Prayer
Lord of all wisdom and grace, our Loving Heavenly Father, Thank you for the gift of women—made by your hand, in your own image. That you that you have created men and women to be equal in dignity and purpose. Please illumine the eyes of our hearts, that we may more clearly see your design and purpose for women. We pray for the women in our local churches, that you may build them up, and shine your glory through them. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Reading
Genesis 2:18-25.
“Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” 19. Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. 21. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23. Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” 24. Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.”
Meditation
What does it mean to be a woman? For the better part of the last century, that question has been one of the defining debates in Western society. And looking at the ways it's been answered over the years, it's clear that this has been nothing short of a fully-fledged cultural battlefield. Whether it was the surge of women entering the workplace in the 1960s, or the debates over sexual rights and abortion in the 1970s, the question of womanhood has been at the center of social upheaval and change.
And the battle is far from over—it continues to push into new territory today. Just this past week, at the time of writing, the New South Wales Government in Australia announced that men who identify as women will now be eligible to enter the NSW Woman of the Year Award.
So again, we return to that central, unresolved question: What does it mean to be a woman? Ours is a culture full of noise, a cacophony of voices, but with no clear or coherent answer. But just as we’ve seen in our previous studies, as we’ve been exploring the purpose of masculinity, it is not the culture that we, as Christians, should be turning to for answers. Our foundation is the Word of God. And while there are many passages in Scripture that help us think through the question of womanhood, Genesis 2 is a key one among them. Because in it, we’re given the origin story of women.
Now. I’m going to say something that would probably get me lynched in some places, but it’s so obvious and clear in our text that we would be negligent not to say it: the woman was made for the man. Let’s not beat around the bush: that kind of statement is absolutely anathema in our society today. Maybe you feel that tension yourself. Maybe you don’t like that statement. Maybe you find it puzzling, or troubling. Maybe it makes you nervous. The woman was made for the man.
In spite of our reactions, whatever they might, it is right there in the text—in Genesis 2:18—where God declares that it is not good for man to be alone, and so he makes a helper suitable for him. The Apostle Paul reaffirms this in the New Testament. In 1 Corinthians 11:8–9, Paul writes: “Man was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.”
Now, the world’s reaction to this kind of language is predictable: “Do away with that book! We don’t need it. We don’t want to hear it. Get rid of Paul—that oppressive, patriarchal, first-century bigot!” But needless to say, that cannot be our response as Christians. We ought to come to the Word of God ready to learn. Even if something we read here feels uncomfortable, our starting assumption must be this: the problem is not in the Word—it’s in us. We need God to open our eyes to see the wisdom and beauty of his design for womanhood. So yes, God made the woman for the man. But what does that actually mean? In the coming meditations, we’re going to be exploring this question, but for now, let me lay two things before you.
Firstly: women are Christological. Now, maybe you’re thinking: What in the world does that mean? Hang with me—because this is one of the most overlooked truths in today’s debates around feminism and gender identity. Women, like men, although in a different manner, are Christological. That is, their identity, sexuality, and purpose ultimately points to Christ. This is the most basic and fundamental truth we need to grasp when we talk about feminine identity. Let me explain.
In previous studies, we have considered how man is Christological—male identity is designed to point to and represent Christ. Now, if man is Christological, and the woman was made for the man, it follows inevitably that the woman also is Christological—because her calling is bound up in unity with his. Man alone could not fulfill his Christ-exalting calling. He needed the woman. And in the most basic sense, we see this illustrated in the fact that Christ Himself was born of a woman.
But it doesn’t stop there—this works itself out in many ways, especially as we look at marriage (which we’ll explore more in future studies). The big-picture point is this, and I speak to any women who are reading: there is a real and weighty calling on your life as a woman to exalt Christ. And men, we cannot exalt Christ without the help of our women. The church’s mission to display Christ’s glory is a shared calling—one we’ve received together, as men and women. And it’s a mission we can’t fulfill apart from one another.
We do not exist for ourselves. We exist to glorify Christ. And that reminds us, once again, that human sexuality is not about personal fulfillment or self-realization. It points to deeper realities—above all, the reality of union between God and humanity, between Christ and his Bride, the Church.
Here’s the second thing I want to point out in this meditation: the woman was of the man. When God made man, he formed him from the dust of the ground. But when God made woman, he did not make her from dust. He made her from the man. God took a rib from Adam’s side and fashioned the woman from it. Now this detail is deeply significant. Because in taking woman out of man, God was showing us something vital: the woman is not a lesser creature. Just because she was made for the man does not mean she is of lower worth. As Matthew Henry beautifully puts it:
“The woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to top him, nor out of his feet to be trampled by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be loved.”
The woman was created for the man—but she was made from the man. None of the animals were made this way. Only the woman. She shares the same order of being—made in the image of God. She is not some lower creature, and she is certainly not to be treated like one. She is a woman—of man—bone of his bones, flesh of his flesh.
And because of that, a unity between man and woman must be preserved. This is why, in the New Testament, Paul commands husbands to love their wives as their own bodies—because she is a part of him. “In the same way, husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church—for we are members of His body.” (Ephesians 5:28–30)
Be doers of the word….
So here’s an application: Pursue unity between the sexes. A man who denigrates women—or especially, a man who dishonors his wife—is a man committing self-harm. And a woman who believes that women are superior to men has lost sight of God’s design. God’s purpose is that there would be unity between men and women—harmonious service, as each plays the part God has assigned. So again, pursue unity. Guard it. Cherish it.
Prayer of Confession & Consecration
Merciful Father, we confess that we have often ignored, distorted, or resisted your good design for women. As men, we have treated your daughters with pride, with silence, with harshness, or with neglect. As women, we have rebelled against your good design for us. We have, all of us, followed the patterns of the world instead of walking in the wisdom of your Word. Forgive us, Lord, and cleanse us of every way we have contributed to the brokenness between men and women. By your mercy, restore what sin has fractured, and lead both men and women into the wholeness found only in Christ. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
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