03/02/2007 Sabbath Meeting Transcript

Tonight is the first part in a two part study discussing the role of women in the body of the Messiah

I believe Yahweh wants to give us abundant blessings in a great and mighty way.

Yet I am concerned that our cultural mindset has affected our understanding of scripture.

One of the ways that our culture has affected us strongly is understanding the roles of men and women in a marriage, and in the congregation.

Today, men often behave as women and women often behave as men.

And so while this study is discussing the role of women in the assembly, it is actually much more than that.

It is about the role of both men and women in the assembly, and in the home. They are all related and quite inseparable.

I do not believe it is easy for any of us to truly be content and at peace until we appreciate and desire to fulfill the purpose Yahweh created us to fulfill. 

Once a woman's purpose is understood, it quickly becomes evident what a man needs to be doing.

Now I know that some will inevitably be scoffers of this message. But if we are willing to consider what the scriptures clearly teach and refuse to be influenced by fears incited by past oppressions and/or the modern-day "women's lib" movement, I believe that everyone will experience a new found freedom in the Messiah that Yahweh greatly desires to give.

In the Beginning

One of the best ways to understand the role of women in the assembly is to have a good understanding of what Yahweh's intended purpose was for woman from the very beginning. For this reason, we will spend some time examining the first couple chapters of Genesis

First, let's first examine the role of Man/Adam:

Genesis 1:26 - And Elohim said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Adam was made in the image of Elohim. Before woman was formed, Adam was created to "have dominion" over all creation. But in all creation there was not found an 'help meet' for man: 

Genesis 2:18 - And YAHWEH Elohim said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

Genesis 2:19 - And out of the ground YAHWEH Elohim formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

Genesis 2:20 - And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.

Note that Yahweh brought Adam the very things he was to have dominion over so that he could give names to them.

As was shared a couple of weeks ago, in scripture we see that those who gave names to things had authority over who or what was being named. For instance, Yahweh changed Jacob's name to Israel and Abram's name to Abraham.

Yahweh the Father named His son "Yahushua" just as parents name their own children. Yahushua renamed Simon to Kepha/Peter.

So when a person received a name, it was by one who was in authority over them.

Of course, Yahweh named Himself since there is none greater. Sadly though, man seeks to exalt himself by renaming him (the Lord, God, Adonai, etc).  

Notice also that of all the animals and birds that were brought to Adam, there were none that were considered a help meet for him. Thus, the solution:

Genesis 2:21 - And YAHWEH Elohim 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;

Genesis 2:22 - And the rib, which YAHWEH Elohim had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

At this point I would like you to imagine for a moment that you are Adam. Longing to not be alone, you had just given names to all that was in your dominion and you sought diligently for a helper that was suitable, but found none.

The next thing you know Yahweh brings you a woman whom He created out of your own flesh.

At that moment I think I would have been saying, "What an awesome gift from Yahweh!" And indeed she still is. So she is to be treated as an awesome gift from Yahweh, to be loved and cherished. To love and cherish her is an act of thanksgiving to Yahweh.

Let's keep reading:

Genesis 2:23 - 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.

Genesis 2:24 - Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

What a beautiful thing Yahweh has done!

Now at this point do we see any indication here that Yahweh wanted woman to have any dominion over Adam? No, she was made from Adam and Adam is the one who named her "woman" (Hebrew: Isha). She was not created to be his authority figure.

Rather, the purpose Yahweh had in mind when creating woman was for her to help or assist the man.

As we will see later, this is the reason why a woman is not to have authority over a man. This is her role all throughout the scriptures. She is to be loved and cherished by man in the home, and in the assembly.

Every scripture which speaks of a man's and woman's role must be interpreted with this understanding as its backdrop. In the same way a fish was made to swim in the water and a bird to fly in the heavens, woman was created to be a help and companion to man.

This was intended to be a blessing, and it certainly can be. Of course, throughout history man has taken advantage of this and chose to oppress rather than bless

But this doesn't change her role any more than a man allowing a woman to rule over him changes his role.

Now imagine for a moment that you are Eve ("Chawah", as Adam named her in Gen. 3:20).

Before Yahweh took her from Adam she did not exist. So in one moment she was nothing, and in the next moment she "was."

She was then brought to Adam to be a help to him. I think we can be sure that she didn't have any problem understanding her purpose.

She was created for Adam, to be a companion, to be a help and to assist him. This is what a woman was created to do. Understanding this will help us to understand the role of women in the body of Messiah.

We can be sure that her role in the body of Messiah fits well with what she was created to do. It is sure to be a role that is one of support, help and assistance to the man.

THE FALL

The fall of mankind is surely the saddest story in all of scripture. The sinful and rebellious nature we struggle against every day is a result of the fall.

It was this fall that has brought all of the suffering and pain in this world. It was this fall that brought Yahushua to this earth to bear our sin and suffer for us.

Let's read:

Genesis 3:1 - Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which YAHWEH Elohim had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath Elohim said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

The serpent was first seeking to cause her to doubt Yahweh's word. She responded very well:

Genesis 3:2 - And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

Genesis 3:3 - But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, Elohim hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

The reason why I believe she responded very well is because she quoted Yahweh's words. This is what Yahushua did when he was tempted by satan (compare Matt 4:1-10).

Now some claim that she misquoted Yahweh because we don't have a record of Yahweh saying, "neither shall ye touch" the tree, but scripture does not always record everything spoken. So Yahweh could have told them at some point that they were not to "touch" the tree either. We all know where touching it would lead anyway.

Genesis 3:4 - And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

This is the first lie recorded in scripture. This lie deceived Eve into believing that if she would eat from the tree, she would be "as elohim, knowing good and evil".

The temptation was that she could rise up out of the place Yahweh created her to be, and be just like Yahweh Himself.

The "subtle" implication (accusation toward Yahweh) from the serpent was that Yahweh had only forbidden her from eating that tree because He didn't want her to be like Him, the "Most High". As if Yahweh was insecure in some way.

So this temptation was not only an attempt to get Eve to rise up out of the place Yahweh created her to be, but it was also an attack on the integrity of Yahweh's word.

It is an imitation of satan himself to exalt yourself and seek to be "like the Most High" (Isaiah 14:14), so it is no surprise that he would tempt Eve with the same.

Today, with the "women's lib" movement and world view, women have again fallen prey to the temptation of rising up out of the place Yahweh created women to be.

Genesis 3:5 - For Elohim doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be like Elohim, knowing good and evil.

Genesis 3:6 - And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

So Eve's response to this temptation was to look at the fruit with her eyes, and after noticing that it was good for food and what she thought it would do for her, she took the fruit and ate.

As we know, it did not give her what she had hoped. She was greatly deceived!

Now let's not fall prey to the idea that this was just a cute little story about the beginning of creation. This is what brought the world into the awful condition it is today!

Think of all the sin you have read, heard about or experienced yourself. The most heinous crimes imaginable are here because of this one decision.

Notice also that she "gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat". So Adam was right there with her while all of this was going on!

Adam failed to exercise his authority and take the lead in this situation. I think He could have said, "Eve, let's get out of here" or at least quote Yahweh's words as Yahushua did when he was tempted. But instead he went ahead and ate the fruit when she handed it to him.

Why did he eat the fruit? Was he deceived also? As we will see, Adam was not deceived but he simply chose to do what he knew was wrong. 

Genesis 3:7 - And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

Genesis 3:8 - And they heard the voice of YAHWEH Elohim walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of YAHWEH Elohim amongst the trees of the garden.

Genesis 3:9 - And YAHWEH Elohim called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

Genesis 3:10 - And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

Genesis 3:11 - And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?

Genesis 3:12 - And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

Genesis 3:13 - And YAHWEH Elohim said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

Notice the two different responses. Eve said that the serpent 'beguiled' (deceived) her, but Adam just said that the woman gave her the fruit and he ate it. Thus, scripture records:

1Timothy 2:14 - And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

As a result of this, Yahweh said:

Genesis 3:14 - And YAHWEH Elohim said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

Genesis 3:15 - And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

So the serpent was cursed and Yahweh predicted the seed of satan would ultimately bruise the heel of the woman's seed. But in light of the fact that man also has a role in begetting children, why was this promise given to the woman instead of the man?

We do know that Yahushua was born of a woman but because of the virgin birth He had Yahweh as His Father. And while Adam failed to exercise his dominion over the serpent, Yahushua would overcome the serpent's temptations and not yield, though He would be wounded in the process.

herefore, Yahushua is worthy to receive all power and authority (Matt 28:18). We who are in Messiah again have authority over the serpent because while he may be the ruler of this world, we are part of a greater kingdom and have a greater King!

Luke 10:19 - Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

We who are in Messiah will likewise triumph if we participate in His death and resurrection:

Colossians 2:12 - Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of YAHWEH, who hath raised him from the dead.

2Timothy 2:11 - It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him:

2Timothy 2:12 - If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:

But those who do not choose this way will continue in their sins and are considered children of the devil because they have chosen to accept him as their leader and seek to be in his image rather than the image of Elohim: 

1John 3:8 - He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of YAHWEH was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

1John 3:9 - Whoever has been born of YAHWEH does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of YAHWEH.

1John 3:10 - In this the children of YAHWEH and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of YAHWEH, nor is he who does not love his brother.

The evidence of one being a child of Yahweh versus a child of the devil is whether or not a person is doing righteousness. As mothers and fathers, we want to bear children who are children of Elohim.

This is Yahweh's will for marriage. This is why Yahushua warned so strongly about offending the little ones or putting a stumbling block in their path. Both men and women are capable of being a stumbling block to this goal being reached. Thus, it is written:

Malachi 2:13 - And this is the second thing you do: You cover the altar of Yahweh with tears, With weeping and crying; So He does not regard the offering anymore, Nor receive it with goodwill from your hands.

Malachi 2:14 Yet you say, "For what reason?

Malachi 2:14 - Yet you say, "For what reason?" Because Yahweh has been witness Between you and the wife of your youth, With whom you have dealt treacherously; Yet she is your companion And your wife by covenant.

Malachi 2:15 - But did He not make them one, Having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks righteous offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth.

The words translated "Righteous offspring" is literally in Hebrew: "Seed of Elohim"

Malachi 2:16 - "For Yahweh Elohim of Israel says That He hates divorce, For it covers one's garment with violence," Says Yahweh of hosts. "Therefore take heed to your spirit, That you do not deal treacherously."

A man dealing treacherously with this wife by divorcing her or mistreating her is a hindrance to Yahweh's desire of having a "Seed of Elohim" as these verses declare.

Today's divorce rate accompanied with the millions of hurting and weeping children is indeed evidence of that.

Because man is physically stronger than woman, various abuses are common. So it is with parents hurting their children.

But in scripture, a man's role is compared to that of Messiah and a woman's role is compared to the role of the assembly, His bride. 

Ephesians 5:25 - Husbands, love your wives, just as the Messiah also loved the assembly and gave Himself for her,

Ephesians 5:28 - So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.

Ephesians 5:29 - For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Yahushua does the church.

Ephesians 5:30 - For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.

Ephesians 5:31 - "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."

Thus, he cares for her. He cares about her pain (physical or emotional) and does not seek to harm her in any way.

And for the wife:

Ephesians 5:22 - Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to Yahweh.

Ephesians 5:23 - For the husband is head of the wife, as also the Messiah is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.

Ephesians 5:24 - Therefore, just as the assemblyis subject to the Messiah, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

Together, they are to bear children for the purposes of having a 'seed of Elohim' that will build the kingdom of Yahweh and destroy the works of the devil. When either one fails to fulfill the role they were created to be in, it is a hindrance to their children being the 'seed of Elohim' that Yahweh desires.  

Getting back to Genesis, we see that the woman was predicted to bear the seed that would destroy the works of the devil.

But Yahweh says she will bring forth children in sorrow, and in case any might think that her lofty goal was successful in any way, Yahweh clarifies that she will still be under her husband's authority rather than being "like Elohim" as satan claimed. 

Genesis 3:16 - Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

But to Adam:

Genesis 3:17 - And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the day of thy life;

Genesis 3:18 - Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

Genesis 3:19 - In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Yahweh punished Adam because he "hearkened (listened) unto the voice of his wife". So it was the act of Adam obeying her voice that also brought this world into its current state.

Man was created to lead and have dominion. Woman was created to be a help to Adam. It was her decision to take the lead (and Adam's willingness to let her) that resulted in the fall of man.

Again, this is no small thing! To save us from this poor decision, Yahweh had to send His only begotten Son into the world and Yahushua endured a tremendous amount of grief, pain and suffering to redeem us back to righteousness again.

The message in Genesis is clear. Woman was not created to lead man. And as we will see later, this is why she is to be submissive and this is why she is to "learn in silence" rather than taking a leadership role in the body of Messiah. 

In light of the above, it is understandable why men have the power to overrule the words of his daughter or wife...even if she made a vow:

Numbers 30:3 - If a woman also vow a vow unto YAHWEH, and bind herself by a bond, being in her father's house in her youth;

Numbers 30:4 - And her father hear her vow, and her bond wherewith she hath bound her soul, and her father shall hold his peace at her: then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she hath bound her soul shall stand.

Numbers 30:5 - But if her father disallow her in the day that he heareth; not any of her vows, or of her bonds wherewith she hath bound her soul, shall stand: and YAHWEH shall forgive her, because her father disallowed her.

Numbers 30:6 - And if she had at all an husband, when she vowed, or uttered ought out of her lips, wherewith she bound her soul;

Numbers 30:7 - And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her in the day that he heard it: then her vows shall stand, and her bonds wherewith she bound her soul shall stand.

Numbers 30:8 - But if her husband disallowed her on the day that he heard it; then he shall make her vow which she vowed, and that which she uttered with her lips, wherewith she bound her soul, of none effect: and YAHWEH shall forgive her.

Numbers 30:9 - But every vow of a widow, and of her that is divorced, wherewith they have bound their souls, shall stand against her.

Numbers 30:10 - And if she vowed in her husband's house, or bound her soul by a bond with an oath;

Numbers 30:11 - And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her, and disallowed her not: then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she bound her soul shall stand.

Numbers 30:12 - But if her husband hath utterly made them void on the day he heard them; then whatsoever proceeded out of her lips concerning her vows, or concerning the bond of her soul, shall not stand: her husband hath made them void; and YAHWEH shall forgive her.

Numbers 30:13 - Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul, her husband may establish it, or her husband may make it void.

It must be understood clearly that it is Yahweh's will for the man to be the voice of the family. Just as in the garden of Eden, his mere silence can mean a lot!

In this case, if the wife had done anything (even an oath to Yahweh) that wasn't according to the husband's will, then the husband was given the authority to overrule it.

The authority of a father over a daughter is on even par with the authority of the husband over a wife.

So it is the position of the wife, as directed by the will of Yahweh, to be subject to her husband and her husband has the right to reverse and overrule her words and decisions, even if it were an oath to Yahweh.

I realize that this is quite foreign to our culture and the way little girls are raised today, but no matter how far our culture strays from the scriptures, it does not change the scriptures. Yahweh does not need to change because Yahweh is not wrong, it is man who is wrong.

To resist or scoff at this principle of scripture (as some do today) is to resist and scoff at Yahweh's will. 

The principle here is entirely consistent with the way Yahweh created man and woman. In scripture the husband is viewed as the "Bah'al" (Hebrew word #1166) or Owner/Master of the wife. 

Proverbs 12:4 - A virtuous <2428> woman <802> [is] a crown <5850> to her husband <1167>: but she that maketh ashamed <954> <8688> [is] as rottenness <7538> in his bones <6106>.

This word that is translated "husband" is the Hebrew word #1167 "Bah'al" which according to Strong's Lexicon means "Master, hence a husband or (fig.) a owner."

In fact this word is translated "owner" 14 times in the KJV. Here is one example:

Exodus 21:28 - If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die: then the ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner <1167> of the ox [shall be] quit.

Here the word (Bah'al) is used when describing how a man would "own" an ox. A man is the "Master/Owner" of his wife according to the word of Yahweh. We can dismiss this on "culture" all we want, but when Yahweh brought the children of Israel out of Egypt (the world), He was establishing a new culture.

He was establishing a culture that pleased Him. This is the will and word of Yahweh.

This is why it is so important that a woman have a righteous husband who will treat her with respect, dignity and honor! Young women, take note!

Choose the husband that Yahweh chooses for you!

When a man married a virgin, he had to pay a 'bride-price' to her father to cover his losses. As we examined earlier, Yahushua is often referred to as the "bridegroom" and the assembly is called the "bride". Yahushua bought us with His life:

1Corinthians 6:19 - What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have of YAHWEH, and ye are not your own?

1Corinthians 6:20 - For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify YAHWEH in your body, and in your spirit, which are His.

Therefore, we see that the husband is the owner of the wife just as the bride of Messiah is owned by the Messiah. These things establish the extent of a man's authority over a woman.

The reason I have brought these things up is because our modern society does not recognize these things and we have a mindset that we need to rid ourselves of.

We need to let our worldview and our understanding of a man's and woman's role to be the same as Yahweh's. 

THE "NEW TESTAMENT"

Some claim that in the "New Testament", a woman is "liberated" and she can now take on the leadership role in the body of Messiah.

Furthermore, some claim that woman is now equal in authority to a man in marriage. But are there any "new testament" scriptures which would contradict the role and position of women in the Tanakh or so called "Old Testament"?

To the contrary, here is one of many that support this same role:

1Peter 3:3 - Do not let your adornment be merely outward--arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel--

1Peter 3:4 - rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of YAHWEH.

1Peter 3:5 - For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in YAHWEH also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands,

1Peter 3:6 - as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him master, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror.

Here we see a "new testament" scripture which clearly demonstrates that a woman should be looking to women of "Former times" as examples of how to live. "Holy women who trusted in Yahweh" by adorning themselves with submission to their own husbands, "as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him master, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror" 

Notice that women are instructed to not be afraid when they submit to their husbands.

Fear is what drives many women to try their hand at overthrowing her husband's decisions by striving, contending, and arguing with them. Generally, the fear is that a husband's decision will result in an unpleasant or painful circumstance.

But in fact, Yahweh doesn't promise that women will not endure any unpleasant circumstances when we submit to Him!

And in fact, this is true for all of us!

Consider what Yahushua (the KING OF KINGS) went through and remember that He is our example of how to respond to unpleasant circumstances: By humbly, quietly trusting in Yahweh.

Sarah trusted in Yahweh when she submitted to her husband's decision to tell everyone she was his sister. As a result, she ended up in the harem of a king but Yahweh intervened and delivered her unharmed. Abraham and Sarah walked away from that incident with abundant possessions.

Read about it further in Genesis 20.

In the verses we read above, Sarah called her husband "master", or "Adon" if you look it up in the Hebrew.

In Genesis 18:12, she calls him "My master". Notice also that it says in 1Pet 3:6 "Sarah obeyed Abraham".

The word "Obeyed" here in 1Pet 3:6 above is Strong's word #5219 which is also translated "Obey" in this verse:

Luke 8:25 - And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.

So we can see that the word "Submissive" is equated with "Obeying". The women are to be submissive just as Sarah obeyed Abraham and the wind and water obeyed Yahushua.

This is the example that women are called to follow in the "new testament". The man is still in authority. Keeping this in mind, there are many other scriptures that are very clear about women needing to be in submission (and therefore obedient) to their husbands:

Colossians 3:18 - Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Master.

Titus 2:3 - The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;

Titus 2:4 - That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

Titus 2:5 - To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of YAHWEH be not blasphemed.

According to this verse, if a woman decided not to obey her husband in a matter then she would give occasion for the word of Yahweh to be blasphemed. The word translated "Blasphemed" means "to malign or bring reproach."

We ought to be magnifying the word of Yahweh rather than bringing reproach and blasphemy upon it through our behavior. 

Ephesians 5:22 - Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to Yahweh.

Why as to Yahweh? Because Yahweh has established the man as the authority/master/Bah'al in the home. Any decisions made will be placed on HIS shoulders on the day of Judgment.

If the man decides to let the woman make the decisions just to avoid an argument, he will STILL be the one responsible for those decisions.

The tendency is for the man to say within his heart, "Well, she's taking over. What can I do?" and so he goes along with it. But wasn't this Adam's mistake in the garden of Eden?

His failure to lead contributed to the fall of man. Did his excuse, "The woman that you gave me" work? No.

Men, rise up and take your place that Yahweh gave you as the leader of your home and as leaders in the assembly! This does not mean "control everyone", this means "lead by example" and express your will in the family Yahweh has given you.

Perhaps you feel inadequate. But you weren't given the authority because you were so smart or so perfect. You were given the authority because YOU are the one responsible.

Take your responsibility seriously and take the lead. Be loving but do not waver in your decisions if you feel your decision is of Yahweh's leading.

Yahweh, the most powerful being in the universe is on your side. Through leading by example, and by being a servant to all, you will lead as Yahushua leads for even Yahushua didn't come on this earth to be served but to serve!

Ladies, to help put things in perspective for a moment, please ponder the common sense logic that is given in Yahweh's will for your life.

Even the world realizes that a company needs some kind of management to make important decisions about the direction of things. Suppose there were a company that just let all the employees make all of the decisions?

What if the employees made all the decisions and management just stood there silent and useless?

Totally preposterous, right?

Yet, this is the common picture of a home in today's world where "Women's lib" (or as a comparison, "Employee lib") has taken hold.

Imagine a company where the "employees" call the shots and make it so that management either obeys or is going to be miserable.

Imagine a company where the employees bring up all the faults of the managers any time the managers fail to do something right or wants to do something different than the employees?

That would be mass chaos!

But Yahweh is an Elohim of order

Today, the manager of the home often just stays out of the way and mumbles a few words here and there. It ought not be so. Even common sense tells us that Yahweh is right!

Ephesians 5:23 - For the husband is head of the wife, as also the Messiah is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.

Ephesians 5:24 - Therefore, just as the assemblyis subject to the Messiah, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

Of course, if the husband does not lead with love there will also be a home with much chaos and confusion. But he answers directly to Yahweh and Yahweh is in control.

Yahweh is quite able to lead a husband to where he needs to be at any time.

1Corinthians 11:1 - Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of the Messiah.

1Corinthians 11:2 - Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.

1Corinthians 11:3 - But I would have you know, that the head of every man is the Messiah; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of the Messiah is YAHWEH.

Let it be so. At this point, we have laid a foundation for understanding Yahweh's purpose in creating woman. She is to be a help, support and companion to the man.

Her role in the body of Messiah will be consistent with what she was created to be. A woman's role is extremely important and vital to the health of the body. Don't let anyone tell you any different.

The body of Messiah needs men and women, each doing their part so that the love of Yahushua may be made manifest to all the world, just as Yahweh intended.

When each are doing their part in the body, it is also the best environment for spiritual growth in the assembly.

We cannot separate the role of the man & woman in marriage from the role of each in the body of Messiah. Yahweh created woman with certain gifts that would best enable her to be a 'help' to man.

Yahweh created man with certain gifts that would best enable him to lead and manage. These do not change when it comes to the assembly.

These gifts compliment each other in the assembly and any efforts to reverse their roles will ultimately result in the same disaster seen in the garden of Eden

An assembly is simply a group of men and women. If a role reversal resulted in disaster between one man and one woman, how much more so in a large group of men and women? Why would anyone think anything different?

Therefore, let's allow the purpose for which we are all created to be fulfilled, and let's put an end to this culture's influence in our lives.

Romans 12:2 - And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of YAHWEH.

For in the end, Yahweh's ways will stand.. and we will all answer for how we have chosen to live our lives.

May Yahweh have mercy on each of us as we seek out His will and endeavor to walk therein. I have more to share next week. May Yahweh bless you all!