A SPIRITUALLY MATURE GLANCE AT WOMEN 17 JUN 2014

This post is for Christians who want a deep look at the nuances of female spirituality as revealed in LEV 12. This is spiritual meat, so those who still want your formula in a bottle may want to skip this. Curious non-Bible believers are welcome, just remember this was written for believers. Perhaps you’ve heard of the woman entrusted with children at a day care center, who put gas on her own head to kill lice, and then lit up a cigarette. We bump into things like that…yesterday a woman I tried to help by loaning my cell phone, stole it. (And yes I called the phone to try recovering it!)

After three years of tutoring his disciples, Christ recognized their maturity, “Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” JN 15:15 The bottom line in the Word is for us to mature, “Brethren be not children in understanding…but in understanding be new.”(A) “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things.”(B)

LEV 12:1-5. The Word teaches that a girl baby is considered unclean for twice as long as a baby boy by God. The boy child is circumcised on the 8th day, and then for 33 more days is unclean. Double these times for a girl. The woman who has the child is considered unclean twice as long if she has a girl. (Amazing!) Even a child which was aborted or miscarried, if its sex can be identified, will make the woman unclean for the same time as a live child. As the Word says, a woman gives birth to children “in sorrow-in shame.”(C) These verses in Lev. also remind me how Israel’s women had to stay in the Court of the Women (aka Temple Treasury). The men stood in front of the women.

GOD IS NO RESPECTOR OF PERSONS.(D) From his perspective “there is neither male nor female…[we] are all one in Christ Jesus” (E). We also know that the Law of God is holy, just & good (F), and has a spiritual purpose (G). This is a foundational truth, that is: that God’s Law has a spiritual purpose….So what are the unwritten spiritual truths behind Leviticus 12:1-5, as well as men being first & women being last in the Temple?? When I went to the tomes of commentaries, they were mute on this. Matthew Henry simply said he had no idea why female babies were unclean twice as long as males. The Word advises, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally…” (H) So I took Him at His Word & asked the Spirit!! Now let me share what the Spirit revealed. (Boy was I surprised in a good way!)

TWICE AS HOLY ONCE PURIFIED & PERFECTED. The Spirit showed me the double-cleansing reflects a spiritual truth, the woman is twice as holy once purified & perfected. A person who has the fruit of the Spirit (love, a nurturing spirit, peace & kindness) has the traits that a woman naturally has before sin distorts her. In other words, a godly woman is very spiritual, because her natural fruits of the Spirit are perfected. But a fallen woman is the worst that can be. Like an Archangel Lucifer falling. A woman can be a virgin or a slut, a nurturer or a murderer of the innocent. She has the spiritual potential to be extreme either way. Her potential is greater, so she is cleansed twice as much because when perfected she is truly spiritually twice as spiritual. The Word tells us several times that the first will be last, and the last will be first! (I) Women are last in the Temple, because they are first in heaven. The Shekinah (Spirit) is considered female by the Israelites. El Shaddai, an ancient Biblical name of God comes from the root Shad—which means a woman’s breast. Wow, God is like a woman’s breast.

ROLES. The fact that women have roles to play (for example, Ruth & Pricilla) does not diminish their spirituality, but gives opportunity for the expression of their fruit of the Spirit. With their husband as a team, they can provide a second spiritual witness…the Word is big on something being est. by 2 or 3 witnesses. A fully spiritually-functioning couple are powerful, synergistically building each other up.

THE SPIRIT MADE ME ECSTATIC. It was a powerful experience to have the Spirit answer my prayer in such a profound way. By way of divine coincidence, I got my second witness in the mail. I notice that God at times (like His Word says) knows what I am going to pray for BEFORE I pray, and starts the answer on its way!!! (J) So after the Spirit’s revelation, I received bio info on Thérèse of Lisieux. She also noticed the same thing, “Ah! Poor women, how they are misunderstood!…In heaven, He will show that His thoughts are not men’s thoughts, for then the last will be first.”(K)

BROTHERS & SISTERS, HAVE A BLESSED DAY IN MESSIAH.

(A) I COR 14:12 (B) EPH 4:15 (C) GEN 3:16 cf. PRV 14:13 (D) ACTS 10:34, cf. JAS 2 (E) GAL 3:28 (F) ROM 7:12 cf. 1 TIM 1:8 (G) ROM 7:14 (H) JAS 1:5 (I) MK 10:31 cf. LK 1:52 (J) ISA 65:24 (K) 1895 Autobiography, p. 140