Post #7 of my critique of the Women's Ordination video

Post #7 of my critique of the Women's Ordination video listed below: POINT #4 – The founders of the tribes of Israel were all men.

Yes, this is true, no one would deny it, but then again, their mothers were all women, and so was their Grandmother, and Great-grandmother.  This would be a good time to remember the culture of the whole world during the time the bible was written, was dominated by men. Women quite often were looked at as property and thought not to matter much in the overall scheme of things. You can certainly see people in the bible following this point of view, but I’m not sure it was God’s point of view.  I think as the bible was written down, you can see God slowly trying to change this dominating world view.  One example early on of God’s perspective on women, comes from the life of the “Founders of the 12 Tribes” Great-Grandmother.  The story begins in Genesis 11:29-30.  Here we learn that Abram’s wife was Sarai. After this brief introduction, the first detail we learn about her is that she is barren.  We all know the story. God speaks to Abram, tells him to travel to a new land, and provides him with quite a few wonderful promises, including the one promise to make of him a great nation. Abram eventually settles in Canaan permanently, after a trip to Egypt.  He loses Lot to the Jordan Valley. He rescues Lot and brings him back to the Jordan valley.  All of this happening within about 10 years.  All this time he has to be thinking, “How are nations going to come from me? I’m getting pretty old, 86 my next birthday”. And so when God appears to him again, after Lot’s rescue, and promises to be Abram’s shield, the first thing out of Abram mouth is, “² But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit^[c] my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” Genesis 15:2 Notice who is childless, not we, Abram and Sarai, but I, Abram.  Now I am not blaming him here, he is just thinking like his culture.  The male line is what is important.  The male name has to be passed on.  It seems as if possibly God doesn’t answer him right away, because the very next verse again states, “AND ABRAM SAID, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” Genesis 15:3 (capitalization mine). Pretty much repeating the same facts he had stated before, again declaring that God had not given HIM any children.  Once again I am not disparaging Abram, I think he was still thinking like everyone else from his culture with regards to an heir.  This time however, God answers him and informs him that he will have a child that is his own flesh and blood.  Notice no mention has been made of Sarai from either party. Next God makes a formal covenant blood path covenant with Abram.  After which Abram, I imagine, runs home and tells Sarai the good news.

Chapter 16 starts out with a very down to earth statement, after this previous absolutely stunning experience that Abram had with God.  It says, “Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children.” Vs. 1. Maybe they tried for a while, but it did no good.  Sarai could still not get pregnant, even with God’s promise. But then the promise wasn’t for Sarai, was it? Only Abram.  God hadn’t promised Sarai anything.  So Sarai did another very culturally acceptable thing.  We know that her Granddaughters-in-law did this very thing, and ended up producing the founders of the 12 tribes. In many ways it was a very self-sacrificing act.  After all God hadn’t promised her an heir. Maybe it was time she got out of the way. She gave Abram her handmaid, so Abram could have a child, as God had promised.   Could this possibly give us some insight into why she gets so upset with Abram when she starts having problems with Hagar and seems to blame him for the whole problem?  Was it because she wished he would have asked God for her to have a child?  I think maybe, this is a possibility.  For contrast look at how Isaac reacts when Rebecca cannot get pregnant. Genesis 25:21, “²¹ And Isaac entreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren: and the Lord was entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.”

But back to the story.  Hagar bears Ishmael, again I realize I am skipping parts of the story for the sake of the length of this piece, and everyone seems content for the next 13 years.  The promised child has been born.  Abram has an heir from his seed. Although Abram is content, GOD IS NOT.  The man has an heir but the woman does not.  I love how God brings back Sarai into the story. Genesis 17:15 “¹⁵ God said to Avraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are not to call her Sarai [mockery]; her name is to be Sarah [princess]. ¹⁶ I will bless her; moreover, I will give you a son by her. Truly I will bless her: she will be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”

But Abraham is satisfied with his heir and so he argues with God. Saying things like, “Sarai can’t have a baby, she’s 90. Oh how I wish Ishmael could be my heir”. But God is insistent, it is not just the Fathers of the nation that matter to Him, but the mothers too. God had not just chosen Abram, He had called Abram AND Sarai.  And although He loved Hagar and cares for her and her son He had called Sarai.  This is why we find this verse in Isaiah 51, ““Listen to me, you pursuers of justice, you who seek Adonai: consider the rock from which you were cut, the quarry from which you were dug — ² consider Avraham your father and Sarah, who gave birth to you;” Are you a follower of YHWH? Then you to remember that you are a descendant of the very first COUPLE God called.