The excerpt below has been taken with permission from Kathleen Nielson’s book What God Says about Women, Faithful Editor.
What about the word? (Genesis 2. 18)?Even if we maintain all our good?Prejudices?established by Genesis 1, recalling that men and women are equally created in the image of God, one can still ask: the word “help”, applied to women, implies that she would be a second-class citizen (in a society!)?When we think of “helper,” it’s common to imagine a domestic servant, or a child who is “Mom’s Little Helper,” among a number of seemingly minor or less important roles.
- But let’s think about the word itself.
- An assistant is simply someone who helps others.
- The act of attending does not diminish the aid.
- In fact.
- It is quite the opposite.
- On several recent occasions.
- When I was in other countries.
- Did I feel unable to communicate in a foreign language?And the translators who helped me.
- In my opinion.
- Were great heroes.
- And moved by his ability to move from one language to another.
- I didn’t have that capability; Had.
- And when I needed it.
- Your help saved me!.
The term “assistant” (in Hebrew, ezer) denotes strength, often the force that wins the battles. Indeed, throughout the Old Testament, is this word used to describe God while he helps his people?”The Lord is with me among those who help me; So will I see my wish come true in those who hate me?(Psalm 118. 7). God’s help to Adam was an extension of God’s own help, because he creates the woman and brings her to Adam. Is help the way God does it?Isn’t that good?’ Very good’. the culmination of God’s consummation in the history of creation. This role of help that women have is a high call: something through which she reflects the image of God, her Creator?and for which he serves God by walking according to His Word.
Still, we must ask ourselves what it means, in practice, to say that women are “appropriate help. “In Genesis 2, this helpful role is clearly applied to the first marriage (and to all subsequent marriages, as we will see later, more clearly). But does this apply to all women, in all their relationships with all men?Should all women help all men?This nature of? Would it be intrinsic to the feminine condition, according to God’s plan?Yes, when we answer this question in the affirmative, we think of? Assistant?In a derogatory or humiliating way, the answer is not, no teaching in the scriptures that leads to this.
If, when we answer yes to this question, we confuse biblically defined roles with other roles, the answer is no. We will come to passages dealing with roles in both marriage and church, and the scriptures are clear in both contexts. of the Bible in these two areas goes back to Genesis, to its fundamental truth, but if we apply the teaching of Scripture about these roles in contexts that the Word of God does not address, we have problems.
In a few moments I will analyze that this history of creation offers us glimpses of a creative and universal model that applies to all men and women, so does it make sense for all women to be called to act as “helpers”?Taking this universal model as meaning, for example, that a woman should not run a business or be dean of a university, or be president of a country, would confuse biblically defined roles with other roles over which the scriptures. It would impose non-biblical restrictions on women who carry the image of God.
But we can say yes to this question, to maintain “good prejudices”. of Genesis 1, because we affirm that this first man and this first woman teach us something profound and universal. Just as Genesis reveals the fundamental truth that men and women (and not just husbands and wives) were created in the image of God, there seems to be a fundamental truth in the creation of the first wife (and not just the first spouse). wife) as the man’s helper. It is difficult to define this truth with specific principles, because the truth of what happens in Creation grows and sheds its light through Scripture. We need to enter the context of the church to discover the full and open functioning of these creation truths in the body of brothers (married and single) within the family of God. And it is in the context of local church congregations that I have seen most clearly the beauty of the partnership between the women who actively help everyone around them and the men who receive and appreciate that help, when God’s people serve and work. together.
There is only one woman in my congregation who is brilliant in financial matters, and everyone celebrates that brilliness; I don’t know what we’d do without her help, which she’s been giving to the church for years unreservedly. possibly as a member of the management team. She is a woman who respects, celebrates and helps men lead. The high role of women as helpers, when embraced from the bottom of their hearts, tends to perfume everything they do, inside and outside the church. This woman was highly appreciated in the financial institution in which she worked for years, occupying a position of great responsibility. I imagine you can think of women who, in their spirit of help, make their lives and church taste good, and men who are happy to partner with these women, humbly receiving their help, regardless of who is in charge or not, of any kind. work or business. Later, we’ll talk more specifically about these apps. In fact, much more light will come from this next reason we find for God’s order in creation.
What does God really say about women?
In this pleasant conversational book, Kathleen Nielson discusses the scriptures with which women struggle more, openly or not, especially within churches: pastoral ministry, submission, abuse, etc. Join Kathleen in her quest for honest answers to difficult questions and be surprised by the beauty of God’s plan for women.
Check