As Unto The Weaker Vessel By Oregon Youth President
By Jesse Starr
There is much to be said about the incredible impact that women have had on the kingdom of God both now and since the world began. Who can forget the exploits of Esther, Deborah and Mary the Mother of Jesus? Their courage and faith changed their world. The power of a woman can also be seen in the reverse testimony of Jezebel, Athaliah and Lot’s wife. One thing is certain; one way or another, the lives of women have had a direct impact on the kingdom of God from the beginning of time until now. Today, as we face the winds of change that are around us, we must deal with the pressures of feministic philosophies, gender sensitive management and even learn to gender neutral our grammar. We are seeing a spirit of female dominance arise in our society. Even within the boundaries of churches, questions are beginning to arise such as, Why do many of the major holiness standards that the Bible teaches focus on women? Is the Bible chauvinistic or anti-female? Are our women being oppressed?
In a desire to understand this we need to look into time even before the world began. The Lord sat high upon his throne in heaven with his holy angels with him, and Lucifer, the anointed cherub that covereth, was in the very presence of God. Lucifer became so impacted by the glory of the Lord that he began to covet it, and then decided to try and ascend to take it to himself for his own. The Scripture has this to say about his demise:
Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee (Ezekiel 28:15).
Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty (Ezekiel 28:17).
Thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness [splendor, shining](Ezekiel 28:17).
For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend (Isaiah 14:13).
For his grievous error of trying to apprehend the position of power and glory from his Creator, the Scripture tells us that he was cast out of heaven. Ezekiel says that he was “cast to the ground” (28:17). Isaiah said that he was “cut down to the ground” (14:12). Jesus later said in Luke 10:18, “I beheld Satan as lightning fallen from heaven.” Thus, Lucifer was removed from his place of power and prestige and cut down because he had become so enamored by his own beauty and his own brightness that he was filled with pride and rebellion. Then came mankind. God created male and female. We understand through the works of Paul in Ephesians 5:22-33 that the man and woman, the husband and wife, are types of God and his church. The husband is a type of God and the wife is a type of the church. Thus, God has an order of administration within the home that mirrors his heavenly work between him and his church. The husband is the head of the wife; the wife is a helpmeet for her husband. Together they form a relationship that has heavenly proportions.
Satan learned when he was cast down that he would never overcome his Creator. His greatest hope for wreaking havoc against God is to attack God’s bride, the church. Thus, today there is an incredible spiritual battle in process–the battle of Satan against God’s church. There is no end to the lengths Satan will go to destroy the church, and thus get back at the one who cast him out of heaven. If there will be a weakness that he can find, he will not find it in God, therefore his only hope is to find it in God’s church.
As the church is God’s bride, and is the weaker vessel, so in pertaining to the home, the Bible calls the woman the weaker vessel in I Peter 3:7. Historically, since Eve and the Garden of Eden, Satan has attacked women in an attempt to destroy God’s plan. He could have just as easily tried to convince Adam, but instead it was Eve that he approached at Eden. She then gave to Adam and Adam ate. Satan was able to introduce the deadly venom of sin into the veins of mankind by confusing the woman. As you look into Scripture you see this technique employed by Lucifer again and again. It was Sarah who convinced Abraham in the matter of Hagar. It was Lot’s wife that looked back. Men have been just as guilty of falling and sinning as women, but Satan knows that the easiest path to derail a man is through his wife. Thus an effective way for Satan to derail God’s bride, the church, is to derail man’s natural bride, the woman.
As we consider this is it any accident that society has worked so hard to masculinize the woman? The god of the world knows that if he can change the natural affection of the woman he can bring damage to the kingdom of God. Thus has come the metamorphosis of society’s traditional woman to the progressive new age woman. She once ran the home; now she has left her home to the devil while she runs corporations. She once was a compliment to her husband; she now
disdains him. She once was known for her character, wisdom and wholesomeness;
now she wears her pants, paints her face, decorates her body and competes for
power and authority. She says, “I will ascend…” Satan has designed his world
to bring down all the distinctives that make a woman a woman, and to change her
focus to her outward appearance and deflect attention from the inward
appearance.
We must beware lest this mentality spreads into the church. The reason these dangers must be preached against and taught against is to keep God’s church strong and vibrant in this challenging age. A woman’s hair is given her for a covering. When Satan was in his right position under God, he was the anointed cherub that covereth. Yet, when he rebelled he was cut off and cast down. When a woman takes her covering and cuts if off and casts it down, she is fulfilling the type of Satan’s rebellion. When she keeps her hair uncut, she is fulfilling the type of God’s true church. Satan’s heart became lifted up because of his beauty, and he rebelled. When a woman becomes more focused on her decorations, whether it is facial paint or jewelry or improper attire, she fulfills the same rebellious heart that caused Satan’s original fall. When the woman leaves her place of submission and begins to usurp power and position that God did not intend, the family and church is filled with division and contention. God designed men to lead, and the wife to help. He designed for women to be powerful as they stayed within the role that he gave them. This original design is the only way to have a strong church.
Before we take the first step of a journey, we must know where it will lead. Before we go down a path that our world is headed, we must ask ourselves where we will end up. To do this we can look as far as the Word of God. Regarding the demise of Judah, the Lord had this to say: “As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. 0 my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths. The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people. The LORD will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses (Isaiah 3:12-14).
Somewhere in all their conquering and living, Judah lost their balance and fell. They became progressive, but it turned out really to be regressive. When it came time for judgment, God laid the responsibility on the leaders. “They which lead thee cause thee to err… “God give us husbands that lead. God give us leaders that will walk the right paths. God give us ladies who will fill their rightful role with power and dignity, and become the Deborah, Esther or Mary of our day. God give us mighty revival and power as we walk the way as he designed it.
The Above Material Was Published By The Apostolic Accent, Volume 37, Number 7, Page 2, 7. This Material Is Copyrighted And May Be Used For Study & Research Purposes Only.
