call of God on your lives. He will richly bless you for your obedience.