Rebekah Hargraves is the host of the Home and Hearth Podcast, which, up until recently, has always been mostly an interview-style podcast. Now, however, she is branching out into recording the seventh of her solo podcasts to talk today on the topic of God's beautiful "ezer" design for women and its implications for our understanding of Biblical womanhood.
What She Chats about in Today's Episode:
~The full definition of the Hebrew word "ezer" translated as "helper" in Genesis 2:18
~A survey of the OT Scriptures to discover the 21 times this word is used
~The definition of the Hebrew word "azer", the root word behind "ezer"
~A survey of the OT Scriptures to discover how "azer" is used; its full definition and meaning in the Word; what this all reveals to us about God's design for women and their God-given roles and responsibilities to come alongside men, partnering with them to subdue and take dominion
~The problem with both the "I am woman, hear me roar" concept as well as the "Women are subordinate to men" concept
~The wrong understanding of the word "helper" or "helpmeet" that we can come to if we follow the culture's teachings rather than the reality of the Hebrew meaning behind that word
~The warrior-nature of ezers; the way in which this Hebrew word is also used to refer to the mighty men of valor who fought in Israel's army
~3 characteristics of a Biblical helper:
*Being a helper is a position of great strength and valor (see Joshua 1:14, 10:, 1 Chronicles 5:20, 12:1, 21)
*Being a helper is a position of ministry and edification (1 Kings 14:26, 1 Chronicles 12:18, Job 29:12, Psalm 28:7, Psalm 37:40, Psalm 79:9, Isaiah 41:10)
*The New Testament position of Helper is what actually grows and sustains the church (see the Holy Spirit's role described in John 14:16, 26; 15:26, 16:7, 1 John 2:1)
~What the context of Genesis 2:18 (i.e. Genesis 1:27-28) reveals to us as to the mission and tasks associated with us being ezer helpers as women
~How the "ezer" role coincides with Paul's admonition to women to be "managers" and "guardians" of their homes and families
~The Victorian (not Biblical) idea that there are to be separate spheres for the sexes
~God's 'ezer' design for women as a design that all women everywhere can live out, whether they are married or single, childless or running a house full of children, young or old
~And more!
For full shownotes, head to www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com/podcast
115: God's Ezer Design for Women with Rebekah Hargraves (Solo Episode 7)