GOD'S ROLE FOR WOMEN - PART ONE

“It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him…. but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him.  So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place.   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 now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”’  

Genesis 2:18-23

For the better part of my life, I have watched worldly feminism tear down the sacred concept of femininity and godly womanhood. Even among my beloved sisters in Christ, I have witnessed a shame toward things sacred. Please, consider with me some of the fundamental Bible teachings that can still save us from this error.

We must understand and accept whether we are old or young, married or single women, the nature and character of both male and female.  There can be no better place to start than the Book of Genesis.  In Genesis 1:26-31, we learn that God created both male and female and that they were made in His own image.  He made them on the sixth day of Creation.  God gave man dominion over the animals and commanded him to take care of the Garden.  As we read the first half of chapter 2 of Genesis, we find the origin of life, work, and law for Adam, the first man that God had placed in the Garden.  God gave both male and female a special kind of dignity and value that was very different from the rest of God’s Creation.  Although they were both made in God’s image, the divine design for the two was not the same.  God clearly made a distinction between the role of a man and the role of a woman.  In the last half of chapter 2, we learn the origin of woman, marriage, and family (Genesis 2:18-23).   There is a lot that we can learn about Eve, the first woman created by God.

The Book of Genesis lays the foundation for understanding the origins of almost everything pertaining to life.  We learn of God’s divine design and purpose for men and women, especially in the relationship between husband and wife.  In this same book, we read and learn about God’s family covenant:  Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, their wives, and children.  As we read through the pages of this first book of the Bible, we notice that these families encountered many problems that families struggle with today.  Struggles such as husbands failing to lead well, wives taking matters into their own hands, the consequences of rivalry, envy, strife, jealousy, and rivalry among siblings.  We also read about the breaking of the Ten Commandments by His people and how God used them despite their flaws and shortcomings.


I.  GOD'S ROLE FOR WOMEN:

• The Origin of Woman and God's Purpose for Her:  

The Book of Genesis opens with the account of Creation.   As we read through the pages of this book, we learn that our eternal, majestic, almighty God, created the heavens and the Earth out of nothing, by merely speaking the Creation into existence:

In Genesis 1:3-4, God said, “Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.”'

In Genesis 1:10, we read, “God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good.”

Genesis 1:12, “The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good.”

Genesis 1:17-18, “God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth,18 and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good.”

Genesis 1:21, “God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good.”

Genesis 1:25-27, “God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”  God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

Genesis 2:7, “Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”  

Notice that after God had created light, land, seas, plants, the sun, the moon, and animals of all kinds, He pronounced them each as “good,” and the sum of all of them as “very good.”

But despite all this amazing Creation, there was something that was missing and was not good.  Adam was alone:  he had no "helper suitable for him," no wife.

“Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.”  Genesis 2:18  

II.  WOMAN WAS CREATED TO BE A SUITABLE HELPER FOR THE MAN:

"Then the LORD God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him…. but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him.   So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place.  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 now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man'"  (Genesis 2:18-23).

It is evident to see that man needed a companion to complete him.  He needed a wife, Eve (Gen. 2:18-23).  It was evident to Adam that all the animals had a companion (they were all in pairs), but he did not have one, for the woman was the very last of God's creation.  It is important to notice that the creation of man is described twice: in chapter 1 and in chapter 2 of Genesis.  It is the same story, but with different purposes.  The account in Genesis 1 leads us up to man as the pinnacle of God's creation.  Genesis 2 describes for us the creation of man, then the animals, and finally, the creation of woman.  The second account highlights the Garden that God created for man, Adam, which clearly shows God's love and provision for him (the providence of God for His creation).  Likewise, it stresses the husband-wife relationship that began with the first man and the first woman:  Adam and Eve.  God, in His love and provision, gave the woman, Eve, to the man, Adam to complete him so that they could create a family.  In Genesis 2:18-25, God stressed to Adam the purpose that He had in mind when He created the woman and gave her to him to be his wife.  Eve was created from a part of Adam, resulting in two persons, man, and woman.  Then Adam and Eve were joined together in holy matrimony, resulting in two becoming one flesh.  In this dramatic fashion, God displayed His primary purpose.  God wanted Adam to have a family, not just a companion.  The family became the cornerstone of human life and society.

The word “meet” in the King James and ASV translations means “suitable to him.”  In other words, someone who would meet his needs and he would meet hers as well; someone who would complement him; someone who would complete him according to her God-given gifts and traits.  This helper or helpmate was to be specifically a suitable counterpart for him.  The woman, Eve, was made for man and is the man's glory (1 Cor. 11:9-11).  God made the woman, Eve, for him, Adam.  God knew best what Adam needed. Thus He gave him a precious gift, a wife. It has been said that man was dust refined and that woman was man refined again.  In all this, we can see God’s complementary design purposes so that each might fulfill what the other is lacking.  We can also see His goodness since He is the Author of life and the God who is love.  

“The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in due time.  You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.  The LORD is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds.”  Psalm 145:15-17

Unfortunately, we live in a feminist culture where many women resent that the Bible calls Eve a "helper."  They take it as to imply that a woman is inferior to man, Adam in this case, and less important.  What they don’t take into account is that the Bible many times refers to God as a help and helper to us.  Obviously, there is nothing that would make that title inferior.  Notice what the Scriptures say, 

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”  Psalm 46:1

“The Lord is my helper; I will not fear:  What shall man do unto me?"  Hebrews 13:6

Another absurd and illogical argument feminists make is that God was unfair to women when He created Eve second, after Adam, implying a lower status.  What they forget to mention is that Adam was created after all the animals, yet God said he was superior to them.  The fact that Eve was created after Adam does not make her inferior to him.

Still, others interpret the order of Creation another way.  They say that Eve was created last to place her, in fact, superior, the pinnacle of all Creation.  This is absurd!  The Bible never said that either.  The absolute Truth here is that man and woman were God’s pinnacle work of Creation.  Their order of creation has nothing to do with superiority over the rest of God’s Creation.  They were superior to the rest of the Creation because they were created in God’s image.

“God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them”  (Genesis 1:27).

III.    WOMAN WAS CREATED TO BE MAN’S COMPANION, HIS WIFE:  

• The Origin of Marriage and Family:  

"Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh"  (Genesis 2:24).

As I read this passage, I cannot help but think of God's divine design for marriage and family from the beginning.  Notice that when God declared that a man shall leave his father and his mother and cleave to his wife to become one flesh, there was only one woman and one man but no parents for them to leave.  But after them, all have done so.  This must give us a clue as to when we must get married.  When we are old enough to leave both our parents, mother, and father.  Sadly, in today's culture, many delay marriage for many years.  Our culture does not believe that old teenagers or young '20s are ready for marriage.  Don't you think that if they're old enough to leave the parents, they are old enough to cleave to a wife or husband?  God said to Adam, "leave and cleave" not "leave, long period of limbo, then cleave."  

Eve was a woman, but she was also a wife.  Likewise, Adam was a man, but he was also a husband.  Adam needed a companion, and a helper, a wife.  Another man would have provided him companionship and help, but he would not be suitable for the purposes that God had in mind.  What made Eve suitable was that she could have children with Adam.  Eve was to live and work with him as a fellow heir of the grace of life, receiving life and giving life:

“You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered”  (I Peter 3:7).

We see the word “companion” throughout the Scriptures as a facet of the wife’s role as a helper not only in creating a family by childbirth but also in caring for the family, working to adorn them, and providing for a successful future.  In Proverbs 31, we read that the husband’s heart trusts in her, his wife:

“An excellent wife, who can find?  For her worth is far above jewels.  The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.  She does him good and not evil all the days of her life”  (Proverbs 31:10-12).

We see another example of the husband sharing the distresses or cares of his life with her, his wife in Genesis 24, where Isaac was being comforted by Rebekah, his new bride, after his mother’s death.

“Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and he took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her; thus Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death”  (Genesis 24:67).

Although God made the first woman for the first man, from then on, all men came from women.  Paul makes this point in 1 Cor. 11:11-12 to make us aware that though there are different roles for the woman and the man, one is not superior or inferior to the other.

God was crystal clear when He said it was not good for a man to be alone.  A man needs a companion to comfort him, to encourage him, and to support him.  Although the Bible speaks of us, women, as being the weaker vessel, that does not necessarily mean that men are not also weak.  They have weaknesses of their own.  They are complex creatures.  That is why our God, in His infinite wisdom, thought of this by providing a wife for him.  A man needs his wife’s love, honor, support, and respect.  Together they build a family that provides a support structure that lasts a lifetime.  

All men and women should be like Adam and Eve:  lifelong companions.  God has always been very serious about this.  Since God joined them, they were to remain that way until death (Rom. 7:2-3).  God, through the prophets, spoke against divorce (Mal. 2:16).  Jesus likewise spoke on the permanence of marriage and the seriousness of divorce (Matt. 13:3-9).  He made only one rule for both husband and wife.  He said "whoever" and "whosoever" of both the man and the woman in respective places.  This clearly refutes the position that the law of marriage and divorce was only given to Christians.  He gave only one exception, sexual infidelity.  If the married couple divorce for any other cause, and marry again, the new union will not be holy matrimony, but adultery.

IV.     WIVES ARE TO HELP THEIR HUSBANDS BE FRUITFUL:

As we read through the pages of Genesis, we learn another fact regarding the wife’s role as a helper:

“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” (Genesis 1:27-28).

There is no doubt at all that the Bible is absolutely pro-child.  Throughout the Bible, God stresses the birth of children as a blessing from Him.  God's purpose for marriage is to bring forth many children for His glory, and parents must embrace such blessings.  The Bible begins with God's command for conception.  Man's first commission given to him by God was to "be fruitful and multiply."  The purpose of this commission given to Adam and Eve was to bring forth many children for God's glory and to subdue the earth through them.  This commission was later renewed after the flood to Noah.  That commission of fruitfulness and dominion still remains today as God's mandate and standard for us.

Sadly, our modern society promotes barrenness, population control, and abortion.  It is such a tragedy!  Why?  Because the Word of God often associates barrenness with sorrow, a decrease in a nation's population with judgment and the careless and harmful treatment of babies with paganism and witchcraft.  The Bible is not silent on these issues of conception control.  In the Bible, there is no separation of life from love.  God is the one in control of closing a woman's womb, not men or women.  We must stress that the Bible is pro-childbirth.  The biggest tragedy today is that the church has been affected and swept away in the birth control ethic, which is nothing more than a selfish quest for convenience, comfort, and faux maturity.

The truth is we have lost our love for children, our view to be fruitful, multiply, and have dominion over the earth.  The results are devastating!  How sad it is to abort our babies, or cut off our seed, or abandon our children to the world! How said it is to view children as a burden instead of blessing, joy, and victory of multi-generational faithfulness!  Remember that judgment must first start in the House of God.  Judgment begins with us! 

God wants us to love children and view them as His blessings and chosen tools for building His kingdom, the church, and by populating this world of darkness with future warriors who will devote their lives to be faithful to Him and His church and to defeating the works of the Devil.  We must seek and crave a godly seed to bring forth legions of children to the glory of God.  We must encourage all mothers, especially future mothers, with the words given to Rebekah.

"And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of ten thousands, and let thy seed possess the gate of those that hate them"  (Genesis 24:60).

So what was God's first commandment to mankind in Genesis 1:27-28?  To be fruitful and multiply.  What do the terms "be fruitful" and "multiply" mean in Hebrew?  "Be fruitful," which is parah in Hebrews means to bear fruit, to bring forth, to increase.  The word "multiply," which is rabah in Hebrew, means to increase exceedingly, to be many, to be abundant.  "Replenish" is from the Hebrew male,  to fill up the world to overflowing.  God's intention from the beginning of the marriage union was to bring forth fruit.  It was a command!  God never said, "I want you to spend the beginning years of your marriage getting to know one another first, then you'll be ready to start a family."  He never said, "I want you to spend quality time together, travel, fulfill all your goals and aspirations, then you could begin a family."  He did not say, "I want you both to work until you have enough money to buy your own home and accumulate all the material possessions you need, then you can start being fruitful."  He never qualified the command with "If and when you can afford to have children."  No, God never said that!  His first commandment was, "Be fruitful and multiply."

Notice that in Malachi 2:14-15, when the question was asked about what God wanted from their marriage, God's immediate answer was, "I want godly offspring."  Isn't it interesting that the first commandment or charge is the Genesis charge, Genesis 1:28!  Don't you think it is a charge, not an option?  So those who choose to have many children are just following the Genesis charge!  God wants the earth to be filled, that is, "replenished."  So who are we going to listen to God or our godless culture that has no faith and trust in God?  God is glorified by increase, Isa. 26:15.   In God's Word, fruitfulness of the womb is always a blessing.  Barrenness is considered a curse, shame, and disgrace.  God's blessing on His people was multiplication (Deut. 4:27; 28:18; Hos. 4:10; 9:11-17).

God exalts motherhood (Ez. 19:10-14).  God wants mothers to be fruitful and full of branches.  Today the glory of motherhood is cast down as fruitfulness disappears.  Sadly, we see today many mothers who are voluntarily causing their wombs to be "dried up."  Others are getting married too late for childbearing, for when they eventually decide to have children, they are no longer fertile.  How awful can that be!  Moreover, the fruit of the womb is is "devoured" by drugs, abortions, and early hysterectomies.  Is there any rejoice in this?  NO!  It is a lamentation and the cause of lamentation!

In Psalm 127:4, we read that "As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth."  Fertility is a precious gift from God that we cannot take for granted.  Fertility is in the hands of God.  He has already told us in His Word the best time to bring forth children, that is when we are young.  Remember, we women were born to reproduce!  It is God's plan for us!  God's blessing in marriage is the blessing of children (Gen. 1:28; 9:1, 2, 7; 17:15-17; 17:20; 22:17-18; 24:60; 28:1-3; 30:13; 48:3-4; 49:25; Lev. 26:3, 9; Deut. 7:12-16; 13:17; 28:1-10; 33:24; 28:63; 30:5; 1 Chronicles 26:4-5; Job 42:12-15; Psalm 107:38; 115:12-15; 127:3-5; 128; Isaiah 51:2; Jeremiah 30:19; Luke 1:28, 31).  No one can deny from all these Scriptures that conception is the result of God's blessing in our lives.

God blesses the marriage union with children, for He wants godly offspring.  Our children are God's best gifts to us!  So we must choose to receive God's gift, that is, our children, with earnest expectation!  Having children is how we can build a home and family.  It makes our homes secure.  Houses, businesses, etc. cannot accomplish this, but our children can live to carry on our names and family lineage.  God wants us to look beyond our present, our future.  God's vision is for parents to build a godly generation to pass on His righteous ways and principles to the next generation.  It is the most excellent building plan we can invest in this life and the life to come!

"Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth.  How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; they will not be ashamed , when they speak with their enemies in the gate"  (Psalm 127:4-5). 

We must never be ashamed of having children.  It appears to me that our culture tries to shame those who have children, especially those families who choose to have more than the typical standard one or two children.  Honestly, who is the unusual one?  It is the one who intentionally chooses to limit his family!  Don't get me wrong here! I am not talking about those that because of health problems are physically unable to have children.  I am speaking about those who intentionally don't want to get married and have children or those who deliberately stop having children.  This is contrary to what it is written in God's Word.  God says that those who decide to have many children are blessed rather than cursed, responsible rather than irresponsible, mature rather than childish.

Imagine how much blessing it would be for the kingdom, the church to raise children as mighty warriors who know the Truth, speak the Truth, and give a defense of the Truth!  These are the arrows that will attack the enemy of the kingdom, the church.  They are molding children for eternity.  No, they don't need ever to be ashamed!  They can surely lift their heads up, for they are walking in righteousness doing their Father's will. It is shameful that we have raised two or three generations that are too materialistic and self-absorbed to have and raise many children!  It is a shame that our churches and our culture are dying for lack of children to carry on our beliefs and convictions (our faith)!  When we lack faith, we will be ashamed in the gate.

The church that Jesus purchased with His own blood has been affected because of limiting the godly seed.  When we limit the godly seed, we are depriving this world of darkness of the illuminating Light.  We are also depriving this world of the salt of the earth, for we are reducing the number of godly young people, men, and women.  We are depriving the world of more godly mothers and fathers who will raise strong families to build a better and stronger nation.  Let this sink deeply into your hearts!!


V.     WIVES ARE TO HELP THEIR HUSBANDS WITH THE WORK OF TAKING DOMINION OVER THE EARTH:

Adam needed a companion, someone to help him bear and raise children.  Likewise, he also needed someone that would help him with the work of subduing the earth, having dominion over living things.  In Proverbs 31, we read a beautiful illustration of this beautiful facet of the woman’s role as a good manager of her home that made her an exceptional and excellent wife.  The excellent wife of Proverbs 31 took her role with pride:  she was the manager of the household, which she shared with her husband.

We must understand that Eve was not given her own dominion mandate.  Take notice that men and women were not given two different and separate worlds. They were given the same mandate and the same world to share:  the world of humankind.  Today, in a culture dominated by pure "feminism" and secular "statism," this is difficult to follow and to put into practice.  It 's hard for such a culture to follow the divine pattern for the family defined by God in the Bible.  I am sorry to say, but we have been deceived and brainwashed with superficial, false, shallow, and artificial ideas regarding our gender roles.  One of the most ridiculous of these ideas is that a woman can only find fulfillment as an individual through a successful career outside the home.  Let us be wise and not get caught up in this lunacy.  While we pursue our so-called feminine interests, we neglect our role as wife and mother, our husband’s helper.  Lest we forget, this our God-given duty, our calling; the one designed by God for us, women.  This now leads me to the next question:


VI.    WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A WOMAN?

Today, in a culture that lacks an understanding of gender roles, there is great confusion over what “femininity” or “womanliness” really is.  “Femininity” has nothing to do with frills, lace, or wearing pink.  Biblical (hence true) “femininity” is a woman doing those things that fulfill her role as defined by God, such as a wife helping her husband.  Since we were created by our Creator to be our husband’s helper, when we do those things that would help him, this glorifies God in true “femininity.”  The wife could take out the trash or pay the bills while her husband is occupied doing something more important.   Most of what we are accustomed to thinking of as feminine is wrong.  Going to a beauty parlor to do your nails, your hair, or perhaps attend a tea party are not uniquely feminine activities.  They, of course, are valid things to do, but they are not what the Bible encourages us to think of as feminine.  If anything, 1 Timothy 2 suggests that outward adornment misses the point.  To think that they are more appropriate for a woman to do than perhaps fixing up the house, painting, mowing, etc. is a mistake.

From the foundational truths of the Bible, we find out that femininity is not the opposite of masculinity. Instead, it is essentially a complement to it.  Both femininity and masculinity are naturally connected to each other.  Authentic femininity in a married woman complements her husband in all aspects of his maleness to bring glory to God, who formed woman from the man's rib.  The Bible commands women to be modest and to fear God.  It is what is inside her heart that makes her beautiful on the outside.  A godfearing woman overflows with joy and peace from inside her heart and will look more feminine than many other women.  Femininity, both inside and out, demands cultivation.  How does a woman accomplish that feminine spirit?  By being devoted to God's Word, to prayer, worshiping God, service, and exercising a gentle spirit.  A woman can be feminine even when she is wearing the oldest fashions and working in clothes appropriate for work in her garden or serving the needs of her family and friends.  Her words, smile, and actions prove her feminity.  I think that is why God stressed that women not adorn themselves merely with costly apparel but mostly with a gentle and quiet spirit.

A spirit that is not at war with its Maker.  A soul that joyfully communes with the Giver of life.  The answer to a feminine spirit lies with God.  Of course, in a feminist culture, a feminine spirit is hard to find.  There is a significant lack of good role models in our culture today.  Relying only on our clothes to make us feminine misses the point.  Why?  Because our outward appearance must never be the focal point of our feminity, but simply the ornament of our feminine souls.  Thus we who profess godliness must cultivate feminity.  God made us to be feminine!  Godly femininity finds its place and identity with God, the Creator.  God, through His Word, has shown us, women, what true femininity is.  He is the Creator of beauty and has given us the opportunity to be transformed from within into His image.  He has provided everything we need to show His beauty to the world through us.

Femininity can best be understood when we examine the context of its origin.  So what does it mean to be a woman?  Genesis 2:22-23 distinctly demonstrates the birth of God's delicate creation.  Woman is man's companion that is taken from man, to become a part of him.  They two are coequal but individual.  God did not create or formed her first to lead.  He designed her afterward to support and be a helper to man, her husband.  She was made by God to be a helper (Gen. 2:18), a crown (Prov. 12:4), a delight (Prov. 5:18), and a beauty (Song 1:15).  It is as women that we can find our identity.  What we believe and understand about our womanhood, becomes the filter that expresses our femininity.   Godly femininity takes wings from the pinnacle of godly womanhood! It is from misunderstanding womanhood that corrupt femininities derive. Those women who place a higher value on their physical bodies and their outward appearance as more valuable find their feminity derived from dress and apparel.

Women who view their minds as end-all use their feminine craftiness to control and manipulate.  Women who view themselves as only personality among many faces, often obsess over social status and connection.  You see, these women do not see themselves as women and cannot fulfill their feminity as God has ordained.  True femininity is an outflow of the heart.  Godly femininity and womanhood clothe themselves with Christ, for it is a Christ-based identity.  The core of feminity is hidden in Christ and our obedience to Him.  It is the simple beauty of godly womanhood and feminine decorum.

Femininity is the facet of God’s image that only women carry.  It is the sum of all the characteristics and attributes that make women unique.  Those things about Eve that completed and supplemented Adam.  Eve’s femininity did not compete with Adam’s masculinity.  It did not fight against it.  Did you know that all those characteristics, traits, and gifts are what make men and women unique and different?   In fact, they are useful and helpful to each other.  When we speak biblically of wives being suitable helpers to their husbands, it means doing all those things pertaining to our husbands and our family that need to be done and accomplished.  Perhaps those things that he cannot do or that he has entrusted to us. The most important thing that we can do to help our husband during the season of raising children is to help him in the care and management of our homes.

Likewise, when the husband is employed outside the home, it is the wife’s responsibility to help him in running the home in his absence.  If he is working from home, you can help him in many ways with his work as well.  It is important to let him define the ways that he can best use your help.  Why not ask him?  You might be asking yourself, “What about my own needs and the things I might want to do?”  You might find it annoying to take care of all this for your husband, but the truth is you are a great help to him.  In the end, this is what we are called to do.

So if you find yourself thinking like the world, you might have a big problem.  Why?  Because you are not thinking like a Christian, godfearing woman. Why not go to the Bible and find the answer to your questions and concerns?

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body”  (I Cor. 6:19-20).

“For he who was called in the Lord while a slave, is the Lord’s freedman; likewise he who was called while free, is Christ’s slave”  (I Cor. 7:22).

When one claims to be a Christian and a follower of our Lord Jesus Christ, he is declaring that he is the Lord’s property.  Don’t you think?  The Word of God refers to us, Christians, as His slaves who live only to do His will.  If our way of thinking is in harmony with the Word of God, then we will see ourselves as created by the One Creator to be our husband’s helpers. When wives submit to God's authority, it will be easier for them to submit to their husbands' leadership humbly and willingly. It is our genuine expression of faith in our Lord that allows us to help our husbands from our hearts without complaint or grudges as God’s will for us.  I leave you with two questions:  What are some ways in which your femininity may complement your husband’s masculinity?  What are some ways you can become more feminine in the true and Biblical sense of the word?  



VII.    WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THE BOOK OF GENESIS ABOUT WOMEN?

Why not turn the pages of your Bible back to the Book of Genesis to see what the Word of God has to say about this issue?  We all know what happened in the beginning, in the Garden, with Adam and Eve.  Eve was deceived by the serpent in the Garden.  Satan was this serpent.  And in this beautiful Garden, we see the origin of temptation and sin.  Notice what the Word of God has to say regarding this origin of temptation:

“Now the serpent was craftier than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate”’  (Genesis 3:1-6).

Let’s try to understand what this text reveals to us:

In verse 1, the crafty serpent is identified as Satan.  Moses speaks of a real talking serpent in the Garden.  The New Testament apostle Paul also affirms this:

Furthermore, Jesus identifies this serpent as Satan and describes his pursuits in John 8:44:

“You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

Jesus speaks of Satan as the serpent of old time in the Book of Revelation:

“And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.”  Rev. 20:2

“And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”  Rev. 12:9

This leads me to this question:  What is the origin of this crafty, talking serpent that is identified in Scripture as Satan?  What is the origin of Satan?

Well, the answer is not given to us by God.  We do know that this evil tempter and accuser was in the Garden.  How did he get in the Garden?  Again, we are not told.  And although his origin is not given, his end is given:

“Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, ‘now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.’”  Revelation 12:10-11

“And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”  Rev. 20:10

Notice that in Genesis 3:2-3, Eve knew what God had commanded them to do.  She knew that God had spoken clearly about not eating it and the consequences of disobeying Him.  She knew the Law, the Word spoken by God.  She had no excuses!

“The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’”

Now if we turn the page back, we can read of the commandment given to them by GOD:

“The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”  Genesis 2:16-17

There is no doubt that they knew what to do.  God had spoken!  Today we, just like Adam and Eve, live by what God has spoken through His revealed Word, His Law, and all authority.  They all originate from God.  We need to follow Jesus’ example when He was tempted by Satan in the desert.  What did Jesus do or say to Satan?

"And the tempter came and said to him, 'If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.' 4 But he answered, 'It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God'"  (Matthew 4:3-4).

Eve was responsible for obeying the Word of God.  Once God has spoken, man must obey or take heed.  Eve most likely heard of God’s Law or Word from her husband, Adam.

Notice what Eve told the serpent, “but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’”

God had said and commanded, “Don’t eat it” Instead, Eve said, “don’t touch.”  Even added extra limitation or restrictions to God’s spoken Word.  Where did all these restrictions come from?  From Adam or both?  Whatever the answer might be, they broke God’s Law.

In verses 4-5, we read of the first big lie:

”The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 

Notice the word “not.”  Isn't it something that Satan is always contradicting God and His spoken Word?  Take note of what Jesus said to the Jews:

“You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44

Can you see how obviously Satan loves to contradict God’s spoken Word?  He did it with Eve!  How could she, Eve, and so many after her fall for this!  We must remember that when God clearly says one thing, the serpent apparently wants to say another thing.  Satan is crafty!

In verse 5, Satan deceives Eve by suggesting, “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 

“You will be like God.”  Satan insinuated to them that God was keeping them down or oppressing them.  And that God’s ways were too restrictive, and there was no good reason to obey.  He is still doing the same evil thing today with deadly results.

“Knowing good and evil.”  This is the part that snared Eve.  This was the chief temptation. 

Adam and Eve found out the hard way that knowing good and evil was not really all that good.  So very often, Satan deceives us with empty promises that frequently don’t turn out to be so good as we have imagined them.  Satan is the chief of the “bait-n-switch.”  How often do we desperately want to know, know, know, but when we discover it, we wish that we had not?  There is a big difference between having a knowledge of what is good and what is evil.  They are very distinct and separate things.  Which do you think will help you gain that knowledge?  Which can you use for both good and evil?  Unfortunately, although many of the so-called branches of knowledge are morally neutral, they can be used for great good or evil depending on who is using them.

“Because in much wisdom there is much grief, and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain.”  Ecclesiastes 1:18

The saddest part is that we cannot undo the consequences of our sins.  Thanks be to God that we have the hope of forgiveness.  Thank God that we have Jesus as our High Priest, and He knows that it is common for all men to face temptation.  He faced it Himself.  But He is willing to come to our rescue (Hebrews 4:15).  And although Satan desires to corrupt us, we can choose to say no (Titus 1:15).

One thing to take to heart is that evil is not produced in our lives until we internalize the temptation.  Then we lust, pursuing that which has been offered to us by Satan (James 1:13-16).

In Genesis 3:6, we see the origin of sin.

“When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.”

Eve’s big mistake was to listen to the serpent’s words instead of listening to what God had spoken.  Consider what the Scriptures have to say about this:

“My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.”  Proverbs 1:10

The Bible presents us with some great examples of the consequences of being with and listening to the wrong people.  In the end, this determines what we become.

1. Ahab was bad, but Jezebel’s influence made him worse.
2. Lot’s family was morally destroyed by their Sodomite neighbors.
3. Although Israel was forbidden to marry their pagan neighbors, they disobeyed God anyway and were corrupted by them.
4. Seed always produces fruit after its own kind.
5. If you go with sinners and consent, you are one of them.

A man is known by his friends.  We must choose our friends well because they are our future.

“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!  But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.”  Psalm 1:1-2

You see, one of Eve’s biggest problems is that she preferred to listen to the serpent.  Lust was then conceived, giving birth to sin.  Eve was enticed and carried away by her own lust, which brought forth death to her, separation from God (James 1:13-16).

“But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ”  (2 Cor. 11:3).

The serpent, Satan, has many deceitful tactics that influence us to do lawlessness.  He corrupts our healthy ways, but we have a choice.  We can reject him!  The problem of sin starts within in the heart.  We must purpose to stop the lust and the sin and not end up like Eve, whose eyes were full of the lust of the flesh.  Oh! It looked good to her. She consented, and she ate it!  It felt great to her!  She allowed her passions and desires to gratify the flesh (Gal. 5:19-21).  Eve was full of herself!  She desired to do what she wanted, seeking gratification (Proverbs 16:18).  What Eve did not realize was that this enticement promised so much to her when, in fact, it brought her terrible consequences attached to it (James 1:15-16; Romans 6:23).

Let us learn from Eve, who desired the prohibited evil food, partly because it was attractive to her and appealed to her flesh.  Add to that her desire to be like God in a sinful way.  It was wrong and reflected her desire to choose what was wrong!   In a few words, she desired to be her own god.  She wanted to direct her life independently from God.  Our main desire must be that of wanting to do what is right, the will of God, and not our own will, or what is right in our own eyes.  We must take heed to what God has spoken as being right.  Let us not make our own restrictions and rules rather than following His divine plan and design for us.

One of Eve’s biggest problems was that she wanted to do things her own way.  She wanted to be the god who has the power to control our lives.  Unfortunately, we all have this tendency.  But let us not forget that God is God, and we are not God.  He is King of kings and Lord of lords and Creator and Author of everything.  Therefore we must obey Him and His rules rather than making up our own.

Today, men and women have this in common when they seek autonomy from God.  For men, it is wanting to be their own boss and doing as they please, neglecting their families and responsibilities.  For women, it is the same problem.  They want to make their husbands do what they want and desire.  Sadly, this often ends up with the wives running their families and being the head that God has not authorized.  They are breaking God’s laws, and yes, they are sinning and need to repent.

Ironically, these women call themselves Christians but fail when they insist on autonomy and independence from God’s laws as well as whatever male authority there is over them.  Instead of humbly submitting to God and their husbands, they rather undermine God and abuse their husbands at their weakest point, the point of trust or confidence.

Moreover, men also sin when they want autonomy apart from God; independence from God’s direction for them.  They would rather be unfaithful in their God-given role and responsibility instead of being faithful to Him leading their families the way God has ordained for them to do.  They would rather be passive and ironically find it easier to be. What these weak men don’t realize is that this becomes their wives’ prey.  This prey is the weak point in their wives, which pushes them to take all matters into their hands.  When either husband or wife is disobedient to God and His Word, this will encourage them to disobey God’s laws, ending up in complete disobedience of the other.  They both begin a situation that gets worse and worse and out of control, which ultimately will lead to the destruction of their marriage and the family.  This is sad, but it is what happens in many marriages today when both husband and wife refuse to surrender to the authority of God and His norms for marriage and the home.

In today’s culture, most women have the tendency to fall back to the default position of control.  They take the role of men:  first, they start with striving to lead or become the head of their families.  But wait, men are not off the hook.  Men also have this same tendency to default by taking the woman’s role.  They become more and more submissive husbands.  They become submissive regarding their leadership.  They prefer to switch roles.  What they don’t realize is that their weaknesses weaken one another.

Strength, in fact, becomes a weakness, because it is not used for building one another up.  This happens because both are not governing themselves in a manner worthy of their calling.  Unfortunately, these characteristics make them more prone to tear each other down.  So we sin, just as Eve did.

I will leave you with these questions:

1. Do you see yourself as Eve?  
2. What was Eve’s sin?  
3. Are you tempted like Eve, or do you resist Satan in obeying God’s laws?  
4. Which one do you prefer, your selfish desires, autonomy, and restrictions or God’s laws?  

It is your choice and on that rests your salvation!  Let us be women who fear the Lord and are here to please and honor Him.

Lest we forget, marriage is a fragile balancing act that demands constant attention and effort that it be not broken.  It can be broken so easily!  When husbands and wives humbly surrender to God’s laws and rule, their marriages and everything else starts to improve.  They start building each other up in love and good works.  When both husband and wife start supplying their strengths to the well-being of the family, the family becomes more than the sum of its parts.  But when even one fails to meet these needs by disobeying God’s rules, they become weaker and weaker, worse and worse to the point where they start tearing each other apart, biting and devouring one another.

“For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please'"  (Galatians 5:14-17).

Living in a culture where everyone is encouraged to be autonomous, rebelling against God altogether, one may find it easy to turn his back on God and fail to be a faithful Christian in word and deed.  We must not allow Satan to get away with this!  We must turn to God, repent, and surrender to His will.  We must reject all that is against God’s laws, will, and rule.  We must choose to want to do what is right before God’s eyes.  We must refuse what is wrong for us and perhaps for those around us as well.  We must obey and abide in the Word of God, God’s laws, rules, commandments, edicts, testimonies, and promises.  They are for our own protection.  Let us be wise and not forsake them.

Going back to the Garden, once Adam and Eve had sinned or transgressed God’s law, the consequences were immediate.  And although God had warned them that they would die (Gen. 1:27), they disobeyed.  They did not die physically at that moment (although they began to die when they were driven from the Garden of Eden), but they did die spiritually when they were separated from God.  Let us learn from Adam and Eve!


VIII.    THE SENTENCE PRONOUNCED ON ADAM AND EVE AND OUR HOPE:  

"The Lord God said to the serpent, ''Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.  15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.'  To the woman he said, 'I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children.  Your desire shall be contrary to[a] your husband, but he shall rule over you.'  17 And to Adam he said, 'Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.  19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return'"  (Genesis 3:14-19).

The Book of Genesis records the origins of the universe, of life, of man, of woman, of work (labor), of law, of marriage, of family, of temptation, evil, of sin, and the curse on the serpent.  But thanks be to God, it also records the hope of One who would defeat Satan, our Lord, and Savior, Jesus Christ! 

The aftereffect of sin brings us to the sentence given to the man and the woman and the undeniable reality of the consequences of such sin. Isn’t it something that the world that is depicted towards the end of chapter 3 of Genesis, is a lot like the world we now live in?  The stark reality that this beautiful paradise they once had ceased to exist for them and us.

•  Adam and Eve Are Found Guilty & Sentenced: Genesis 3:15-19 

Although we speak of the curses bestowed upon Adam and Eve because of their sin, the word “curse” is not used about the man and the woman. The reality here is that the serpent was the one that was cursed. God cursed not only the serpent but also the ground. This chapter says nothing about the curse being on the man and the woman. The serpent was cursed without hope of redemption. God placed him in eternal enmity against the woman and her seed, promising an ultimate defeat. But after the judgment, there was hope for mankind with mercy and hope of redemption.  Isn’t that amazing!

• Sentence of The Woman, Eve:  Genesis 3:16

“To the woman He said, “I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you.”  

• Pain In Childbirth:

           Conception: The first part of this text speaks of those things that are related to bringing children, that is, babies, into the world. The original word means “conception.” This same word is seen in Ruth 4:13.

“So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in to her. and the LORD enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.” 

Obviously, the task of conceiving refers to all those things related to the anatomical and physiological part of reproduction that is unique to women.

               

Childbirth:  In the Bible, labor and delivery pains are described as the worst kind of anguish and are typically used to illustrate the worst kind of suffering. Believe me, I know as a woman, the pains and anguish of childbirth!

“Now, why do you cry out loudly? Is there no king among you, Or has your counselor perished, That agony has gripped you like a woman in childbirth? “Writhe and labor to give birth, Daughter of Zion, like a woman in childbirth; For now you will go out of the city, Dwell in the field, And go to Babylon. There you will be rescued; There the LORD will redeem you From the hand of your enemies.” Micah 4:9-10

“And she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.”  Revelation 12:2

This is a tremendous horrible pain, but as soon as you see your baby’s face, it is one that is quickly forgotten! I know some women today avoid this anguish of childbirth by having C-sections. They are missing out on the beauty of labor and childbirth! 

“Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world.” John 16:21

         Eve’s New Relationship With Her Husband:

“Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”

The phrase, “your desire will be for your husband” strongly suggests that she will have to be dominated by him. He was to rule over her. What this passage means is that Eve and all women after her, will bear and raise children only with difficulty. And despite such difficulty with children, she will also have to want to be with her husband. Also, she was to be in a submissive role relative to her husband. Before the fall, the assigned roles for Adam and Eve were different. As a result of the fall, the harmony, and collaboration that God had planned for the marriage was going to be impaired. So often we wives have the temptation to take control, taking all matters into our own hands. Husbands are left with the option of either forcing their wives into submission or tragically, submitting themselves to their wives’ leadership. When this happens in the marriage relationship, it is catastrophic! It brings bitterness, discontent, strife, hate, unfaithfulness, and finally, separation. If there are children involved, it only makes things worse for them. Eventually, it becomes a stumbling block for them as well.

Only those who are wise enough to heed the Word of God with its biblical principles for marriage will enjoy a relationship restored to something similar to its original state. The way God has designed it to be. The fact that Adam was created first and Eve second as the “helper” or companion suitable for him brings forth many implications of leadership. Notice what the apostle Paul has to say concerning the order of creation and the reasons for God’s order of things:

“For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve.” I Timothy 2:13

Notice that Paul also refers to the sin committed by Eve as a reason to follow the leadership of the man.

“And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.” I Timothy 2:14

In speaking of the spiritual equality of both men and women, Paul says:

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.  For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” Galatians 3:26-28.

Even so, the New Testament qualifies this equality repeatedly with the endorsement of man’s headship over the woman:

“Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.” Ephesians 5:22

“Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.” Colossians 3:18

“In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives.” I Peter 3:1

My sisters and friends, I leave you with the following question: Taking into consideration the sentence given to Eve, what can or what will you do to improve your family relationship, especially that of your husband, your helper?

• Sentence of The Man, Adam:   Genesis 3:17-19

"Then to Adam, He said, 'Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life.  'Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.'"

• Adam Sinned By Listening To Eve Instead of God:

In the Garden, before God sentences Adam, He declares Adam’s guilt.  Adam did wrong because he listened to his wife, Eve, instead of to God.  Man not listening to God’s voice, His authority, is something that has been repeated over and over again.  Lest we forget, God’s voice is the only one we must always go by and obey.  In the New and Old Testament, we read:

“But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in all the way which I command you, that it may be well with you.”'  Jeremiah 7:23

“Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”  Colossians 3:17

• The Ground Was Cursed Because of Man, Adam:

In Genesis 3:17-19, we learned that God cursed the ground because of man’s sin, just like He cursed the serpent.  The cursing of the ground makes things more difficult for man, teaching him this lesson daily:

“All a man’s labor is for his mouth and yet the appetite is not satisfied.”  Eccl. 6:7“It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors; For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.”  Psalm 127:2

How difficult it is for the farmer to grow pleasant, useful, and valuable things and how easy it is for kudzu, tallow trees, ragweed, any kind of weeds, etc., he does not want growing on his farm!

• Eating Bread By Working Hard:

Before Adam was sentenced by God, he picked up the fruit of readymade trees for food, but after the sentence, he had to work hard in the difficult earth.  Now Adam gained his food with difficulty by the sweat of his brow.  Eating bread is what sustains humankind.

“He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, and vegetation for the labor of man, So that he may bring forth food from the earth.”

Working hard to gain his food, his bread, is something all men have to do.  Even though it is difficult, it is his duty under the sun.

“For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. 11 For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. 12 Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread.”  2 Thess. 3:10-12

• Man Then Returns To The Ground:  

Man is sentenced to die.

“And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.”  Heb. 9:27

This death sentence is for all.  It is one that is slowly executed, but there is great mercy in the time allowed for man to live before he dies.

“All flesh would perish together, And man would return to dust.”  Job 34:15

“All go to the same place. All came from the dust and all return to the dust.”  Eccl. 3:20

“Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.”  Eccl. 12:7

The sentence that God imposed on Adam was not a sign of God’s anger or hatred toward him and his wife, Eve.  It was, in fact, a sign of His love for them.  I find the phrase God used interesting, “Cursed is the ground because of you.”  It is evident that after this sentence, things became difficult for them, but it was for their own good.  So many times, God gives us difficult challenges that we may humble our hearts and draw closer to Him.

“There were those who dwelt in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in misery and chains, because they had rebelled against the words of God and spurned the counsel of the Most High.  Therefore He humbled their heart with labor; they stumbled and there was none to help.  Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses.   He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death and broke their bands apart.”  Ps. 107:10-14

We usually get in trouble when things are too easy.  We get into trouble when we have too much idle time on our hands.  A vital side of work is that it helps us to humble ourselves, keeping us out of trouble.  This leads me to the following questions:

1. In what way have you accepted your culture’s view that work is a nuisance rather than part of God’s good plan for man?  
2. Will you allow God’s sentence to humble you and draw you closer to Him?

CONCLUSION:

I have begun a study on the roles of men and women according to God's divine design.  Our people today are so confused, especially our young men and women, and don't have a clue about what it means to be a man or a woman.  As a tragic result of this confusion and misunderstanding, there is conflict and no harmony among gender-free personal relationships.  Because of the loss of God-given identity, there is more divorce, more homosexuality, more sexual abuse, more promiscuity, more social awkwardness, more emotional distress, and more suicide.  It is disturbing!

It is sad to see so much confusion in our generation today. Many young men and women do not have a clue about who they are.  They have not been taught the real meaning of what it is to be a man and a woman.  As a consequence of this confusion and the lack of role models in their lives, our families are a mess and dysfunctional.  They are rapidly disappearing!  How sad it is to see our young men and women lacking a road map for their lives!  Such confusion has reached the area of gender and sexuality.  Our modern culture has not made it easier for them but has brought more chaos and lawlessness.

In our society today, there is no essential difference between men and women.  They are free to change their gender, and our people applaud it!  They say it is okay to be attracted to whomever they choose, for it is natural.  Boys can like boys, and girls can like girls.  They willfully reject God's ordained design for a man and a woman.  Why?  Because they don't want the responsibilities that come with being a man or a woman.  The Gospel not only saves us, but it transforms us and helps us understand who we truly are and what we are called to be for God’s glory and for our joy as well.  The only remedy for our people and the mess they find themselves in is to turn to the Lord to understand their true identity.  In this first study, we begin to see the different roles that God has given men and women.  God made men and women different and has given them different roles.  God made us male and female. He did not make us all female, nor did He make us all male. God's purpose was for men and women to be different in their roles.

As we read Genesis, we observe that God made us, male and female, to complement each other. We are not meant to be the same or to be competing but to work together for the glory of God through our different roles.  Our world puts on our men and women false views of their identities.  That is why I am compelled to do this study and look to the Scriptures to find the answers to understand God's view and vision for men and women.  I have discussed in this first lesson that God made man to work, and the woman was made to be the complement to the man. Work was always God's design for the man (2 Thess. 3:6-12).  God made the male body built for strength to work hard.  He was not made to stay home and do nothing.  God made the man “a helper fit for him.” And though God gave Adam the charge to name all the animals and take care of them, none of the animals was there as “a helper fit for him” (Genesis 2:20).  So Gade made the woman, Eve as a complement to him.

Though God made her in His own image, she is different than the man in every way.  The man was made to work, and the woman was made to complement him.  She was made to be his helper as his complement (Gen. 2:18).  God made a companion for the man, Adam, who corresponds to him.  In a few words, what the man lacked, the woman provided.  So she is extremely important in God's creation.  As a complement to him, she was not in any way inferior to him.  Nothing was demeaning or derogatory in that. On the contrary, it was beautiful!  Don't you think so? God’s intent was not derogatory.  Instead, He wanted to teach us that we need each other, for one is not better than the other! Men are not better or higher than women. Women are not better or higher than men. They are called to work together in harmony, according to God's will. The woman was made to fit him. She is that puzzle piece that matches him.

Although the woman was to be a helper to him, it does not mean that she was or is lesser or of less value, for God is our Helper and is not lesser.  God is our Helper because He has done what we cannot do for ourselves. This is the focal point of Genesis when God said that the woman was made to be the man's helper.  She was given a different role to help the man with what he cannot do for himself.  She was God's answer to the problem that He declared in Gen. 2:18,  "It is not good for the man to be alone."  Another man (male) cannot do or solve this (this proves that homosexuality is against God’s design for humans).  Again, animals cannot solve this. The animals cannot be the complement to the man.  Man cannot be the complement to him. An animal cannot be his partner. Another man cannot be his partner. The animals are not suitable for him. Another man is not suitable for him. But the woman is, for she solves what the man could not solve himself.  Men and women were made with different purposes. Men and women were made for different roles. We are different by design! Isn't God's difference in gender role beautiful!!  So we must be transformed into what God wants us to be and what He has called us to be.

Our culture tells us that a woman can do and must do what a man can do and that a man must do what a woman can do.  It is pure nonsense!  Why?  Because men cannot get pregnant, give birth and breastfeed, for they were made different (physically, emotionally, and mentally) than women.  God made the woman different to do the things that men could not do and vice-versa. We are biologically different, for there are things that women cannot do that men can do, and there are things women can do that men cannot do. This is not against either gender.  God made us explicitly to do those things that the other cannot do and must recognize and embrace this. When we ignore or reject our different roles, there is nothing but chaos and confusion.  We women must accept that the man was made to care, protect, and provide for us.  Sadly, our lawless culture is trying very hard to take this away.  Our godless culture no longer accepts the proverb, “Women and children first.”

Today we need men and women to accept and embrace their corresponding differences, for we are made in God's image. We were made to do different tasks. We need men to be men and women to be women as roles designed by God.  Being a man is good, and being a woman is good!

When we speak of wives being a “suitable helper” to our husbands Biblically, it means doing all those things that need to be done that will help our husbands and our family.  They can be either what he can’t do or what is specially assigned for us to do.  Perhaps, the most important and useful things we can do to help our husbands during our season of bearing children is to take care of them and manage our homes.   These may be the only things you can do to help him during this season of your life.

In my next study, I will be discussing the traits seen in women in the Bible, the influence of women, feminism, and submission.

May the Lord help us, women, to escape the clever deceptions of the modern feminist movement and fulfill the role that God has given to us.

Luci