Order

He made the laver of bronze and its base of bronze, from the bronze mirrors of the serving women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Exodus 38:8 csb

We find through Scripture that God orders all things together. Life is not by chance or chaos, but by design from the Master Carpenter, Jesus Christ. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing could be made, John’s Gospel tells us. The further we get away from God’s order, the more disorder life becomes. That’s truly when chaos takes place.

In Exodus 38, we see the building of the Tabernacle and the items of the outer court. In just one verse, we see the bronze basin made. It is not seemingly remarkable, but it is very important, with some very interesting details. The biggest detail that stands out is that the basin for washing, after the sacrifice was slaughtered, was made of bronze mirrors. These mirrors, verse 8 tells us, were from the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

Apparently, there were women who helped the priests serve within the Tabernacle. Women have always been invited to be a part of God’s work. This is seen from the very beginning. Eve was created as comparable to Adam, to help him steward the animals and the garden in Eden. She was to be a helper. That was God’s order of creation women were included to help, work, and serve. It was a beautiful and great fellowship between God and mankind, until sin entered in, and chaos came with it.
The design that God had in mind, however, remained - women were still invited to serve the Lord.

It is through Sarah, Abraham’s wife, that God’s promise of descendants would come. She was the vessel the Lord chose, much like Mary, the mother of our Lord. We see that God used these in Exodus 38, women at the Tabernacle not only to serve and assist, but also to provide a very important article, the bronze basin. God invites women to serve and gives them a place to put their unique skills and minds to work.

Notice, however, that they were able to serve with the priests, but were not priests themselves. They never took on the office of priest or administered the sacrifices for the people’s sin offerings. They did not sprinkle the blood upon the horns of the altar. It was God’s design and order that men be priests to the people. The women were invited to serve alongside them and provide wonderful support, like in the garden. It is not that they were inferior, it has nothing to do with that. Remember, Eve was comparable to Adam. It is about God’s order in all things, including ministry.

The further we get from the original design and order God established, the more disorder things become, including in ministry. From Genesis through the New Testament, God called the men of His people to be spiritual shepherds. We see this in the choosing of the twelve disciples by Jesus. There were women who were also “disciples” (learners), but the twelve were a special calling of shepherding. Jesus never selected a woman for that position. Paul wrote to Timothy, instructing him on church government, and affirmed God’s order and design for ministry. Paul said in 1 Timothy 2:12 “I do not allow a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; instead, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve.”

The Holy Spirit is drawing from the very beginning of God’s creation His design and order. Just as God did not permit a woman to be a priest at the Tabernacle, and later the Temple, God still does not permit a woman to be in spiritual authority over men. We call this the whole counsel of God, as seen through the whole of the Bible. Some have tried to dismiss Paul’s writings as being applicable only to the time and culture of his day. But as seen in the verse, Paul is going beyond culture, history, and even the Law of Moses. He goes all the way back to creation itself. To dismiss this is a great error and contradicts the very order of God. To dismiss this is to dismiss the very breath of God’s inspiration and authority within Scripture. It makes Paul’s Epistles not God’s authority, not Holy Spirit inspired, but merely a work of man, and now we have an even larger issue. We cannot “cherry-pick” what we like and don’t like. That is not how God expects His people to handle His Holy Word.

In Malachi 3:6 God declares, “Because I, the LORD, have not changed.” This is what’s called God’s immutability. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He does not, on a whim, change His mind or His order. The Old Testament, we know, is also a shadow of the substance of things to come, including the church and its order.

God desires that women have an active role in serving in the church. The church needs women to serve, just like in Exodus. But the church does not need women shepherds, because God has called men to be spiritual shepherds. It is not because women aren’t smart enough, spiritual enough, or are inferior. In fact, I know many spiritual women who are blessing within the church. It is simply because that is God’s order, and when we leave that order, we will find disorder. The church today has become out of order because men and women have dismissed the Word of God, and the enemy has been allowed in, just like in the Garden. When Eve spoke with the devil in serpent form, she took on the role of spiritual leader by speaking on behalf of Adam. She misinterpreted what God said and was deceived. Paul says, 1 Timothy 2:14 “And Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and transgressed.”

This is still taking place all over the world within the church. Women have been deceived into thinking they are in a position to be spiritual authority within the church, and because of it, there is chaos. The flock of God doesn’t know what to believe or who to listen to on such matters. The truth is, the Word of God is the authority, from Genesis to Revelation. It is His inspired Word that we take our orders from. The same is true personally. When we get away from God’s Word in any matter concerning life, we will find disorder and chaos. We need to be people of the Word so that we do not err and lead others astray. God has given us His Word as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. Let us stay on the path which is His Word.

Agape,
Frank