Did God Choose Only “Exceptional” Women as Leaders of Men?

January 2, 2021 Cynthia Hester

Does the Bible reflect that God chose only a few “exceptional” women as leaders of men? In the evangelical church, some complementarians[1] believe that the accounts of women leaders in the Bible were a “special case” to the “general rule.”[2] That God chose a few “exceptional” women but predominately favored male leaders. Those who hold this view prescribe male leadership as a “general rule.” They believe the Bible teaches a hierarchical leadership system both in the church and in the home. The Collins Dictionary defines “hierarchical” as a “system or organization in which people have different ranks or positions.”[3] Under this system, men’s rank is leadership, and women’s position is support to male leadership. But, did God choose only a few “exceptional” women as leaders of men?

The purpose here is not to defend or deny whether a “general rule” of male leadership is reflected in the Scriptures. Instead, the focus is to address three arguments used to support the premise: God chose women leaders in the Bible because they were “exceptional” in circumstances when suitable men weren’t available.

Argument 1: Only the “Exceptional” Apply

Does the Bible reveal a pattern of God choosing to work through people who are “exceptional?” Let’s consider the character of six revered men of the Bible:

Abraham: Abraham told King Abimelech that Sarah was his sister, not his wife, and the king would have taken her to his bed if not for divine intervention (Gen 20:1–18).
Moses: He murdered an Egyptian and hid his dead body (Ex 2:11–12).
David: King David raped another man’s wife and facilitated her husband’s death (2 Sam 11).
Elijah: The prophet Elijah ran in fear for his life and prayed to die (1 Kgs 19:1–4).
Jonah: Jonah sailed in the opposite direction of God’s mission for him (Jonah 1:3).
Peter: One of the Twelve, he denied knowing Jesus three times (Matt 26:69–75).

God chose each of these men to lead his people in significant ways. But, did God select them because they were exceptional?

God Works Through the Seemingly Insignificant

Throughout Scripture, God worked through unexpected and seemingly insignificant people—the young, scorned, poor, and/or outsider—but perhaps not the exceptional. Here are a few examples:

Hagar: She was a lowly servant, yet Hagar named God and was one of the few who spoke directly with him (Gen 16:13).
Gideon: He was the least of his tribe and family, but Gideon went from hiding in a winepress threshing wheat to becoming a warrior (Judg 6:15–8:32).
Esther: She was a beautiful, young woman forcibly placed in a King’s harem. Yet, Esther’s influence saved the Jews of Persia and eliminated 75,000 Jewish enemies. (Esth 9:29–32).
Mary: An adolescent virgin, she was chosen to conceive and mother the Messiah (Matt 1:16).
Matthew: He was a despised tax collector, and tax collectors had a reputation for being dishonest. Jesus chose him to be one of his twelve disciples (Matt 9:9–10).
Poor Widow: Her offering of two mites was noted and affirmed by Jesus to his disciples (Mk 12:42–43).
Elizabeth: She was a barren, older woman who miraculously bore a son—John the Baptist (Lk 1:13).

Argument 2: Exceptional Circumstances Alert: No Suitable Men Available

Did God choose women leaders because of exceptional circumstances when male leadership was lacking? Professor Linda Belleville notes, “the examples of Miriam, Deborah, and Huldah, who ministered in the context of other renowned male figures (Moses, Barak, Josiah, Jeremiah, etc.) demonstrate the opposite.”[4] During Deborah’s judgeship, the “weakness of Barak” has been cited.[5]Yet, his faith was commended (Heb 11:32–33). Stable leadership existed under King Josiah when he sought the prophet Huldah’s wise counsel. And, the king could have asked for wisdom from one of several of Huldah’s contemporary male prophets: Jeremiah, Zephaniah, Nahum, or Habakkuk.[6]

Women’s Myriad of Ministry Functions

God called forth women to serve in a myriad of leadership functions. Women’s Old Testament kingdom work included: advisors to head of state (2 Sam 14:1–33; 2 Sam 20:16–22); queens (Esth 9:29–32; 1 Kgs 2:17–19); a judge and warrior (Judg 4–5); and heralds (Ps 68:11). New Testament women served as: disciples; deacons; evangelists (John 4:7–30, 36–42; Phil 4:3); church planters and teachers (Rom 16:3; Acts 18:24–26); “order of widows” (1 Tim 5: 3–10); patrons (Rom 16:1–2); an apostle (Rom 16:7); and eyewitnesses at Jesus’s cross (Matt 27:55; Mk 25:40; Luke 23:49; John 19:25), tomb (Matt 27:61; Mark 16:1–10; Luke 24:9–11; John 20:1–2), and resurrection (Mark 16:9; Luke 24:1–10; John 20:1118). Significantly, one woman, and sometimes more than one, exercised prophetic ministry in every era of redemption history that men prophesied.[7]

Women’s Inspired Words

In addition to women’s prophetic ministry, the Old and New Testament record women’s inspired words. For example, Miriam and Deborah’s songs of victory (Ex 15:20–21; Judg 5); Hannah’s prayer (1 Sam 2:1–10); and Mary’s Magnificat (Luke 1:46–55). And, women’s words are instructive to believers. “Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and training in righteousness, that the person dedicated to God may be capable and equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3:16–17). In patriarchal societies that marginalized women, God’s choice of women for leadership was countercultural. Sometimes he chose the youngest over the oldest and an outsider rather than an insider. Could God not raise a male leader if and when he wanted to?

Argument 3: Numbers Tell the Story

Indeed, the Bible records many more stories of men, their names, words, and actions, than women’s stories. Yet, 71 women speak individually in the Bible, 51 in the Old Testament, and 20 in the New Testament.[8] And, two books of the Bible are Esther and Ruth. Outsiders in against-the-odds situations, their faith-filled lives are models for leaders today.

In the Old and New Testaments, only two or three witnesses were necessary to authenticate a testimony (Deut 19:15; Matt 18:16). Jesus initially chose twelve male disciples, and then he sent out seventy disciples. We know some of Jesus’s women disciples by name, “Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James and Joseph, and Salome” (Mark 15:40). The apostle Paul highlighted women he ministered with as “laborers” and “fellow workers” (Rom 16). In the end times, two prophets will act as witnesses representing the church (Rev 11:3). God deploys small numbers for powerful impact.

Conclusion

Only God knows why he chose who he chose to speak for him and lead his people. Did God choose only a few “exceptional” women as leaders of men? Nowhere in scripture do we find statements that God gave women “authority over men only because of special circumstances… as exceptions to a “general rule.”[9] It is clear, from Jeremiah’s story, that God purposes plans for his people, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations” (Jer 1:5). He had plans for Jeremiah. Likewise, he had plans for Miriam, Deborah, and Huldah to serve his people through leadership and speaking the words of the Lord.

The Bible preserves the stories and words of women. Their stories remind us that the Lord chose to work through men and women—the inadequate, flawed, and even the marginalized—to complete his kingdom purposes. And, when we understand that God accomplished mighty works through them, it reminds us that he can use you and me. God’s instructions to Moses are instructive today: “The LORD said to him, ‘Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say” (Ex 4:11–12). Did God choose only “exceptional” women as leaders of men? Indeed, only God is exceptional.

[1] Complementarianism is a theological view of the relationships between men and women. There is a spectrum of complementarian beliefs. All complementarians believe in the ontological equality of men and women. The functionality of this equality includes a hierarchy of men over women, with limitations on women’s functions in the church. See Dr. Sandra Glahn, “Eight Views of Women,” Bible.org, September 2018, https://blogs.bible.org/eight-views-of-women-in-the-church-home-and-society-within-the-inerrancy-camp/

[2] Thomas Schreiner, “The Valuable Ministries of Women in the Context of Male Leadership,” in Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1999), 216.

[3] https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/hierarchical-structure

[4] Linda Belleville, “Women Leaders in the Bible,” in Discovering Biblical Equality: Complementarity Without Hierarchy, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2005), 113.

[5] John Piper and Wayne Grudem, “An Overview of Central Concerns” in Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1999), 72.

[6] Belleville, “Women Leaders,” 113.

[7] Sandra Glahn, “Women Speaking for God in Mixed Groups?” Engage at blogs.bible.org, October 22, 2019. https://blogs.bible.org/?s=women+prophets+by+era

[8] Lindsay Hardin Freeman, Bible Women: All Their Words and Why They Matter, (Cincinnati, OH: Forward Movement, 2104), 462.

[9] Philip B. Payne, Man, and Woman, One in Christ, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009), 57.

Cynthia Hester