Chapter 8

God Has Always Used Women

Chapter 8 Text

Take a walk back in history with me. Even though we are in the midst of a great awakening among women in the early twenty-first century, we must remember that God has always used women in significant ways as He has carried out His plans on earth. This is evident in ancient writings of the Bible, where we read the stories of women such as Jochebed, Deborah, Hannah, Esther, Abigail, Lydia, and others. These were women who cooperated with God in furthering His plan in the earth, sometimes without even realizing it.

Jochebed: Uncommon Courage

Consider the story of Jochebed, the mother of Moses and a woman of great faith. When the edict came from Pharaoh to destroy all male Hebrew babies (see Exodus 1:22), her response sprang from a vital part of her womanhood. She must preserve the life of her son! At first reading, it looks like such a natural thing for a woman to do. Yet it was this very thing God needed, at that moment in the history of His people, to move His plan another step forward. God had sent a deliverer to His people. With the birth of Moses God had set in motion the deliverance of His people, a deliverance He had been planning for nearly 400 years. Jochebed, the mother of Moses, was doing what any mother would do, yet she was moving in great faith as she placed her baby in a basket amongst the reeds of the great Nile River. It was an act that appeared very ordinary and simple, yet it was the love, faith, and courage of Jochebed that preserved Moses to bless the world and set history in motion. The plan of God for His people seemed to hinge on the response of a woman—and Jochebed, a mother, was that woman.

Hannah: Uncommon Surrender

Consider also Hannah, a woman who struggled with infertility. Barrenness, for a woman of her day, was a source of terrible shame. Out of her pain and a deep longing to have a child, she grieved and wept before the Lord. She was a woman who, like so many women, just wanted a baby! But God was in the midst of Hannah’s barrenness. He was again orchestrating something from heaven for the furtherance of His plan and purpose on the earth; and He would use this woman, her grief, and her pain, and turn it into a powerful testimony of His great faithfulness. You see, barrenness was not only Hannah’s physical condition; it was also the spiritual condition of God’s people. The Bible says in 1 Samuel 3:1 that “the word of the Lord was rare in those days” (emphasis mine). Israel as a nation was spiritually barren.

God needed a man who would have an ear to hear His voice, a heart to follow His ways—a man through whom He could speak forth His prophetic word in that hour. So God looked for someone who would participate with Him in bringing the will of heaven to earth. He found a woman! A woman who would begin to cry out and plead with Him for a child. God placed on Hannah’s heart a burden that corresponded to the very burden of His own heart. There came a point when Hannah stepped out of her own need and into the purposes of God: “If You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and . . . give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life” (1 Samuel 1:11). That was the moment God was waiting for; those were the words He wanted to hear. He had a willing vessel. Hannah would be used of God to bring forth one of the greatest prophets Israel would ever know.

God moved on Hannah’s behalf and gave her a son, Samuel. However, He was actually also moving on His own behalf to fulfill His purpose in the earth. Once again, it would seem the ongoing plan of God hinged on the response of a woman.

Esther: Uncommon Calling

Esther, a Jewess, who would one day become the queen of King Ahasuerus of Persia, is another such woman, used of God at a crucial time in history. A number of Jewish people were still living in Babylon under Persian rule at that time. Haman, second in command to the king, had devised a plot to destroy the Jews, convincing the king to call for their execution.

Mordecai, who had brought up his uncle’s daughter, Esther—who was orphaned following the deaths of her mother and father—urged her not to reveal her racial origin. Upon learning of the fate of the Jewish people, Mordecai convinced her not to remain silent on behalf of her people. Haman’s plot had to be revealed. Mordecai’s strong words of destiny were spoken over this beautiful young woman: “Who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14).

Esther skillfully, courageously, and shrewdly moved to expose the enemy’s evil plot by entering the inner court of the king’s palace without proper invitation. As she stood before the king’s throne, God gave her favor and, in that moment, the king extended his scepter to her. As she moved forward to touch the top of the golden scepter, the king’s question moved far beyond a mere inquiry as to her appearance. “What is your request? It shall be given to you—up to half the kingdom!” (Esther 5:2, 3). The favor being extended to Esther was beyond anything she would have thought to ask for herself. The king was offering his scepter, which was the rod of a ruler, symbolizing his power.

As the counter plot of Esther unfolded, King Ahasuerus ultimately gave Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews, and the scheme he had devised against the Jews was destroyed, along with Haman himself (see Esther 8).

A decree reversing the edict of Haman over the Jewish people was released through Queen Esther, with the permission of the king, in his name, and sealed with his signet ring. She was coming in the authority of the king. What a picture of co-rulership, of extended authority, of a wise and skillful woman who was used of God to save the lives of many during a critical time. Today, the Jewish people continue to celebrate the Feast of Purim each year prior to Passover, celebrating Esther’s role in the deliverance of God’s people.

According to the New Spirit-Filled Life Bible Introduction to the Book of Esther, the lives of Esther and Mordecai are “a classic example of successful teamwork” between a man and a woman. “Their relationship portrays the unity that the Lord prayed for His disciples to experience (see John 17). The success of their individual roles, even their very survival, depended entirely upon their unity.”1 The heart and plan of God was able to be realized through these two courageous people.

Abigail: Uncommon Understanding

Abigail was the wife of a rich, but foolish, harsh, and angry man who was evil in his business dealings. She is another example of a wise and courageous woman. The Scripture describes her as a woman of good understanding and beautiful in appearance. To be spoken of as being a woman of understanding would imply that she had an understanding of God’s will and His ways.

A critical situation arose between her husband Nabal and David, who was in the wilderness of Paran at that time. David, aware that it was sheep-shearing time at Nabal’s, sent ten young men to make a request of Nabal in a spirit of peace. It was a feast day and David was asking Nabal to give them whatever provisions he could extend to David and his men. Nabal not only denied the request, but he also spoke scornfully of David as an insignificant man. This was David, the king of the land! David’s response was immediate and his resolution bloody. He said to his men, “Every man gird on his sword. . . . Surely in vain I have protected all that this fellow has. . . . He has repaid me evil for good. May God do so, and more also, to the enemies of David, if I leave one male of all who belong to [Nabal]” (1 Samuel 25:13, 21, 22). When Abigail heard of her husband’s response, she made haste, taking provision worthy of a king with her. When Abigail saw David she dismounted quickly from the donkey, fell on her face before David, and bowed down to the ground. “On me, my lord, on me let this iniquity be! And please let your maidservant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your maidservant. Please, let not my lord regard this scoundrel Nabal. For as his name is, so is he: Nabal is his name, and folly is with him!” (1 Samuel 25:24, 25). This is not an angry, vindictive woman, but a woman whose heart had been broken, touched, and turned to God. She is a woman of understanding from God’s point of view.

David received her as she began to speak into his life and future destiny: “As your soul lives, . . . the LORD has held you back from coming to bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hand. . . . The LORD will certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord fights the battles of the LORD, and evil is not found in you throughout your days” (1 Samuel 25:26, 28).

“Then David said to Abigail: ‘Blessed is the LORD God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! And blessed is your advice and blessed are you, because you have kept me this day from coming to bloodshed and from avenging myself with my own hand. . . . I have heeded your voice and respected your person’” (1 Samuel 25:32, 33, 35)! Abigail knew God and His ways; therefore God could use her to express His ways to others—even to the king.

Lydia: Uncommon Purpose

Lydia, a single woman and a prominent business woman in the prosperous city of Thyatira, is a striking New Testament figure who holds a significant place in the furthering of the gospel into Europe. Lydia was the first European convert of Paul’s and the forerunner of a mighty host who would become followers of Christ. Her conversion was made by public confession, and immediately she and her entire household were baptized as disciples of the Lord.

Isn’t it interesting that upon Paul’s heeding of the Macedonian call and his arrival in Europe, he found his way to a prayer meeting and sat down and spoke to the women who met there (see Acts 16:13)? Although Lydia was, at that time, sincerely religious, she was not yet a Christian. This meeting of Paul and Lydia was surely a “God encounter” and the beginning of God’s plan to bring the gospel to the continent of Europe. Again, a woman was used of God in a most significant way for the furtherance of His eternal plan.

God Is Up to Something

Though we can clearly see in Scripture and we know from history that God has always chosen women to help bring forth His purposes on earth—either alone or in partnership with men—let me reiterate that I do not believe there has ever been the kind of awakening among women that we have seen in the last 30 to 40 years.

One of the names of God is Jehovah Jireh, the God who sees ahead and provides: He sees the need, He prepares for the need, so that when the hour comes, He has already made provision for what is needed in that season. God has been preparing women, as evidenced by this awakening, for their role in bringing forth what is on His heart for the Church and for the world, in the coming days.

This unprecedented move of God’s Spirit in the lives of women has to do with the ultimate plan of God being fulfilled in the earth—because He purposes to join men and women in wholeness, in health, without fear, without intimidation, walking side by side. I believe this move of God ultimately has to do with the destiny of the Church being fulfilled. Jehovah Jireh has made provision for what is needed in this hour!

The Essence of God’s Purpose

Like Sarah and Elizabeth who needed God’s quickening touch, another woman also illustrates the essence of God’s purpose for women down through the ages. Her story in Luke 13:10–17 tells us that the bent over woman, “could in no way raise herself up.” She had suffered with a spirit of infirmity for eighteen long years. The word infirmity means “unable to function as purposed and designed.”

It is interesting to note where Jesus found this woman. It was in the synagogue. As He was teaching there one day, His attention was drawn to her in the midst of the crowd. As He moved toward her, He began to speak words of life over her. And as He did, her heart was lifted up. Her head was lifted up. Her arms were lifted up, and she began to glorify God! The men standing nearby questioned Jesus because He had healed on the Sabbath. His response to them was, “Ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” (v. 16). I believe the Lord is speaking these words to women in the Church today. In essence, He is saying: “Ought not these handmaidens, these women who have been bent over and bound, be set free?” In this unprecedented move, Jesus is speaking words of freedom over women’s lives. In response, our hearts and hands are lifted, and we are bringing glory to God in the earth.

The enemy, knowing the significant place God has given women, has feared our rising to our purpose and, therefore, has sought to keep us blinded, bound, and crippled. Luke 13:11 tells us that the bent over woman could do nothing to raise herself up. Unless God moved on her behalf, she would forever stay in that bent-over, crippled, limited position and would be unable to function as purposed and designed. She was healed and set free because Jesus took the initiative to make her whole.

I believe the Spirit of God has once again taken the initiative toward women in this hour, because, indeed, He is doing a unique thing in the earth. He is quickening women to life in a way we have not witnessed before. He is awakening; He is stirring; He is renewing; He is equipping; and He is positioning women in such a way that we will step in alongside our brothers to fulfill His great Kingdom purposes.

We have read of God’s using men and women together in days of old—Abraham and Sarah, and Zacharias and Elizabeth—and of His bringing life through them in ways that pointed toward and eventually culminated in the First Coming of Jesus Christ to earth.

In this hour, as events all around us point toward the Second Coming of Jesus, God is again touching the barrenness in women’s lives. In areas where we have not been fruitful—because our influence has been ignored, our voices silenced, or our presence unwelcome—God is giving us the power to bring life. He is restoring our maleness and our femaleness back to what He purposed it to be so we can function in wholeness with one another. As He does so, greater restoration will come to the Church so His ultimate intention can be fulfilled in and through us.

Summary

• God has always used women to accomplish His purposes.
• Jochebed, Esther, Hannah, Abigail, and Lydia all played specific, important roles in the fulfillment of God’s plan for His people and the world.
• God knows what the world needs in this hour and has made provision for it. Part of His provision involves the unprecedented awakening taking place among women today.
• Just as Jesus moved toward the infirm woman in order to heal her, the Spirit of God is once again taking the initiative to heal, restore, and empower women so we can be used to fulfill His purposes.