God Said They Were Made Very Good, so Believe Him

Today is International Women’s Day. While I’m not a fan of gender wars, I can’t help but notice this holiday brings much hatred between the sexes as much as the good that it does.

According to the Bible, women have a role in helping to fulfill the original great commission given by God. To fill the Earth and subdue it, tending to paradise as a team.

Genesis 2:20-22 states: “So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam, there was not found a helper comparable to him. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.”

Notice that Adam needed a helper, but if we dive into the Hebrew language here a bit we find some startling conclusions.

The words for help-meet or helper are the Hebrew “ezer kenegdo” which means something more like suitable aid. A perfect compliment for times of distress.

Strong’s 5048 is the root of this word, from the Hebrew “neged.”

So a woman is to be a man’s opposite or counterpart.

It isn’t a case of men being better than women. Or the feminist notion of women being better than men now that society has advanced.

There is an authority structure at play, but counterpart does not mean subservient being. A woman corresponds to a man, and in Genesis, it means God made Eve perfectly for Adam.

She was his intended match, right from the start of humanity.

Notice that God used a rib to make Eve out of Adam’s side. That means that Eve belongs at his side, not under his feet to trample upon, and not above him to usurp the man. The original plan was to work on paradise together, in God’s image. And women are called good by the mouth of God Himself.

It’s a team effort beginning at the dawn of humanity, put into motion by Yahweh.

Throughout history, people regarded women as less than possessions. But the righteous men of the Bible never saw it that way. See it in Genesis when Abram protected Sarah, lying to cover up the fact that she was his wife for fear of her being taken by a strange king.

While I don’t agree with his tactic of lying to get out of trouble, it’s clear that she meant so much to him. There may have been a hint of fear there, too, but he wouldn’t have made that decision if he didn’t value her.

Jacob worked for fourteen years to marry his beloved, Rachel. And the Scriptures say it felt like no time at all, because of the love he had for her. He waited as long as it took, because he knew she was God’s choice.

What a beautiful example, and a clear sign that righteous men never viewed women as less than themselves.

Jesus is the Creator of the Universe. He made the black holes, the quasars, the galaxies, nebulas, and the intricate wonders of the cosmic web.

Yet He, being that glorious, took it upon Himself to treat women with kindness, dignity, and respect. He overturned what people thought reality was. He even had female disciples and especially loved Mary Magdalene.

We need to emulate that example.

Patriarchal scriptures don’t mean treating women as objects, because they’re complementary to men.

We are opposites‌. This is true biologically, and in the ways we think about the world.

But these two genders fit together like perfect puzzle pieces, and you can’t make a link without each one.

They must both be there for it to work.

There’s so many women out there who make an impact, whether that’s a kind gesture to a husband in the home, a mother giving her daughter priceless advice, or even working on amazing projects for the world to see on a bigger scale.

It doesn’t matter what society tells us. It doesn’t matter what feminism tells us.

Women have always mattered to God, and we, as men, are supposed to be grateful for the precious gift of women.

They go through so much that we have no clue about. I can’t imagine what giving birth, going through a monthly curse, or feeling vulnerable because of less than savory men are like.

It’s tough to be a woman, ‌like it’s tough to be a man in this sin-tainted world. Sin has ruined everything on planet Earth, and even beyond the world, out into the cosmos.

Although I do not align myself with feminism, misogyny, or any current buzzword, I recognize a structure in the Scriptures that cannot be overlooked.

Men are supposed to lead like Christ leads the church. But hearkening back to Genesis, women are to be our opposite counterparts, not less than worthy of humanity.

There are many women in other countries besides this one that deal with the subjugation of twisted patriarchy. Where every man is above every woman, and that’s the way it is because of flawed understandings.

God’s patriarchy is a loving, protecting system. Not a machine that overtakes women for the status quo, so men stay in power.

We need to recognize that biblical masculinity is not at odds with biblical femininity.

Women will adorn themselves and feel pretty, and that’s amazing. God made them that way, and as men, we appreciate those differences between us.

Women are to be celebrated, as counterparts, not less than deserving of love and respect.

It’s important to read the original languages when possible, because while translators do their best to keep the word-for-word equivalence of the original meaning, English often diminishes what the Hebrew conveyed as written.

Looking at the creation account from a Hebraic perspective sheds light upon what God’s original intent for women was.

The word “ezer” often shows up in the Book of Psalms regarding God being our shield and our aid. There’s a camaraderie from women to men in the original meaning of the word, not subservience as less than the male gender.

The truth is feminism has hijacked femininity, and the manosphere has destroyed men to become the thing they hate, leading to gender wars instead of building each other up.

Let’s stick to what the Bible says about these issues.

Women are amazing, so treat that special lady in your life with gratitude and joy, whether that’s your spouse, sister, daughter, mother, or even those incredible role models out there who inspire us to be better men and women.

But being a Christian means living this out, where action becomes the defining trait of our walk, not talk alone. So it doesn’t take one day out of the year to celebrate anyone.

We must live out every day with grace.

Because it’s God who made us, and He says we’re worth it, no matter what body we were born into.