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Navarre
Messenger |
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September 13, 2009 |
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In this issue: Male and Female Created He Them (Battle of the Sexes) by Alan Turner |
 by
Allan Turner The first three chapters of Genesis provide the foundation on which we are to develop a Biblical view of the sexes. These chapters deal with the creation of man; they reveal that man is male and female, they explain man’s role, and they provide us with an understanding of the nature of man’s fall into sin and its consequences. Anyone interested in God’s purposes for the male and female will be very interested in carefully studying these three chapters. Man Created In The Image Of God In Genesis 1:26-28, we learn that mankind is the crown of God’s creation. There are three points of emphasis in these three verses: (1) man is created in the image of God; (2) man is expected to procreate; and (3) man is to be a steward over all of God’s other creatures on earth. Verse 26 can be seen as God’s proposal (viz., man is to be created in the image of God, and is to be given domination over all the earth). Verse 27 can be seen as the definition of who man really is (viz., man, who is both male and female, is created in the image of God). Verse 28, then, can be seen as man’s commission (viz., man is blessed by God and is told to procreate and rule the earth). It has been suggested by others, and we totally agree, that verses 26 and 28 ought to be seen as the base of a pyramid that supports and is topped off by verse 27. In other words, verse 27 defines the nature of this man who has been given the commission by God in verse 28, which was, in turn, based upon God’s proposal as stated in verse 26. Verse 27, then, serves as the pinnacle of the argument as to who man really is. Consequently, this verse deserves closer study. Genesis 1:27 We are told that the various emphases of verse 27 are seen in the Hebrew by taking note of the words that appear at the beginning of the clauses. In the following clauses found in verse 27, we have taken the liberty of showing the emphasized words in italics: “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” These three clauses give us a comprehensive understanding of man. First of all, man is God’s creation and must not be seen as a chance collocation of atoms (i.e., evolution). Man is the result of a deliberate and willful act of the Almighty God. Second, man is created in the image of God and therefore bears some of the characteristics of the divine Being. These characteristics make man the only one of God’s earthly creatures suitable for the work of overseeing the rest of His creation. Third, and this is of primary importance to us in this study, man is created male and female. Man is male and female. To many, this is a shocking revelation. But, it ought not to be. The physical nature of mankind (i.e., “man”) is male and female. We do not need special revelation to know this. All we have to do is look at God’s revelation in nature. When we look at man (i.e., “mankind”) we see both male and female. Furthermore, and more importantly, mankind, both male and female, bears the image of the Divine. According to God’s Word, both the male and female are jointly charged to be involved in procreation. The female is not simply the vessel for the male’s child, and neither is the child the sole responsibility of the woman. Together, and only together, are they able to fulfill the responsibility God gave man to fill the earth with his offspring. According to God’s Word, both the male and female are given the responsibility of subduing and exercising dominion over God’s earthly creation. It is exactly at this point that confusion, ignorance and sinful pride lift their ugly heads. Shamefully, men have too often viewed women not just as second class citizens, but as second class image bearers of the Divine, as well. Consequently, women have often been relegated to only a small portion of God’s creation; namely, dirty diapers, dirty dishes, dirty floors, dirty commodes, etc. Please do not misunderstand! We are well aware that woman’s primary duties are domestic (cf. Titus 2:5), but these duties in no way exhaust her total responsibilities. The idea that men alone are to occupy the world outside the house is an idea foreign to the teaching of God’s Word. The Ideal Wife Of Proverbs 31 In this connection, the woman of Proverbs 31 deserves special consideration. Here was a woman who had her priorities straight. First, she was involved in caring for her family, but she also demonstrated her ability to function in a non-domestic environment as well. In providing for the needs of her family, she was still able to engage (i.e., work) in business and charity outside the home with God’s approval. She was a capable and industrious woman who had the full confidence and love of her husband and her children. Therefore, if a woman can meet the needs of her family properly, then it would certainly be appropriate for her to engage in business and other interests outside the home. We can imagine what some might be thinking at this juncture, so let us ask and then answer the following questions: Does any thing we have said up to this point encourage a woman to shirk her domestic duties? No, it most certainly does not! Does any thing we have said up to this point justify the millions of “latchkey” children being created by mothers working outside the home? Absolutely not! The “Virtuous Woman” or “Ideal Wife,” who worked outside the home in Proverbs 31, must not be divorced from the context. Although “She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies sashes for the merchants” (verse 24), her husband came first (verse 11). She was the first to rise in the morning so she could take care of the needs of her family (verse 15). She engaged in charity in the community (verse 20), and then when all these responsibilities were met, she engaged in outside employment. Does any of this give credence to the feminist movement or solace to modern women who think they cannot be “fulfilled” unless they are working outside the home? It does not! But, neither does it serve as ammunition for those who insist it is sinful for a woman to work outside the home. If the wife is able to fulfill her prior obligations, and they are many, then working outside the home cannot be considered a sin. Equality Of Essence Not Roles The equality of essence shared by the male and female must not be overlooked or misunderstood, but at the same time it must be understood that Genesis 2 represents the man as having a functional headship over the woman. In Ephesians 5:22-24, the apostle Paul makes it clear that such an understanding is consistent with Biblical truth. In further emphasizing this point, Paul, in I Timothy 2:13, appeals to the “Beginning” as a place to understand the headship of man. His argument for the woman being “under obedience” (I Corinthians 14: 36b) and not “teach[ing], nor usurp[ing] authority over the man” (I Timothy 2:12) is based on two fundamental truths; namely, “For Adam was first formed, then Eve, and Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression” (I Timothy 2:13-14). Adam was created first and existed for some time before Eve was formed. Therefore, one must conclude that God did not create Eve to be Adam’s leader. We think God’s declaration before creating Eve makes this very clear: “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him” (Genesis 2:18). The Lord then took Eve from the body of Adam (i.e., formed her from a rib of his side) and presented her to him. It was then that Adam declared her to be “bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh” (Genesis 2:22-24). Then Adam, the “Man” (Ish), called her “Woman” (Isha) because she was taken “out of Man.” Using this truth as the foundation of his argument, Paul, in I Corinthians 11:8-9, wrote: “For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.” In other words, both her origin and name are derived from man and are thus second and secondary and not first and primary. But, and this is extremely important, man’s role in fulfilling the mandate of Genesis 1:26-28 cannot be fulfilled apart from the female’s role. Consequently, her chronological order of creation makes her a vice-regent with him. She is not a lesser or a slave. She is to be respected as an equal, created in God’s image, who at his side and under his loving direction (cf. Ephesians 5:25) fulfills the God-given task of subduing the earth. Something Happened That Changed Things As things were originally planned by God, man and woman as a family, a unit, a team, were to explore (not exploit) and control (not destroy) the earth; but this plan was marred by the sins of Adam and Eve (cf. Genesis 3). Before sin entered into the world, Adam and Eve, respecting each other, worked together in harmony to fulfill the divine mandate, and no doubt would have eventually begun to populate the earth. Both operated within the authority of God. Unfortunately, though, acting independently of her husband, Eve surrendered to the temptation of Satan and ate the forbidden fruit. Although this is certainly no compliment to Eve, what happened next is no compliment to Adam either. He was not deceived, the scriptures tell us, and therefore willingly disobeyed God by following his wife’s lead. Consequently, as a result of their spiritual death, both the man and woman received a curse from God for their sin. The curse on the woman is found in Genesis 3:16, and reads: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children; your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” We are convinced that there are two effects of this curse on the woman. First, the pain the woman would experience in child-birth would be greatly increased. Second, there would be tension between husband and wife. It is to this second effect that we now turn our attention. When Adam and Eve sinned, their relationship was distorted. The foretelling of this is to be found in the statement, “your desire shall be for your husband.” This desire has been considered by some to be the woman’s sexual desire for her husband; but such a desire would have been part of her makeup as a sexual being before sin entered into the picture, therefore, such a position does not seem tenable. The original intention of God was that Adam and Eve would bear children and fill the earth. God made the two sexes, therefore, sexual desire is not perverted nor distorted, as some have suggested, and within the marriage relationship is “honorable” and “undefiled” (Hebrews 13:4). Well, then, if her desire was not sexual attraction, what was it? This, we think, can best be understood in connection with the rest of the verse, which says, “And he shall rule over you.” Many, thinking the desire of the woman is coordinate with man’s rule, believe this desire is an instinctive desire to be ruled by man. In conjunction with this, certain so-called “Christian feminists” understand this passage to be the description of how man “degenerated by sin, would take advantage of his headship as a husband to dominate, lord it over, his wife” (Letha Scanzoni and Nancy Hardesty, All We’re Meant To Be, page 35). Actually, we think both these views are a misunderstanding of the passage. This misunderstanding is caused by what we believe is a mistranslation of the Hebrew conjunction in this passage as “and” (a coordinating idea), rather than “but” (an antithetical concept). We are convinced the correct translation should read: “And your desire shall be for your husband, but he shall rule over you.” The conjunction “but” indicates there would be friction between the husband and wife. This can be understood in connection with an identical Hebrew construction in Genesis 4:7b. Both passages use the word “desire” and a comparison of these two passages ought to give us an understanding of what the woman’s desire really is. In Genesis 4:7b, sin personified is depicted as one who crouches at the door waiting to take hold of or capture his victim, who in this case is Cain. Notice the parallels between this verse and Genesis 3:16b: “And unto thee shall be his [sin’s] desire, and thou shalt rule over him” (KJV). The NKJ version reads, “And its desire shall be for you, but you should rule over it.” It seems clear that the idea God was conveying to Cain was that sin was a power that desired to rule over him, but that he must resist and subdue it. When compared with this verse, Genesis 3:16b can be understood to be teaching that as a result of her sin, which was a rejection of her husband’s rule as well as the rule of God, a battle of the sexes began. Contrary to the harmony that once existed between Eve and her husband, she would now have a predisposition to exercise control over him, and if he was going to exercise control over her, as his headship demanded, it would not be without a struggle. In other words, in becoming sin-sick, the willing submission of the wife and the loving headship of the husband were corrupted. The woman’s inordinate desire to usurp her husband’s authority would have to be mastered by her husband, if he could. Consequently, the rule of love established in paradise was replaced by a struggle between the sexes that has produced an endless stream of usurpation, strife, tyranny, and ungodly domination. ~
(Continued in next issue) |