Today, Lesley explains what it will mean for a wife to be her husband's helper.
One of the ways in which a wife will be her husband's helper involves children (but that’s another topic for another day). But in the context of Genesis 2 it is also to help in the task, the commission, the charge, that God has given him – to serve God in the garden, to guard and keep it – that is, to have responsible dominion over it.
That means that she will try to help him in his work – his responsible dominion in the world.
If her husband is a baker, she will take an interest in the bakery business, maybe help with researching new sources of ingredients, helping with the accounts, making sure his aprons and hats are white and ironed.
Now if her husband is a minister, what will her helping look like?
That's what we will explore next week.
5 comments:
I found this very interesting. If what you have said here is the case, then it seems that most christian marriages miss the mark! I don't know anyone who would expect a wife to help with her husbands work if he is in secular employment... would a banker's wife help him with the banking... would a miner's wife help carry the explosives... would a teacher's wife help with the marking... would a policeman's wife write out the tickets? In fact we would be horrified in some instances if the 'wife' was helping with his work.
Is this what 'responsible dominion' means? Or is a throw-back to times when work was in the home and the wife probably did help out with the work? Is 'ministry' one of the few professions now which takes place in the home... is this why the wife is expected to 'help' so much?
Rachael, in some sense you are right - our work in industrialised society is very much divorced from the home and family. But our partnership as husband and wife means that we will at least 'take an interest' in each others sphere of work. However it may be impossible to take it any further than that... eg the employer may not want any company business being discussed with those outside the company.
But I would think that running a small business or being on a farm together would be 2 examples of where the wife would be supportive in much more visible ways
And ministry is a sphere of work that touches many of the common areas of life and where both husband and wife are involved significantly... because it is church, the gathered people of God... not just a job.
I'm just trying to nut through what "responsible dominion" is, because whatever it is, is what we should be helping with, and this needs to be true of every marriage (because Genesis 2 is a framework for every marriage, not just ministry marriage or small business or farming).
You said that part of it (responsible dominion) was children. And I guess part of it is the 'work' that they do (whether it be baking or banking or ministry). But what is it? My understanding of what it is will surely affect how I help.
In the Genesis 1 account responsible dominion is seen in the context of fruitfulness ie 1:28. In Genesis 2, woman is created to help man in the task God has given him - she is the answer to his 'alone-ness', not his loneliness, and this involves primarily bearing and nurturing children (2:18-24). Christopher Ash develops this well in his book "Married For God". More 'gardeners' are needed to work and take care of the garden. But it is not just the work of plumbing or banking... but the work of proclaiming the gospel. So I think that responsible dominion in any marriage is a couple taking seriously the task of together raising godly children and as a family impacting their world for Christ, and handing on that passion to their children for another generation. Under that umbrella, together they will then support each other in their work in the world, whether it is banking or baking. In the case of ministry, the two become intertwined... which I think is where we get confused!
Hi Lesley, that's really helpful. Thanks.
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