The Bible is often used to support the false doctrines of patriarchy and complementarianism in the Church. However, these false doctrines are based upon the ignorance of those who support them. Read aright, the Bible, not only doesn’t support patriarchy and complementarianism, but, on the contrary, explicitly shows that God places women alongside of men in both importance and power to effect change in this world on his behalf. For centuries, women have been laboring to obtain their proper place in this world, which, according to God, is alongside the male. Nevertheless, men have used the Bible to expel women from their appropriate position in society. In many ways, it was for this very reason that Elizabeth Cady Stanton,[1] a 19th century feminist, decided to organize a group of women to study the Bible from a woman’s perspective. They found that, according to the Bible, women have enjoyed power and authority in all positions men have had, except that of priest, which even men were excluded from, except for a single family.[2]
A singularly important event in the Bible that sheds light on the power of women to be among the movers and shakers of history is found in the fourth book of the Law, Numbers. There, Moses is deciding who gets to inherit and how much. Men get to inherit, while women seem to be irrelevant, as far as the inheriting process is concerned. So, does this mean the Lord gives a nod to patriarchy? For all intents and purposes, it seems the word of God is formulated from the top down. That is, God says or commands a thing and Moses writes it down. There isn’t a discussion between God and Israel’s elders, nor is there a call for a vote. God says what will happen, and Moses records and enforces the word of the Lord. Men inherit, and women don’t. Well, this isn’t entirely so, and it is the exception that is really interesting.
A man by the name of Zelophehad died in the wilderness, prior to Israel’s entering the Promised Land. He had no sons, but he did have five daughters, but women don’t get to inherit, according to the Law. Nevertheless, Zelophehad’s daughters went to Moses and the elders of Israel to formerly level a protest, saying their father wasn’t among those who rebelled against the Lord along with Korah and those with him. Instead, he died for his own sins, like all other Israelites who came out of Egypt. Why, then, should he be singled out, to bear the only family name in Israel that wouldn’t inherit, simply because he had no male children? Moses brought their cause before the Lord, and the Lord sided with Zelophehad’s daughters (Numbers 27:1-7).
Therefore, not only did Zelophehad’s daughters inherit the land, but God enlarged their request to benefit all generations after them, so that any man who had no male children, but had daughters, the daughters would inherit what he possessed. What is interesting about this law is that it came from the people and not God. God approved it, but the source was the people, and those people were women. Women, not men, got to modify the Law of God, and God approved their logic and granted their request, which also benefited every generation afterward.
So, once again, the Lord sets aside patriarchy in favor of women. They had their desires granted in a male oriented society. There is absolutely no proof that God approves of patriarchy, only that he reacted to it in a manner that benefited women in later generations. In other words, the Lord overruled the tradition of men in order to grant justice to women, who otherwise would have fallen victims of the unmerciful and unjust tradition of patriarchy.
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[1] See Elizabeth Cady Stanton — Wikipedia
[2] See Ancient and Contemporary Perspectives on Women in the Bible, a lecture by Rabbi Tamara Cohn Eskenazi, Ph.D. Pick up the story at about 33 min. into the lecture and listen to at least 37 min.
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