"The First Lady"
In order to really look at the role of a godly woman, I think it is only right to start from the beginning. Most anyone you ask would be able to tell you who the first woman was, but I want to dig further than that.
-Why was it necessary for God to create a woman instead of another man?
-What was the primary role created for Eve and each woman thereafter?
-Have these roles changed since the time of Adam?
Let's start by looking at the creation of woman in Genesis 2:18, 22-24 (NASB) For the first time in the creation story God says that something is not good.
"Then the Lord God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.' The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. The man said, 'This is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.' For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall become one flesh."
I broke down v. 18 to it's Hebrew roots to look at the key words "alone", "helper", and "suitable".
Alone- "levaddov", meaning separation or a part.
Helper- "ezer", meaning a help or helper
Suitable- "kenegdov", meaning in front of, in sight of, or opposite to.
Obviously "alone" and "helper" have self explanatory meanings, but "suitable" is interesting. I don't know if you can include all three meanings of suitable into v.18, but let's say you can. Up to this point in the scripture, Adam was the only one in creation that did not have another creature like him. God knew that Adam needed someone that would stand by his side (in front of), would be visually appealing (in sight of), and would fill in the places that Adam's own personality lacked (opposite to). So the old saying must be true that opposites attract! I believe that God was also completing what was said back in chapter 1:27-28, "God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.' " Unlike the animals, God created man in His own image, using His own characteristics. Man did not possess a completeness of these attributes though. If God had created Adam with complete characteristics of Himself, Adam would not have needed a helper, and therefore it would not have been necessary to create any other people. This is why God needed to create a woman instead of another man. They both share parts of His character. They come together as two separate people who complete the picture of God's attributes. We can see how God used the creation of man and woman to mirror Himself in multiple ways. 1) The Trinity is three in one, as man and woman represent the image of one God in two people. 2) Man is not "complete" without woman, as we are not complete without Christ. 3) We can also see the example of authority of man over woman after the fall, just as God is the authority over man.
God's design of woman is so purposeful, and we need to understand that. We have been created to "complete" the character of God that He created in man. With that being said, we need to also remember that it is from man that we were formed. Man completes God's character in us, as we do for them. No matter how society treats women or sees our status, our role is not to gain leadership over or equality with men, but to show God's image in a complete way that leads others to worship Him. This was Eve's created role and is ours today as well.
-Why was it necessary for God to create a woman instead of another man?
-What was the primary role created for Eve and each woman thereafter?
-Have these roles changed since the time of Adam?
Let's start by looking at the creation of woman in Genesis 2:18, 22-24 (NASB) For the first time in the creation story God says that something is not good.
"Then the Lord God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.' The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. The man said, 'This is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.' For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall become one flesh."
I broke down v. 18 to it's Hebrew roots to look at the key words "alone", "helper", and "suitable".
Alone- "levaddov", meaning separation or a part.
Helper- "ezer", meaning a help or helper
Suitable- "kenegdov", meaning in front of, in sight of, or opposite to.
Obviously "alone" and "helper" have self explanatory meanings, but "suitable" is interesting. I don't know if you can include all three meanings of suitable into v.18, but let's say you can. Up to this point in the scripture, Adam was the only one in creation that did not have another creature like him. God knew that Adam needed someone that would stand by his side (in front of), would be visually appealing (in sight of), and would fill in the places that Adam's own personality lacked (opposite to). So the old saying must be true that opposites attract! I believe that God was also completing what was said back in chapter 1:27-28, "God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.' " Unlike the animals, God created man in His own image, using His own characteristics. Man did not possess a completeness of these attributes though. If God had created Adam with complete characteristics of Himself, Adam would not have needed a helper, and therefore it would not have been necessary to create any other people. This is why God needed to create a woman instead of another man. They both share parts of His character. They come together as two separate people who complete the picture of God's attributes. We can see how God used the creation of man and woman to mirror Himself in multiple ways. 1) The Trinity is three in one, as man and woman represent the image of one God in two people. 2) Man is not "complete" without woman, as we are not complete without Christ. 3) We can also see the example of authority of man over woman after the fall, just as God is the authority over man.
God's design of woman is so purposeful, and we need to understand that. We have been created to "complete" the character of God that He created in man. With that being said, we need to also remember that it is from man that we were formed. Man completes God's character in us, as we do for them. No matter how society treats women or sees our status, our role is not to gain leadership over or equality with men, but to show God's image in a complete way that leads others to worship Him. This was Eve's created role and is ours today as well.
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