4.05.2006

Can't Live With Them...

Today I have a query more than an answer. I noticed recently, the unbelivable role that women have in much of Scripture. When we read about women in worship, it seems so sexist that Paul would go back to Adam and Eve. Are we really going to blame one woman and hold every other one on the planet responsible! It seems ludicrous! Maybe there is something else going on. Note also the way that Paul does not want to be married because he believes that it would get in the way of his ministry. Is Paul dealing with some cultural issue, or is their some biblical anti-feminism.
Over the pages of the Bible, you start to see that women are not put in all that good of a light. We have Eve decieved first. Then there is Abraham lying because of Sarah. Rebecca loving Jacob more. Rachel stealing the idols. Miriam causing revolt. Delilah wooing Samson. Bathsheba and David. Michal criticizing David. Solomon going after foreign women. Jezebel. Gomer. The prostitutes of Proverbs. It seems like many of the messes that men get into in Scripture happen because of the women. They do something dumb for a girl. David seems particularly to be a case of this. Women seem to just cause him trouble. In fact, he makes it clear that when he goes out to battle the women stay at home. What is this?
I know that God is not against women. He created them and has a special role for them. I am not saying that all of these situations are a woman's fault. What I am saying, is that often a man's sin in the OT comes about because of his relationship with a woman in some way shape or fashion. What do we learn from that? Is there a theological point, or is it merely a case of ancient sexism?
I know one possibility. Something powerful always has the option of going really well, or really bad. The relationship between a man and woman would be one of those things. Our most intense pleasures come from the man and the woman coming together in dating and marriage, but the most pain can come through fights and divorces. God created this sort of chemistry when he made two sexes, which seems to just blow up some times.
It could just be a sexual thing. Maybe God just made men so that their hormones where really strong, and Satan uses that as well as he can.
Maybe it is the connection with pride. Either the pride to have a great looking woman, or the pride to want to be in control of a woman. Maybe all of those men who messed up where just looking out for themselves. It seems like pride comes out really strong in men when it comes to women. We seem to always end up trying to control others instead of living in harmony. Women, the enviroment, God. We just want to call the shots.
In general, I was hoping to say something meaningful tonight about this topic, but alas I feel I have come up short. I think that something significant is going on with the motif of the deadly woman in scripture. I just wish I had a better insight into why.

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