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Genesis 2:18-And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”
Over the years, I have worked with a lot of people who believe that women are subordinate to men. They have told me that women should not have any part in the work of the church, should not be involved in local or national leadership, should not be afforded the opportunity of a college education, etc. One person told me that America is so out of control because men “allowed women to leave the kitchen and enter the workforce,” and that it won’t get any better till we “put them back in their place!”
Yikes.
Of course, it is hard to see how any ideas like those mentioned above can be held by Christians in light of the following prominent women and their roles found in the Word of God:
Miriam The Prophetess (Exodus 15:20);
Deborah The Prophetess (Judges 4:4);
Huldah The Prophetess (2 Kings 22:14; 2 Chronicles 34:22);
Isaiah’s Wife The Prophetess (Isaiah 8:3);
The Virtuous Woman Who Worked Both Inside And Outside The Home (Proverbs 31:10-31);
Joel’s Prophecy Of Women Prophesying During The Christian Age (Joel 2:28-32; Acts 2:16-21);
Anna The Prophetess (Luke 2:36);
The Samaritan Woman Who Jesus Chose To Publicly Proclaim Him (John 4:28:30, 39);
Mary Who Sat At Jesus Feet And Received Training In The Word Of God Just As Male Rabbis Did (Luke 10:39; Acts 22:3), And The Same Mary Who Was The First Witness And Proclaimer Of Jesus’ Resurrection (Mark 16:1-11);
Lydia The Businesswoman Who Had A House Church (Acts 16:14, 40);
Philip’s Daughters Who Prophesied (Acts 21:8-9);
The Nine Prominent Women In The Church Located At Rome That Paul Greets And Honors (Romans 16);
The Women That Paul Praised In The Church Assembly At Corinth (1 Corinthians 11:1-5);
Euodia And Syntyche Who Were “Fellow Laborers” With Paul In The Gospel (Philippians 4:2-3)
Yet sometimes it is argued that God intended woman to be inferior to man because of the fact that God declared woman to be a “helper” in the Divine order (Genesis 2:18). Yet “helper” does not mean “subordinate,” nor does it imply “less then equal.” Those who make this claim perhaps have not considered that God designed mankind (both male and female) to rule over creation together as His Divine representatives here (Genesis 1:26-27).
It is also interesting to learn some history about that word “helper.”
“There is no indication that one gender is superior or has greater value than the other. The story continues in Genesis 1: 28: “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 in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Here we see Adam and Eve given shared responsibility and a shared mission to take care of what God created. There is no indication of hierarchy or superiority in any way. This was an incredible time of man and woman living mutually in perfect community with each other and serving God together as equal image-bearers. God’s original design is for man and woman to co-rule and co-reign in community with one another to advance God’s purposes on earth. There are some questions that come up when you read this phrase in Genesis 2: 18: “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” It has been incorrectly taught that this verse indicates the woman is in some way less than the man when it says she was created as a “helper” for the man. In our contemporary English language, when we think of a “helper” we may think of an assistant to a more skilled person or a subordinate. However, the meaning of the word to the original audience of Genesis is more nuanced. The Hebrew word ezer, translated as “helper,” appears not just here but more than twenty times in the Old Testament. And nearly every time it appears, it refers to God. We read in Psalm 33: 20, “We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.” And since this word frequently refers to God, who is clearly not inferior to those he helps, when it refers to the woman here, it is not saying she is inferior or of less importance. The point isn’t about worth or value, but that God created both the man and woman so they would not be alone. God gives the man and the woman a partner, one who equally, but differently, reflects the image of God. Another amazing thing we see in Genesis chapter 2 is the creative process of making man and woman. There is a strange part where God causes the man to fall into a deep sleep and removes one of his ribs, creating Eve from it….The English word “rib” is translated from the Hebrew word tselsa, and in other places in the Hebrew Bible it is translated as “side.” In architecture, the word is used to describe the opposing sides of a structure. For example, in the book of Exodus the words tselo (variant) and tselot (plural) are used to refer to the “sides” of the ark of the covenant or the “sides” of the altar. God was communicating that in the beginning he created Adam and Eve to be a beautiful image of two equal parts, side by side with no subordination or inequality. They weren’t identical, but they were equal. They are mutually together, serving God in community together with no hierarchy, chauvinism, or polygamy. There are no “female in the kitchen” or “barefoot and pregnant” jokes. In the beginning, they were designed to serve God together as equals, and God even says they are “one flesh.” 1”. (Dan Kimball, How (Not) to Read the Bible: Making Sense of the Anti-women, Anti-science, Pro-violence, Pro-slavery and Other Crazy-Sounding Parts of Scripture, 112-113 (Kindle Edition): Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Reflective)
Despite the prejudices of many in the world (both ancient and modern), the Bible does not look down upon women. They are a vital and necessary component of the Lord’s purpose in making both humanity and the church of Christ.
What to take from all this?
First, to men: let’s carefully examine our attitudes towards women. Do our words and actions support women as those made in God’s image? Do we offer support and encouragement for them as we should? Years ago one of my instructors at WVSOP encouraged us to always remember this passage in all of our dealings with women:
1 Timothy 5:1-2-Do not rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, with all purity.
Second, do we encourage women in the work of the church? Two passages of Scripture seem to limit the work of women in the public assembly of the church (1 Corinthians 14:34-45; 1 Timothy 2:11-15). These texts must be interpreted in light of the contextual situations going on at Corinth and Ephesus, and must be understood in the overall context of the Scriptures listed above. Besides, regardless of what women may or may not do in the church public worship assembly on Sunday, there is a vast and needed work for godly women everyday! We must not allow ourselves to think that the ministry of a faithful Christian life and the work of the local church is limited to what we practice in the worship assembly (Romans 12:1-2).
Lord, thank You for making women. Thank You for the light that they bring into the world, and may all of us (men and women) give glory to You by respecting each person as being made in Your image. Amen.