God knew what He was doing when He created Adam. Adam, the first man, was created in the image and likeness of God. Except that Adam was human. In order for Adam, a human, to create more humans, Adam needed the part within himself (as God also has) that can bring another human to life. Adam lost a rib, and God said, “It is good.”
When Adam awoke after this surgery, there was Eve. And Adam said, “Ah oo ee ee, uh ee oh ah.” Just kidding, Adam and Eve weren’t cave people. I’m pretty sure they spoke to each other in God’s language, which is beautiful.
Adam means human. Eve means lifegiver. Adam and Eve didn’t have other humans or lifegivers around to provoke to jealousy so all really was good.
Then they believed the lies of the talking serpent in the garden and had to leave their place of goodness. But before I get into the main message of today, I’d like to point something out about this talking serpent:
Yah tells Ezekiel about the devil and his nature when He compares him to the “King of Tyrus” (aka Tyre). Yah says this “king” was in the garden of Eden with all the precious stones as his covering (Strong’s: garniture or “trimmings”). And this:
14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covers; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. (Ezekiel 28)
From our study of the cherubim and seraphim (see previous series on the Living Creatures), we know that the cherub is “of uncertain derivation..an imaginary figure” and that a seraph is a “burning, poisonous serpent”. Ezekiel saw the Living Creatures as cherubim, Isaiah saw them as seraphim, and John called them “beasts”. (Ezekiel 10; Isaiah 6; Revelation 4)
I submit to you that what Eve spoke to in the garden was a brilliantly dazzling fire-engulfed bronzed winged serpent and she was just a little awestruck at his “perfect” appearance: “Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.” (Ezekiel 28:12)
It makes sense, because then God tells him he’ll have to crawl on his belly from now on, like that was something he didn’t do before (Genesis 3:14).
So now we have Adam and Eve, the human and the lifegiver, banished from the garden and they must procreate and fill the earth with people. Yes, in those days incest was not a problem, obviously. (I believe incest became a bad thing after there were enough people to pick from and it became a lust thing – eyeing up your sister, etc.)
The role of man, as God’s first-created image bearer, is to bear the glory that God bestows upon him as he endeavors to walk in righteousness by seeking Yah with all of his heart.
For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: … (1 Corinthians 11:7a)
The woman’s role is to be a helpmate (an aid) for the man (Genesis 2:18):
but the woman is the glory of the man. (1 Corinthians 11:7b)
The man does not cover his head because he is the image and glory of God and should not hide that. The woman DOES cover, or veil, her head:
5 But every woman that prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonours her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.
6 For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered. (1 Corinthians 11)
I know these verses are not popular among the women of today. There are many head-shaven styles that are quite nice; in fact, I used to have a very short do. But does this mean we as women are supposed to wear head coverings? That is for you to decide. (My conviction is to let my hair grow. At some point I may opt for a veil, I don’t know. The Lord has not been pressuring me to do anything to my outward appearance…He is examining my heart.)
However, what I find the most interesting about all this is:
8 For the man is not of the woman: but the woman of the man.
9 Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.
10 For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels. (1 Corinthians 11)
When we keep our head “covered”, we have power. The woman is the glory of the man, but she also has the power of glory – as also an image-bearer of God. Man did not create woman – God did. But woman is the lifegiver of mankind.
And what is Paul saying in verse 10 about woman having power “because of the angels”?
“Because of” is Strong’s G1223: “denoting the channel of an act: through…”
“Angels” is Strong’s G32: “bring tidings; a messenger; especially an angel; by implication a pastor” (copied exactly). It’s not always meant as a winged heavenly being. It could be as a “pastor”, as in a helpmate, to the man:
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: (Ephesians 4)
“Pastors” in this passage is G4166: “of uncertain affinity; a shepherd“. It’s the same word that Jesus used in Matthew 9:36 when he was moved with compassion because the multitudes were scattered “as sheep having no shepherd”.
Now, let’s not get into the debate if a woman can be a pastor or not… A pastor is someone who does work for the Lord; work such as “perfecting of the saints…the work of the ministry…the edifying of the body of Christ” (see above.) It’s not always a person, standing on a stage, in front of a large body of people.
27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3).
Warning, I’m going to capitalize this… IF YOU HAVE PUT ON CHRIST, GOD DOES NOT SEE YOU AS MALE OR FEMALE. The same way He does not see you as Jewish or non-Jewish.
HOWEVER, we are still in the process of putting to death the sin-nature in us…until we are perfected.
So, what am I getting at with all this? What I am saying is the woman is to be an aid or helpmate of the man in helping him toward perfection (the same as the man does for the woman), and to help in the church. No, she does not take a leadership role, it seems clear that that is reserved for the man. (But, again, that is for you to decipher.)
How does she do this? She is faithful to him. She does not tear him down. She lifts him up. She helps him to be all that God wants him to be.
What is the man supposed to do for the woman? Same thing: Be faithful, do not tear her down, lift her up, help her to be all that God wants her to be. Because of our bent toward sin and the lusts and desires of the flesh, the belly crawler is finding it way too easy to throw us all off course.
But at least we know our role.
Professing Christians 