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Online links to scriptures (New International Version [NIV] unless otherwise stated) are shown in blue
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In a way, this is the most difficult subject we have looked at so far, as relational challenges between the sexes affect us all. The saying, 'men are from Mars, women from Venus', while unscriptural, does make the very valid point, that men and women are different!
But this is how God planned it! I will simply attempt to briefly summarise the Western and original Hebrew views.
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| Greek (Western) |
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 In Western thought, from early Greek times until the present day, the role of women has vacillated between subservience and sexual equality.
In essence it would be fair to say that in agricultural orientated societies women have been considered inferior to men, but where city living, both in Greek times, and now, became more popular, unisex attitudes have become more prominent. This has resulted, both then and now, in the breakdown of the traditional family unit and the growth of same sex relationships. The state has also assumed a greater role in the bringing up of children. Looking at past civilizations, these family breakdown developments helped bring about former empires eventual downfall, and are likely to do the same to ours.
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| Eastern (Hebrew) |
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 In original Hebrew thought, based upon firstly a nomadic, then an agrarian society, the traditional family unit was the basis of society.
From the very beginning, man and woman were made to be 'one flesh', to operate as a team, utilizing differing physical, emotional, and way of thinking giftings to work the land, run the household, procreate, and raise families, to 'inhabit the earth'.....
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 Without each other, a man and women are less than we are created to be. In the original nomadic and agrarian societies, men and women had different but equal roles within the family. The man tended the animals and worked the fields, while the woman tended to the home. The responsibility for bringing up and educating the children was a joint, and hugely important, one. Motherhood was regarded as the most important function in the family unit, and contrary to later erroneous teaching, no God-fearing Hebrew man considered women to be inferior in any way.
Women dressed differently to men and gathered socially, separately to the men. This is illustrated in the wedding at Canna in Galilee. The men were in a room, sitting round celebrating the marriage. Mary, perhaps the chief caterer, was in a separate room with the other women. The unthinkable happened. After several days’ celebration, they had run out of wine! Mary asked Jesus to help.
John 2:3-5
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 We know the rest of the story. Check out the amazing detail and revelation it contains at A REVELATION OF... THE FIRST MIRACLE OF JESUS’ found on the Walking With Jesus Ministries website (www.wwj.org.nz)
As the Jews had become more involved with the people around them, they had become influenced by their neighbours' lifestyles. Paul summed this up in his epistle to the Romans. God had made His ways known.....
Romans 1:20
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 In New Testament times too, the original principle of a man and woman working together as one to raise a God-fearing family, was illustrated in the Biblical qualifications for eldership.....
Titus 1:6
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 Today, the pattern continues. God's people are being overtly influenced by the world around us. To be sure, the consequences will be the same as in the past, if we do not mend our ways.
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| SOME SPIRITUAL IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY |
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1. Marriage for life is God's desired way. While, for many, that is not their situation today, God is able to forgive and give a new start.
2. We need to be diligent to avoid being caught up in modern humanist thinking promoting a wider, increasingly ungodly, range of family lifestyles.
3. Being disciples of Jesus in today's world is becoming increasingly difficult and will inevitably result in persecution, if it has not already.
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. (2 Timothy 3:1-5)
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| <i>NEXT WEEK:</i> THINKING GREEK OR HEBREW continues..... |
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 ..... looking at EDUCATION METHODS.
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| A NOTE FROM DAVID |
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 The world tries so hard to 'convert' us to its ways. Anything goes is the mantra today!
In the church too, there has been many problems, particularly with domination and submission theologies.
God made Adam and Eve to act as a team, and it is still the same for us today.
Amen.
IMAGES AND ART: Jerusalem
Mt. Zion
Also known as Mount Sion, the Upper City, the Southwestern Hill
Protestant Cemetery
In the backyard of the Bishop Gobat School (today Jerusalem University College) is the Protestant Cemetery where many notables of the 19th century are buried. The writer of the hymn "It Is Well With My Soul," Horatio G. Spafford, is buried in the far center of this photograph. Also buried in this cemetery are important archaeologists Sir Flinders Petrie and James Leslie Starkey.
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So until next week.......
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD!
His servant and yours
Learn more about us at...
www.wwj.org.nz/about.php
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A DAVID'S DOODLING
369. When the family founders, society sinks.
David Tait
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Check
out the WWJ website for….
More David's Doodlings: www.wwj.org.nz/dd.php
Marriage and Family Facts: http://www.wwj.org.nz/maffacts.php
Just jokes: http://www.wwj.org.nz/jokes.php
Waxing Lyrical: http://www.wwj.org.nz/waxing.php
If Only I'd Thought of it: http://www.wwj.org.nz/thought.php
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but the people were led astray.....