Good morning, morning, evening it depends on where you stay.
In today's Bible study we are going to look at the Topic:
For Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. (Genesis 2:20).
Helper . Many women in our day have chafed at this word, at this characterization of our calling from God. A helper is clearly not in charge.
A helper is not usually center stage.
A helper may feel (and rightly!) that she has gifts and talents that enable her to do the work better.
A helper rarely gets as much recognition for her work.
A helper may feel like a second-class citizen. And we could go on.
Some of these assumptions may be true, some are outright lies, but all of them miss the point.
Each of the above statements comes from the perspective of fallen creatures, socialized in the modern world; none seriously attempts to consider what the Creator himself had in mind when he designed and assigned callings to men and women.
“When God created male and female, he did not mean to glorify men and demean women.”
When God created male and female, he did not mean to glorify men and demean women, as if helper somehow meant lesser. God created humans — men and women together — as the pinnacle of all creation, crafting both in his very image (Genesis 1:27).
He created them with distinct and complementary attributes, inclinations, and gifts that make them indispensable to one another and to his plan for filling the earth with his glory.
Now, God did make man first, and he gave man the primary responsibility (and accountability) for the outworking of his plan *(Genesis 2:7, 15–17; 1 Timothy 2:13) to extend his glory (Ephesians 1:10).
Please make sure you have your bible with you.
But by giving man primary responsibility and accountability, did God intend for Adam to be a mini-god on earth, decisively higher than his wife, who was also made in God’s image?
No. Before God made Eve from Adam, he humbled Adam by permitting him to discover how impossible his task would be without help — God’s help and human help.
God had already indicated that it was not good for man to be alone (Genesis 2:18), but then he set Adam to naming all the animals, building to the discovery that “there was not found a helper fit for him” (Genesis 2:19–20).
Then, at the creation of Eve, Adam’s “at last” shows the relief and delight he felt (Genesis 2:23). He knew he needed a helper for this mission.
Look Look Woman, then, was not created as a subjugated slave, but as a means of mutual blessing for them both. She was, and is, an essential partner and helper in the grand work of subduing the creation and filling the earth with God’s imagers, giving glory upon glory to the eternally worthy God.
The twisted lie that Adam is more important, that Adam’s call means power and privilege, and Eve’s subjugation, springs out of the pride that human hearts have harbored since the fall.
Men too often have been puffed up to lead with domineering power, and women too often have been puffed up with righteous indignation, asserting that they have just as much of a right to power and privilege as men do.
You will agree with me that. “Self-centered, bullying leadership was never God’s plan. Neither was self-centered resentment when called to help.”
Of course, Adam could not assume responsibility (and accountability) without the associated ability (and burden) to make critical decisions.
But all throughout the Bible, and especially in the life of Jesus, we see that every earthly power is subject to the righteous and holy God.
A holy exercise of any ability may not please everyone, but it is never to be self-serving or oppressive, and is always to be characterized by humility and self-sacrifice. Self-centered, bullying leadership was never God’s call. Neither was self-centered resentment when called to be helper.
There comes Pride on Both Sides.
At this point, I expect some women today want to say, “But men’s leadership throughout the ages has rarely reflected humility and self-sacrifice.
But oh ya, men have abused power and oppressed women (and others) in every generation!” Yes, they surely have. And I’m not excusing that in any way. To the contrary, we long and pray for justice in this earthly life, and my soul trembles when I see men misuse their authority.
Men where are you.
If you believe for a moment that a righteous and holy God will not hold men accountable for such sinful behavior, you are not familiar with the God of the Bible. Judgment is real, and it is coming.
At the same time, we can’t condemn men without acknowledging that women, too, have been guilty of being more concerned about our own image, advancement, power, and perhaps even “rights” than about honoring our God by being the kind of people he made us to be.
God’s people were made to humbly, sacrificially, and joyfully welcome the privilege of their God-given callings and delight to reflect God’s own beauty and righteousness in those callings. Oh, how men and women should both fall on our faces in repentance — and thanksgiving — as we acknowledge our failures and lean on God’s loving grace through Jesus.
Thanks for being online with me this afternoon
I rest my pen ️️
If you have any questions about the topic feel free to ask through the forum reply button box.
In today's Bible study we are going to look at the Topic:
Why Would God Call Me ‘Helper’?
The Modern Struggle with Womanhood.
For Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. (Genesis 2:20).
Helper . Many women in our day have chafed at this word, at this characterization of our calling from God. A helper is clearly not in charge.
A helper is not usually center stage.
A helper may feel (and rightly!) that she has gifts and talents that enable her to do the work better.
A helper rarely gets as much recognition for her work.
A helper may feel like a second-class citizen. And we could go on.
Some of these assumptions may be true, some are outright lies, but all of them miss the point.
Each of the above statements comes from the perspective of fallen creatures, socialized in the modern world; none seriously attempts to consider what the Creator himself had in mind when he designed and assigned callings to men and women.
“When God created male and female, he did not mean to glorify men and demean women.”
When God created male and female, he did not mean to glorify men and demean women, as if helper somehow meant lesser. God created humans — men and women together — as the pinnacle of all creation, crafting both in his very image (Genesis 1:27).
He created them with distinct and complementary attributes, inclinations, and gifts that make them indispensable to one another and to his plan for filling the earth with his glory.
Now, God did make man first, and he gave man the primary responsibility (and accountability) for the outworking of his plan *(Genesis 2:7, 15–17; 1 Timothy 2:13) to extend his glory (Ephesians 1:10).
Please make sure you have your bible with you.
But by giving man primary responsibility and accountability, did God intend for Adam to be a mini-god on earth, decisively higher than his wife, who was also made in God’s image?
No. Before God made Eve from Adam, he humbled Adam by permitting him to discover how impossible his task would be without help — God’s help and human help.
God had already indicated that it was not good for man to be alone (Genesis 2:18), but then he set Adam to naming all the animals, building to the discovery that “there was not found a helper fit for him” (Genesis 2:19–20).
Then, at the creation of Eve, Adam’s “at last” shows the relief and delight he felt (Genesis 2:23). He knew he needed a helper for this mission.
Look Look Woman, then, was not created as a subjugated slave, but as a means of mutual blessing for them both. She was, and is, an essential partner and helper in the grand work of subduing the creation and filling the earth with God’s imagers, giving glory upon glory to the eternally worthy God.
The twisted lie that Adam is more important, that Adam’s call means power and privilege, and Eve’s subjugation, springs out of the pride that human hearts have harbored since the fall.
Men too often have been puffed up to lead with domineering power, and women too often have been puffed up with righteous indignation, asserting that they have just as much of a right to power and privilege as men do.
You will agree with me that. “Self-centered, bullying leadership was never God’s plan. Neither was self-centered resentment when called to help.”
Of course, Adam could not assume responsibility (and accountability) without the associated ability (and burden) to make critical decisions.
But all throughout the Bible, and especially in the life of Jesus, we see that every earthly power is subject to the righteous and holy God.
A holy exercise of any ability may not please everyone, but it is never to be self-serving or oppressive, and is always to be characterized by humility and self-sacrifice. Self-centered, bullying leadership was never God’s call. Neither was self-centered resentment when called to be helper.
There comes Pride on Both Sides.
At this point, I expect some women today want to say, “But men’s leadership throughout the ages has rarely reflected humility and self-sacrifice.
But oh ya, men have abused power and oppressed women (and others) in every generation!” Yes, they surely have. And I’m not excusing that in any way. To the contrary, we long and pray for justice in this earthly life, and my soul trembles when I see men misuse their authority.
Men where are you.
If you believe for a moment that a righteous and holy God will not hold men accountable for such sinful behavior, you are not familiar with the God of the Bible. Judgment is real, and it is coming.
At the same time, we can’t condemn men without acknowledging that women, too, have been guilty of being more concerned about our own image, advancement, power, and perhaps even “rights” than about honoring our God by being the kind of people he made us to be.
God’s people were made to humbly, sacrificially, and joyfully welcome the privilege of their God-given callings and delight to reflect God’s own beauty and righteousness in those callings. Oh, how men and women should both fall on our faces in repentance — and thanksgiving — as we acknowledge our failures and lean on God’s loving grace through Jesus.
Thanks for being online with me this afternoon
I rest my pen ️️
If you have any questions about the topic feel free to ask through the forum reply button box.