Biblical Patriarchy

Patriarchy is God’s idea, but by no means can we confuse that with Western patriarchal traditions.

In the Bible Wisdom is portrayed as a woman. She would never seek to rule, but does invite every man to take her as his spouse. The scandal in those first few chapters of Proverbs is how she almost has to act like a prostitute because few men really want what she has to offer. Fundamental in the context is that never rules, but she is a helpmate who supports him in his mission and calling from God. She cannot make him hear God, but she can help him make sense of how to obey God.

To portray her as a goddess herself is serious blasphemy. Few things were more repulsive in the Old Testament than a female deity. The feminine nature is wholly incapable of ruling to good result. Paul explains it best: “Adam was formed first and then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman, because she was fully deceived, fell into transgression.” (1 Timothy 2:13-14 NET)

It’s not as if women cannot be spiritually enlightened; that was not the question. Women are not wired to make the ultimate decisions in morality. She is designed to be flexible so that she can serve on her husband’s team as he hears from God. If she senses a conflict, she never pushes her own demands. Never. It’s not a question of who is right and who is wrong on a particular issue. It’s a question of how the team will move forward on God’s moral imperatives. The two shall become one.

She knows she has no way separate from the marriage covenant and teamwork. That is, the man is wired to play the shepherd of God; the woman is to focus on motherhood as a role in the broadest terms. The man desperately needs her input, her perspective on building the nest. He needs to be reminded of why she does what she does, but he must get off his lazy duff, break away from his boyish self-occupation, and do the work of the shepherd.

European mythology portrays men as overgrown boys. They can range between excitable and childish to grouchy and self-centered, but it’s all a reflection of the man who never grew up. He simply became big enough to be dangerous. Virtually everything arising over the course of Western Civilization reflects the woman’s basic demand for a better nest. She uses the men to get it. Men are not natively interested in such things. Even the noble codes of honor reflect the feminine touch, the feminine concept of what men ought to do, be and want. She’ll pretend an interest in whatever the over-sized little boy pursues, but always with an eye to manipulating him.

So the first culture of what we think of as “civilization” was that of Cain, wholly materialistic. It’s not as if men can’t be hung up on stuff; they love their toys. But the type and shape of some stuff reflects a heavy interest in placating the peculiar nest-building instinct of women. In European culture, it always she who is serious, civilized, and morally superior. Her demands started with skin tents from Cain’s cattle raising, which also served to assert control over a richer food supply. It progressed to castles and political organization that raised the standard of living for a select few. These are not masculine pursuits, but men can be convinced this is all about their duty to “man up.”

Meanwhile, the shepherd culture of Seth and his kin leaves no mark on the earth. It is not characterized at all, but we gain a sense that Cainites really were driven to pursue stuff while Sethites simply used it. The materialistic drive to gain maximum control over the environment arises from a lack of trust in God, a badly broken relationship to His revelation. So, yes, Cain and his kin were inventors and innovators — movers and shakers — but Seth and his kin were otherworldly, calling on the name of the Lord.

Later in Scripture, when men are seized by God’s calling as shepherds, they are able to balance the materials demands of their wives and mothers while maintaining a faithful adherence to the moral imperatives of God. Men knew to evaluate everything in light of God’s demands and means for social stability. Women are not permitted to shepherd, to take up the ceremonial and religious roles of leadership. They are permitted to lead as senior mothers under the covering of their shepherd husbands. They can assist in leading in organizational matters in the church; every family needs a mother. The senior elder will always be a man, as she must always work under a moral covering.

This is not merely cultural; it is eternal in nature. Do things this way and God will pour out the blessings He promised from the very beginning. Defy it and everything you build will eventually wash away in the storms of His wrath.