God’s Design: Women
“God’s Design”
“Reclaiming God’s Design for Womanhood.”
The common thread: A faithful woman whose moral clarity and nurturing presence helped anchor the home.
Titus 2:3-5 (ESV) Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlling, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.
Somewhere along the way, we as a society had lost sight of a woman’s God-given identity—and the responsibilities that come with it.
For some women, it taught…
They’re the only competent adult in the home.
Men are a project or a problem.
It’s okay to manipulate a man.
He’s only there to meet her needs/wants.
Marriage is competitive.
Gentleness, kindness, and respect are signs of weakness.
A woman’s worth is tied to their appearance.
Sex can be used as a weapon to punish or reward.
Drama and gossip are normal.
For men, it taught…
Women are valued primarily for their appearance or sexual availability.
Women are critical and controlling.
Women aren’t a safe place and can’t be trusted.
He will never make his wife truly happy.
Marriage is full of unresolved conflict.
For children, it taught…
They are a burden rather than a gift.
Emotional safety with mom is rare.
Honor and respect are optional.
Home is a place to survive, not a place of formation.
Psalm 62:11-12 (NIV) One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving.
Genesis 2:24 (AMP) For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall be joined to his wife; and they shall become ONE flesh.
Genesis 2:18 (NASB) Then God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable to him.
Isaiah 54:5 (AMP) For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is His name…
At the core of every man, he needs…
1. A battle to fight
2. An adventure to live
3. A beauty to rescue
At the core of every woman, she needs…
1. To be fought for
2. An Adventure to share
3. A beauty to unveil
1. To be fought for
Proverbs 18:22 (NIV) He who finds a wife finds a good thing… ]
”Needless to say, the story doesn't go well. Adam fails; he fails Eve, and the rest of humanity. Let me ask you a question: Where is Adam, while the serpent is tempting Eve? He's standing right there: [Genesis 3:6] 'She also gave some to her husband, who was with her. Then he ate it, too.’ The Hebrew for ‘with her’ means right there, elbow to elbow. Adam isn't away in another part of the forest; he has no alibi. He is standing right there, watching the whole thing unravel. What does he do? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. He says not a word, doesn't lift a finger. He won't risk, he won't fight, and he won't rescue Eve. Our first father—the first real man—gave in to paralysis. He denied his very nature and went passive. And every man after him, every son of Adam, carries in his heart now the same failure. Every man repeats the sin of Adam, every day. We won't risk, we won't fight, and we won't rescue Eve. We truly are a chip off the old block.” —John Eldredge
Ephesians 5:25 (NKJV) Husbands, love [cherish] your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her.
Draw near to Me, and I will draw near to you. (Js. 4)
You will find Me when you seek Me with all of your heart. (Jer. 29)
I will put a desire in your heart to worship Me. (Jer. 32)
Seek the Lord while He may be found. (Is. 55)
You must love the Lord your God with all your heart. (Mt. 22)
Return to your first love. (Rev. 3)
Song of Solomon 1:2-10 (NLT) Kiss me and kiss me again, for your love is sweeter than wine. 3 How pleasing is your fragrance; your name is like the spreading fragrance of scented oils. No wonder all the young women love you! 4 Take me with you; come, let's run! The king has brought me into his bedroom. …8 If you don't know, O most beautiful woman... 9 You are as exciting, my darling, as a mare among Pharaoh's stallions. 10 How lovely are your cheeks; your earrings set them afire! How lovely is your neck, enhanced by a string of jewels.
2. An adventure to share
She wants to…
show her strengths
express her talents
step into her anointing
share her wisdom
feel valuable and appreciated
Song of Solomon 2:8-13 (NLT) “Ah, I hear my lover coming! He is leaping over the mountains, bounding over the hills. 9 My lover is like a swift gazelle or a young stag. Look, there he is behind the wall, looking through the window, peering into the room. 10 My lover said to me, "Rise up, my darling! Come away with me, my fair one! 11 Look, the winter is past, and the rains are over and gone. 12 The flowers are springing up, the season of singing birds has come, and the cooing of turtledoves fills the air. 13 The fig trees are forming young fruit, and the fragrant grapevines are blossoming. Rise up, my darling! Come away with me, my fair one!"
3. A beauty to unveil
Esther 2:12-14 (NLT) Before each young woman was taken to the king’s bed, she was given the prescribed twelve months of beauty treatments—six months with oil of myrrh, followed by six months with special perfumes and ointments. 13 When it was time for her to go to the king’s palace, she was given her choice of whatever clothing or jewelry she wanted to take from the harem. 14 That evening she was taken to the king’s private rooms, and…
Psalm 27:4 (NIV) One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may...gaze upon the beauty of the Lord.
Song of Solomon 4:9-11 (NLT) You have captured my heart, my treasure, my bride. You hold it hostage with one glance of your eyes, with a single jewel of your necklace. 10 Your love delights me, my treasure, my bride. Your love is better than wine, your perfume more fragrant than spices. 11 Your lips are as sweet as nectar, my bride. Honey and milk are under your tongue. Your clothes are scented like the cedars of Lebanon.
“But what about Eve...is it really all Adam's fault? No! Eve is deceived...and rather easily, as my friend Jan Meyers points out. In The Allure of Hope, Jan says, ‘Eve was convinced that God was withholding something from her.’ Not even the extravagance of Eden could convince her that God's heart is good. When Eve was deceived, the artistry of being a woman took a fateful dive into the barren places of control and loneliness. Now every daughter of Eve wants to control her surrounding, her relationships, her God. No longer is she vulnerable, now she will be grasping. No longer does she want simply to share in the adventure, now, she wants to control it. And as for her beauty, she either hides it in fear and anger, or she uses it to secure her place in the world. In our fear that no one will speak on our behalf or protect us or fight for us, we start to recreate both ourselves and our role in the story. We manipulate our surroundings so we don't feel so defenseless. Fallen Eve either becomes rigid or clingy. Put simply, Eve is no longer simply inviting. She is either hiding in busyness or demanding that Adam come through for her; usually, an odd combination of both.’”