Jesus Sets Women Free: Adam and Eve

Perhaps it is no wonder that the women were first at the Cradle and last at the Cross.

Perhaps it is no wonder that the women were first at the Cradle and last at the Cross. They had never known a man like this Man--there never has been such another. A prophet and teacher who never nagged at them, never flattered or coaxed or patronised; who never made arch jokes about them, never treated them either as "The women, God help us!" or "The ladies, God bless them!"; who rebuked without querulousness and praised without condescension; who took their questions and arguments seriously; who never mapped out their sphere for them, never urged them to be feminine or jeered at them for being female; who had no axe to grind and no uneasy male dignity to defend; who took them as he found them and was completely unselfconscious. There is no act, no sermon, no parable in the whole Gospel that borrows its pungency from female perversity; nobody could possibly guess from the words and deed of Jesus that there was anything "funny" about woman's nature.
Dorothy Sayers

Friday, May 13, 2011

Helper

God created all the heavens and the earth, plants, animals and Adam and it was all good, except for one thing, the only thing that was not good—Adam was alone, he needed a companion. (Genesis 2:18) So God created an ezer kenegdo for him—a help to surround and protect him, one who was parallel and face to face with him—not under him. The word ezer or helper is the same word used for God helping the Israelites against Pharaoh (Exodus 18:4)—Eve was no shrinking violet! (There is no such thing in the Bible as a “helpmeet”—not even in the King James but “an help meet” or ezer kenegdo—see above.) God gave Eve joint-rulership with Adam over all the creatures of the Earth! (Genesis 1:26-28)

Naming and Dominion

God made Adam and Eve to work together side by side but some say that since Adam named the animals and he named Eve that by virtue of naming them, he gained the right to rule over animals and women. But we women are not in the category of the animals; we are made in the image of God! (Genesis 1:26.27) The Hebrew verb translated as “called” or sometimes as “name” means to “call out” as in calling upon the name of God but when Adam called out, “Ishaah” (or woman), it was more like exclaiming, ”Wowie kazowie!” than naming. He wasn’t ruling, he was rejoicing! (Genesis 2:23) Later, after they sinned, Adam prophesied that Eve would be the mother of all the living (same word), in this case he called out what the future would hold. (Genesis 3:20)

First Born

Some teach that since Adam was created first (he indeed was), God intended him to rule over Eve and every man over every woman ever after—a sort of first-born right. But think about it, the roses and wisteria were created three days before people, so by that line of reasoning we would have “flower power”! Or bird or cow power… (Genesis, chapters 1 & 2)

More Easily Deceived?

Sadly though everything was wonderful in the Garden of Eden, Eve, then Adam sinned. Eve was deceived by the serpent but Adam knew full well what he was doing. Does the fact that Eve was deceived mean, as it is often taught, that women are more easily deceived than men and therefore can’t be trusted in leadership? Of course not! Not unless overt sin makes one more trustworthy!

No, Paul constantly warned all the Christians against being deceived, female and male. (1 Cor.6:9; 2 Cor. 11:3; 2 Thes. 2:3; Gal. 6:7; Col. 2:4; 2 Tim 3:13; Titus 3:3; James 1:16; 2 John 7—Jesus too, in Mt. 24:4) Besides the Bible says that Jesus’ death and resurrection freed all of us from the punishment for original sin—not just Adam’s but Eve’s too! Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, so we’re no longer under the “curse” that when Eve would have a longing for her husband, he would take advantage of her by trying to control her. (Galatians 3: 13) That’s right! We’re free! Jesus came to set the captives free from sin, free from personal and original sin and free from the constraints of culture—the traditions of men. Free to serve the Lord together.