God’s Design for the Man
o Man as a Performance Being
— Man’s Design and The Results of the Fall
· To take responsibility for his needs and the needs of his family: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:6-10; 1 Timothy 5:8)
· As a performance being, he finds fulfilment in achieving success in what he does.
· As a performance being, failure is man’s greatest fear, leading to man’s inability to handle failure
— Failure leads men to denial and deflecting blame to others or their circumstances (Genesis 3:11-12)
— God’s purpose is to lead man to take responsibility for his failures. Rather than condemning him outright, God leads him gently through a process of admission first by asking leading questions (Genesis 3:11, 13; 4:6-7, 9-10)
· The judgment of the man after the Fall resulted in God cursing the ground and inflicting “painful toil” on the ground, in order to humble him. (Genesis 3:17-19)
God’s Design for the Woman
o Woman as a Relational Being
— Woman’s Design and the Results of the Fall
· To meet the man’s need for companionship and emotional support (‘ezer) (Genesis 2:20)
· To be loved and cherished by the man (Genesis 2:20-23; Deuteronomy 24:5; Ephesians 5:25)
· Her need for the affirmation of her worth can lead her to seek to control her husband in order to meet her emotional needs (Genesis 3:16b).
· The judgment of the woman after the Fall resulted in God cursing the womb and inflicting “painful toil” in the womb, in order to humble her. (Genesis 3:16; 1 Timothy 2:15)
Reflection and Application
In what ways does my understanding of gender differences help me appreciate my spouse more?
Now that I understand better the gender needs of my spouse, what steps should I take to help meet them?
What attitudes, habits and ways of relating to my spouse should I change in order to help meet his/her needs in ways that honor God?
What course of action will you take to follow God’s commands?
Ezra Renewal Ministries International 