WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
JULY 30, 2022
TOPIC: WOMEN ARE NOT INFERIOR!
BY T. O. BANSO
âSo God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created themâ (Genesis 1:27 New King James Version).
A growing body of evidence suggests that discrimination against women hinders development. As said by the World Bank Group, no country, community, or economy can achieve its potential or meet the challenges of the 21st century without the full and equal participation of women and men, girls and boys.
It is unfortunate, however, that in some societies, women and girls still suffer discrimination in different sectors, including education, health, economy, and politics. Discrimination against women is a human creation, not Godâs creation. It was not so in the beginning.
Genesis 1:27 says, âSo God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created themâ (New King James Version). God created man, male and female. Jesus referred to this in Matthew 19:4 and Mark 10:6. There are differences in roles, but not discrimination against women. Both men and women need each other. The womanâs role should complement the manâs role and vice versa. There should be no oppression or domination.
Everybody benefits when society recognizes the roles of women and respects their rights. Society will be better when women are allowed to realize their full potential. Society suffers when women are not given the opportunity to take their place in the scheme of things. There should be no exclusion or marginalization of women.
In Godâs design, women are not inferior to men, in marriage relationships, in the church, or in society. 1 Peter 3:7 says, âIn the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in Godâs gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hinderedâ (New Living Translation). Please take note of the phrase âequal partner.â
While the Bible says the husband is the head of the wife (Ephesians 5:23), it doesnât mean the husband is more brilliant or more intelligent than the wife. It is just a matter of role definition. A wise husband would appreciate the gifts of God in his wife or her divine endowment and allow her to deploy these for the good of the family and for the fulfillment of her destiny. Headship doesnât mean the husband has all it takes and doesnât need the wife. Nobody has everything.
The Bible says wives should submit to their own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord (Colossians 3:18). It doesnât say wives should submit to all men â only to their husbands. Even within the family, as the wives submit to their husbands, the Bible says the husbands should love their wives and not be bitter toward them.
That instruction to the husband doesnât make him superior or make the woman inferior. The instructions to both are for harmonious relationships and for their good. No husband should become a dictator because of the instruction to the wife to submit to him. Women are not inferior.
God does not discriminate against women. The subjugation of women in a patriarchal society shouldnât be seen as Godâs design, despite the lies to that effect. God created both men and women and He didnât create women as inferior.
Jesus died for both men and women. The salvation of men is not superior to that of women. The blood of Jesus that was shed to save women is not inferior to that shed to save the men. Women are not less the children of God than men. Galatians 3:28 says, âThere is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesusâ (New King James Version). Did you see that? Thereâs no male or female; weâre all one in Christ Jesus. We are saints!
Women are as important to the programme of God on the earth as men are. In Joel 2:28-29, the LORD said, âAnd it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those daysâ (New King James Version). Did you see that both men and women are mentioned in that scripture? There is no discrimination against women.
Acts 21:9 says that Philip the evangelist had four virgin daughters who prophesied. That should shame anyone today who thinks that women are only to go about with beautiful faces and dresses and walk like a model! These daughters were as spiritual as their father.
The gift of prophecy is not for men alone. In Exodus 15:20, Moses’ sister, Miriam, is described as a prophetess. These women, Huldah (2 Kings 22:14), the wife of Isaiah (Isaiah 8:3), and Ana (Luke 2:36-38), were also described as prophetesses.
Nothing hinders God to use men or women! At a very difficult time in the history of Israel, God used a woman to judge Israel. Her name was Deborah, the fourth judge of Israel and the only female judge. She was also a prophetess (Judges 4-5). Deborah, the wife of Lapidoth, sat under the palm tree of Deborah and judged Israel.
She was a courageous woman. She motivated Barak to mobilize a ten thousand army at Mount Tabor â ten thousand men of the sons of Naphtali and of the sons of Zebulun. Barak insisted that Deborah must go with him to the battle, otherwise he would not go. Deborah went with him.
God lured Sisera, the Commander of Jabin’s army, and his chariots and warriors to the Kishon River to fight the Israelites. The Israelites defeated Jabinâs army, and the commander of his army, Sisera, fled. He was eventually killed by a woman, Jael, in her house.
Deborah, in Hebrew, means a bee. Bees are known mainly for two things: their sting and the honey they produce. Their sting produces pain and the honey produces sweetness. Deborahâs leadership caused pain for the Canaanites and joy for the Israelites. Women are not inferior to men. Any such feeling of inferiority is not from God.
I love the five daughters of Zelophehad, a man of the tribe of Manasseh. He died while the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness. He had no son, but only five daughters, Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah (Numbers 26:36; 27:1). Because Zelophehad had no male child to inherit his portion of land, the five daughters went to Moses, their leader, Eliezer the priest, the tribal leaders, and the entire community, with a request to be allowed to inherit the land that would have been given to their father.
Numbers 27:2-4 says, âAnd they stood before Moses, before Eleazar the priest, and before the leaders and all the congregation, by the doorway of the tabernacle of meeting, saying:Â âOur father died in the wilderness; but he was not in the company of those who gathered together against the LORD, in company with Korah, but he died in his own sin; and he had no sons. Why should the name of our father be removed from among his family because he had no son? Give us a possession among our father’s brothersââ (New King James Version).
I love their boldness. They didnât send anyone to Moses. They went themselves to state their case. They didnât want their fatherâs name to disappear from his clan just because he had no male child. There had never been a case like that before this time. The existing law didnât address such a situation. It only provided that inheritance should be passed from the father to the sons to ensure that inheritance remained in each tribe.
Daughters were denied inheritance, not because of despising or hatred, but to ensure the land allotted to each tribe is not transferred to another through marriage. However, Moses had to take this special case before the LORD.
Hear the LORDâs reply: âThe daughters of Zelophehad speak what is right; you shall surely give them a possession of inheritance among their father’s brothers, and cause the inheritance of their father to pass to themâ (Numbers 27:7 New King James Version).
Because of these daughters of Zelophehad, God gave the Israelites a new law to address this type of situation. The law ensured that women were not denied the right of inheritance where their fathers had no male inheritor (Numbers 27:8; 36:2-11).
Women are not inferior. No woman should have an inferiority or superiority complex. There should be mutual respect between men and women. David said, âI will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made, marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very wellâ (Psalm 139:13 New King James Version).
Society should recognize the gifts, talents, and potential of women, and encourage them to deploy these to the glory of God, for their personal fufilment, and for the betterment of society.
Men who objectify women and, unfortunately, women, who objectify themselves or other women, should stop it. There is more to a woman than a beautiful face or a sexy body! Women have destinies they must fulfil.
The body of a woman is prepared for her to worship God and fulfil her destiny, not to seduce men or commit sin. Women are not inferior.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner, and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life â your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner, and I cannot save myself. I believe Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and was raised on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Thank you, Father, for making me a woman (man). I shall walk in the consciousness of the truth I am not inferior to anyone. I shall fulfill my destiny. Father, help all Your daughters to overcome man-made barriers or obstacles that could hinder them to fulfil their destinies and excel in life. They shall become all You have ordained them to be.
(For over 800 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
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