God given roles

Repeatedly I find myself saying, completely sarcastically, "Wow it's like God knew what He was doing!" As my studies in 1 Timothy continue I've once again found occasion for such a statement, this time with a little less sarcasm.

1 Timothy 2.13-14, "For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression."

This is the end of a section on the role of women in public worship. William Hendriksen offered many insights on the section, 1 Timothy 2.8-15, but this is what stood out to me the most. He says that the role of women in public worship is "based not on temporary or contemporary conditions or circumstances but on two facts that have meaning for all time, namely, the fact of creation and the fact of the entrance into sin."

If we look back in Genesis, we see that man was made first, then Eve. If we look at the text of Genesis 2 we see that Eve was made for Adam, to be his helper. Simply in the way God created man and woman, it is natural for the man to lead and for the woman to follow. Hendriksen says, "The tendency to follow was embedded in Eve's very soul as she came forth from the hand of her creator. Hence, it would not be right to reverse this order in connection with public worship. Why should a woman be encouraged to do things that are contrary to her nature?"

He also mentions the entrance into sin. Hendriksen states, "Eve's fall occurred when she ignored her divinely ordained position. Instead of following she chose to lead." Now I will add something that Hendriksen doesn't state, the fall into sin occurred because Adam also ignored his divinely ordained position, instead of leading, he chose to follow. Adam should have lead her in the path of righteousness, instead of following her in the way of sin. Instead they fell into sin because they stepped off of the path of obedience.

God has given both men and women a divine role to fulfill. We see the result of ignoring that, why do we continue to let history repeat itself? Men, why do we continue to follow instead of taking up our God given role as leaders? Why do we have women who insist on leading, who refuse to follow? Why do we ignore the roles God assigned to us? You could even go as far as to say, why do we continue to sin by ignoring the God given order? If we ignore the way God designed it to be, that is disobedience, disobedience is sin.

Part of the problem is that men won't be men, men won't take up the role of leadership, so women have to. Part of it is that we don't live in a society where men can be men. But at the same time, part of it is that men refuse to take responsibility. Until we as men step up and act like men, nothing will change.

I leave you with the words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 16.13, "Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, ACT LIKE MEN, be strong."

Peace be with you