There is no doubt that when God created the man and the woman, He intended them together to “have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth” (Gen. 1:2626And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. (Genesis 1:26)). There is, however, an order in creation; the man was created first and then the woman, as being like the man and his helpmate. Paul also reminds us of this when he says, “Adam was first formed, then Eve” (1 Tim. 2:1313For Adam was first formed, then Eve. (1 Timothy 2:13)). The fact that the woman was taken out of the man shows that God intended man to be the head. Paul again confirms this when he says, “The man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man” (1 Cor. 11:8-98For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. 9Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man. (1 Corinthians 11:8‑9)). If the man took the place of headship simply because he wanted it and was strong enough to take it, he would have no more right to the position than the woman! But if God gave him that position, then he is responsible to take it and to fulfill his obligations before God.
God gave the man superior strength; in fact, it is rather interesting that in the lower creation, it is rare to find the female with less strength than the male. Only in the human species is this so. God also gave the man a totally different mental and emotional makeup; he is generally governed more by logic and less by intuition. In this way he was fitted to take his position of headship, leadership and responsibility in a number of different spheres — a position that God gave him.
God’s Greater Purposes
But in creating man, God ultimately had much greater purposes in mind — purposes from a past eternity. When God created man, it was in order that His Son, as man, might inherit all things. Thus we read, “What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that Thou visitest him? For Thou hast made Him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned Him with glory and honor” (Psa. 8:4-54What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? 5For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor. (Psalm 8:4‑5)). God has purposed that Christ, as man, will be head over all things. He will one day “gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him” (Eph. 1:1010That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: (Ephesians 1:10)). The whole Word of God is the revelation of how God will accomplish this ultimate purpose.
Thus we find that man was given the headship of creation. When the woman was created, she was to be his helpmate, with man as leader and head. When a household was formed, it was to the man that God looked for responsible guidance and direction for it. In the administration of society, in the workplace, or in the public worship of God, the man was given responsibility for supervision and regulation.
Man’s History
The whole history of mankind shows how poorly the man has functioned in this position. First of all, he failed in being near his wife when the devil tempted her. As a result, she was deceived and disobeyed God’s command. Although he was not deceived, the man then also disobeyed, so that both were guilty. Man has also failed in his position in marriage. For much of this world’s history, he has oppressed the woman, often treating her as little more than a chattel. This continues to go on in some parts of the world today, with physical and mental abuse being commonplace. In other parts of the world, notably Western Europe and North America, the man has, for the past forty years or so, tended to abdicate his place of leadership and is often content to assume a subservient role. The consequence has been that the woman has often tried to fill the vacuum, with disastrous results in family, home life and, ultimately, society.
While both men and women tend to be out of their proper places in much of the world today, surely God holds the man mainly responsible for this disorder. It is a principle with God that when there is disorder and confusion within any sphere of leadership and responsibility that He has set up, He looks to the head for the reason. Another has put it most aptly:
“I feel great difficulty and sorrow in looking around at all relationship — husbands, parents, and children, masters and servants, and friends; there are difficulties in them all, even in friendships. ... I believe that in every case where there is anything painful and wrong, we shall find that it is in the higher member the failure comes in first — that the first to look at is the one God puts forward as being responsible.”
Leadership and Headship
If men would take their place in leadership and headship and fulfill their duties in the fear of God, much of the trouble would be avoided. Of course, we must recognize that as long as we are living in a sinful world, nothing will be totally right until God sets it right. However, we are merely speaking about our responsibility before God. Paul could say to the Corinthians, “Quit you like men, be strong” (1 Cor. 16:1313Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. (1 Corinthians 16:13)), and while this verse was written to believers, the message is a good one for all men today. If men would go forward in strong and yet loving leadership, whether in marriage, in the home, in the workplace, and in administration, God’s order would be reestablished, and His blessing would rest upon them.
This likewise reflects on believers, who tend to be influenced by the attitude of the world around them. It is easy for young men today to relinquish their God-given role as leaders and to pursue selfish ends. Instead of working towards marriage and family life, they may lead somewhat disordered and aimless lives. This in turn causes the woman to adopt a wrong role, and everything is misplaced. Sad to say, Satan has been very adept at persuading many that all this is quite normal.
There is only one place where wisdom may be found, and the Word of God must be the only guide for the believer in all this. The wisdom of this world is generally the opposite of God’s wisdom, and as this world departs more and more from the principles of God’s Word, the believer must be prepared to stand out more and more as being different. But “wisdom is justified of all her children” (Luke 7:3535But wisdom is justified of all her children. (Luke 7:35)). The end results of following God’s wisdom will be His blessing upon us and a sense of His presence. The final result must be realized in eternity, but even down here, those who follow the wisdom of God will find that they will reap the benefits.
W. J. Prost