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THE HELPER I The Woman as the Man's Helper
There is another time in the Old Testament that the word “helper”
was used. And we find it in the creation account in Genesis Two. Now in the
creation account of Genesis One we read that God was very pleased with all that
He had created. Then when we go into Genesis Two we have once again the
creation account but this time with further details added to it and we find in
fact that something was not good. We can read of this “ It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him ”. Genesis 2:18
Isn’t that wonderful: God saw the need, the loneliness of the man, perhaps even without the man
fully realizing it himself And God decided to do something about it. He was going to provide a
helper for him. Now remember, God was not going to provide him with a slave, a hireling, or
even an assistant, no this was going to be a helper, an “azar”, which was the same word we have
already seen used for God as well as for stronger armies or cities.
And so God went to work… We today know what He had in mind, but He didn’t tell the man
anything and he didn’t allow him to be part of the action either. Perhaps God did not want the
man to interfere by coming up with some of his own ideas as to what an ideal companion might
look like. Instead God in His wisdom put the man to sleep. And then what did He do, did He
get another pile of dust, like He had done with the man? No, He had took a part from the man,
which has been translated as “rib”. This is the word “tselah” and has been used in other places
in the Old Testament when it has been translated as side, or sides.
Some examples are:- “ Cast four gold rings for it, and fasten them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other side ”. Exodus 25:12 “ The poles are to be inserted into the rings so they will be on two sides of the altar ”. Exodus 27:7 “ Also make crossbars of acacia wood; five for the frames of one side of the tabernacle, five for those on the other side ”. Exodus 26:26-27
In these passages the word “tselah” each time refers to an entire side and not just to a
small part of the structure. It is only in the Genesis account that the word “tselah” has been
translated as “rib” rather than “side”.
Of course the idea that the woman had been formed from the rib of the man had been part of
Rabbinical teaching for a very long time as we can hear in the following account:
“God had not formed woman out of the head of man, lest she should become proud; nor out of the
eye, lest she should lust; nor out of the ear, lest she should become curious, nor out of the
mouth, lest she should become talkative, nor out of the heart, lest she should become jealous,
nor out of the hand, lest she should become covetous; nor out of the foot, lest she be
a busybody; but out of the rib, which was always covered”.
Now we know that the woman was indeed made out of the man’s rib, or bone for he exclaimed in
Genesis 2:23.
“This is now bone of my bones”.
However, we know too that there was more to her than just bones for the man said as well:
”And flesh of my flesh”.
She very likely was therefore formed from a much larger portion of the man than just a rib,
having been formed from his side.
The man recognized that she was like him as indeed she was. She was his “ishah” and he
was her “ish” meaning she was his “female” man and he was her “male”
man.
And now he had his helper, his “azar”. Did that mean she was his superior? No, for in this case
the “azar” was made an “azar kenegdo”. The word “kenegdo” is very significant for it describes
the kind of “helper” God had given to the man. It was not God’s intention to give the man a
superior helper, nor was it His intention to give the man an inferior helper. This helper had
been formed to be exactly suitable for him, matching him, equal to him, fitting for him,
corresponding to him, a counterpart to him, opposite to him. God had met the man’s need,
the man’s loneliness and the man was glad.
This passage has been very important in determining the role of women at home and in the church
throughout church history, so I am going to quote the viewpoints of some of the early church
fathers.
Clement of Alexandria who lived from 150 – 215 wrote:
“Man is stronger and purer, since he is un-castrated and has a beard. Women are weak, passive,
castrated and immature… His beard then is the badge of a man and shows him unmistakably to be a
man. It is older than Eve and is a symbol of the stronger nature”.
Augustine of Hippo who lived from 345 – 430 wrote:
“Adam said, “This is now bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh”. Flesh then is put for
woman, in the same manner that spirit is sometimes put for husband. Wherefore? Because the one
rules, the other is ruled. The one ought to command, the other to serve. For where the flesh
commands and the spirit serves, the house is turned the wrong way. What can be worse than a
house where the woman has the mastery over the man? But that house is rightly ordered where the man commands and the woman obeys. In like manner the
man is rightly ordered where the spirit commands and the flesh serves".
Thomas Aquinas who lived from 1225 – 1274 wrote:
“It was necessary for woman to be made, as the Scripture says, as a “helper” to man; not indeed
as a helpmate, in other works, as some say, since man can be more efficiently helped by another
in other works, but as a helper in the works of generation”.
“When all things were first formed, it was more suitable for the woman to be made from man than
in other animals.
First, in order to give the first man a certain dignity consisting in this, that as God is the
principle of the whole universe, so the first man, in likeness to God, was the principle of the
whole human race.
Secondly, that he might love woman all the more and cleave to her more closely, knowing her to
be fashioned from himself.
Thirdly, because the human male and female are united not only for generation,
as with other animals, but for the purpose of domestic life, in which each has his or her
particular duty in which the man is the head of the woman. Wherefore it
was suitable for the woman to be made out of man as her principle”.
A well known commentator of the scriptures is Matthew Henry who lived from 1662 – 1712. He
wrote: |