Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs
Through the weekly and daily devotionals you can be constantly encouraged in your great role of parenting, the highest career in the nation. You can also stay updated on what's happening with the Above Rubies ministry.
WHAT IS A WOMAN? SHE IS A MOTHER
We continue discovering the Bible words for the word women. Yesterday we talked about female. The next word God uses is woman in Genesis 2:23 which is the Hebrew word “ishshah.”Genesis 2:23: “And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called WOMAN, because she was taken out of man.” The woman was the only creation that was not created from the dust of the earth. She was brought forth and built from an existing creation.
And then a new word comes in the next verse, verse 24: “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his MOTHER, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh.”
The Hebrew word is “eym” and the Strong’s Concordance gives the meaning as “the bond of the family.” The amazing thing is that when God spoke these words, there was no mother to be seen. Adam had never seen a mother. He had never seen a woman before, let alone a mother give birth or suckle a babe. But God was establishing his plan of mother and father even before a mother and father existed. God was establishing and making known His plan for all generations.
We move on to Geneses 3:20: “And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the MOTHER of all living.” At the very beginning God pronounced His purpose and plan for women, that they would be mothers. They would be the nurturers, nourishers, guiders, and guarders of the family. They would reveal His nurturing and compassionate heart to the world. This is the ultimate profession He has spoken over our lives.
Other Hebrew commentators explain the two Hebrew pictures for the two syllables of mother: “Aleph” is the picture of an ox meaning “first and strength.” God the Father and Christ are both the “alpha and omega, the beginning and the end.” But in a lesser way, we are the source and the beginning of life. The syllable “mem” is a picture of waves of water. It can mean either lifegiving waters or destructive waters.”
Oh, that is so powerful. Another meaning of mother is “the source.” As women, we have such influence. We have the power to influence, not only our children, but society and the nation. As a mother we have the anointing to bring life-giving waters to the world. Or destructive waters. What kind of waters are we giving to the world?
Proverbs 14:1 says: “Every wise woman buildeth her house; but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.” We are either builders of our marriage, our families, and consequently the nation, or we have the power to destruct.
Ezekiel 21:21 is an interesting Scripture where the word mother is used again for the source, the origin. The NET translation talks of the king of Babylon being at the “fork (mother) in the road, at the head of two routes.” The Young’s Literal Translation says “at the head of the way, at the top of the two ways.” As mothers give birth to each child, they have the power to influence them in the ways of God or down the road to destruction—and consequently determine the destiny of the nation.
Yesterday, I mentioned Matthew 19:4 where Jesus refers to women as “suckling mothers.” This Greek word is used only one other time in the New Testament in Romans 1:26: “For this cause God gave them up until vile affections: for even their women (thelus) did change the natural use (or the natural function) into that which is against nature.”
We then go on to read in verse 24 that when men saw women turning away from the natural function of how God created them as women, that they also turned away from “the natural use of the women” to homosexuality. And now we not only have homosexuality condoned by the law of the land, but we are being overpowered by transgender.
The power and influence of women is nation-impacting for good or evil.
Let’s realize who we are. As we embrace our mothering and nurturing anointing, we become the godly influencers of the world.
So much more tomorrow,
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
Painting by Italian painter, Bruno Di Maio
