[The Original Design (Part 2)]
In the first part of this series, we saw that '"..God created humans in his own image. He created them to be like himself. He created them male and female.' [Genesis 1:27b ERV]
We saw the formation of the female: ''The rib which Adonai, God, had taken from the person, he made a woman-person; and he brought her to the man-person.'' Genesis 2:22 CJB (Person i.e. Human, Adam)
We clarified that the word 'rib' is not translated as such in any other place. Rather it is always rendered as 'side'. The side extracted from the person (Human) was rebuilt into a woman-person.
We also saw the reason and purpose for splitting the Human: ''Adonai, God, said, “It isn’t good that the person should be alone. I will make for him a companion suitable for helping him.” Genesis 2:18 CJB
We saw that the original word 'help' did not connote inferiority or a subordinate position but rather a strength to fulfil the commission God gave to them.
From here an ordinance (YHWH's divine ruling) was established: '''This is why a man is to leave his father and mother and stick with his wife, and they are to be one flesh.' Genesis 2:24 CJB. This is Marriage.
It is a union of a male and a female as counterparts brought together by God.
The Cambridge dictionary defines counterpart as 'a person or thing that corresponds to or has the same function as another person or thing in a different place or situation.'
The Woman was suitable i.e. a counterpart to the Man. She was a different but complementary frame. They were equal as the likeness and image of YHWH and shared the same assignment from Him. [Genesis 1:27, 28]
Everything was blissful till the Woman fell for deception, her husband allying with her in disobedience.
Flouting God's instruction not to eat of a certain tree in the garden brought in a corruption (Sin-problem) God had to address. The dynamics of their relationship with God, each other and the earth changed as a result. It went from intimacy with God, being equal as man-person and woman-person, and labouring without any strain to:
1. Painful labour
To the woman he said,
“I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children." Genesis 3:16a
To Adam he said, …
“Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat food from it
all the days of your life.'' Genesis 3:16a NIV
2. Structure
''Your desire will be for your husband,
and he will rule over you.” Genesis 3:16b NIV
The word used and translated 'desire' is the word תְּשׁוּקָה tᵉšûqâ meaning longing or desire towards. A related word is תְּשׁ֣וּקָת֔וֹ tə·šū·qā·ṯōw which implies a desire to control.
"Then God said to the woman, “I will ·cause you to have much trouble [or increase your pain] ·when you are pregnant [in childbearing], and when you give birth to children, you will have great pain. You will greatly desire [the word implies a desire to control; 4:7] your husband, but he will rule over you.” Genesis 3:16b Expanded Bible EXB
This shows that the woman originally was not to be ruled by the man or God's punishment would have been pointless.
With the curse, their relationship descended into a justling for dominion between the man and woman.
3. Death
"By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return.'' Genesis 3:19
This became the state and relationship between the man, woman and earth. Gone was the easy synergy of mutuality between the male and female and the earth they cared for. The power that held all together - which is [obedience to] God's Word - had been broken. Death of all things had began.
"For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:'' 2 Peter 3:5
This was the state of man, woman and the earth all through the centuries till the Savour (Messiah) came. The word of God they had broken (and as a result put the whole human relationship and structure into a cursed position) had come in person to rectify the problem.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.'' John 1: 1- 5
This was Jesus the Messiah. John 1:14
"And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world." 1 John 4:14
God's solution was to fix mankind's fault by the payment (punishments) being fulfilled by his son's (willing) sacrifice.
While many Believers know that Jesus paid for our dead spiritual state to be restored to life by re-uniting us with YHWH, we do not realise that in fulfilling that requirement for our spiritual reconciliation, the other punishments inflicted as a result of that initial separation had to be lifted as well.
The greatest part is that Jesus elevated human relationships beyond identities marked by power differences, tussles and abuses to a synchrony of mutuality in one primary identity: Children of God.
"Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God." John 1:12 -13
We will look at this in detail in Part 3.
"Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." Paul in Ephesians 5:21
"So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Paul in Galatians 3:27 -28
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