I Timothy 2:11 "Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection."
Many people take this verse to far, for it is important that both men and woman sit and learn in silence and be in subjection to those in authority that are doing the teaching. The subject that we are talking about here is "learning" from the Word of God. When God's Word is being taught anywhere, there should be respect for the Word, and those doing the teaching. When you are in a church service and there is talking and moving around that distract others, then knowledge is going forth, and people are being robbed from what they came to hear. This is why there should be silence within the service, and every thing must be done with order and respect for the house of God.
There is nothing that anyone has to say in a service, that is more important than what God's Word has to say. If you think that your words are more important, than leave for you are missing the truth anyhow, and you are disturbing those around you.
I Timothy 2:12 "But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence."
Many preachers use this verse to come down hard on the women in their church, and keep them all tied up. Just as the woman is to stay in her place, so a man and their children are to stay in their place also. The word "suffer" as used here is written because of what Paul was doing prior to his conversion. Paul was going into churches and dragging women out into the streets, stripping them and beating them even to their death. It didn't matter to Paul prior to his conversion or any of those ordered by the high priest what they did with the ladies that would preach the Word of God. Paul knew the suffering that anyone that taught the Word of God would receive at the hands of the Kenite priests and religious leaders, and he did not desire that to come on the Christian ladies of the church. This was a dangerous time to teach the Word of God, and Paul's intent was that the men should take the stand, have the backbone and preach the Word with all the risks that were present.
Paul knew those risks to those that he taught, for he carried the letter from the high priests, those sons of Satan, that had no respect for women in any manner. In fact, he was carrying the letter when he was on that road to Damascus to do just this to the men and women that were preaching and teaching God's Word. It was very embarrassing to the ladies, and even caused many of their deaths. Paul is now saying here that "I give you the liberty and the authority to not do it, to not teach and preach, and cause you to be placed is such danger.
There were women prophets, which is to say teachers in Paul's day and this upsets some of the men folk. Those that take this verse center on the word "not", and skip over the work "suffer", and they continue in their clouds of confusion and bigotry, for it makes them feel very manly to wheel their force over women, and in many cases the women have more knowledge and understanding than the men folk that are over them.
Paul was trying to protect all woman from the kind of treatment that was expected in those days to be give any one that preached or taught. As far as silence goes in the church, no matter who is speaking during a church service, no man woman or child should be allowed to speak and carry on when another is teaching the Word. Paul gave the woman the liberty to keep still and not teach if she did not want to, for this sake.
1timothy2
