8. The Curse on the Woman

God created Eve to be a helper. In the beginning, her relationship with Adam was perfect. He would lead and protect, she would help and nurture. In fact, the name “Eve” means “mother of all living.” Bearing and raising children would be the woman’s primary calling. She would live beautifully, displaying joyful and intelligent submission to Adam.

For a time, both parties delighted in their roles. But then came the fall. Eve was tempted by the serpent to disobey God, and, before long, she’d convince Adam to disobey with her. And so sin entered the world, and a curse distorted the delight Eve had in her role. The curse on the woman would target her primary roles as wife and mother, making them burdensome to her.

In Genesis 3:16 God says,

Now the beauty of childbirth would be heavily tainted by pain and joyful, intelligent submission would no longer come naturally to the woman.

Because of the curse, women lean toward one of two extremes: doormat or usurper.

Doormat

The woman who leans toward the doormat extreme isn’t fulfilling her role as helper. She is apathetic, expecting her husband to make decisions on his own without offering wisdom.

We see in Genesis that the woman was created to be an “ezer kenegdo”; in the original Hebrew words this means “helper suitable.” But she can’t be a suitable helper if she doesn’t apply herself, seeking after the Lord in the Scriptures so that she can invest in her family, complement her husband and allow her strengths to speak to his weaknesses. According to Proverbs 31:26, the godly woman “opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.” She isn’t afraid to use her intelligence for the good of her family.

Usurper

The woman who leans toward the usurper extreme views the title “helper” as inferior. She doesn’t respect her husband's headship, viewing submission as a result of the fall rather than a pre-established order that God called good.

This woman doesn’t understand the true meaning of the word “ezer” (helper). This word is actually used to describe God in Psalm 121:1-2:

If ezer is used to describe God, our helper, then we should be honored to have that same word used to describe our own role. It isn’t meant to be a begrudging or burdensome role, but one willingly embraced. Willingness beautifies the sacrifice and makes it joyful.

Our Hope

So is there hope for women? Can they be redeemed from the curse of sin that distorts their roles? Yes, there is hope for us through Jesus Christ.

We read about the redemption of the woman in 1 Timothy 2:13-15:

“She will be saved through childbearing.” How does this work? Does this mean that women who never bear children can’t be redeemed from the curse? No, I believe this passage is pointing to Jesus, who was born of a woman to redeem broken humanity and restore his creation back to its pre-curse state. Women will be saved because Christ was born to save all who trust in him and choose to embrace his design rather than the distortions of the curse.

Women aren’t captive to the curse because of Jesus Christ. They can live out their womanhood beautifully here and now by acknowledging that God’s design is best, even when it is not easy.

I love this quote from Elisabeth Elliot:

We may not be called to lead and provide. This is a limitation. But limits aren’t necessarily bad things; they’re ordained by God. Being kept from leadership frees us to devote ourselves wholly to our callings. We get to pour all our energy into helping, nurturing, and raising children to love Jesus. When we do this willingly, we experience a joy that beautifies our homes and benefits our families. This was God’s design from the beginning, and it is good.

Works Cited

Elliot, E. (2004). Let Me Be a Woman. Tyndale House Publishers.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), containing the Old and New Testaments. (2011). Crossway Books.