Ephesians 1:4-5
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love (agape) (5) he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure (things that pleases/makes happy/satisfies) and will (personal will).
Given the same image of God, and same task as Adam – to care for God’s beautiful creation.
Genesis 1:27-28
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (28) God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
God’s creation, and “It was good” 6x in (Gen 1). God said “It was not good” once.
Genesis 2:18
The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
Genesis 2:20b
But for Adam no suitable helper was found.
A “suitable helper” (Heb:- Ezer Kenegdo).
John Eldredge says “Eve is the crescendo, the final, astonishing work of God. She is the crown of creation! Not an afterthought. Not a nice addition like an ornament on a tree. She fills a place in the world nothing and no one else can fill.”
God called the first woman “ezer” in the original Hebrew, a name he embraces for himself throughout the Old Testament! Our God is a strong help, a warrior! God calls himself ezer, as he does women.
In the Old Testament, the word ezer appears 21 times in three different contexts:
1.The creation of woman
2.When Israel appealed for military allies in battle.
3.In reference to God Himself as Israel’s help for military purposes (in this context, ezer appears 16 times!).
**Ezer kenegdo” means warrior; strong help; man’s perfect match. It’s the picture of two parts of equal weight leaning against one another.
Big Note: If you are single, Jesus is your strength. Singleness is your opportunity to advance an already influential and satisfying life.
1 Corinthians 7:32-35
I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. (33) But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— (34) and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. (35) I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord
Eve came From ‘a rib’ of Adam? No, it’s a whole side (all other translations have ‘rib’.)
Genesis 1:21-22 JUB
And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept; and he took one of his sides and closed up the flesh in its place.
Heb:‘tselaʿ. The word is used about forty times in the Hebrew Bible but is not an anatomical term in any other passage. Outside of Genesis 2, with the exception of 2 Samuel 16:13 (referring to the other side of the hill), the word is only used architecturally in the tabernacle/temple passages (Ex 25–38; 1 Kings 6–7; Ezek 41). It can refer to planks or beams in these passages, but more often it refers to one side or the other, typically when there are two sides (rings along two sides of the ark; rooms on two sides of the temple, the north or south side; etc.). On the basis of Adam’s statement, combined with these data on usage, we would have to conclude that God took one of Adam’s sides—likely meaning he cut Adam in half and from one side built the woman. (Walton)
-the Septuagint (Greek pleura can be either rib or side).
-All womankind is “from the side” of all mankind. (Walton)
Also: More than a rib is involved here because she is not only “bone of his bone” but also “flesh of his flesh.”’ (Walton)
(Genesis 2:23).The man said,“This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”
So a woman is taken from a complete half of man, matching, opposite and in front of, and matching – yet different. Both are essential for life and to reflect the image of God.
Deep Sleep: (Heb: tardema) – When someone has become unresponsive to the human realm in order to receive communication from the divine realm (Abraham, Genesis 15:12; Eliphaz, Job 4:13; Daniel, Dan 8:18; 10:9; cf. Job 33:15) (Walton)
-The Greek word ekstasis in Genesis 2:21. This word is the same as the one they used in Genesis 15:12, suggesting an understanding related to visions, trances and ecstasy. cf. the use of this Greek word in Acts 10:10; 11:5; 22:17 [NIV: “trance”].(Walton)
-NOT normal sleep – It was a God-given anaesthetic, there was no pain.
Adam’s delight in finding Eve next to him.
Genesis 2:23-25
The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” (24) That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. (25) Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame
-she shall be called “Wo-Man!!!” because he was so ecvited – and began to sing a song!
-The first human words recorded in the bIble are a love song.- Adam spoke, sang, made a poem
-‘This at last’ (NRSV) , LXX ‘now’ (vuv). “Finally …”
-Heb:- woman, wife, female – ‘ishah’. This is from Heb:- man, husband, male – ‘ish’
Woman in the Old Testament
1.Eve, the “Ezer kenegdo” (Genesis 2:18,20)
2.Miriam (Exodus 15:20)
3.Deborah and her general Barak, (Judges 4,5) the National leader, Judge = PM), general, conqueror, song-writer. (along with Jael, the national heroine who killed Sisera – Judges 5).
4.Huldah, the prophetess who helped bring a national revival.
5.In Jesus lineage (genealogy), 3 interesting women (Matthew 1:3-5)
a.Tamar the victim of abuse who had twins, who called them Perez (breakthrough) and Zerach (rise),
b.Rahab the Canaanite prostitute.
c.Ruth the risk-taker foreigner (Moabite).
Women in the New Testament
1.Mary, mother of Jesus. “highly favoured” (Luke 1:28), “The Magnificat: Mary’s song of praise”. (Luke 1:46-55)
2.Ana, prophetess in the temple. (Luke 2:36-38)
3.Jesus loved and honoured his mum. (He listened to his mum in John 2 at the wedding at Cana.)
4.So many women in Jesus’ stories – “Woman” (9x in this vocative form out of 10x was a Greek term -Jesus always giving honor to women in time of need.—> Today:“Dear Lady”, “Dear woman”, “Ma’am’. Respect, love, kindness, strength to someone in need or weakness.
a.Canaanite woman of Matthew 15
b.Woman bent over for 18 years in Lukw 13
c.Samaritan woman in John 4
d.Woman caught sin adultery in John 8
e.To his mother from the cross in John 19
f.At the empty tomb to Mary Magdalene on resurrection Sunday
5.Phillips 4 prophetic daughters (Acts 21:9)
6.Priscilla and Aquila. (Acts 18:2 Aquila and Priscilla, 1 Corinthians 16:19 – Aquila and Priscilla) —> (Acts 18:18, 26 – training and seeding Apollos to Corinth, Romans 16:3 2 Timothy 4:19 Priscilla and Aquila).
7.”Andronicus and Junia the apostles”. (Romans 16:7)
8.The elder to the chosen lady and her children (2 John 1:1) v5. And now I urge you dear lady
9.There is now no male nor female (Galatians 3:28)