God describes the woman to Adam as “a helper comparable to him”, however an alternative, and far more disturbing translation is “a helper opposed to him”.
A helper comparable to him would be every man’s dream. A woman who understands him, who supports him, respects him and stands by his side. What a God-given gift!
However, the very sound of a helper “opposed to him” would send shivers down his spine.
The rabbis explain that she is indeed a helper, but sometimes her help is in the form of opposition. There are times when a man needs someone to speak into his life and gently challenge an decision where he is not fully submitted to God.
When my wife and I were buying our caravan, we were $6000 short, so I thought it would be a good idea to write an email to our supporters. We only had a week to raise the funds, so I got down to writing the email straight away.
However, my wife, as a godly wife opposed, asked me a very good question: “Did you pray about it?”
It wasn’t a direct criticism, now was it an instruction to do something differently. Rather it was a question gently challenging the foundation of what I was about to do. A question that led me to prayer, and to an answer from above that confirmed her probing question as the Lord said to me “do not send that email!”
So I deleted the email, and together my wife and I put our trust in God to provide. And He sure did, with the last amount coming through just in time.
God is good! And in His goodness, He provides a wife “opposed”, helping to draw her husband closer to God.
It is hard for us husbands to hear our wife’s criticism or to feel her opposition, but maybe it carries just the message we need to hear. Maybe it is a divine wake up call to something that we have been unwilling to hear directly from God, and so He sends the most precious person in our lives to bring the word. May the Lord grant us ears to hear what He is saying even though a wife opposed, and may we have the humility to truly listen to her heart, while seeking to understand God’s heart on the matter
Ps Enoch Lavender was born in Australia, raised in Norway, spent time living in China and is now based on the Gold Coast of Australia. He has been studying Hebrew and the Jewish roots of our faith for the past decade, and has a keen interest in the Middle East from a Bible prophecy perspective.
Contact Enoch and Olive Tree Ministries
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