Female Subjugation
The curse of Eve...I think this is one of the most interesting verses in the Bible. I have spent a lot of time thinking about it.
In discussing the subject of female subjugation, we first have to note that, in the Bible, it is not ALL women who are subjugated to ALL men. It is only
wives who are put under their
husbands.
It is clear that women have equal WORTH to men. "So God created man in His image; in the image of God He created him,
male and female, He created them." (Gen 1:27) And again, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free,
male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28). Throughout the Bible, women have held positions of honor and even of authority. For instance, Deborah was a judge of Israel. Men and women both prophesied. Jesus appeared first to women when he rose from the dead.
Husbands and Wives Part of God's curse on Eve was "Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you." (Gen 3:16b) The curse came true, of course. All around us, we hear of women desiring greater intimacy with their husbands, but the husbands seem to have their own agenda: bringing home the bacon, time with the guys, sports, etc. (Darin, dear, I'm
not talking about YOU!
) This can be directly related to Adam's curse, "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it, all the days of your life" (Gen 3:17b).
In the Garden, before sin entered the world, Adam had nothing to do but oversee some peaceful animals, explore, and pick fruit whenever he was hungry. Everything was very good and easy, except that Adam was lonely. Ladies, we've all known men who think they are God's gift to women. But the truth is, women are God's gift to men. Eve was specially created to be a companion and a partner to Adam, to fill his loneliness. She was made from a rib, not a cranial plate, nor a metatarsal. Not above or below, but
beside her husband. Then they screwed it all up.
After they sinned, they were punished. Adam had a new job. He now had to
provide. He had to focus on survival; he didn't have time for all the long walks, devoting all his attention to his wife. He had to work hard to keep them alive. That naturally left Eve in a lurch. She was created to be Adam's companion, and she still possessed the desire to be with him, to be intimate. Thus her unfulfilled "desire for [her] husband."
But, Adam was tasked with providing sustenance for his family. With greater responsibility comes greater authority. If Adam had to provide for Eve, it only makes sense that she should help him in any way she could. Otherwise, she would be hindering the continuation of her own life. So, instead of sitting back and admiring Adam's creativity in naming animals, she had to fetch him some water. Adam was busy, providing for
her. I really have to point out that Adam wasn't told to sit under a tree and order Eve to hoe faster. HE was the one who was told to hoe. The ONLY reason he had greater authority was because he had greater responsibility. Nowhere does God excuse a man's selfishness.
So the inequality in authority between
a husband and a wife (NOT all men and all women) stems directly from the inequality of responsibility. It is not because women are WORTH less than men in the eyes of God.
I'm not sure how you can read what mom4 posted and still feel the way you do - of course, 10 minutes on USMB may NOT be long enough 'teaching' to un-do what was done to you for years.
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:shocked: Metro guy...sex change op...or just a pullin' my leg?
