October 4, 2007, God's Sovereignty summoned my dear mother home to her eternal rest in Christ. Her life's providential appointment was to be a wife of a preacher, a mother of three children, a grandmother of ten, and great grandmother of seven. As a teacher and honorable leader among women she was affectionately known as Dr. Joye. She would have been 82 years old had she lived until October 31st.
Over eleven years ago she suffered a debilitating stroke, which necessitated retirement from an active life of service to her Lord. Subsequent strokes only deepened her physical infirmity. It became the privilege of my wife and me to oversee her care following the passing away of her husband Dr. O. Talmadge Spence after almost 53 years of marriage. She nobly carried her deep sufferings in the will of God without murmur or complaint. She was a grand lady of grace throughout her years; she has left us a legacy of Christ, character, and culture marked by the grace of her Lord. As she rested at our home, the Lord called her home early Thursday morning during our annual Congress of Christian Fundamentalists at Foundations.
Being the firstborn of a precious, godly couple, I took the responsibilities of care for my father in the last five months of his life and then of our dear mother for the past seven and one-half years. We counted it no inconvenience in our duty and love for them both. Furthermore, the family is deeply indebted to her caregivers who continued faithfully over the years providing care during the day hours in order for my wife and me to continue ministering in the Foundations Ministries. We acknowledge these dear ladies who viewed this privilege as a ministry and calling upon their lives: Mrs. Susan Wilson, a registered nurse, was the chief caregiver for the majority of the years; she was assisted in the recent years and the final months by Mrs. Bettina Wilson, Mrs. Doris Nighswonger, Miss Mishal Macomber, and Mrs. Laurie Gaskins. We are also grateful for the Foundations families that daily support this ministry into which my dear father and mother poured their lives for Christ's glory. They also lovingly and respectfully assisted behind the scenes with invaluable support of strength and devotion during these years. Dr. Joye will be missed as her husband has been.
Appropriately, we have laid her body to rest in the Paracleft Cemetery on the Foundations' campus with the hope that her precious spiritual legacy will continue to live on in the hearts and lives of others whom she touched over the many years of her ministry. She truly was a "Mother in Israel." Such a title is rare in Scripture and should be carefully viewed in the light of its context and in the light of the times in which we live. A mother is a woman, but she is a woman of unique character that aids children. However, a "Mother in Israel" is one who is a protector and defender of a nation. Before we consider this title, let us first view the biblical view of womanhood.
A Woman Viewed at the Fall
In the scheme of creation, God's final work of natural creation was that of the woman. This unique creature of God was taken from within the man, his tender part, the bone and flesh of his body. When Adam saw this created entity, he immediately acknowledged that it was part of himself (Genesis 2:23). The Hebrew word for woman is ishshah; it is identified with the deeper word ish (the man). In contrast to "man," meaning "to be strong," ishshah means "to be soft," denoting that part of man's anatomy from whence she came. She was to give her life and existence to the man as a counterpart, to serve in helping the man. Adam, the man, was placed in the Garden of Eden not only to dress or till the garden but also to "keep it" or to watch, guard, and look after it (Genesis 2:15). Adam was made outside the garden and placed within the garden (Genesis 2:8), but the woman was made within the garden (2:21).
We know the story well. A beast of the field entered that garden. Instead of watching, guarding, and looking after it, Adam permitted the serpent to enter the garden as well as permitted him to talk to his help-meet. She became the active one in those moments and Adam became the passive one. As a result, she was fully deceived into partaking of the forbidden fruit while Adam was not deceived (First Timothy 2:14). He allowed the commandment of God to be broken and partook himself of that forbidden fruit and plunged the whole human race into sin and death.
God did a most precious thing in appointing the avenue through which the saving of humanity would come. Though salvation would be wrought through a man, the avenue through which he would come was the one who initiated the Fall—the soft one, the weak one, the WOMAN (Genesis 3:15). We are told in Jeremiah 31:22, "A woman shall compass a man." Before man left the garden we read, "And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living." He believed that through her all life of the future humanity would come.
It is interesting that this would be the last time that Adam would name anything. In Genesis four Eve conceived two sons (possibly twins) to whom she gave their names. Later in chapter four she would likewise name Seth. The woman took the prominent role in the Fall, with the man pursuing in passivity yet with full consciousness of what he was doing. Adam should have stopped the process of the temptation in Genesis three in the conversation of his wife with the serpent, but he did not. As the serpent became the tempter to Eve, Eve became the temptress to Adam.
Women in the Bible
The study of womanhood in Scripture unfolds in a variety of ways, expressing excellency of character in a few women, nominal character in some, and evil character in most others. A brief list would enhance our understanding of the diversity of character found among them.
The historical presentation of women in Scripture reveals the sad contributions that a number of them gave to their husbands and families. Besides the first woman Eve, another wife the Bible includes is Lot's wife. Although the Scriptures do not reveal any details of her influence upon Lot's decision to move to Sodom, one wonders if Lot was not a more passive man dominated by his wife's desires. She was a woman who stayed behind her husband Lot in the exodus from Sodom. Luke's exhortation to "remember Lot's wife" is in the context of leaving all possessions of materialism behind (Luke 17:31-33). This passage seems to reveal the key reason for her looking back although her husband and two daughters were out in front of her. When did Lot finally realize that she was not with him in the flight? There are those women for which materialism is the dominating control of their earthly existence.
Job's wife is another woman who was caught in the circumstances of losing everything she had of tangible worth including her children. Although we find her conspicuously silent in the first chapter of the book of Job, in the second chapter, when her husband was smitten physically, she cries out for him to curse God and die. Women must be careful in the sufferings and crises of life, that they do not lose hope and trust in God. To the contrary, they must become the encouragement of home and heart for a husband.
We also read of Rebekah, who became a deceptive woman influencing her son Jacob toward this family sin. Her acts of deception toward her husband kept her from ever seeing her son Jacob again. Then there was Rachel, the darling love of Jacob's life, who deceived her husband by hiding the idols that she had stolen from her father. Scripture also records Michal, David's wife, and her great disdain for his spirituality before God (Second Samuel 6:20-23). Solomon's wives drew his heart away from the living God (First Kings 11); Jezebel "stirred up her husband to wickedness"; and Herodius hated the preaching of John the Baptist and stirred Herod to commit him to death by beheading.
Silly Women of the New Testament
The Bible prophesied in Second Timothy 3:6 that in the last days "silly women" would mark the institutional churches. Such a title is a title of contempt. We are told that "of this sort" (the men mentioned in the previous verses) come the ones who "creep" into the houses and "lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts." Apostate men prey on such women, coming into their homes (in real life or via the television) under false pretense, stealthily, to bring them under mind and emotional control. Proneness to be deceived is part of their being silly. They are women who have a craving and passionate desire for different things. They tend to rule the man by their wants and their beliefs. They even profess to be more spiritual than their husbands (3:7).
The Godly Woman
Despite such poor examples of women in Scripture, there have been godly women mentioned in the Scripture who found their divine appointment in life. Although Sarah convinced her husband to attempt the will of God through the flesh in marrying Hagar, we must see that her life triumphed later. Hebrews 11:11 states that "through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised." Also, First Peter 3:6 states, "Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement." She truly is an example of one who recovered from a failure with her husband.
Abigail is presented in First Samuel 25 as one who saved her husband's life through her wisdom, and yet God personally took her husband in death a few days later. Ruth is viewed as an obedient daughter-in-law whom God truly blessed. Judges 4 and 5 speak of Heber's wife Jael, a woman given to hospitality; nevertheless, she knew what to do with an enemy of God. It must also be acknowledged that Noah's wife was a woman who was willing to stay with her husband even in days when others did not believe him. And there is the mother of Jesus, who as a young woman told the angel, "Be it unto me according to thy Word" (Luke 1:38).
The book of Proverbs speaks of a number of women: the evil woman, the contentions woman, the odious woman, the harlot, the whore, the adulterous woman, and the strange woman. But Proverbs 31 becomes a chapter dedicated to the virtuous woman and concludes the book with the characteristics that mark such a woman. Interesting to note, these characteristics are given by a woman who is warning her son about bad women. The mother of King Lemuel (meaning "devoted to God") is responding to the query "what": "What my son? And what, the son of my womb? And what the son of my vows?" Or "What shall I warn you of, the son of my womb and the son given in answer to prayer?" She then proceeds to warn him of those vices—licentiousness, wine, and strong drink—that would destroy kings. She pleads with him to act righteously, stand up for those who are appointed to destruction, and plead the cause of the poor and needy. She will conclude her words of warning against wrong women. This woman, perhaps Bathsheba, whose life earlier was a moral failure, now is crying for strength, and gives us the golden characteristics that mark a good woman, a woman blessed of God. The woman, the tender gender, is called to be strong in life: "Who can find a virtuous woman?"
A Mother in Israel
In days of great apostasy, God raised up a woman named Deborah (Judges 4-5). She called herself a "mother in Israel" (5:7) meaning that she played the role of "mother" to the nation of Israel at this time. In days when few men were found to lead and inspire others for God, this dear woman became the inspiration for the nation. She became an honorable mother in leadership, giving the law and guidance of a mother. Although Barak will do the fighting, she will be the mother to inspire him to fight and do the will of the Lord. Apostasy has a way of making a people immature and childish; Israel clearly fit this description at this point in its history.
II Samuel 20:19 reveals that a city could be viewed as a "mother in Israel." When Sheba was out to destroy David, an unnamed woman made it clear to David that she and her city were not against him and were not in sympathy with Absalom's late rebellion. Often cities were called daughter cities of a mother city such as Jerusalem (Ezekiel 16:27 and 46). Thus there are some cities, some ministries, that become a "mother in Israel" in their influence, teaching, encouragement, and counsel to other ministries. Such a city is called a "mother in Israel."
Conclusion
In reflecting upon my dear mother's life and legacy, I truly believe she was appointed by providence as a mother in Israel. I have received letters and emails from a number of her students in recent weeks declaring how she was an inspiration to them for the battle against the apostasy and sin. Both young men and women told of classes she taught; and no matter the subject, she gave them the law of God for that subject. She was faithful in guiding and leading as only a mother, a spiritual mother, could do. She had learned well the Word of God, both through her husband's preaching over many years and her own life's experiences that took her to both the bright and dark sides of providence. Although she was a strong woman in character, she was always under the headship of her husband. As an earthly mother and a spiritual mother, she has been a great inspiration to me throughout my life, especially in days of youthful waywardness. She was equally a great encouragement to me in my calling as a preacher. Her life of dignity as a woman, her gentle heart in love, her guiding words of inspiration and honorable exhortation came from a genuine heart that loved the Lord and the Truth. She saw the apostasy and especially how it was creeping into the music of conservative churches. She established a true foundation in the beginning years of the Fine Arts Department of Foundations Bible College and helped to make this modest ministry a "mother in Israel" among a number who looked to us for help and spiritual support. A woman of strong convictions, she equally knew her place as a woman.
We will miss her life among us; she was a final tangible link to the founding days of this good ministry. A good number among us knew her in her prime of life for the Lord; the next generation will not have that privilege. Therefore her life and teachings must continue in the hearts and lives of those who knew her. They must perpetuate the principles to those whom God will raise up for the future. May God call others to pick up the mantle and forward the faith of Christ and His Word.
In a day when women are weak and given to sentimentality and subjective feelings, may God raise up a band of women who will rise above themselves, above the weakness of womanhood, and be a mother in Israel for their generation. May they know their place in honorable submission to their husband and yet in the appropriate appointment of influence step forward to be the woman for God.