I’m back from my trip and have recuperated from following my granddaughter-athlete up and down the streets of Vancouver. I am happy to be stationary in my comfy computer chair, ready to begin blogging in earnest.
Not wanting to waste your time or mine, I am starting with a big serving of meat in the form of these words which were spoken by God to the devil at the opening of the Bible:
So the LORD God said to the snake: “Because of what you have done, you will be the only animal to suffer this curse—For as long as you live, you will crawl on your stomach and eat dirt.
You and this woman will hate each other; your descendants and hers will always be enemies. One of hers will strike you on the head, and you will strike him on the heel.” (Gen. 3:14-15, CEV)
In this statement, God provides us with one of the biggest clues to His view of woman and His vital purpose for her … I like the Contemporary English translation (CEV) of these verses for its simplicity and clarity, except for its use of the word “hate” instead of the word, “enmity,” which most translations use. Enmity is a stronger word than hate and refers to the state or feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something.
The enmity that God put in place between 1) the first woman and all her offspring, and 2) the devil and all His offspring is what lies at the root of every conflict that has taken place, or will take place, on this earth. Women, in particular, must firmly lay hold of this heavenly perspective and not let it slip from view, so they can be effective in fulfilling God’s purpose for them.
In the 18th century, the ancient Genesis-root of earth’s conflicts began to be aggressively covered over by the devil through his instigation of what the German philosopher, Immanuel Kant ( 1724–1804), called the “Age of Enlightenment.” Kant’s phrase described a period in history where the “modern” world with its burgeoning supply of scientific discoveries pushed with force to refute and remove (from man’s thought) belief in God and a biblically-based worldview—something which the “enlightened” labeled as superstition—as if God and science were mutually exclusive.
The devil’s enmity fueled the encroachment of stifling darkness, which ironically was called “enlightenment.” Through it, he began also to erase from people’s minds thoughts of his own existence. This was best for thwarting the possibility of their engaging in spiritual warfare against him. I wrote about this kind of enmity-inspired darkness in the following excerpt from A Woman of Chayil: Far Above Rubies:
So I leave you with this food (meat) for thought until my next installment. Happy to hear your thoughts about it.
Jane Carole Anderson
As I read chapter one of A Woman of Chayil I am encouraged by your statement that “Christ has set women free from oppressive, devil-produced cultural norms. He has set them free to obey Him and follow Him, just as He has set men free to do likewise. Each woman is accountable directly to Christ and has not been put in a position of forced submission to an authoritarian male intermediary. “ Wow — how refreshing it is to read this and I look forward to the biblical support you say I will read in the coming chapters.
Hello Jane,
I have received your book, A Woman of Chayil, and have been struck by the colorful cover. What a good portrayal of a strong woman standing with the full armor of God. Hooray! Seems like the illustrations I have always seen are of what looks like a male gladiator type. How good to see this woman standing with her God-given armor. I look forward to reading and learning about my role as a redeemed woman on this earth to stand against the wiles of the defeated foe and welcome the Lord’s return.
I like the picture, too: a strong, courageous and free woman in Christ. I’d be happy to hear some of your thoughts (and/or questions) as you read the book…