Women Of Genesis

Introduction: The Bible's teachings on the relative roles of men and women are not popular today.

If you are offended by the idea that men and women are different, then this study will probably offend you. I can’t help that. The Bible is the Bible and God says that it is “perfect,” that it is His “word,” and that it is “profitable” for Christians to “perfect” us for the work of the ministry. Therefore, every child of God should line up their beliefs with the Word of God instead of trying to change the Word of God to line up with their beliefs.

II Tim 3:16-17
                :16 All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine,
                       for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
               :17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

God even warned us that the time would come when people would not listen to the Bible. We are now in that time. And He gives with this warning a charge which is ignored by the vast majority of preachers today- to the detriment of those in the so-called “Churches” pastored by those men. (II Tim 4:1-5)

Therefore, we will endeavor to see what God teaches in His Word without bringing any preconceive notions into the study. If we do so, then we can reach the truth of the matter.

God says that He will help us to understand all truth; and we claim that promise as His children. However, if you are not saved then you have not the Holy Spirit and it will be impossible for you to understand the things of God, including what He teaches concerning our current study of Women in the Bible. (Jn 16:12-13 cf Jn 20:22)

Also, if we pursue this or any other biblical study with preconceived notions of what God says because of prevailing public sentiment, false teachings previously foisted off upon us by those who either do not use the Bible or do not believe it, or who try to explain it away to justify their machinations used by them for appeasing public sentiment, or because of our personal false pride, then we will not learn but we will simply be caught up in foolish contentions against God’s teachings in His Word.

He also warns us about pride, which is involved in many contentions, in fact we should say "every" contention, concerning our current subject, in Prov 13:10.

He warns us about what to do and think about false teachers and teachings in Ro 3:4 “... let God be true, but every man a liar...”

And concerning public sentiment and false "wisdom" God tells us in I Corinthians.

I Cor 1:20 Where [is] the wise? where [is] the scribe? where [is] the disputer
of this world? hath not God made foolish the _________ of this world?

And concerning the things taught by the unsaved in this world God gives us I Cor 2:6-16.

Since the Bible is the perfect Word of God, then if we take exception with the things we are about to learn from God’s Word, then we are not taking exception with just the one thing from His Word, but rather we are taking exception with His Word in its totality. And when we take exception with His Word, then we are taking exception with God himself. And all of it is sin and displeasing to God. If we want to be pleasing to Him then we need to line up our thinking with His word, all of it. Even when we find parts of it that we don't like, that doesn't change the fact of the truth of all of it.

This is a total of 3859 verses. We also have to take into account multiple uses of these words in each of the verses as well as the use of personal names, which are much too numerous to count.

Example: Sarah- 33 verses; Sarai- 13 verses; Mary- 46 verses; etc.

It is obvious that personal names must amount to more than another thousand references to women. This gives us at least 5,000 references to women in the Bible.

II. In The Beginning
One of the basic tenets of biblical interpretation is that the seeds of every doctrine in the Bible can be found in Genesis and are expanded upon in the remainder of the Bible. Therefore, we must go to Genesis to find the seed from which the doctrine of Woman springs. The basic precepts are found there from which we must grow the bible doctrine of Woman. To be true to the Word of God, we must interpret all other scripture in the light of the basics found here in Genesis.

NOTE: I have oft been told that “Paul was a woman hater” because of his writings on women in the New Testament which are contrary to the popular beliefs of today and contrary to the teachings of those Churches who have decided to be “popular” instead of “scriptural.” I have also been told by others that Paul’s teachings in the New Testament were simply “matters of custom.”

This tells me four possible things:
ONE: That those people don’t believe in the verbal-plenary Inspiration and the Preservation of the Scriptures, both of which God guarantees.
TWO: They don’t believe all of the Bible is true and profitable.
THREE: They would rather believe what is taught by men instead of what is taught by God or would rather seek the approval of men rather than the approval of God.
FOUR: Or (most tragically) they may not be saved and thus they cannot receive the teachings of God in His Word.

By starting in Genesis, with the seeds of the doctrine of Woman, then we can understand if the teachings by Paul and others in the New Testament truly did spring from God’s basic teachings in Genesis and were expanded upon in the rest of the scriptures, or if they sprang from culture or personal beliefs. Was Paul a “woman hater”- or does God really teach certain precepts concerning women? Does He teach specific roles and responsibilities for women and prohibits others? Let’s go through the whole Bible and see what the big picture teaches. Then we can see what God is really teaching concerning woman and what He really does expect from them and says about them. What we find may not be “politically correct” and may offend some in our society; but when we have drawn our conclusions from the Scriptures then we will know for a certainty that it is truly what God says, and means, and we need not worry about the approval of men (people).

LESSON ONE

EVE
The Mother of All Living

I. The creation of Woman. (Eve)

A. It was during the 6 days of Creation. (Gen 1:26-31)
B. The specific details of her creation are found in Genesis
ch. 2. (Gen 2:18-24)
Adam was created out of the dust of the earth; Eve was created out of the side of Adam. I have taught many times that man is refined dirt but woman is refined man.

II.

The purpose of Eve.

A. To help Adam dress and keep the garden. (Gen 2:18)

Contrary to what many teach, there is no such thing as a "helpmeet" meaning a "helpmate" because the two words are not conjoined in the Bible. The term in Gen 2:18, "... help meet..." means a helper that is fit or a counterpart.
God made a helper that was suited to Adam. One equal to him, because she was made of his very substance, to be his counterpart.

NOTE: The forming of Eve out of Adam could be viewed as a scriptural shadow of the modern scientific procedure of “cloning.” Not that God cloned Adam and made an Eve, He didn't have to. He was the potter for the clay as well as the maker of the clay so He could shape the clay into any form He wanted. In fact, if He had cloned Adam He would have come up with another Adam. But of course, as God, it would have been easy for Him to manipulate the genes with whatever variation it would have taken to make Eve a female.
The only reason I mention this is because for years scientists claimed that it was impossible for Eve to have been made out of a rib of Adam. Now however, we see that God had the truth and that the wisdom of the world was foolishness with God, as the scriptures said. One rib of Adam, or even one cell out of the side of Adam or out of any other part of him, would have held the complete genetic code needed to create an entire other being, which was called "... Woman, because she was taken out of Man." From this substance was made a counterpart for Adam who could be his equal- equal in substance and perfection- equal in potential and ability- equal physiologically and mentally. Only in this way, from his own substance and essence, could the perfectly matching counterpart for Adam be made. None of the animals were of exactly the same genetically coded substance as Adam. All mammals were close, but none was a perfect match. And that lack of perfection in match made them unfit as a counterpart for this pinnacle of God's physical creation, Man. So from the very substance of Adam a piece was taken from which to construct the perfect counterpart for him, Eve.

	B.	To be in union with one man- Adam. (:21-24)
	C.	To unashamedly be in union, physically (sexually), only with Adam her husband. (:25)
	NOTE: There are several additional things that can be seen in these seed scriptures.
	1.	Homosexual unions, physically or in the realm of marriage, are not scriptural.
		It was Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve.
	2.	A monogamous relationship.
		Polygamy and polyandry are not scriptural. It was Adam and Eve not Adam and Eve and Mary and Mabel, etc., etc.
	3.	This also is applicable to the subjects of fornication and adultery and shows them to be unacceptable also.
	4.	She is to be in a physical union, meaning a sexual union, only with her husband.

	NOTE: Just because God in later scriptures, in order to be perfectly truthful, recorded the polygamous and other extra-marital sexual exploits of the saints, such as fornication and adultery, does not mean that He approved of them, including their polygamous so-called "marriages." He merely used those people in His work IN SPITE OF their sin. If He only used sinless people then He wouldn’t be able to ever use anyone since there is no such thing as a sinless person. To believe God approves of polygamy or any of the other sexual sins would do violence to this portion of the seed doctrine of Woman given here in Genesis.
	D.	Her purpose in regard to the Creation- to take dominion over it in union with her husband, Adam.
	1.	In the perfect sinlessness of the original Creation, Adam and Eve were perfect counterparts to one another to make the one complete whole. Equal in their lordship over the creation, there was no subservience of the woman to the man. Together they shared dominion over the Creation to care for it as stewards of God's possession, not to pillage and destroy it as we so often do today. This co-dominion is seen in verses :26-28 (“... let them have dominion...” 1:26-28)
	2.	It is in this sense of a counterpart of Adam, made of his very substance, equal to him in physical substance, equal to him in intelligence and ability, compatible and complimentary in her very essence which was made from his very essence, that Adam first called her "Woman." Woman in Hebrew is ish-shaw, which is the feminine of the Hebrew word meaning man and is used in combination with *naw-sheem* meaning mortal. The name, Ishaw denotes her as being mortal in exactly the same way that Adam was mortal, but female instead of male. A member of the race of man, a female human being.
	E.	The naming of Eve, which happens after the fall, gives her purpose regarding the propagation of the race. (3:20)
	1.	“Eve” Heb. chavvah, khav-vah’, life or living, lifegiver.
	2.	God gives the meaning of the word to us in 3:20 where her name was changed from Ishaw to Eve. Gen 3:20 "... Eve; because she was the mother of all living."
	3.	As the first woman she truly was the mother of the whole race; i.e., "all living."

III.	The involvement of Eve regarding sin. (Gen ch. 3)
		Eve was not the first to sin. She merely fell prey to it through the wiles of Satan, the inventor of sin and the first to commit it. He had sinned in Heaven and then brought it to earth and presented the temptation to Eve. First Satan lied about God and then he tempted Eve to sin against the God who made her.
	A.	She listened to lies about God. (3:1-5)
	B.	She fell prey to:
		the lust of the flesh (“good for food”) the lust of the eyes (“pleasant to the eyes”) and the pride of life (“ye shall be as gods... desired to make one wise.”) (Gen 3:5-6)
	C.	Her sin then was spread to the rest of her family. (:6)
	D.	The weakness of Eve. (:13)
	E.	She was cursed, personally, because of her sin. (:16)
		NOTE: We must note here that the curse upon Eve was upon woman only and not the creation in general. When we compare this with the curse brought about because of Adam’s sin, we see that Adam’s sin, not Eve’s, brought the curse upon the physical creation. (:17-18) This makes logical sense because Adam (Heb Aw-dawm) was one with the ground (Heb ad-aw-mah’) out of which he was formed. Therefore, the curse upon Adam was a curse upon his physical substance, the earth itself, the substance of God's Creation. (:19) Whereas with Eve, she was Eve, *khav-vah, the lifegiver, the "... mother of all living,"* i.e., the mother of the human race. Therefore it was her "motherhood" that was cursed. And she also was *ish-shaw,* woman, so her "womanhood" was also cursed. And these two things were personal to her which meant that the curse was upon her, personally.
	F.	Her position in the family after The Fall. (Gen 3:16) She is to be subservient to her husband and desire after him.
	1.	In contrast to her position as a co-equal ruler over God's Creation where she was to take dominion over it along with Adam as his partner, she now is to be in subjection to her husband who shall rule over her as he is to rule over the Creation.
	2.	As it is concerning Adam's dominion over the Creation so it is to be in his ruling over his wife, Eve. It is not to be as a cruel dictator but as a benevolent ruler. She was not made from the sole of Adam's foot, a place where things are tread down and crushed under foot, but from his side, a place of love and protection. He should lovingly lead and she should lovingly follow. Neither above the other and neither below the other but together functioning as a family unit with each of them, Eve and Adam, simply given different jobs in the family so it can function as a whole. Eve, as the wife, is to follow her husband and help him to be a better husband. Help him to be a better servant of God. And in this way she also will be a better servant of God. And together, each functioning in the job that God has decreed for them in the family unit, they can better carry out their joint servitude to God. In spite of The Fall.

IV.	The color of Eve. Since she was formed out of Adam, and Adam means “red,” then we must conclude that since Adam was of a reddish color then so also was Eve.

V.	The faithfulness of Eve in the execution of her duties as a wife and mother.
	A. 1. 2. 3.	As a wife. She went where her husband went. (3:22) She fulfilled her physical duties as a wife. (4:1-2; 25) She was in submission to her husband. (3:16 cf 4:1-2, 25; 5:4)
	B.	As a mother.
	1. 2.	In spite of the heartbreak of her firstborn son murdering her second born son, she viewed additional children as a blessing. (:25) She also gave birth to many more sons and daughters. (5:3-4)

VI.	Summary of the seed doctrine of woman in Genesis.
	A. Woman was made for a specific purpose- as a helper, fit for man. A counterpart equal in essence, equal in substance, equal in intelligence and ability, made specifically to help him serve God.
	B. She has a tendency to be talked into things that she should not do.
	C. She has duties as a wife and mother that she is commanded to faithfully fulfill.
	1.	She is to be married (if possible) and she is to be in a monogamous marriage.
	2.	Because of The Fall (and the resultant consequence of the physical damage done to our to our race and, therefore, to our bodies by the ravages of sin) not all women can bear children. Therefore, for many women it is just simply not possible for them to fulfill this particular duty. (On the other hand, it is also not possible for all men to father children for the same reason.) But, if it is possible for her to have children, then she is to do so.
	3.	She is to be in submission to her husband and go wherever he goes and he is responsible to lovingly lead and take care of her needs.
	4.	Contrary to what some people believe (and teach), generally those of European heritage, it is extremely unlikely that Eve was blond haired and blue eyed. She was made of the substance of Adam and he, as we have already seen, was probably reddish in color (as his name suggests he was). Therefore, Eve also was probably reddish hued and somewhat dark in skin color with dark hair to match that swarthier color.

NOTE: Although the teaching of subservience of wife to husband is definitely taught in the seed doctrine of Woman in Genesis, there is no hint that the relationship is to be viewed as slavery for the wife under the dictatorship of the husband. Instead, it is to be understood more along the lines of a benevolent monarchy. The husband and wife are to be one flesh and the wife is to be treated by the husband as he would treat his own flesh. She came from his side, a place of protection, and he should be willing to protect and care for her at all costs. And together they are to take dominion over God’s creation- the husband as the leader and the wife as the willing helper fit to help him obey the commandments of God so that they two together can better serve Him.

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LESSON ONE TEST
Lesson test is "open book," which means you may use
all of your study materials while taking this test.

You cannot proceed to the next Lesson until the day after you have
passed this Lesson Test and found all of the correct answers
in the textbook or the Bible, whichever is appropriate, to
all questions missed on this test even though
you received a passing score.