Reaping what someone else sowed?

Scripture Read: 1 Timothy 2:9-15 Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, ¹⁰ but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness. 

¹¹A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. ¹² But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. ¹³ For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. ¹⁴ And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. ¹⁵ But women will be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint.

Application: We have seen that God has certain responsibilities for His children in the Body of Christ. Paul gives one of those responsibilities here. Men are to be the shepherd leaders in the local Body. Not dictators or bullies, as we know from Christ’s example, the real leader is a servant. We already saw that the first part of the reasoning of this from Scripture is that Paul points out that man was created first, then woman. Giving man the headship role in position. One thing that is clear no matter our own biases on this issue, we cannot honestly try and claim some cultural reason for this, Paul goes all the way back to the garden, so this is pre-culture! The second factor in the reasoning makes a lot of sense if we keep it in the context of the garden. Eve was deceived, and fell into transgression. Some try to say this means women are not able to rightly discern the Word but are easily deceived. It is clear these folks have not met the women I have that have studied theology. My own daughter has a theology degree and was above all the young men her Hebrew class. She kills me in that language! No, it is clear that it has everything to do with the garden. 

Remember, Eve was not deceived concerning the right and wrong of the tree, she corrected the serpent about what they were commanded they could and could not do. Eve was deceived that God met business about dying. After her sin, she was given a twofold judgment: increased pain in childbirth, and to be in submission to her husband while having a real desire for her husband. There is debate over what this means, some say it means Eve would desire to rule over her husband – I don’t find that the best understanding because I think this a human drive, not just a female drive. Everyone wants to be boss; even my 1-year-old grandson wants to rule me. I believe this desire is for the woman to please her husband and that’s why it is a judgment. It is hard enough to submit to someone, but consider how difficult it is to submit to a jerk, that you love and want to please, despite his “jerkiness”! How many men stay with wives that are drunkards, physically abusive or sexually unfaithful? Why are so many women willing to remain in that situation? I believe it is because God gave them a natural desire to really try and please their husband. So, although, I firmly believe men were to be the headship of the family from the creation, I believe that headship became more intense after the fall. In the Body of Christ men continue in that position of headship. Ladies, do not think you got the worst of it – because man did not fall into sin, but willfully chose to be with woman over God, not only is work now sweat, but everyone that is ever born dies because of us. That was the judgment on man – death spreads to all!

Meditation Questions: Do you ever feel it is unfair that God holds us responsible for what Adam and Eve did in the garden? What do you do with that feeling? Do you believe in Adam and Eve, the garden and Original Sin? If so, why? If not, why? Does it make a difference? If you had been in the garden what do you think you would have done? What does that show you? Whether or not we agree with the role that has been placed on us due to the fall, how should we live?