READY is back! May 3, 2010

Hello, girls! Sorry about the unexpected break from READY posts last week. I'll do my best not to just stop posting suddenly again =)

Hmmmm....where did we leave off? Oh, wait a moment. That's not important. That's because God revealed something to me this week about Biblical womanhood from a passage we've already read. Let's go all the way back (do it with me...go WAAAAYY back....)..........to Genesis 2.

That's right. Back to the beginning.


Today's Passage: Genesis 2, NIV
What ladies can learn: In Genesis 2, God details the perfect creation of woman. Ladies get a glimpse--their only glimpse--of what life would be like if it were still perfect.

Notice the second to last verse in the passage. The passage does NOT say that "a man will leave his single life and get married," "a man will leave his father and mother to live on his own," or "a man will leave college to be united to his wife."

Here is what the passage really says (with my emphasis):

Genesis 2:24:

(NIV) For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

(NCV) So a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two will become one body.

(NKJV) Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

(The Message) Therefore a man leaves his father and mother and embraces his wife. They become one flesh.

From the original text (I use The Complete WordStudy Old Testament by Zodhiates--it's an excellent book), the word "man" literally means "man" in the masculine sense (not mankind), and "leaves" means to abandon.

You see, God created the family as a unit that works together to serve Him. When we marry, we create our own "unit," leaving our original "unit." We are still to listen to, respect, and heed the advice of our parents, but we have our own "unit" to run (or be a part of).

With this in mind, there are two more questions that come up. First, is the man leaving his parents' home--is he physically leaving his parents--or is he simply leaving their purpose? Second, do women go through the same sort of "leaving"?

I can't think of any Bible verses that specifically deal with these two topics (I'm welcome to input). However, I believe that God speaks to each family individually about how they can serve Him through their locations. Pray about it and talk about it with your parents. I know several families that have their kids at home until they marry, but I also know several families that send their kids to college and let their kids live on their own a little before they marry. It's not our place to judge--just to do what God's will is for us.

Too many times, we simply "go with the flow" with regards to going to college and moving out. There are other alternatives; if you never ask God what His plans are for you in that area, how will you know?

READY: April 20, 2010

Today's Passage: Genesis 1, NIV, courtesy of BibleGateway.com
What ladies can learn: Okay, I know--we read Genesis 2 first and then Genesis 1. There's a reason that we read the chapters out of order: Genesis 2 details the creation of woman, while Genesis 1 tells about God's first command for Eve (and ladies in general). So, technically, we're going in chronological order.

So, what is the first command recorded in the Bible? Verse 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 of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.'" (emphasis mine)

This is a command given to both man and woman. As we learned yesterday, woman's job is to help man. Now we know specifically what man needs help with: increasing in number, filling the earth, subduing the earth, and ruling over the creatures of the earth.

There's a lot of ground to cover here, but I'm going to try to do it simply and briefly.

First, God gave this command to both man and woman. Eve's role in filling this command was just as important and necessary as Adam's role. As we saw before, however, Adam was to be the leader in deciding how to carry out this command, while Eve might help with anything from suggesting things to helping carry out the plan.

Second, God gave the task of "filling the earth" to both man and woman. It's not the woman's job to raise a child--it's both parents' jobs. In fact, the husband, as the head of the family, once again, has the important position of "leader" in this area.

Third, women help men rule. Men can't "subdue the earth" by themselves. They need their wives' help. The role of the wife, remember, is that of a necessary, indispensable helper, but not a primary conqueror.

Finally, let me clarify that in all these areas, men are to be as involved as women. It's not man's job to sit around on the couch planning things as a leader, and it's not woman's job to slave around doing whatever her husband tells her to. The best leaders are active! The best leaders participate in carrying out their plans just as much as the followers participate in carrying out the plans.

Highlighted characteristic of God: God has awesome, amazing power beyond our comprehension.
In two words: God created.

Highlighted characteristic for us: We are living in a beautiful world that God shaped with His own hands. Let's savor every minute of our time here.
In three words: Notice God's creation.