Post #9 of my critique of the Women's Ordination video

Post #9 of my critique of the Women's Ordination video listed below: POINT #6 from the video –  The 12 rulers appointed by Moses, in the wilderness under God’s direction, were only men. 

I am assuming this point is talking about the 12 leaders appointed by God in Numbers 1.  These men are specifically named by God, one man from each tribe.  First of all, while I know that God knows each one of us by name, wouldn’t that have been overwhelming?  To have Moses say to you, “Hey you! God called you. Yes you! By name.” Very awesome!!  But let’s back to our facts.  Numbers chapter 1 is the story of the census. “Take a census of the whole Israelite community by their clans and families, listing every man by name, one by one. ³ You and Aaron are to count according to their divisions all the men in Israel who are twenty years old or more and able to serve in the army. ⁴ One man from each tribe, each of them the head of his family, is to help you.”  This census is specifically for counting men of war.  If there is one thing that God did not count women for, it was war.  This definitely seems to be a man’s job.  However even to this job, there was an exception, as indeed we know there was a woman in the bible who led men into battle. So even going to war doesn’t seem to be forbidden to women, if it is needed. It just seems that women are not to be counted when preparing for battle. So our 12 leaders are men, men selected to be the heads of tribes being counted for war, war that God does not expect women to participate in, at least not consistently.  These men were to help with the census and because the purpose of this census is counting men of war, I assume they were to lead the tribe into war. 

Chapter 2 moves on to talk about these leaders, and how they were to help in keeping the camp organized and properly set up around the tabernacle.  And while this chapter seems to be focusing more about organization in the camp, the language is still very much military, a lot of talk of divisions and companies.  Also in Chapter 7 we see these men bringing offerings to the tabernacle seemingly on behalf of the whole tribe.  Now the truth is, I have no doubt that, even though these men do appear to be appointed for military positions, these men were rulers in their tribes both on the battlefield and off.  This would have been very culturally acceptable.  Also because these are MEN, who lead other MEN into battle, I would think they needed recognized authority and leadership back on home ground to command effectively. 

However, this does not prove that a women cannot also be an ordained leader, which is what I think this argument in the video was trying to convey.  For example I would direct the reader to the words of God in Micah, where he is giving testimony against his people.  “I brought you up out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam.”  Micah 6:4.  Here God specifically states that He sent Moses, Aaron and Miriam to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt. She is also called a prophet in Exodus 15:20. And while she is not one of the 12 chosen for what seems to be, at least partly, military leadership, God still selected her to be part of a three person team, seemingly above them all.

  listed below: POINT #6 from the video –  The 12 rulers appointed by Moses, in the wilderness under God’s direction, were only men. 

I am assuming this point is talking about the 12 leaders appointed by God in Numbers 1.  These men are specifically named by God, one man from each tribe.  First of all, while I know that God knows each one of us by name, wouldn’t that have been overwhelming?  To have Moses say to you, “Hey you! God called you. Yes you! By name.” Very awesome!!  But let’s back to our facts.  Numbers chapter 1 is the story of the census. “Take a census of the whole Israelite community by their clans and families, listing every man by name, one by one. ³ You and Aaron are to count according to their divisions all the men in Israel who are twenty years old or more and able to serve in the army. ⁴ One man from each tribe, each of them the head of his family, is to help you.”  This census is specifically for counting men of war.  If there is one thing that God did not count women for, it was war.  This definitely seems to be a man’s job.  However even to this job, there was an exception, as indeed we know there was a woman in the bible who led men into battle. So even going to war doesn’t seem to be forbidden to women, if it is needed. It just seems that women are not to be counted when preparing for battle. So our 12 leaders are men, men selected to be the heads of tribes being counted for war, war that God does not expect women to participate in, at least not consistently.  These men were to help with the census and because the purpose of this census is counting men of war, I assume they were to lead the tribe into war. 

Chapter 2 moves on to talk about these leaders, and how they were to help in keeping the camp organized and properly set up around the tabernacle.  And while this chapter seems to be focusing more about organization in the camp, the language is still very much military, a lot of talk of divisions and companies.  Also in Chapter 7 we see these men bringing offerings to the tabernacle seemingly on behalf of the whole tribe.  Now the truth is, I have no doubt that, even though these men do appear to be appointed for military positions, these men were rulers in their tribes both on the battlefield and off.  This would have been very culturally acceptable.  Also because these are MEN, who lead other MEN into battle, I would think they needed recognized authority and leadership back on home ground to command effectively. 

However, this does not prove that a women cannot also be an ordained leader, which is what I think this argument in the video was trying to convey.  For example I would direct the reader to the words of God in Micah, where he is giving testimony against his people.  “I brought you up out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam.”  Micah 6:4.  Here God specifically states that He sent Moses, Aaron and Miriam to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt. She is also called a prophet in Exodus 15:20. And while she is not one of the 12 chosen for what seems to be, at least partly, military leadership, God still selected her to be part of a three person team, seemingly above them all.