Heeding the Call

Our Bible study group just finished, in my opinion, the most significant chapter of When Life and Beliefs Collide, entitled "God Created an Intimate Ally." When we think of the first woman, our thoughts are often of the fallen Eve, who, by eating of the forbidden fruit with her husband, plunged all humanity into a long history of depravity. The original sinless Eve, who was the crowning touch of God's creation, is long forgotten. It's important for us to consider and learn from both Eves, for both have deep theological significance that should be understood by both women and men.

When God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him (Genesis 2:18)," he instituted a calling for all women that applies from cradle to grave no matter what the circumstance. Contrary to popular belief, this role is not one that women assume at the marriage ceremony. To help us understand this calling, the author explains ezer, the Hebrew word for "helper," is a military term. The term appears twenty-one times in the Old Testament, and sixteen of those references refer to God himself as the helper of his people. Two of the references are in Genesis 2, while the remaining three references are in the prophets who use it as military aid. Man needs this very strong helper as his intimate ally.

There has been an ongoing debate about what it means for women to be a helper, but we must be true in interpreting God's Word and be careful not to equate certain responsibilities, separately or collectively, with the word ezer. For example, single women may never be a child bearer, mother, or homemaker, and empty-nesters and widows assume different roles in those circumstances. The responsibilities of an ezer are much broader in scope than those attached to the home. As the author aptly suggests, "strangely enough, Adam didn't need someone to do most of the tasks we usually associate with the role of the helper. His physical needs were abundantly met in the shelter and bounty of Eden. A wide variety of food was readily accessible in Eden, his well-stocked pantry. There were no menus to plan, groceries to buy, or meals to prepare. There was no house to decorate or clean, no table to set or children to nurture. There were no socks to pick up, not a stitch of laundry. What is more, the first sewing project was a joint effort." (pp. 184-185) Because the word ezer is so generic, it is difficult to pinpoint an official duty list that applies to every single woman, and therefore opens the way for strong helpers to enter into every area of life with man. "The parameters for a woman seem to be expansive, rather than constrictive, flexible and dynamic in each new situation, rather than woodenly prescribed." (p. 186)

The military imagery of ezer carries over to women, as is seen in Proverbs 31 and other passages of Scripture. As we consider the scope of redemptive history, it is understandable that women are called to be valiant warriors, not to fight against men, but to fight alongside them and be their greatest allies. "Even before the creation, the battle lines were drawn between God and the powers of darkness. In the Garden, God wasn't weaving a great romance. He was building an army, and the enemy was waiting to launch his first assault. Adam and Eve were not simply our first parents. They were God's first recruits, and both of them would soon be in the line of fire." (p. 187-188) Adam and Eve shared a common command and calling. They were commanded to multiply and fill the earth with worshipers of the living God (through procreation and evangelism) and called to rule over creation - "a call to apply God's truth to every sphere of human life and to uphold the Creator's honor throughout all the earth." (p. 189) Women are not called to compete with men, but to encourage them in the things of God, and to admonish them when they stray on to wrong paths. That is precisely why "[t]he greatest asset a woman brings to her marriage is not her beauty, her charm, her feminine wiles, or even her ability to bear a child. It is her theology. Every wife is her husband's partner, pastor, spiritual counselor, motivational speaker, and his fellow soldier in the war zone. With her eyes fixed on Jesus, she is less inclined to make her husband, herself, or her children the center of the universe, With head and heart filled with the knowledge of God, she will find strength to enter the fray and wrestle all of life's problems alongside her husband. As she lives in the light of God's sovereign goodness, she will radiate hope and encourage to him in the darkest hours. With her feet firmly planted on God's holy character, she will find boldness to stand up to her man when his disobedience is tarnishing God's glory. And her husband will only be the better for it." (p. 190)

~to be continued...