According to the 7 women prophetesses in the Old Testament woman are called and equipped by God. Women have always been leaders in the home, in the community, and in the churches. In my experience, church organization diminishes the word. Most denominations simply skip the teaching of these women. I’ve also witnessed the reading of the scriptures, but the pastors are forced to say they are just teachers and do not recognize their importance in the scriptural passages. The women mentioned in the Old Testament are as follows: Miriam (Exod. 15:20), Deborah (Judg. 4:4), Huldah (2 Kgs. 22:14), Noadiah (Neh. 6:14), and Isaiah’s wife (Isa. 8:3), a woman whose name is not given by Isaiah, Sarah, Hannah, Abigail, and Esther
Through the investigations for this sequence of studies, an article the Holy Spirit brought me to was John Jarick’s article, “The Seven (?) Prophetesses of the Old Testament,” called my interest to the Rabbi’s interpretations of the prophetesses according to the Hebrew Bible. The Rabbis taught in Megillah, one of the tractates of the Talmud, stated that there were seven prophetesses in Israel and he also wrote and taught: “Forty-eight prophets and seven prophetesses prophesied to Israel. . . . ‘Seven prophetesses.” According to the author these ladies were: Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Abigail, Huldah and Esther.”
One of the women leaders in both the community and church we should study is a women by the name of Noadiah. Little is known about her, because she is only briefly listed in scripture. In following scriptures Noadiah is mentioned, but the scriptures are speaking about two different people.
Ezr 8:33 “Now on the fourth day was the silver and the gold and the vessels weighed in the house of our God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest; and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them was Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, Levites;” Then again in the following scripture: Neh 6:14
“My God, think thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and on the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets, that would have put me in fear.”
According to the biblical text provides Noadiah, was a leader among the prophets of Jerusalem. She lead other prophets that contested Nehemiah. Since Nehemiah had to ask God for assistance with these prophets to push his agenda/convections Noadiah was not only a prophetess, but a strong leader. According to Neh 13:28 the false prophets paid by Sanballat resisted Nehemiah, because of his policies on mixed marriages. The marriage of Sanballat’s daughter to the grandson of the high priest Eliashib (Neh. 13:28) provides evidence for this opposition.
Another theory on the important role of Noadiah was written in a book by Gafney. She believes that this band of prophets and prophetesses took the side of the women who had to leave their husbands because of religious intolerance. Gafney builds her view during the time of rebuilding of the walls Jerusalem. Nehemiah evidently was progressing the ethnic purity policies Ezra started. It is possible that Nehemiah was concerned about mixed marriages, because their children were unable to speak Aramaic. The Aramaic language is important to mention, because it was the spoken language used by all the people after they returned from Babylon. Nehemiah “contended with them and cursed them and beat some of them and pulled out their hair; and made them take an oath in the name of God, saying, ‘You shall not give your daughters to their sons, or take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves’” (Neh. 13:23-25).
For further inspiration and encouragement to walk through a door God as opened –please view the following FREE classes on YouTube.
Women are called to be preacHERS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDnsSfLSNik&t=15s
Women are called to preach:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXo3cPAYnkw&t=15s
Women can preach:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPqGUW37ZK0&t=3s
Women can preach! Consider Anna in the New Testament:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQvZxBCeFNg&t=45shttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQvZxBCeFNg&t=45s
