” Have you noticed that the further
from God a culture moves, the more distorted its view becomes about a woman’s role in society? Whether it is the demeaning repressive view of females that leads societies ultimately to kill their unwanted girl babies or the
replacement of God by female deities, both extremes are not the biblical view of woman.
Who would seek to distort God’s design for woman? The enemy of all humankind...Satan.
The Bible describes Satan as the father of lies and a destroyer.
Any time we allow Satan to delude us into a false belief, he destroys on two levels. First and most obvious we are
believing something that is not true, and remember, Beliefs Have Consequences. Countless women, from newborns through adult, have been and still are shamelessly brutalized and killed by men who deem them inferior. Also
homes and cultures have paid a heavy price when they positioned women in places of spiritual headship and worshiped them.
The second level of destruction when we believe a lie is
this. We miss the truth we should be seeing. For example, when women are not allowed to, or simply do not, operate in their divine role, the losses to their children, husbands and culture are immense.
We see in the Bible that God created Fathers to teach us many aspects of His own nature. We learn from the example of a good Father how obedience to God is wise. We learn that God as our
heavenly Father wants to give us the best gifts and lead us in paths that not only honor His name, but also ones that give us complete fulfillment. Certainly our creator is best equipped to help us live in our unique
design. He can be trusted.
But how about women and mothers? Remember in the Bible God uses the female pronoun “she” to refer to Israel, Jerusalem, wisdom, the body of Christ, the
Church, and the Heavenly city Jerusalem the eternal home of believers.
What can we learn about God from women? We only need to look at God’s strategic use of women in the Bible to
see the lessons. In the early pages of Genesis God said that it was not good that man should live alone and He created a helper suitable for man. God said man needed women as a companion, a helper.
Throughout the Bible, when men were living righteously in God’s design, they honored their wives and daughters, and they often risked their lives to protect them. We find in the New Testament a
full explanation of that husband/wife relationship in Ephesians 5:22-33. One of these verses, 25, explains it perfectly. “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.” So
women who allow themselves to be loved and protected by their husbands show us a special aspect of God’s ability to protect Christians.
Also from a woman who honors her
husband and respects him, we can learn submission and respect toward God.
Women from diverse backgrounds, such as Sarah the wife of Abraham and Rahab a former prostitute, are
honored in the Bible. In Hebrews chapter 11, God’s Hall of Fame, He lists people who had faith in Him. Gender played no difference in their relationship to God. They were honored because of their faith. So
women can illustrate faith as can men.
From before the creation of the world, God planned to bring His Son Jesus into the world through a woman. Every Christmas we are
reminded of Mary’s obedience to God. She was full of faith and served God by keeping this child safe in her womb. Mothers who love and protect their children, even in their wombs, even when circumstances are difficult,
are demonstrating God’s love for everyone everywhere, at all times. Mary also nurtured Jesus and raised Him up in the ways of the Lord.
Another Mary was allowed to announce the
resurrection of Jesus. So too women can be used to tell other of Jesus.
We also learn about God from one of His many names in the Bible which is El Shaddai. This
combination of Hebrew words connotes “The strong one who snuggles you to the breast,” as in nourishment. Although in no way does the Bible suggest a feminine God, we all know of the wonderful secure feelings of being
held by our own mom’s embrace.
So we can learn much of God’s character from good women, mothers and wives. From them we see illustrated companionship, nurturing, faith, and a
picture of the supreme sacrificial love Jesus has toward His bride (the bride being all who will trust him as Savior.)
To keep these divine illustrations clear and to disregard the lies
of Satan, no one should ever look at woman either as inferior or as the spiritual head. Neither is God’s design...
Beliefs Have Consequences
