What A Girl Wants Series

Not only did He minister to their physical needs, He addressed their spiritual needs: something unheard of in a day when only boys were allowed to be schooled. Remember His meeting with the woman at the well. He gave her as much or more attention in John 4 as He did to Nicodemus, a highly respected man and ruler among the Pharisees.

The point is that, throughout history, the bible has been used (wrongly) as an excuse to treat women as second-class citizens. This is clearly not true.

So, if men are not supposed to treat women as the dust beneath their feet, how does the Bible say they should be treated, and why?

[1. Protect Her with Your Strength]

Slide graphic: Soldier taking point leading a squad through the jungle

Slide text:

For the husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. (Ephesians 5:23a)

Before we talk about how women are designed to work, let’s take a moment to clear up a few misconceptions. Throughout history, women have often been second-class citizens, sometimes nothing more than property. A common morning prayer for a Jewish man has been “Thank you, God, for not making me a Gentile, a woman, or a slave.” This is NOT the role God intended for women. Sadly, the church has done little to correct this wrong, and in fact has often encouraged it through misinterpretations of a few key scriptures.

One of those scriptures is Ephesians 5:23, where Paul said that the husband was to be the “head” of the wife. This has often been interpreted by the English-speaking world to mean that the man is supposed to be in charge. The man makes all the decisions. He is the head, the brain of the relationship. How many of you have heard this verse spoken of in this way in our churches?

Let’s set this one straight – that’s not what this verse means. Not even close. Guys, if you go into a relationship with a woman with the understanding that your word is the final say on all decisions, the relationship is not going to last long. And it’s not going to be the relationship God intends between a man and a woman.

When Paul said in Ephesians that the man should be the “head,” he didn’t mean “Boss”. There are two Greek words that could be translated as “head”. One is “Arche”. It means to be the first in power and precedence. This word is found today in words like archangel, archbishop, and archenemy.

The second Greek word that can be translated as “head” is “Kephale”. This is the word Paul used in Ephesians. It means “one who prepares the way”.

Greek historians often used both words in the same text when describing a battle. “Arche” refers to the General of the Army who is responsible for giving orders from the rear of the battlefront. “Kephale” refers to the point man who is responsible for leading the patrol through the jungles. He doesn’t command the troops – he goes first, the place of danger. He is prepared to “take a bullet” for the rest of the team. His role is to protect the team while getting them to their destination.

I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none. (Ezekiel 22:30)