This post is directed to women. To set women free to open their eyes up to something they may never have realised. But guys, feel free to comment (or attack) as you see fit.
Ladies, I know women have a tough time of it in life and in Church. I have seen men take scriptures like “wives submit to your husbands” and turn it into “I will MAKE my wife submit because it is biblical” not understanding at all that “submission” is something a person chooses to do in their own heart. And CONTROL of another person is not actually Gods way of doing things. It is NOT His nature at all.
So what has happened? Why do we see so often a woman being treated as though firstly a “help mate” was a wife made to help out Adam in picking fruit (like a slave that was beneath him) and secondly as a second rate citizen with not as much “rights” as a man? I could list so many areas where this attitude is seen, not just in Christian circles. I remember last year a woman on the news. She was in prison in an Islamic country for being raped. A woman requires 3 men to verify her story for a rape case. In China girls used to be left abandoned by parents at the side of roads as they were not a valued as a boy baby. Women are so often sexually assaulted all round the world in far more cases than guys and even in the Jewish culture women never had any legal rights. (but isn’t it interesting that when Job had his encounter with God and everything was restored to him he then gave his daughters an inheritance just like his sons breaking ALL traditions and attitudes. Amazing how an encounter with God brings equality!)
Genesis: God made Adam a “help mate”. Notice how the bible does not say “wife” or “servant”? “ezer kenegdo” is a difficult word to translate. It isn’t “wife” or “servant” .” Ezer” is only found 20 times in the Old Testament and every time it is used describing God himself when someone is desperate for help. “may the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. May He send you help (ezer). In every case this word is used in the Old Testament it is a life or death situation where help is desperately needed. Man and women are made in the image of God and posses different characteristics of His nature. This one is specifically for women, and women need to recognise how important their role as a “help mate” really is. Kenegdo means counterpart or alongside...not beneath....OPPOSITE.
God then said to BOTH Adam and Eve, as equals “ I give you DOMINION over the plants and the animals” but after the fall he said to Eve “from now on your husband will rule over you”...notice how God did not then say to Adam “ I now give you DOMINION over your wife”? God was warning Eve that the original command will now become so distorted through sin man will now rule over women, abuse them, use them, treat them as second rate citizens. Man will use every possible weapon, resource, even Gods word to twist it and use it for that very purpose.
Look at those scriptures about “submission”.
Did you know that when king James had his bible translated from the original there were 7 other translations he could have used for the word “submit”, one of them being “be gently persuaded” but as he was a king a MAN and wanted to DOMINATE his people, most of who couldn’t read or write he picked the best word that suited him.
1 Timothy 2: 11“ A woman should learn in quietness and fullsubmission.” Learn from who? God or man?
1 Timothy 2:12 “ I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent” . Keep it quiet ladies! You may hear God clearly but men have got to learn to do that for themselves! Learn not to jump in with both feet being eager to teach the guys something that you may already know. Man has to learn to listen to God and obey God DIRECTLY, something he failed at in Genesis. You will notice in Genesis after the fall that God said to Adam “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you “you must not eat”. Notice how God did NOT say that to Eve? Where was Eve when God said that to Adam? She wasn’t even made!!!!! Yes, she was the first deceived but Adam DELIBERATLY sinned. Men have to learn to UNDERSTAND the deeper things of the spirit, look at what happened when the women went and told the Apostles that Jesus had risen from the dead? It says in Luke’s gospel “ but they did not believe the women because their words seemed like nonsense” Women do not do guys any favours if they do not understand this command. Women, PRAY for Godly men, pray that guys seek God and stop being easily lead by others. Pray that they will rise up like Moses, Elijah, Paul, Peter, men who have set their eyes on God and will not follow false teachings because they can HEAR God themselves. This scripture obviously does not mean that in ALL circumstances a woman should never speak , teach or have authority over a man because otherwise God would not have made women prophetess’ in the old Test. As we know a prophet/prophetess is the MOUTH PIECE of God. God is not double minded or that would make Him unstable. This scripture needs to be put into context and not taken out of context just to shut a woman up or for men to try and control women, which is what God warned Eve they will try and do as a result of the fall. Women, read about Deborah, understand the authority that God gave her and she was not the only one. Remember that you are a “help mate” and there will be times that the Holy Spirit will lead you rise up in those situations where guys are really having a tough time and are desperate enough for you to step into your role.
Scripture will always line up with Gods nature. Jesus IS the word and the word IS Jesus. We cannot separate the two. Look at Jesus’s nature. “I stand at the door knocking”, does that sound like someone with a forceful nature MAKING someone submit? When people came up to him and said “Lord I will follow you wherever you go and He named the one thing they couldn’t do and they went away sad. Did he go running after them saying you MUST obey me! You MUST do as I say!!” ANYONE who uses scripture to CONTROL another person is using scripture in an abusive way.
All those scriptures directed at women are exactly that. They are FOR a woman and it is between her and God to work out not for men to try and control a woman with. Yes, a husband is the spiritual head of the house there to protect her spirit from emotional harm, from the enemies arrows and to protect her from physical harm..but how many men are actually using those scriptures to CAUSE emotional harm and physical harm?
It is for FREEDOM that Christ has set us free. Free to be ourselves, free to follow wherever the Lord leads. If any aspect of a Christian relationship is about control then people need to repent before they have to stand before Gods throne to deal with this one.
But perhaps these women don't post on such threads, as they are being submissive to the men? Whereas on a woman's only thread, such women would know to perform their duty immediately.