Introduction:
- Man and woman are engaged in a war when they refused to reconcile with their assigned role and function given by God.
- How the husband and wife treat each other will determine all outcomes in a family.
Read <Ge 1:27-28>:
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
- God reigns through the joining together of a man and woman as one.
- Creation order – Man to lead and woman to help and submit.
- But the fall changes that creation order.
Read <Ge 3:13-16>
13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” 14 So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”16 To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”
Consequences of sin:
1) Separation between God and man
2) Separation between man and nature
3) Separation between man and woman
<verse 16>: “Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.”
1) For the Man:
* “To rule” – To be set in an elevated position to reign.
* Contrary to the word ““blessed” (Ge 1:28)
* The devout Jewish man prays: “Thank you, God, that I am not a Gentile, not a slave and not a woman”.
* Since ancient times, men rule over women to show his might and masculinity, and polygamy is widespread.
2) For the Woman:
* “Desire for” – Seek to control or influence.
(Parallel with <Ge 4:7> – “sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” <Ge 4:7>)
* In modern times, woman who are smarter and more capable tend to take charge in family decisions. Women leaders are prevelant.
* Rise in women’s liberation movement. E.g. #Metoo movement
* Battle of Sexes indirectly brought about: LGBTQ, Cohabitation, Casual Sex, etc.
* The way we treat the opposite sex will tell us a lot of things about ourselves.
* Reflection for Christian Husbands
* Reflection for Christian Wives
Read <1 Cor 11:3>
But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
- Absolute equality between man and woman, despite the authority/submission relationship.
- Brothers and sisters to treat each other in accordance to their gender disposition.
Read <1 Ti 5:1-2>: 1 Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.
Wounded in Marriage?
1) Thank God that you’re in the gospel now.
2) Do not only see ourselves as a victim, but reflect through about our gender identity and responsibility.
3) Leave room for God’s wrath and vengeance.
(Story of Abigail and Nabal)
Reflection:
1) How is our marital dynamics? Is authority/submission evident?
2) How do you see the mixed up of gender roles in a family impact the society?
