This year, as we celebrate Women’s Day again in honour of all the women who have had a significant impact on our lives and helped us reach where we are, I would want to utilize the creation story to remind you of how highly God himself regards women.
To stress how highly God values women, the bible teaches us in Genesis 1:27 that women, just like men, were created in the image of God. Men did not get more of God’s image than the women. So, the Bible starts with the idea that men and women are equal. As people and spiritual beings standing before God, men and women are fully equal.
Furthermore, creation was not complete until God created Eve.
It is also fascinating to recall that God created the animals by just speaking. Then he created man from the dust and breathed life into him. But when it came to the creation of Eve, God took even more care and was totally involved in the process. Instead of making the woman out of dust, God used something more valuable: the rib of man.
In Genesis 2:21–22, the Bible says the following about how God made the woman: “The man fell into a deep sleep, and while he was sleeping, the Lord God took one of his ribs and replaced it with flesh. And [from] the rib, which the Lord God had taken from the man, he made a woman and gave her to the man.”
In the latter portion of Genesis 1:22, it is vital to observe that after creating the woman, God “brought her to the man.” And in so doing, God made the woman to look very special because among all the creation, she is the only one that God personally introduced.
In light of the fact that God himself places a high value on women, we, as humans formed in God’s image, should exhibit the same respect for women. God does not oppress, undermine, or despise women and neither should we.
Happy International Women’s Day!
