Deborah and Huldah: The Helpmeets and The Prophetessess'

The mighty power that women possess is unmitigated and when it is focused on spiritual healing, the strength they can hold becomes unknown. The future may foresee what a woman will do, and surely her actions will show. Let’s take a deeper look into our foremother Kowah, which many may know as Eve, the power that she held within her hands would reshape the future that was once unknown, but soon to be discovered. Life as we know it would change forever, and because of her great sin, the World experiences turmoil even unto this very day. The knowledge of Kohelet (Ecc.) 25:24 warned us that, “Of the woman came the beginning of sin, and through her we all die.” But there was one thing that was surely made known to the World, that before she was the beginning of a sinful nature in mankind, she was solely designed to be a helpmeet. Beresheit (Gen.) 2:18.

Thus forth, we find that some women have become a token of valor to men and have helped to expand the very essence of life on the Earth. Mishleim (Pro.) 18:22 states, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from The Almighty.” This scripture is another testament of the favor that women can bring unto men and that there are certain types of women who are often sought after diligently. In order to be that Mishleim (Proverbs) 31 woman, we must first possess spirituality and humility. We know this because her value is beyond rubies and gold. So, as women, our nobility does not come from what we can accomplish from our own hands per say, but of the grand benefit that we bring to our counterparts, mankind.

Which leads us to the Prophetess’ Deborah, with her ability to yield strong men into order by providing the words of The Almighty to uplift them. She used her power for good. But we first find that before being a Prophetess’ of The Most High, that she was a wife. Shofteim (Judges) 4:4 states, “And Deborah, wife of Lapidoth, was a prophet; she led Yisrael at that time.” This introduction does not only give us insights to her life, but it gave an account for her character. We find that she was able to be a Prophetess’ and still attend to her duties as a helpmeet. The two duties complimented each other and proved that she could easily take on the tasks of judging the mighty men of Yisrael along with other obligations in life.

Thoroughly, she gained the respect of the men of Yisrael, even to the point that they would not dare proceed without her in the line of duty. Her militant-style of leadership showcased the strength that women could attain, but it also provided her with the humility to understand that she is no stronger than the men who were the leaders of Yisrael.  They were the ones that would go on to fight the very battles needed to remain a mighty front. So, she couldn’t do without them, in fact she needed them.

Therefore, we find that the Prophetess’ Deborah did not desire the spotlight, but she rather gave it to her male counterparts. In Shofteim (Judges) 4:9 Deborah answered to Barak, “And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for The Almighty shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Here we find that Deborah wouldn’t dare steal the spotlight from Barak but rather made him aware that if he chooses not to stand forth, that YEHOWAH will take away the glory from his hands and place it into that of a woman. But what does this character show us? That we as women can be strong, but if we use our strength to upraise against our men, that it will bring dishonor and shame. So, we must let The Almighty fight those battles for us and only speak in ways that The Almighty commands.

We witness in Bemidbar (Num.) 30:10 that a woman can be held accountable for the words that she speaks and if she is not careful, they can be used against her. Only a man can null and void the spoken words of a woman if they were made in error, so having a husband or a male in your life is very vital. A nation can only be built up through men, and Deborah understood this. Imagine if Sisera won the battle, the women of Yisrael would be taken as captives and made to bare the seeds of enemies. This alone is why women should recognize that men are our greatest allies and protectors’. Also, that it is never wise to work against them, but to work with them to bring forth the greater good for our Nation.

Later, we find Huldah, another woman of notable character that would show why she was entrusted with a task that required a sound mind and great execution. Huldah was a humble woman and was the keeper of the wardrobe in Jerusalem at the college. She embodied the Mishleim (Prov.) 31 woman in its entirety. She was not only a helpmeet and a prophetess, but she was appertained with work to possibly provide means for her family and household. Her husband trusted safely in her and so did others. Her prophetic words were even sought after by King Josiah. This meant that Huldah could have been of higher regard than the Minister Hilkiah, seeing that he was sent to her to inquire of the future of Yisrael, but this alone did not make her prideful and arrogant. She had a task that she was entrusted to do, and that’s what really mattered.

Huldah proclaimed a great prophecy against Yisrael from The Almighty, she stated in 2 Melakeim (Kings) 22:13, “Thus saith YEHOWAH Eloheim of Yisrael, Tell the man that sent you to me, Thus saith YEHOWAH, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Yehudah hath read: Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense to other powers, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and it shall not be quenched.” She later informed King Josiah that the evil would not come towards him since he made sincere efforts to change the people of Yisrael from their evil ways. What if Huldah was aggressive with her message? She could have been seen as treasonous to speak harshly to the King, but since she was ordained as a Prophetess’ of The Almighty, she was respected and well-received.

See, it takes a certain type of woman to deliver such a powerful message as this, and this opportunity could not merely be entrusted too just anyone. Huldah held a very powerful position, she was a helpmeet, and prophetess, and even worked. She proved that women could hold positions of resilience and be respected by playing their roles sincerely.

Now, we take a dive into both of these accounts and think of ourselves. We must read to understand how we should be in our everyday lives as women and most importantly, The Daughters of Zion. YEHOWAH can choose both men and women to be servants unto HIM, and even those to minister, prophesy, and lead HIS people; but this does not mean that we as women are any higher than the men of Yisrael. Deborah and Huldah were both married women who were led by their husbands and The Most High. It is possible to do both and be respectable unto The Most High for adhering to being a helpmeet unto a man.

If these women wouldn’t allow a man to rule over them, why would The Almighty use them and trust them with such important tasks? This way of life is about balance. We cannot rise any higher than our men, and in the effort to restore balance, we must heal and allow our men to lead. We never know what The Almighty has in store for us in the future, but if we maintain a righteous character: then the future can remain as the best of the unknown. We must learn from our mistakes and humble ourselves when we have done wrongly. This is the only way that we will attain our power as helpmeets, prophetesses, mothers, daughters, sisters, and the women of The Mighty Nation of Yisrael.   

Shalom, Peace, and Blessings.

! YAH’KHI!

-Nasekah Tai'Leone Yisrael