The roaring initial question the title of this post provokes should be ‘why does it matter at all?’ A Christian is one who desires to honor God in all aspects of life, a Christian wants to be able to say, ‘I do this or that because I see that God, through the Bible, instructs us to do it that way.’ A Christian cannot limit Christianity to only certain parts or aspects of life because all of life is spiritual and a sort of litmus of who that person follows or gives credence to. The Apostle Paul states that a Christian can honor God even in the way a Christian eats and drinks—these are the most mundane day-to-day activities yet we can do them in a way that worships the God who created all things!
It is also a good habit to see what the culture says in light of what the Bible says. The question of whether women should be fighting militarily on the front lines, purposely placing themselves—and being ordered to be placed there--is a question that should not be influenced by culture, rights, or ability. A Christian cannot be coaxed by the prevalent or dominating thought or philosophy of the day if that movement is contrary to what the God of the universe deems right. The all-inclusive approved-thought culture we live in errs greatly in the assumption that each thought is of equal value and authority. That being said, trying to understand where the ideas culture presents and are conceived is helpful for sure but not the topic of this post.
But what DOES the Bible say about this issue? There are some examples of women on the battlefield:
In Judges a woman named Deborah, who was a prophetess, led a group of men into battle and won. Looking at the whole story, however, reveals that there was supposed to be a man leading the charge, Barak, but he lacked courage and wanted Deborah, almost like a good luck charm, to go with him. So she did and he was not given the honor of victory in the battle. So the most glaring instance of a woman on the front-line battlefield is nullified because the prophesy was for Barak, the man, to lead but he failed to do so.
In this same chapter of Judges we see a woman fighting. Jael was a woman who received the King, Sisera, into her home; Sisera was fleeing a battle and he came to Jael in hopes of hiding from his pursuers. She, seemingly at his service, brought him something to drink, at his request, and hid him in a carpet; when he fell asleep rolled up in the carpet she hammered in a tent peg into his skull. (What a woman!) In this instance I think we can conclude that Jael was not intentionally on the front lines but the front lines came to her. This is unavoidable at times and also proves one of my points that yes, woman are very capable—some more than most men—of performing well on the battlefield. The ability can be there but what of God’s DESIGN.
I like intelligence, so what about a spying, being an agent in enemy territory. Someone said as long as there has been war there has been spies. Rehab, a prostitute in the genealogy of Jesus, was herself a spy. Many women during America’s civil war were very good spies. Spy work can often be done and needed because of the absence of men who are off on the front lines.
God knows all this, for He created both man and woman. This issue is not about, not a matter of the song ‘anything you can do I can do better.’ There is something more than that. God created the male to lead, to protect and provide. King David had a famous group of people around him who were the Navy SEALs of the day, they were all men. When Abraham’s relative, Lot, was captured, he and some of his male servants went out to battle the enemy and free Lot. Moses was the one who fought off the men at the well who were pestering the women who were trying to water their livestock. All of the other battles in the Old Testament were fought with the men doing their duty as protectors of their family and land.
You may say, ‘but this was just because of the cultural norms of the day.’ This is a great question and is the reason for my opening statements. The Bible presents a framework for genders and their general roles in society and for our present culture they seem vile and unsavory: ‘wives, submit to your husbands.’ Does this mean women are for mommying and cooking, varying only when the authoritarian husband demands her to do another task at his whim? Absolutely not. It does mean that the man will—presently does—bear the brunt of responsibility before God and society for himself and his family. When speaking of qualifications for the leadership of elder in the church Paul cites that an elder’s children must be obedient and his wife a respected individual: if the man’s home is in shambles how can he be trusted to lead others? Also, there is a woman painted in the book of Proverbs; this woman is strong, she does not get swindled when buying property, she feeds her children and she, in a very real way, makes her husband look good as he trusts her with much. The bible prizes woman: in Ephesians a man is to love his wife as Christ loves His church, laying his very life down for her. Let me say that again, the husband is to give up himself, his very life, FOR HIS WIFE!! The Bible says the man should adorn his wife with his affection and life-vigor because she is worthy of it. He goes on the front line out of love.
A friend was shocked when I said women should not be on the frontlines of battle. ‘They can fight too,’ was the reply. I said, ‘They should not have to.’ In our American humanistic culture we devalue and diminish and curtail the beauty in the gender specific distinctions and qualities. Women are not too fragile or incompetent or too weak to be on the front lines. And a woman should not somehow feel cheated because the right is not hers.
As far as cultural thought goes, sometimes we see no immediate problems when we do something contrary to what God places forward for us to do; sometimes we NEVER see any negative result, but the absence of fireballs from the sky or immediate death by a transgressor does not notarize ones actions to be okay and good. Often the Christian is called to do things that are different than the rest of society, but obedience to God is their main goal—as God has clearly demonstrated by His words in the Bible—not necessarily what makes the most sense at the present time.
This post by no means comprehensive nor exhaustive so I welcome all disputation and comments as always, so long as they are logical and have some kind of point.
******The newest installment of How to Study the Old Testament is upcoming, we will be looking at the minor prophet Malachi; is sincerity in worship all that God wants? How responsible are leaders for a nations spiritual health? And God, once more, has astounding forbearance towards those whom he greatly loves.*****
