Be warned, it's going to appear that I'm claiming that men and women are not equal, but I'm really not. Please realize that I am not sure this would hold water if it was debated, but it is something I have been pondering on for quite a while, and would like to hear people's opinions on the thought. *This was posted on a forum while addressing a few other ladies, so when I use "we" I am collectively referring to females.*
Are men and women completely equal? Leviticus 27:1-7 states: *
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When a man shall make a singular vow, the persons shall be for the LORD by thy estimation. And thy estimation shall be of the male from twenty years old even unto sixty years old, even thy estimation shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary. And if it be a female, then thy estimation shall be thirty shekels. And if it be from five years old even unto twenty years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels. And if it be from a month old even unto five years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male five shekels of silver, and for the female thy estimation shall be three shekels of silver. And if it be from sixty years old and above; if it be a male, then thy estimation shall be fifteen shekels, and for the female ten shekels.
What surprised me about this passage is that in every instance, a woman or girl's value was deemed less than a man or boy's value -- every single time. There are no exceptions whatsoever. You cannot read that passage and then immediately claim that God deems male and female of completely equal value.
Now I'm going to use two different words: value and worth. I'll use the word value to represent overall "worth", as in, the value of an object = how much the average person would pay for it. I'm going to use the word "worth" as something that surpasses value, as in, worth = how much money someone would pay for an object if it belonged to her great-great-grandmother.
The quoted passage is talking about economic value. We can use the example of guys in general just being physically stronger than girls, so that's why people tend to hire "a couple of guys" to do the heavy work. They are just generally stronger and more capable than women.
So what about the women? The bible does mention them as the "weaker partner". Allow me to propose the idea that although we have lesser "value" we actually have much more worth? Take a look at Ephesians 5:25-32: *
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
I think we are all familiar with the concept that marriage is an analogy of Christ and the Church. Husbands are instructed to give themselves up for their wives, even as Christ did so for the church. Wives are only asked to submit; they are not instructed to do for their husbands as Christ did for the church.
Now allow me to pose a question: Who is more valuable: Christ, or the church? Christ, of course! He is the head of the church! He is enthroned on high! But allow me to pose another question: Which has more worth (in the way that I am defining worth)? To Christ, we are worth more that His kingdom, more than His power, more than His life, and more than His death. He became sin for us, and because of His sacrifice showed us that in His eyes, we are worth all that. And now we are co-heirs with Christ. We were anything but worthy at first, but Christ's sacrifice has given us worth, and shown us our worth.
What I'm trying to say is that men and women are unequally equal. They are counterparts to each other. One has more value, as in economic value, and the other has more worth, as in being treasured beyond what money could buy. As people, they are equal.
God instilled within men a stronger drive to protect that which needs protection, and He instilled within women the desire to be protected and cherished. God placed within men a stronger desire to pursue, and He placed within women a stronger desire to have someone pursue her. It's literally a match made in heaven.
Women weren't drafted into previous world wars not because they weren't considered "good enough", but because they were considered to be so good that they were worth fighting for! Women weren't withheld from the workplace in order to chain them to their house; rather they were cherished so much that their fathers and husbands were willing to do the harder, more dangerous work that God has better suited them for.
Allow me to use one last example to illustrate my point: I am chronically ill and most likely will be all my life. I can't cook a meal, I can't drive, I can't hold down a job. What is my economic value? Zero. But what is my worth? My mother encourages me to call her even in the middle of the night if there is anything she can do for me, even after I call her three times a night. My father does everything he can to earn money to pay for going to doctors. My mother spends hours on the phone interviewing doctors to make sure I go to one that will help me. My father faithfully pushes my wheelchair up a very steep bank, and then even has to carry me, in my wheelchair, in order to get to the car -- every single time I go to and come back from the doctor's. They do that all for me.
How much am I worth? To them, I'm worth a lot -- a lot. I'm treasured, cherished, and protected, not despite my fragility, but rather because of it.
Do you still think women have the "short end of the stick"?
The previous post was written by Hiedi Mull who blogs at A Blessed Servant. Please visit her sight and let her know if you appreciate this! *Note: the author originally used the English Standard Version; it has been changed to the King James Version.
