Stoned-Campbell Disciple

Four Women have changed my life eternally:

Huldah

Phoebe

Rachael

Talya.

I never (ever) considered myself a sexist but I did hold the old (but not ancient) view that women could do nothing in church. Huldah, Phoebe, Rachael and Talya showed me The Way. It began with Phoebe. Then I was forced to wrestle with Huldah because of Rachael. I had ignored her and God’s word previously.

Huldah was, if we believe inspired writers of Kings and Chronicles, one of the most influential prophets in Israel’s history. In fact, most of the names we think of when we hear the word “prophet” are not even mentioned by either Kings or Chronicles. Jonah and Isaiah (“writing prophets”) are mentioned in Kings. Jeremiah is not, to my knowledge mentioned at all. In Chronicles, Isaiah is mentioned as is Jeremiah mentioned briefly as the author of a lament over Josiah (2 C 35.25) and in 2 C 36. 12, 21. He is never mentioned in connection with Josiah’s reform. Even Elijah and Elisha are mentioned only in Kings but completely absent from Chronicles. Only Huldah figures in the narratives of both Kings and Chronicles (2 Kings 22; 2 Chronicles 34). And in these writings the authority of Huldah is unquestioned. It is even beyond question.

Her authority was unquestioned by the son of David, King Josiah.

Her authority was unquestioned by Hilkiah, God’s high priest (read that till we get it!)

Her authority was unquestioned by Ahikam, son of Shaphan.

Her authority was unquestioned by Abdon.

Her authority was unquestioned by Shaphan, basically the secretary of state.

Her authority was unquestioned by Asiah.

Her authority was unquestioned by the inspired author of Kings.

Her authority was unquestioned by the inspired author of Chronicles.

Her authority was recognized over the rediscovered book of the law. Had Huldah declared to Josiah and Hilkiah that the book was a fraud, the work of a false prophet, they would have obeyed her and burned the book. Thus, a woman prophet is the first person in recorded history to identify a piece of writing as Scripture. It was Huldah’s undisputed authority that “authorized” the book (Read this till we get it)!

Her authority was unquestioned by the Israelites.

Her authority was recognized by naming five gates to the temple in Jesus’s day, the Huldah Gates. In fact, Huldah is the only human with a gate(s) named for her. They did not even have a Moses Gate. Yet there were five Huldah Gates.

Sadly, I have met even preachers who not only do not recognize Huldah’s unquestioned authority but quite a few have never heard of her.

Things that make you go … hmmmmmmmm

C. R. Nichols 1938 book, God’s Woman (co-author of Sound Doctrine with R. L. Whiteside; Nichols’ Pocket Bible Encyclopedia; Mentor to Foy Wallace Jr; etc.) offered some perceptive insight to Huldah.

Anticipating the charge that Huldah is “the Old Testament” (the easy way to get rid of parts of the Bible that do not fit a sectarian agenda), he writes in God’s Woman,

“Sex relationship was the same in the days of Huldah that it was in the days of the apostles. Huldah was inspired by the Holy Spirit to teach a group {=assembly!} of men, and she did teach them without violating the law of Jehovah. Though we do not have inspired men and women today, it does not follow that a group of men may not be taught by a man, or a woman” (p. 28).

It is important to wrestle with the fact that the prophet Jeremiah was ministering at the time of Huldah. In fact, Jeremiah had been preaching for at least five years by this time, according to Nichol (p.29).

We must ask the question, Why is it that Josiah sent the High Priest and other men to Huldah instead of Jeremiah?

When the king was disturbed by the contents of the rediscovered “book of the law” (i.e. the Bible in Josiah’s day) and wanted to know what it meant, and what he was to do, Josiah and his men “did not seek Jeremiah” (p.30).

“They knew the prophetess Huldah was in the city, that she was a mature woman, and they elected, or the king commanded them to go to her for instructions. Huldah, the prophetess, was inspired by Jehovah to teach the high priest, the men with him, and through them the king. By Jehovah’s approval she taught them, for God inspired her to do the teaching. This woman, Huldah, taught a group of men without usurping authority over them, and women can teach men today without refusing to be in subjection to men!” (p. 30).

Huldah, the Prophet of God. Her authority was unquestioned by the King, the High Priest, the biblical authors of Kings and Chronicles. Her authority was unquestioned. She should be one of the most famous characters in the Bible … remember they named gates for her not Moses, not Elijah, not Jeremiah … but Huldah. Huldah was beyond doubt one of the greatest prophets and leaders among God’s people of all time.

When we genuinely understand what Huldah did and who she was our views just may undergo a revolution.

Also of Interest

Huldah Who? The Forgotten Ministry of a Lady Prophet

This entry was posted on Monday, February 21st, 2022 at 4:07 pm and is filed under C. R. Nichol, Hebrew Bible, Women. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.