The Silence Of Adam

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It is just four words in the English Standard Version translation of a phrase in Genesis 3:6 and only one word in the original Hebrew: “...who was with her....” It seems innocuous enough at first glance. And yet, it is a powerful and revealing statement. I will explain.

In the larger context of Genesis and the rest of Scripture, it is clear that Adam was given a role in which he is to lead, protect, and help his wife to flourish. Consider:

• He was placed in a garden, in part, in order to “keep” it, which implies protecting it and those in it (Gen. 2:15).

 

• The woman was an equally prominent helper for Adam (Gen. 2:18), which not only means they were equal in value and significance, but also had different roles.

 

• Regarding these different roles, the fact that God created humans as male and female and then gave to them the general label of “man” (cf. Gen. 1:27; 5:1-2), strongly implies that the man had a leadership role to the woman and representative role for both before God. 

 

• In Ephesians 5:32 Paul affirms that from the very beginning of time God designed marriage in such a way that it provides a picture of the gospel, i.e. Jesus Christ and the Church. As a result, the husband is the “head” of the wife (Eph. 5:23: “For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.”). The word translated, “head” (kephalē) in that passage has been thoroughly studied in all its uses in the New Testament, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, and in the non-biblical literature of that time period, and it has been found that it speaks of authority and a sense of leadership. 

 

So, from the very beginning, the husband was to lead and protect his wife in a way in which she flourishes. This is the very opposite of standing by while she is tempted to disobey God and His wise ways, remaining silent, and not even trying to turn her away from a destructive and death-producing decision! 

 

It should also be noticed that rather than leading and fighting to protect her, he relinquished his leadership and followed her into sin. 

 

Husbands, God not only designed you to have a strong heart to make a difference in the world around you, as part of that, He gave you the responsibility to lead in your marriage. This is how marriages and families work best. 

 

Does this mean that husbands have more rights than wives? No!  It is more about responsibility. One pastor teaching on this subject explained that if a married couple is having problems and Jesus showed up at their house to help them, and the wife answers the door, Jesus would say, “___ (wife), Hi, it is good to see you. I want to talk to you a little later. But first, I want to visit with ___ (husband).” In other words, the husband has an even greater responsibility to set the Christ-like, God-glorifying, Spirit-led direction of the marriage. But of course, the wife is also a significant part of this as well!

 

In our next article we will see how the husband is to lead. For now, husbands need to hear, “Don’t be silent and passive like Adam!” This is something that tempts all men. Instead, we should follow the teaching of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, applying it to our marriage: “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.”

 

Joyously Following God’s Wisdom With You As Your Joyful Pastor,

 

Tom