Well, I don't believe male headship began at the Fall. I think it was quite obviously there in the Garden. Only, in the Garden, it was pure--without the taint of sin's selfishness...
My "proofs:"
1.)
God made Adam first.
Order is big in the Bible... The NT references the fact that man was made first as a symbol of his authority, in fact. Order doesn't always imply authority, but in many cases it does, and in this case, the NT validates that the creation order: man, then woman, does indeed represent that man was in authority. Again, she came out of him, not he out of her. This matters--it shows order and placement.
The first man and woman are a type, a picture to show us spiritual realities (also referenced throughout Scripture). The Bride of Christ came out of Christ, for example, just as Eve came out of Adam. Christ and His Bride operate in a sinless reality--post-cross, sin has been dealt with. Yet we still have authority in full operation. Not only just with Christ Himself in authority over us, but also in the Body itself (as we are told that God has put certain members in positions over others, to help them come to maturity, and that we are to OBEY those that "have rule over" you, in the Body)...
2.)
God made Eve to compliment Adam, to complete him.
Helpmeet (ezer) is a wonderful word--not at
all meaning 'slave' or anything like that, as it's also used of the Holy Spirit at times--but at the same time, we have this picture of "one who is leading" and one who is helping (in a noble valuable sense, not in a servile sense).
...But you'll notice that
the focus is on Adam, not Eve, in the creation account--it's about completing
Adam, giving needed aid to Adam. Again, I look at that and I see authority. The focus isn't on Eve--it's on making the
man complete. Never in the creation account is the focus on making woman complete. The focus is on the man. I find this interesting...
3.)
Adam was given the job of naming.
The one who names is the one who is in charge. Especially in OT times, the one who gives the name is basically saying what the thing is, what the thing's purpose is. This can only be done by one who is in charge. And
who gave Eve her first name--who first called her "woman?"
Only one in authority could give her a name.
And so Adam did, as the rightful authority delegated by God.
4.)
Adam was given the rule about the tree directly from God.
Eve was given the instructions
through Adam. Again, this speaks to me of authority. God didn't give the instructions to them both. He gave them to the
leader, and expected the leader to pass them on down.
5.)
Who did God call after Adam and Eve sinned?
Is He walking through the Garden calling "Adam and Eve...?"
Is He calling, "Eve, Eve...?"
No, He is calling
the one who is directly responsible for the state of the garden--He is calling the one that He has put in authority. God calls Adam. To me, this says MUCH.
Now, as I've said before, alongside the authority structure (the crossbeam going vertical) is also the personal worth structure (the crossbeam going horizontal--I love the shape of the cross!). Adam and Eve were both equal in personhood, equal in value, equal in worth.
The structure of authority does not wipe out personal worth and value, or personal responsibility (I think Eve paid for her crime, don't you?), or personal ability. The authority that God gives is NOTHING like the abused and oppressive authority that sinful man wields. Most don't differentiate between the two, but they are wholly different animals.
As for the curse, I think it took that beautiful authority structure and bungled it all up. Because of the sin that now dwelt in their hearts, Eve was going to be grasping for her husband, wanting to take over his authority, and her husband was going to rule over her in a way that God never intended. Power abuses the weak in the sin world, because life is all about SELF...so the one in power will abuse it, and the one under the thumb will seek to grasp the power for themselves (so that
they, in turn, can abuse those who do not have it). This is the curse, I think.
The curse says that the pain of childbirth will be INCREASED - Interesting, becasue so far no human had given birth, but there was never a state of painless childbirth...---Bliz
As for pain in childbirth, we are the
only creatures on earth who's babies have to make a right angle hook in order to get out. All other creatures have straight birthing passages. Human babies, however, have to have their hard bony heads be bent in order to get through an extremely un-natural curve in the woman's birthing canal. It's my believe that this wasn't originally there, personally.
It's interesting, but with total relaxation, a woman can actually have an almost pain-less birth...except for about 12 contractions which ARE painful...and those are the ones where the baby's head has to bend through the curve. There's no way to escape that pain, no matter how relaxed the laboring mother is. (I know this for a medical fact, and also personally--
)... But that's another subject...
And, by the way, the word translated "pain" regarding women's childbirth in the Curse IS THE
SAME WORD USED FOR ADAM'S CURSE! When God said Adam would have to "toil" the ground, it is the EXACT SAME WORD. So the word is not necessarily talking about "total physical pain," but more like:
really darn hard work! In other words, it's not going to just naturally pop out fruit--both the ground and the womb are going to require hard labor to bring anything forth.
Anyways, on much of this, I think we'll all have to agree to disagree. I just wanted to explain my personal position on it all, and explain why I feel it is Biblically supported. Perhaps that will help you understand "my side" better.
You'll notice that I've not made any rude or nasty comments towards any "other sides," and, while I know it can be difficult, I'd appreciate it if we can keep it that way. *grin* Even if we n
ever agree, perhaps we can come to some levels of mutual understanding, and that certainly helps us hold conversations like these while still maintaining a spirit of love.
Blessings,
Molly
