Burn, Ladies, Burn

“Where did you get that fire in your belly, Joy Bennett?” he asked, amazed.

“God gave it to me,” I retorted, passion still flaming over the issue we’d been discussing for the past few hours.

He laughed, and I did too, but we both knew I was serious.

A few weeks later, I spoke in church about my trip to Bolivia, and I called on the church to take action. My friend came up to me after, thanking me for speaking out.

“I have this fire in my belly, Joy. I want to yell at the church to wake up. I want to fight injustice. But I can’t, because I’m a woman. Why would God do this to me?” Her frustration was palpable.

She thinks God made a mistake. And to be honest, I’ve often thought the same when all I saw around me were lines I wasn’t to cross and barriers to keep me out. What is a woman supposed to do with that fire? Why would God give us such unquenchable passion to right wrongs and stand for justice, and then hem us in?

I tell her she’s right about one thing - God did give her that fire in her belly. But God did not make a mistake. God does not forbid women from taking action.

God wants his daughters to burn with passion for their God-given mission.

When God instructed us to fill the earth (not just through child-bearing – because that would leave out the unmarried and childless – but also making disciples of all nations and reflecting the creative character of God) and rule and subdue it, that command went to all his image-bearers, both men and women. Men need women to carry out God’s mission, else why would God have made women? Men are capable of doing laundry and cooking, so there has to be something more to womanhood.

I tell her that our brothers need us.

God stated plainly in Genesis 2, “It is not good for man to be alone.” Have you ever noticed that this is the only time in the creation account when God says something is not good? Before God made woman, Adam was alone in his relationship with God and alone in his mission to build God’s kingdom on earth. Most importantly, Adam was a single individual, one. But as image-bearer, he was created to reflect a triune God, a three-in-one.

The woman is essential. Men and women as God’s image bearers reflect this Trinitarian nature of God when they join together in Jesus to fulfill their mission. God works out a supernatural mathematics in which one plus one plus one ad infinitum equals one… we are united into one, the body of Christ. This mirrors God’s own Trinitarian oneness – the Father plus the Son plus the Holy Spirit equals one God. The creation of women was essential for humanity to reflect the Trinitarian relationship of God.

And did you see it? After God creates a female image-bearer to work alongside the male image bearer, he declares them very good.

What about that pesky label, “helpmeet” (or “helper suitable”)? Too long have we languished under these insufficient terms. These translations fall far short of the real meaning of “ezer-kenegdo” found in Genesis 2.

“Kenegdo” indicates that the woman is a match for the man – like the South Pole to his North Pole, literally “as in front of him.” 

“Ezer” refers to a strong military ally. If you look through the rest of Scripture, ezer is used twice for women (both in Genesis 2), three times to describe those Israel turned to for military aid, and sixteen times to describe God as helper of his people Israel in a military context. (Carolyn Justis James, “Half the Church: Recapturing God’s Global Vision for Women”)

We need to embrace this God-given role for women. The ezer-kenegdo is no passive calling. Women are called to be strong and valiant battling our Enemy alongside our brothers. God wants us to be women of valor.

The vision for mankind is of alliance, a unity out of many, a dynamic partnership in which everyone throws themselves wholeheartedly into the work God has given us to do. This is a vision that all people in every place at every time can embrace, not just North American white upper-middle-class suburban women. The parable of the talents applies to men and women equally. Woe to us if we take the gifts and talents God has given us and bury them in the ground.

Sisters, we must encourage each other, and our brothers too. We all need encouragement to feed our passion and use it to fuel action for God’s kingdom. No matter what your theology of manhood and womanhood, we can all agree that God has called us to fight evil, do good, and work together, and He will hold us accountable for doing it.

Brothers, welcome us as equal partners. Women don’t want to steal your thunder or push you out of roles into which you fit. But we do share the same burning passion to fight for justice and spread God’s glory. We have strengths that you lack, just as you have strengths we lack. And just because a woman’s strengths don’t fit the typical female pattern doesn’t mean she doesn’t fit into the body of Christ.

We are ready to stand next to you, arm in arm, armor of God firmly in place, and fight the good fight. This is God’s design.

Jesus prayed that we might all be one, just he and the Father are one. Imagine what we could accomplish for God’s kingdom if we embraced this truth fully!

Let’s brainstorm. What are some ways that women can work for justice, rouse the complacent church, and show God’s love through action? Where do we need our brothers to help?

[If you yearn to learn more about the woman's calling as an ezer-kenegdo, I highly recommend Carolyn Justis James's book, Half the Church: Recapturing God's Global Vision for Women, which partially inspired this post.]