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“The Full Rights Of Sons” Simply Put
/ K.E.Stegall
 
Chapter XIV
-
Must She Be Silent? I Timothy 2:8-15
140
 
 
The Middle Of The Road:How safe is it?
Moody Bible Science Films. How I loved seeing those as a kid. There was one about bees. oneabout blood, one about water. One 1 remember particularly well was about the five senses. A scientistcarried out an experiment by wearing huge glasses, sort of like binoculars strapped to his head, thatmade everything appear upside down. Supposedly he never peeked, but only looked at the worldthrough his upside-down glasses. He wore them for weeks. When he looked down at his feet theywere at the top of his view. After a while he was tempted to look up when he wanted to see his feet.But that was wrong because his feet were still down even though his eyes seemed to tell himotherwise. The glasses kept leading him to look in the wrong direction. Besides that, he was alwaysbumping into stuff.Looking at the world through upside-
down glasses just didn‟t see
m to be working out verywell. Then one day as he was wearing his glasses, suddenly everything turned right-side-up again. Alot of checking was done to be sure the glasses were still working properly, that is - turning everythingupside-down. Sure enough, they were still turning everything upside-down. But because the brain hadgotten tired of the mess it was having to cope with it turned everything right-side-up again.He continued to wear his glasses for a while longer. Then at last he laid the experiment asidewondering what he would see when he again looked at the world through his natural eyes. Once again,everything was upside-down. But soon the brain put it all back in order, right-side-up. It seems thehuman brain seeks to make things consistent with what it perceives to be true.I am reminded of this experiment as I think about this issue of the role of women in thechurch. When I view things from the subordinate position, as I did for most of my life, there are thingsI b
ump into because they don‟t
seem consistent with what I know to be true.Of course my perceptions and understanding are not perfect. I am a sinner. And so, as a
Christian committed to God‟s Word as the only infallible rule for faith and life, I have tried to take my
understanding of truth from the Bible. This is our starting point.First there is the matter of words and how we understand their meaning. The Bible is writtenin words, so we must understand them correctly. We cannot simply make assumptions withoutallowing the Bible itself to define their meaning.We have already
talked about the words “submit”, “head” and “weaker”. How does Scripture
use the word? This is how we must use the word also.Here is a word we have not mentioned yet -
“helper”. This word is given great signi
ficance by
those who hold the subordinate position. It is used to describe Eve at the time of her creation. “TheLord God said, „It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” (Genesis
2:18)The subordinate position assumes
this word means “assistant”, with a connotation rangingfrom mommy‟s little helper to vice
-president, because they are forced to look in this direction by theirperspective that God created woman to be subordinate to man.This definition points toward an authority structure. The helper is not the one in charge. Thehelper is there only to aid the one in charge with the accomplishment his own goals.
Consequently, it is easy to see ~~„h~‟ one would interpret this verse from Genesis to mean
that God intended Eve to be only an assistant to Adam, to do his bidding, to serve his needs and ends.
Adam is seen to be in charge. And Eve is seen to be his “helper”.
 
But how does the Bible use, and thus define, the word “helper”? The Hebrew word which istranslated as “helper” with reference to Eve is used many times throughout the Old Testament.
 
 
“The Full Rights Of Sons” Simply Put / 
K.E.Stegall
 
Chapter XV
-
The Middle Of The Road: How safe is it?
142
 
 
“After Moses
had sent away his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law, Jethro, received her and hertwo sons. One son was named... and the other was named Eliezer,
for he said. „Mv father‟s God was
my helper
: he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.” (Exodus 18:2
-4)Hear. 0 Lord, the cry of Judah: bring him to his people. ... Oh, be his help against his foes!...There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides on the heavens to help you and on theclouds in his majesty. ...Blessed are you, 0 Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by theLord? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. (Deuteronomy 33:7.26,29)
“May the Lord answer you when you are in distress: ..
.May he send you help from the
sanctuary...” (Psalm 20:1
-2).
“Come quickly to
help
me, 0 Lord my Savior.” (Psalm 38:22)
 
“But I am the Lord
your God, ...You are destroyed, 0 Israel, because you are against me,against your helper.
” (Hosea 13:4,9)
 These verses cert
ainly give a different meaning to the word “helper”. At the very least they
eliminate all possibility of it meaning one who is under the authority of the one they help.Of the twenty-
one times this word is used in the Old Testament, it refers to God as “helper”
sixteen times (Exodus 18:4: Deuteronomy 33:7,26,29: Psalm 20:2, 33:20, 70:5, 89:19, 115:9,10,11,121:1.2. 124:8, 146:5: Hosea 13:9). As the Old Testament uses this word the helper is the one in thestronger position of power and ability. The helper is a rescuer, deliverer, one who saves. The onebeing helped is in a position of need.
Adam was in extreme need. “It is not good for the man to be alone.” (Genesis 2: 18) Godsolved his problem. Eve did not solve Adam‟s problem. God did. But God created Eve t
o be the agent
of his “help” for Adam. God made “...a helper suitable for him.” (Genesis 2:18) Adam and Eve became “one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). Now mankind was complete. “So God created man in his own
image, in the image of God he created him: male and fema
le he created them.” (Genesis 1:27) Nowman, mankind, was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). Eve rescued Adam from aloneness.
 A simple question: If 
“...and he shall rule over you.” (Genesis 3:16) is a part of the curse of 
sin as God related it to Eve, how can it also be the way God created things to be in the beginningwhen there was no sin?
The curse is a statement of how things are in a sinful fallen world, the conditions of death. “I
will greatly increase your pains in childbearing;... Your desire will be for your husband, and he willrule over you. ... Cursed is the ground because of you;... It will produce thorns and thistles for you.
...for dust you are and to dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:16
-19) Death was the consequence of 
Adam‟s and Eve‟s disobedience
(Genesis 2:17).
In the beginning “one flesh” was the creation norm (Genesis 2:24: Matthew 19:4
-
6). “Oneflesh” was life. “...and he shall rule over you.” was death. “One flesh” was very good (Genesis 1:3 I), but “...And he shall rule over you.” culminates
 
in “...for dust you are and to dust you will return.”
(Genesis 3: 19)But Christ has become the victor over death (I Corinthians 15:54-57). Jesus became a cursefor us (Galatians 3: 13-14). Jesus suffered all the characteristics and conditions of death (Romans4:25: Hebrews 2:9.14- 15), so that we might be recreated to a new life (II Timothy 1:10). Through
Christ‟s redemption the characteristics and conditions of the curse, of death, are reversed and
reconciled (Romans 5:10).Of course until Christ comes a
gain we can no more completely overturn the curse of “...heshall rule over you.” than we can stop ourselves from dying. But as the agents of Christ‟s rule we
must bring his reconciling power to bear where possible. We can practice the Lamaze method of natural childbirth and use medical help when necessary. We can pull the weeds from our gardens.
 
“The Full Rights Of Sons” Simply Put / 
K.E.Stegall
 
Chapter XV
-
The Middle Of The Road: How safe is it?
143
 
 We can inoculate our children against fatal diseases.In the same way we must eradicate the subordination of women where possible, in the churchand in the Ch
ristian family. This will not overturn the curse. But it will, as far as God‟s grace permits,recognize and submit to the reconciling reign of him who is “head over everything” (Ephesians 1:22)yet came “...to serve and give his life as a ransom for many.”
 
(Matthew 20:28), thus “...making peacethrough his blood...” (Colossians 1:20).
 
In the beginning God did not create man to be in authority over the woman. “Helper” hasnothing to do with authority structures. It has to do with going from “not good” to “very good”, from being “alone” to being “one flesh”, from being “the man” (Genesis 2:18) to being “man”, the human
race (Genesis 5:1-2).Another simple question: What would be the purpose or use of a hierarchy of authority in aperfect world? A world in which all human beings are in perfect communication with and submissionto-their creator? A world in which all human beings would seek to serve one another in love and
submission according to their creator‟s law (Matthew 22:37
-40; Deuteronomy 6:5:Leviticus 19:18)?The same question can also be applied to a hierarchy of authority within the Godhead. Why?What for?The answer is as simple as the question. There would be no need for an authority structure
where all seek to “...serve one another in love.” (Galatia
ns 5:13-14; Colossians 3:14) A hierarchy of authority would never be used. It would serve no purpose. It would not exist.Where sin does not exist Go
d‟s law functions in perfection.
And where there is perfectionthere is oneness. The words which are transl
ated as “perfect” in the Bible mean “complete, finished,whole.”
1
 
“And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.” (Colossians3:14 KJV) “And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”
 
(Colossians 3:14 NIV) This perfection is seen in our triune creator God. “God is love.” (I John 4:16)“The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” (Deuteronomy 6:4)
 
“I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one;...” (John 17:23 KJV). “I in
them
and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity...” (John 17:23 NIV).
 
The Question:
What does the word “helper” mean?
 
What do we know to be true?
Sixteen of the Twenty-
one times the word “helper” is used in the Old Testament it refers to
God helping those in need. (Exodus 18:4; Deuteronomy 33 :7,26,29; Psalm 20:2,33:20, 70:5,89:19,115:9,10,11,121:1,2,124:8, 146:5;Hosea 13:9)
According to Old Testament usage, a “helper” is usually one who rescues, delivers, or saves
one who is in need. (Exodus 18:2-4; Psalm 20:1-2)
The Hebrew word “helper” is not related to authority, or have any bearing on any particular 
position in a hierarchy of authority.
1 Young, Robert,
 Analytical concordance to the Bible,
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids,Michigan, 1970, pages 744-745.
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