What Does the Bible Say About Women Pt1

Editors Note: Rose is going to be doing a multi-part discussion of what the Bible says about women, to go up once a week until she is done writing it.

This is a subject with which I am constantly inundated in our society today. As a woman myself, I’m always coming into contact with what our society thinks a woman should be, or what she should look like, or how she should act. It is almost like being in a blowing, icy, snowstorm, that never lets up, and is always trying to blow you away. In a way, it is also like getting hit with a bat every two seconds, as someone else tells you what you “should be” according to the standards of the world. And the other problem is, that if you don’t agree with this idea of the world’s, the world thinks that you are oppressed, either by your religion, or by your parents, or your husband if you are married. Fortunately, the Bible offers answers to these questions. This article series is about what the Bible says about women.

Since we are going to start at the beginning of this subject, let’s start at the beginning of the Bible too, and talk about the creation of women. Genesis 2:18-24 describes the creation of Eve on day 6 of the creation week. It begins thus:

“And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.” Genesis 2:18

Let us stop here for a minute. This verse is not talking about the loneliness of Adam at all. Nor is God surprised by the fact that Adam is alone in the whole of the world. What God is doing here is observing that Adam does not have a companion. All of the rest of creation does, all the animals were created male and female, but Adam does not have a female companion. This has nothing to do with Adam feeling lonely. In fact, with God there, and everything being perfect at the beginning, I don’t think Adam would have been lonely. He had God to talk to. Also, being a helpmeet is something different too. We, as women, were created to help and assist in many ways. We were created to use our different talents, and our own creativity to help and to serve, I believe. John MacArthur also says this in one of his study notes in the MacArthur Study Bible:

“The words of this verse, (verse 18) emphasize man’s need for a companion, a helper, and an equal. He (Adam) was incomplete without someone to complement him in fulfilling the task of filling, multiplying, and taking dominion over the earth.” (MacArthur study Bible NKJV pg. 19).

I would also like to point out here, that this verse does not in any way mean that everyone has to get married. Paul in the New Testament says that you can be single and serve God, so yes, you can be a single woman or man, and serve God.

Verses 19 and 20 of Genesis 2 are both about when God brings all the animals to Adam to be named, and this is also to illustrate that there was no one like Adam amongst the animals. Adam was not like them, he was created in the image of God, and therefore needed a companion who was also created in the image of God. Verse 21 of chapter 2 of Genesis then goes on,

“And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; and the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made He a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

So even the very name of our gender, woman, is taken from Genesis. This is also the account of the first marriage here on this earth. God literally made Eve for Adam. And her creation was the last thing God did on day 6. God then calls His creation very good and rests on the seventh day, and this institutes our 7-day week. But that is another discussion for another day.

Women were created by God, and thus we were created in His image, just as much as men were. And we were created to be equal to men, but we were created with a different role in mind. As far as all the things that society says about women, and how we are supposed to be everything that a man is, I do not believe that is true. We were created for a different role, to be the help and support, not necessarily be the front person in charge as it were. We were created equal, but different. And when women reject the role that they were created for and begin to reject the whole Bible in with it, things go wrong. Like in the feminist movement today in the United States. So many of the women in this movement want to do whatever they want and to have no strings attached. They want to have no consequences for their actions. However, it is good to keep in mind, there is always a consequence for our actions. But, as far as who we are, and what women are supposed to be, here is our foundation in Genesis. We were created to be a help.