Some Women Will Hate This

Numbers 30:2–5 (ESV) If a man vows a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth. 3 “If a woman vows a vow to the Lord and binds herself by a pledge, while within her father’s house in her youth, 4 and her father hears of her vow and of her pledge by which she has bound herself and says nothing to her, then all her vows shall stand, and every pledge by which she has bound herself shall stand. 5 But if her father opposes her on the day that he hears of it, no vow of hers, no pledge by which she has bound herself shall stand. And the Lord will forgive her, because her father opposed her.

I admit, when I read Numbers 30 there's a squeamish part of me that flares up. After all, are not all people equal in the eyes of God? How is it then, that a man can make a vow or take an oath for himself, but a woman (either living single in her father's house or married to her husband) are subjected in their vows/oaths to the authority of the men in their lives? (Read the whole chapter before you read on.)

You see, the problem is not the Bible, the problem is me and my culture. I live in the "progressive" West. We have experienced the power of "freedom" for all. The woman has been liberated. Now antiquated concepts such as male authority or accountability in the home has been cast aside for liberating notions of progress. 

Or so we think. 

In our progressive society where women are considered free to be equal, the evidence that such a movement is beneficial to women is hardly substantial. Consider the mammoth proportions of pornography where women are basically sex trafficked as objects. Consider the rise in divorce, in fatherless children, in cohabitation. Consider that more children are born to unwed mothers today than married women. Consider the cultural epidemics that all have their root in a father-less home. 

It seems we wanted badly to disembowel men in the home and they have acquiesced accordingly. Men now occupy their time with porn and video games while women are objectified and uncommitted to at alarming rates. Progress? You can decide. I don't think so. 

God is preparing His people for the land of Promise in Numbers 30. He is laying down some concepts that make for a strong society. In a strong society, men are revered in the home and maintain authority. Fathers have authority over their children and wives. This is not to subjugate and degrade women. No. This is for their protection and covering. Adam vacated his responsibility in the garden. He failed to properly guide Eve, and ever since God has been seeking a man who will cover his bride with his righteousness. The people of Israel are called here to show the world that a strong society is built with empowered men. 

This does not mean women are less valuable than men. They are equal in value and worth in the eyes of God from Genesis 1-2. This DOES mean in the home there are authority structures God wants His people to honor. Position and value are not synonymous. And there are things a woman can do that a man cannot. But there are roles God has called the home to guard. And when a culture does not do so, it suffers a slow painful demise. 

About a century ago, a British anthropologist named J. D. Unwin published a study of 100s of cultures throughout history. His findings proved time and again that strong, growing and developing cultures had strong male roles in the home. The good for society was monumental when Fathers are honored and men are respected. 

Turn on a Television show in America today and you get super-mom making sure dufus-dad doesn't screw everything up again. It's getting tired and old, and men have turned it off and switched on the Playstation to shoot pixelated enemies. Perhaps it's time to take out the real enemy - a disempowered male construct - and see God bless our society once again. 

What do we have in Christ? We have the true and better Adam who leads His bride in perfect righteousness and speaks for us before the Lord when we make a rushed decision. He has covered us in His blood and saved us from ourselves. He has also given men an example to follow that women truly want to see. A man who selflessly leads with strength, dignity and character.