Title: The role of husband and wife
Contents
Genesis 2:18 The role of husband and wife
In the world God created, there is a distinction between male and female, male and female. There are also males and females in plants, which are indistinguishable at first glance, and also males and females in insects. However, when God first created man, only Adam, the male, existed first, and there was no Eve, the female companion of Adam. Regarding this, God says in today's text: “It is not good for a man to be alone; I will make a helper for him” (Genesis 2:18).
In this way, God created men and women, husbands and wives, and blessed them together. In other words, God not only blessed Adam, the husband, but not only his wife, Eve, but also blessed the husband and wife together and gave them the mission to rule the world well together. Regarding this, the Bible says: “God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Genesis 1:28).
Moreover, God made the Garden of Eden for humans and filled it with trees that were beautiful to look at and good for eating so that their lives would not lack anything. Now, her husband, Adam, and wife, Eve, have become a shared destiny to enjoy the blessings God has given them and fulfill the mission God has entrusted to them. In other words, they receive blessings as they keep God's commands, and conversely, they receive curses when they disobey God's commands.
Moreover, Eve was given the role of Adam's helper. In English, 'a helper suitable for him', that is, Eve made her husband, Adam, the closest to help Adam to keep God's commands and rule the world well. If Eve fulfills her role as a helper well and Adam follows God's will, Eve will receive blessings, praise, and rewards like God. We have come to a position where we have to suffer the same curse and pain.
From Adam's point of view, Adam, the husband, as a leader of the family, leads his wife well and follows God's will together, so that he and his wife can enjoy the happiness and blessings that God gives them. On the other hand, if the husband failed to fulfill his role as a leader and left God's will, he and his wife, Eve, would be in a position of curse and suffering.
In other words, if we fulfill our God-given roles well and follow God's will, we will be blessed together, or if we do not fulfill God's will properly because we do not fulfill our roles properly, we will be cursed together. . Unfortunately, however, the couple were kicked out of the Garden of Eden, cursed together, and suffered together. Since the beginning of time, Hana Nam has been a matchmaker and God has created a family, so why the hell did they end up falling into such pain and curse? Today we want to look into this and learn from you.
First, God said to Adam: “Adam, you may eat from every tree in the Garden of Eden as you like, but do not eat from the fruit of good and evil. On the day you eat, you will surely die.” This command was a very important will of God that determined Adam's fate and happiness. Adam, who received this command, told Eve, the common destiny, of this command from God to protect his own happiness. “Honey, in order to continue receiving blessings from God, we must obey God’s commands and never eat the fruit. Understand?"
However, Satan disguised himself as a crafty serpent and came to Eve. “Hey, let’s talk. Did God really say that you must not eat from any tree in the garden?” Eve answers. “No, God has told us to eat all the fruit of the tree in the garden, but not to eat or touch the fruit of good and evil in the middle of the garden. If we ate it, we would die.”
But the serpent persists and whispers to Eve. “No, even if you eat the fruit, you will never die. Rather, if you eat it, your eyes will be opened and you will become like God. God said that because he didn't want you to be like God. Ah, God is a very narrow-minded person. right?" When Eve heard this, she was really confused. “Who the hell was right? My husband says this, and the serpent says that... ah, I'll have to ask Adam again.” I wish Eve had asked Adam again, but Eve did not.
Eve looked at the tree of knowledge to break through in front of it. The more I looked at the tree of knowledge, the more delicious it was, the more beautiful it was, and the more desirable. Finally, Eve ate of the fruit and gave it to her husband who was with her to eat. And what was the result? They did not become like God, and greater blessings and happiness did not come to them, but death, curse, and suffering followed, as God had said.
Furthermore, Eve added to the pain of childbirth as well as the pain of conception. Even today, when I see women suffering from severe morning sickness when giving birth, or screaming in pain when giving birth, it makes me think of this. “Aha, if Grandma Eve hadn’t eaten the forbidden fruit back then, women wouldn’t have to suffer like this today!”
And Adam also ate of the forbidden fruit so that he could eat food only after he had to work hard. Because Adam and Eve, the masters of all things, fell, and the land that belonged to them was cursed and no longer had any effect. Moreover, the earth produces thorns and thistles, so Adam was pierced to and fro while plowing. In our church, thorns and thistles are growing on the side where the sign is. I also sometimes think like this when I suffer from being stabbed by a thorn. “Ah, if Grandpa Adam hadn’t eaten the fruit at that time, I wouldn’t be pierced by thorns like this! Oh my, it hurts!”
When Adam and Eve, husband and wife, ate the forbidden fruit and forsook God, they suffered together, their children suffered together, and we, the descendants of Adam and Eve, suffered the same today. As we look at the many sufferings of today, we often think of those days. “Aha, if our ancestors, Adam and Eve, had performed their roles well and followed God’s commands and will, we would not have suffered this kind of pain!”
We learn a lesson from the suffering that has come to mankind through this tragic event of the past. “I wish Adam, the husband, would not have eaten the forbidden fruit that Eve, his wife, had given him! Instead, he said to his wife, Eve, who ate the forbidden fruit, ‘Honey, why did you eat of the forbidden fruit? We repent to God together.” It would have been nice if the husband Adam had guided his wife Eve so well!”
In other words, the tragedy of mankind comes from not being able to properly fulfill the role of wife and husband. Eve, the wife, had to help her husband, Adam, to serve God well, but instead he induced her to eat the fruit of the forbidden fruit. Even today, we often see this. This is a case in which the husband tries to serve God properly, but the wife fails to help her husband and instead induces the husband to depart from God's law.
And when Adam, the husband, was told that no matter how much his wife, he would disobey God's command and eat the forbidden fruit, he said, "Honey, that's not it. This is the will of God!” He had to play the role of a leader, but somehow Adam obeyed his wife's words. As a husband, I understand. There is nothing good about ignoring your wife's words at home and touching her heart. If you don't serve rice, you will have to look for cold food in the refrigerator alone, and you will be bullied by your children, who are usually on the mother's side. Therefore, “You wretched one, your name is Husband!”
In short, if you disobey your wife's orders, your husband will have no fun. Moreover, it is even more so in a household where the power of wives is strong like these days. Therefore, even though God has said not to eat the fruit, when a wife tells her to eat the fruit, the husband tends to eat the fruit while saying, ‘I can’t do this! Of course, the husband is the leader of the family, but the role of the wife as an advisor is very important in moving the husband who is the leader.
But keep in mind. Even her husband, Adam, fell and ate of the forbidden fruit. At that time, he would suffer the same suffering. Husbands, wives, and children must all suffer death, curses, and suffering. Therefore, the role of the wife as a helper in the home is very important. The husband's role as a leader is also very important. It is the wife who builds up the husband's faith, and it is the wife who destroys the husband's faith. And the results and fruits are shared by all members of the family. Therefore, the Bible says in Proverbs 14:1: “Every wise woman builds her house, but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands.”
In the Middle Ages, Germany ruled Europe under the name of the Holy Roman Empire. A story of wise wives is told there. Conrad III, who is famous for leading the Second Crusade, had a problem shortly after he became emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. It was Bavaria, one of the princes, who strongly opposed his ascension to the emperor.
He immediately led an army and advanced to subdue the Bavaria of Gerf Castle, who resisted him. However, the battle that the emperor thought was easy was never easy. Fierce battles and long confrontations continued over and over again. However, in the end, Gerf Castle was completely surrounded by the Imperial Army and completely isolated from the outside world. Eventually, when the city ran out of water and food to drink, Bavaria had no choice but to raise a white flag.
However, Konrad III did not easily forgive Bavaria, who had tormented him for a long time. So, in his surrender, instead of pardoning everyone in the castle, he offered the following conditions: “The fight is not over yet. All men in the castle are our prisoners from now on. But I will give the women back their freedom, so you can leave the castle with only as much luggage as you can carry.”
The emperor's command was delivered, and the tightly closed gates were opened. However, the women were not seen for a while. After a while, women rushed out of the castle. Conrad III, watching this from afar, noticed a strange thing. All the women were walking particularly slowly. Emperor Konrad, unable to contain his curiosity, rode himself closer to the gates of the city. Then he was so surprised that he stood there.
On the backs of the women who struggled to walk out of the city gate, they all had men who looked like their husbands. It was even funny to see so many women running around carrying a big man. But when he saw not only the poor peasant's wife, but also the wife of the prince, Bavarian, carrying her husband Bavaria, Konrad could not laugh any more. Impressed by the wise love of his wives, Emperor Konrad III eventually ordered the release of all men in the castle.
Ladies and gentlemen, there are women who rescue their husbands and save their families even in difficult situations like this story. On the other hand, there are women who, like Eve, feed their husbands the tree of knowledge and kill them and bring unhappiness even in the bliss of the Garden of Eden. Especially when the power of wives in the home is growing like these days, the role of women is very important. Of course, the husband's role as a leader is also very important. I pray that God will fulfill God's will and establish a happy family as we are fulfilling the roles that God gives to husbands and wives.