When God saw that it was not good for man to be alone, He created a woman from the rib of Adam, and since then man has not been the same.
Genesis 2: 18 says, “God said, ‘It isn’t good that man should be alone. I will make for him a companion suitable for helping him.”’
Genesis 2:21-24, “So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. And the Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. Then the man said, ‘At last this is bone of my bones,
and flesh of my flesh; She shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man.’ For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. ”’
But things quickly changed at the tree as Genesis 3: 6 tells us, “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband with her, and he ate.” Adam knew that God told him that they should never eat from this tree and yet, Adam did not stop Eve, and then he too, ate. Genesis 3:9-12 goes on with the story. “God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me some of the fruit of the tree, and I ate.” It was at this point that the devil put a wedge between man and woman. We have seen the degradation of women and though we have not lived throughout history we can only speak to today. It took women years to win the right to vote. It has taken women decades to win the right of equal pay for equal work. We have made progress in many areas, like in politics, but even though there are women in almost every job title, they still do not always get the respect or recognition that they should get for their achievements. There is still too much crime against women, and now women are also having to deal with the inequality of having biological men competing against them. This was not God’s intention, but because of sin, the door was opened to the corruption of God’s creation. Women were created to walk alongside man, and for one, to be his companion, and two, aid and assist him in life. When a man and a woman marry they become one flesh. We see this even in the extended family as 1 Timothy 5:8 says, “But if someone does not provide for his own, especially his own family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
Isaiah 58:7 speaks of what God wants us to do. “Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter– when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
There is a saying that says, Behind every great man is a woman. We want to look at the women who did what God called them to be.
Rahab
Let’s start with Rahab. Joshua sent out men to spy out Jericho to see if they could take it. The spies found themselves at the home of Rahab. Joshua 2:1 tells us this, “So they went, and they came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab. They spent the night there.” But the townspeople found out that men came to spy on Jericho and they were at Rahab’s house. Joshua 2:4, 8-9,12-16, “Now the woman had taken the two men and had hidden them.” “Before the spies went to sleep, Rahab went up to them on the roof. She said to the men, ‘I know that the Lord has given you the land, for dread from you has fallen upon us, and all the inhabitants of the land melt in terror before you.’ “So now, since I have acted faithfully toward you, please swear to me by the Lord that you will also act faithfully toward my father’s house. Please give me a firm pledge that you will spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all whom they own, and that you will deliver our lives from death. The men said to her, ‘Our lives for yours; if you do not report us, then when the Lord gives us the land, we will act faithfully and kindly with you.’ Then Rahab lowered them by a rope through the window, for her home was set into the wall where she lived. She said to them, ‘Go to the hill country so that the pursuers do not find you. Hide there three days until the pursuers return. After that, you can go on your way.”’ Rahab could see that the enemy was greater than them and she acted accordingly. Rahab not only saved the lives of the spies, but she saved her whole family, for Jericho did fall, but her family was spared.
Deborah
Judges 4 speaks to us about Deborah and her bravery to go into war to support Barak. “Now Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, was a prophetess. She judged Israel at that time. She would sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim. The children of Israel would go up to her for her to render judgment. She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, ‘The Lord God of Israel commands you, ‘Go and deploy troops at Mount Tabor, and take ten thousand men from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun with you. I will draw Sisera, the commander of the army of Jabin, with his chariots and large army to you at the River Kishon and give him into your hands.’ Barak said to her, ‘If you will go with me, then I will go, but if you will not go with me, then I will not go.’ She said, ‘I will indeed go with you. However, the way you are going will gain you no glory, for the Lord will deliver Sisera into the hand of a woman.’ Then Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh. Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh. Ten thousand men went up on foot with him, and Deborah went up with him also.” Judges 4:14-15 continue to tell us, “Then Deborah said to Barak, ‘Get up, for this is the day that the Lord has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the Lord gone out before you?’ So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men behind him. The Lord routed Sisera and all of his chariots and all of his army with the edge of the sword in front of Barak. Sisera dismounted his chariot and fled on foot.”
Jael
Judges 4:17, “Sisera fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, for there was peace between King Jabin of Hazor and the family of Heber the Kenite.(Heber was a descendant of Moses’ father-in-law).” Judges 4:18-21, “Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, ‘Turn aside, my lord. Turn aside to me. Do not be afraid.’ So he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug. He said to her, ‘Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.’ So she opened a leather milk container, gave it to him to drink, and covered him. He said to her, ‘Stand in the entrance to the tent, and if anyone comes and asks you, ‘Is there a man here?’ then you say, ‘No.’ Then Jael, the wife of Heber took a tent peg and a hammer in her hand and went quietly to him, for he was fast asleep and tired. She drove the tent peg into his temple, and it went down into the ground, so he died.’”
Joan of Arc
Joan was born to a propertied peasant family at Domrémy in northeast France. In 1428, she requested to be taken to Charles, later testifying that she was guided by visions from the Archangel Michael, Saint Margaret, and Saint Catherine to help him save France from English domination. Convinced of her devotion and purity, Charles sent Joan, who was about seventeen years old, to the siege of Orléans as part of a relief army. She arrived at the city in April 1429, wielding her banner and bringing hope to the demoralized French army. Nine days after her arrival, the English abandoned the siege. Joan encouraged the French to aggressively pursue the English during the Loire Campaign, which culminated in another decisive victory at Patay, opening the way for the French Army to advance on Reims unopposed, where Charles was crowned as the King of France with Joan at his side. These victories boosted French morale, paving the way for their final triumph in the Hundred Years’ War several decades later. Years later she was captured by Burgundian troops on 23 May. After trying unsuccessfully to escape, she was handed to the English in November. She was put on trial by Bishop Pierre Cauchon on accusations of heresy, which included blaspheming by wearing men’s clothes, acting upon visions that were demonic, and refusing to submit her words and deeds to the judgment of the church. She was declared guilty and burned at the stake on 30 May, 1431, aged about nineteen. If Joan actually heard from Archangel Michael or not, does not discredit her faith or her bravery. She gave those who needed to fight the will and courage to go into battle and win.
Rahab, Deborah and Jael and Joan are all women who do not get enough credit for their bravery and their wisdom to have done the right thing at the moment.
WAAC’s, WAVEs, WAAF and the WMA’s
We can not forget all the women who lived during WWII, and became nurses, and the thousands of those women who joined the women’s auxiliaries aiding the men one way or another as mechanics, drivers and even flying planes. Today we have many brave women in our military, and slowly they are being promoted to the ranks that give them credit for their great abilities.
Rosie the Riveter
There were thousands of women back home during the war doing the work of the men in building tanks and ships and airplanes, thus getting the name Rosie the Riveter. Today women are in all kinds of fields holding up their end of the bargain to work alongside men and contribute to society while still raising their children and holding down the fort at home. There is not enough time or space to go into the many women who have achieved great things, but there is still much to be done to achieve equality in the area of equal pay and recognition for equal work and achievement. There still needs to be recognition for the wife and mother, and the role they play as they walk alongside their husbands as companion and helper. This is God’s plan, and we absolutely need to put down the devil’s plan to divide and conquer women as the spoils of war. No, this will take the men of the world to submit to God and His plan for life, and learn to lift up the one who walks beside him, and love and cherish, and honor the women in their lives.