natsab

Well, here’s a topic sure to trigger a lot of people!

The answer is quite simple, but since our Greco-Roman ‘enlightened’ culture is so far removed from Scripture, I’ll try to pull a few threads together before giving a very pithy answer.

Last year, just before Passover, Jeremy and I were studying who the Assembly, or Congregation of Israel was/is. It led to an article with a number of solid conclusions that will trigger most people in Christianity and most of Reformed Judaism…

Simply, the Congregation is composed of the men of war, 20 and older. No women, no children.

ALL women and children who were to be represented in the Assembly had to be under the headship or authority of one of those men. NOT to be under the headship or authority of a man was to be in a place of shame and reproach. Scripture is clear in this matter. I cover it in detail in Shame, Reproach, and the Image of Marriage.

Lest you errantly think I’m a misogynistic cad, I explain in that article that women have value, but their role is decidedly different than that of the men. When women choose to walk outside of God’s authority structure, then they place themselves in a very tough spot.

Some may point to Yeshua and claim that He redeemed the value of single women as if treating women with kindness overturned God’s authority structure. I completely agree that women are to be valued and not mistreated, but I also point to Yeshua’s last act before His death: He placed His mother under the authority of John!

Exampled all the way through the Tanak and even more explicitly stated in the New Testament, a woman was to be under the authority of her father, then her husband. In some rare circumstances, the woman might fall under the authority of a son, brother, or uncle. Paul’s clear instruction is that the woman, unless a widow indeed and over 60, was to be married. This is another major paper that rocks Christendom’s egalitarian misinterpretation of Paul.

[Update: By way of clarification, the title reference and following reference to a ‘single woman’ should be understood as an ‘uncovered woman’. I.e., she is not under the authority of her father or male family member, or not under the authority of a husband.]

The conclusion is that there should be no single (uncovered) women in kol Israel. They are to be under the headship of a family member or a husband. Their value is fully realized when they submit to Yah’s authority structure and function as a helpmeet to the authority Yah has placed over them.

While this post may anger or trigger some, I submit that your problem is not with me. Your problem is with Yah and His Word. My strong recommendation is that you humble yourself and get before Him and honestly ask Him to teach you truth in this area and restore the parched places in your life.

I’m happy to discuss this either in the comments or through my email.

Shalom!