|
|
|
THE HELPER I The Woman as the Man's Helper (Cont'd) “Power over the creatures was given to man, and as a proof of this he named them all. It also shows his insight into the works of God. But though he was lord of the creatures, yet nothing in this world was a help meet for man. From God are all our helpers. If we rest in God, He will work all for good. God caused deep sleep to fall on Adam; while he knows no sin, God will take care that he shall feel no pain. God, as her Father, brought the woman to the man, as his second self and a help meet for him”.
The revivalist John Wesley who lived from 1703 – 1791 A.D. wrote:
“And Adam said, this is now bone of my bones –Probably it was revealed to Adam in a vision,
when he was asleep, that this lovely creature now presented to him, was a piece of himself
and was to be his companion, and the wife of his covenant – In token of his acceptance of her,
he gave her a name, not peculiar to her, but common to her sex; she shall be called woman,
Isha, a She-man differing from man in sex only, not in nature; made of man, and joined to man”.
For a more up-to-date statement I will quote the following from the Reformation Fellowship in
the East Valley, Mesa., A.Z., U.S.A. (1995).
“In the beginning God made male and female. He made
Adam first, and then he made Eve from Adam’s rib. This order of
creation subordinates wives to their husbands and women
to men in the church. As an act of submission to their Creator women
are commanded to submit to their husbands and to male
leadership in the church”.
Having looked at the various comments made on this passage by a number of eminent men
of the church we will now look at scripture to see what God had said to the man and his helper
regarding their roles.
Their roles were not so much determined in the Genesis Two creation account but in the Genesis
One creation account for we can read “ Then God said; Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea, and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So 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 said to them: Be fruitful and increase in number, Fill the earth and subdue it, Rule over the fish of the sea, and the birds of the air, And over every living creature that moves on the ground ”. Genesis 1:26-28
So the man and the woman together had dominion over creation, working in perfect harmony with
each other as a team, just as God had said. No one had been given rulership over the other,
they ruled creation together. And it was perfect bliss...
But then the Fall took place... The Fall
We find the account of the Fall in Genesis Three. It is a very sad story indeed. As far as the
woman is concerned she was told by God “ I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; With pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband. And he will rule over you ”. Genesis 3:16
Jewish traditional thinking on this passage can be found in the Babylonian Talmud, which was
written between the third century B.C. and the sixth century B.C. The Talmud lists “Ten Curses
God uttered against Eve”. “ Greatly increase deals with woman’s menstrual curse”. “ Your pains is having and rearing children”. “ Your conception shall be by the husband’s choice and at his discretion”. “ In pain you will give birth to children is more punishment of women”. “ Your desire shall be for your husband, deals with the rabbis’ private interpretation of sexuality ”. “ He shall rule over you, the wife being in total submission and subjugation, since the wife is the personal property of the husband”. “ She is wrapped up like a mourner, that is...” “ She shall not appear in public with her head uncovered”. “ She is restricted to one husband, while the husband may have many wives”. “ She is confined to the house”.
Reading it would make any woman feel depressed and hopeless. It would not have helped her either
if she had heard the prayer of a Jewish man, which goes as follows: “ Praise be to God that He has not created me a Gentile; Praise be to God that He has not created me a woman; Praise be to God that He has not created me an ignorant man”.
We will once again turn to some of the early Church Fathers and other well known men to find out
how they viewed this particular passage.
Origen who lived from 185 – 254 A.D.
To Origen all women were earthly, fleshly and evil.
Tertullian, who lived from 155 - 245 A.D. wrote:
“Every woman should be walking about as Eve, mourning and repentant in order that by every garb
of penitence she might be the more fully expiate (meaning make reparation for, make complete
atonement for) that which she derives from Eve - the ignominy (the public disgrace, humiliation,
dishour, infamy) - I mean of the first sin, and the odium (attaching to as the cause of) human
perdition.
In pains and in anxieties dost thou bear children, woman; and toward thine husband is thy
inclination, and he lords it over thee. And you know that you are each an Eve. The
sentence of God on this sex of yours lives in this age. The guilt must of necessity live too.
You are of the devil’s gateway; you are the un-sealer of the forbidden tree. You are the first
deserter of the divine law. You are she who persuaded him, whom the devil was not valiant
enough to attack. You destroyed so easily God’s image man. On account of your desert the Son of
God had to die”.
Augustine of Hippo, who lived from 345 - 430 A.D. wrote:
“What is the difference whether it is in a wife or a mother; it is still Eve
the temptress, that we must be aware of in any woman.I fail to see what use a woman can
be to a man, if one excludes the function of bearing children”.
|