To: Hebraic-Foundations@yahoogroups.com
From: "Pastor Buddy Martin" <Bro.Buddy@ChristianChallenge.org>
Date: Thu, 13 Mar 2003 13:14:35 -0600
Subject: Bible Study HF075 - God's Gift of Maleness and Femaleness
Hebraics,
Because we have HF members who are also members of CK, I'll
provide a study that can be adapted to both groups. (Our sister
forum is Christian-Koinonia. Owner Lois Gibson. Hi Lois.)
This is Bible Study HF075 - God's Gift of Maleness and
Femaleness.
The Hebrews placed the highest value on marriage, and on the
blessing of maleness and femaleness. They also held the women in
great favor, and considered her God's greatest gift to the man. In
fact they taught that God was more than careful when he brought a
man and woman together in a marriage. One reason was because
of the uniqueness of the woman's role.
This is why the Hebrews often referred to God as the great
Shadchan. (Marriage maker.) If you are familiar with Fiddler on the
Roof, you'll remember the elderly lady whose role was to arrange
marriages for the village. The sages taught that God spends much
of His time arranging marriages for His people. This may seem
odd, but there are Scriptures that do point to God's involvement
with the marriages of His people. Proverbs
19:14, says, "House and
wealth are an inheritance from fathers, BUT A PRUDENT WIFE IS
FROM THE LORD." (Caps for emphasis only.)
Then we have this in Ecclesiastes
9:9; "Enjoy life with the woman
whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given
to you under the sun; for this is your reward in life and in your toil in
which you have labored under the sun."
Even the apostle Paul reflects on God's gracious gift of the woman,
when he says, "For a man ought not to have his head covered,
since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory
of man." (1
Co 11:17)
The next thing that needs to be understood is that Adam and Eve
were created as co-regents, not as servant and master, but with the
human family heading up in Adam. It is important to understand
this in its true sense. Both Paul and Peter touch on this in the new
covenant.
Paul says that in Christ there is neither male nor female. His point
had to do with God's work of salvation in that no one is greater or
lesser when it comes to God's gift of grace. This doesn't mean
there are no roles of accountability. (More later.)
Peter also brings this out. Listen carefully; "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." (1
Pe 3:7)
Here is what needs to be noted from Peter:
(1) The woman is a weaker vessel. (Physical strength. God made
her that say. )
(2) The woman is to be honored as a fellow heir the grace of life.
(Not as an inferior person.)
(3) The man's prayers will not be answered if he fails to take these
instructions to heart.
(4) None of this takes away from the differing roles of the man and
woman. The apostles were careful in this area to let us see how
God's original purpose have never changed.
Now back to God's original plan for the human family. The Bible
says both Adam and Eve were created in the image of God. But
Adam was created first and as such, had covenant responsibility for
the family of man. But in his relationship to Eve, Adam was not to
be without Eve, and Eve was not to be without Adam. Each had a
role to fulfill. Each had giftings that were theirs in particular. And
each was given nature traits that belonged to them alone. It would
take both Adam and Eve to fully express what the term 'image'
really means.
Since we know that Adam was given covenant headship, let's look
at what Eve's role was in relationship to covenant. Here again we
need to see the bigger picture. There are mysteries in the Adam-
Eve story that reflect on the total of God's eternal story. I'll skim just
a bit.
Genesis
2:20, says, "...there was not found a helper suitable for
him." Two words are important. Helper is the word 'ezer.' This word
is similar in some respects to the Greek word, parakletos. As you
know 'parakletos' is applied to the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, "I will
ask
the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be
with you forever."
Ezer is an interesting word in that it also carries an idea of
freshness, or someone who succours. To succour means to run
under, come to the aid of, to help, support, to relieve in difficulty or
distress. It is a very strong word.
The root for this word is found it most Semitic languages. For
example in Ugaritic, it means to rescue and save. (It is often used
in a military sense.) When the Lord said there was no one who
could serve as a helper to Adam, you have to keep in mind what
this role really meant. And if men truly understood the giftings
given to the woman (wife), never again would they look on her as
being inferior in any sense.
Then we have the word 'suitable.' This is also an interesting word.
Listen carefully men --- Neged literally means 'in front of', 'in sight
of,' or, 'opposite to.' It means she is to be 'before' your face. (Not
'in'
your face.) So Adam needed someone whose giftings were
companion giftings, to make up for His own lack in areas. Yes, the
Lord also designed Adam where he could not be a lone ranger.
Next we find the Lord putting Adam into a deep sleep. The Hebrew
term for 'deep sleep' is not often used. It is close to a death word, in
which consciousness of life is not present. This is the word used for
Abraham's sleep where he sees the flaming torch and smoking
oven.
The point is that Adam had to die to his own life as it was, that is,
to
0his aloneness, so that God could give him 'his other self,' Eve.
This speaks to us in two ways. One is that the husband has to die to
his own selfish ways in order to know the value of someone
precious in his life. But it also gives us a picture of Christ and the
church. The church was born out of the death, burial and
resurrection of Jesus Christ. (This was the joy that was set before
Christ that caused Him to endure the cross.)
Here is where we see some of the wonderful mystery of Christ and
the church, but also the wonder between a godly man and his wife.
(Learn this men, and you will learn how to enjoy life with the woman
that you love.)
Let's follow this triple lesson. God presents Eve to Adam. God
presents the Church to Christ. God presents the wife to the man. All
this is contained in the Adam-Eve story. But notice one thing in
particular. God required Adam to die before He would give him
Eve. This is so important to understanding how God's giftings of
maleness and femaleness work. It is never a matter of submerging
one's life under another. It is a matter of merging of lives, where
both lives count, but neither is to be without the other.
Now we go a step further --- Listen to the passage; "The Lord God
fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man,
and brought her to the man."
Do you see the beauty in this. God fashioned the woman herself.
He didn't fashion her from the earth. He actually took a part of
Adam, and fashioned Eve from that part. (Not the head or toe, but
from the heart area.)
The very first words that Eve hears, are the words of Adam
'sanctifying her to himself.' Here is how Adam sanctifies Eve. He
looks at her, and says, "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of
my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out
of man." (Apply this to Christ and the church and get excited. We
are the body of Christ. We are bone of His bone. Flesh of His flesh.
He doesn't fill us full of fear. He sanctifies us by driving our fears
away.)
But there is more to the story of sanctifying Eve. Because the Lord
made her to be more fragile than Adam, and yet with powerful
giftings that were hers alone, Adam was put in a place where he
had to recognize Eve as God's special gift to him. This meant he
had to draw her back to himself, and she needed to hear him do so.
Husbands, it is so important that you learn to affirm your wife to
yourself. (Holds true with the wife also.) Even in nature, God
designed the male to be the one who courts. To sanctify Eve,
Adam had to drive away her fears. This is exactly how Christ
sanctifies the church to himself. John said that perfect love casts
out fears.
To keep the study from becoming too lengthy, let me add just two
more items. Coming back to the image of God. There is a sense in
which the woman can serve as a type of the Holy Spirit. This is
especially true when you consider her nature and giftings. There is
also a sense in which the man serves as a type of God's Word.
Both are needed for life. (The woman provides the womb and egg.
The man provides the seed. Just something to think about.)
The Word without the Spirit can produce legalism. The Spirit
without the Word can produce instability. Perhaps this is why Jesus
said, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing;
the
words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life." (John
6:63)
Finally, when it comes to covenant issues, there is no stronger
spiritual working power on this planet than a man and his wife who
are in spiritual union. All the promises that relate to 'two' people
doing something, find their greatest impact in the godly marriage.
For example, Jesus said, "Again I say to you, that if two of you
agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done
for them by My Father who is in heaven." (Matt
18:19) Think about
it. Who is in a better place to experience the awesomeness of this
promise than taht of the godly married?
Perhaps I should stop for now. The study is open. Feel free to post
your thoughts or questions.
Shalom in Christ,
Buddy
Lawrence E. (Buddy) Martin, HF Host
email: Bro.Buddy@ChristianChallenge.org
Web: http://www.christianchallenge.org/
"See to it that no one comes short of the grace
of God; that no root of bitterness springing up
causes trouble, and by it many be defiled." (Heb12:15)