Eve, the Ezer

From my study of Lost Women of the Bible by Carolyn Custis James
The first woman we study in this book is Eve. I approached this chapter with a bit of boredom, to be perfectly honest. Everyone knows the story of Eve in the garden. She listened to the serpent, sinned, caused her husband to sin, and got them kicked out of the garden. I’ve heard it all before: everything was her fault; women are to blame. Right? Well, sort of, but this book takes a long hard look at the PRE-FALLEN Eve.

Prior to reading this, I really thought God’s plan for women (for me) was to be married, have children, and keep a home. I didn’t know there was any other plan, or should I say that there was MORE to the plan. But think about it: If God intended all women to be married and bear children, then what does that say about the purpose for unmarried or childless women? What would that mean for teenage girls, young unmarried women, or women whose children have grown? If our only purpose was for that, then many are purposeless… but we know this isn’t the case!

God said we are made in His image (Gen. 1:26)– His “image bearers”. To bear the image of God is a privilege which He didn’t bestow on any other created being. Only man (and women). We are the image bearers of God because we were created IN His image– to be like Him. We also are to be a reflection of our Creator, so that others might see Him through us. Sometimes (often times!) I fall short of this and only reflect my own selfish flesh to others. But we are to continually strive to be more like God, thereby showing more of Him to others.

Even more, He created women as HELPER to men– an indispensable part of His plan. The word “helper” in the Hebrew is “ezer“, which means “Warrior”. The whole ezer concept is new to me. I hadn’t heard of this term before (I don’t study Hebrew), and I hadn’t thought of myself this way before– but what a fitting calling for women! We regularly take on large projects, taking care of house, husband, and family, while keeping the enemy at bay for our family’s sake. Women are natural caretakers. We care about our family and friends. We have soft spots for certain situations, people, or causes. When we feel deeply or passionately about something, we will defend it with everything we have. Learning about the ezer women just makes this so much more understandable to me. God created us to bear His image and be warriors. It makes so much more sense!

We ezers–warrior women– have a purpose. It’s not just for families or spouses, but for life. We are helpers to men. We are teachers and prayer warriors, business partners and supportive wives. We are these and so much more. Our purpose is multi-faceted, and our potential is amazing, when we look at it through the lens of Eve, the way she was prior to the Fall. God’s plan changed slightly when that happened, but He created women and men with his image stamped on us, and our purpose laid out before us. That hasn’t changed.

The only way God’s full potential in us can be realized is when we are continually learning and growing in Him. We can’t become what he intends for us, if we don’t know Him.
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I am really enjoying this Bible study! I may do an in-depth study on ezer later on. This is very intriguing to me, and I want to learn more about it.

~ by Momma Knows on October 1, 2008.