Balaam and the new wife

I started out noticing Balaam from today's reading. He had been mentioned earlier, but today's reading validated the vilification of Balaam (not spelled Baalam) via Deuteronomy (not spelled Deuteronomony, as my fingers insist) in 23:4-5. It remains a point that bears bringing up multiple times, if only because it is mentioned and referenced at least five times in scripture ... something that doesn't happen nearly as much for the majority of scripture.

Then, on a more sobering note, Deuteronomy 24:5 is interesting:

When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any business: but he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife which he hath taken

Imagine if our society reinforced this - not through litigation, but through societal influence. Imagine if men were required to be free, for a whole year, at the beginning of their marriage. You wouldn't have men running off to war as a newlywed (and likely heavily distracted, wanting to be back home with their new wife) or rushing off to marry as part of a new job opportunity.

You wouldn't have stay-at-home dads earning a living via internet marketing or real estate or anything else that allows someone to be at home making business decisions - you would have men setting aside a significant portion of their early life getting ready to marry, so that the first year of their new married life could focus exclusively on getting to know their new wives better, to give assurance to their new wife that they mean to support them, and it would clearly be a huge blessing to both man and wife.

Our society currently gives tax breaks and minimal societal reinforcement to bind people together in holy matrimony, predominantly reinforcing the following:

• "In the future" people should get married, but not "now"


• Don't prepare for or make big decisions until the deciding is thrust upon you.


• Only short-term decisions matter, so most of your training will come from there.


• Most of the decisions you will have to make won't have long-term consequences.


• And if all else fails, remember these two rules:
  
      Don't get caught
  
      The one who has the gold makes the rules.

These lessons are taught, religiously, through television, radio, movie, and peer, and the result is a lack of spiritual development (or concern), dissonance between planning and execution, a nearly complete lack of personal accountability, and an abstract appreciation for suffering that dehumanizes the entire process.

So what do we do? What can YOU do, as a faithful believer in Jesus?

• Pray
  Pray for legislative bodies to truly seek God's guidance, to have the patience of Job when things look tough, and the wisdom of Solomon when things look easy - so that the laws that are put into practice are literally wise, instead of relatively wise. Pray also daily, connecting with God through regular and intentional connection with Him.


• Read
  Read scripture for examples of how people in the faith survived under tyrannical rule and what acts they took. We don't live in a monarchy, but the tools are still effective. In fact, if people were to put into practice the premises in scripture, the world could change overnight.


• Act
  Witness to those around you, whether in your place of work or on street corner, or your peers. Witness through actively engaging them. Be an amazing witness through the living and doing of the Word and witness through bearing the fruit of faith.


• Love
  Of all the things Jesus is known for the one that is most written about, and least understood, is the complete and utter love He had for everyone around him - try modeling your whole life after His standard and see your life change as a result.

If you would, please comment on this post, sharing in exactly what ways you've consciously chosen to change (no matter how small) and a running observation of how those changes have borne fruit. In other words, in addition to the above four points, I challenge you to give me a praise report.

Uniquely Suited to Complement; not Compete

One of the issues I've had to contend with in the Bible is the role of women.

Now, before I am decried as a feminist and alpha female (which I'm not), let me explain where I'm coming from. Throughout the Bible, I have noticed God's penchant to put men in a position of authority and leadership... not the woman. Additionally, there are many verses which apply to firstborns being specially chosen by God, but they tend to be male firstborns... and that's a completely different subject which I may or may not ever get into.

The motif I'm trying to get at here is my initial responses to God's choice of men over women for authority and leadership purposes and the consequent delineation between men and women's roles. To be perfectly clear, I don't believe this elevation of man to his rightful position of authority is unjust or a denigration of women by God; in fact, I believe God has a very high opinion and respect of women throughout the Bible as can be noted from the responsibilities He has placed on the women.

A woman's responsibilities may not seem as important or as demanding or as stressful as a man's responsibilities, but I would argue that the woman often has a harder lot in life then the man if she is to do things according to God's standards.

The argument by women in today's society is that men don't do anything so they must. This has led to a militant force of women sweeping the globe and infiltrating even the most discriminatory fields and areas of life, business, military, etc. Since man is not being a man, woman must fill his place. Women complain about how men lack initiative, drive, focus, responsibility; how they live their lives in complacency, seemingly spineless, lackluster creatures - which drives the woman insane.

Women have a tendency to see something that needs to be done or a problem that needs to be solved and if the man doesn't do it, obviously the woman must. It is here that women make the most terrible mistake of all; the mistake of impatience and usurpation of the man's role in society.

God made men to be leaders and to be the heads of whatever body they are leading. Their rule begins with their family and moves up from there: work groups, companies, governments, states, countries. The man has been uniquely equipped to rule and to be in command. However, their ability to be men seems directly linked to the amount of respect, honor, and deference women show to them.

Men need to be given a chance to be the leaders they were created to be.

And this is where the woman must realize when to step aside. It may take the man longer to realize what the problem is, it may take him longer to take any action. If a woman immediately throws herself into the problem and attempts to solve it herself, she removes the necessity for the man to do anything at all. Because of the intensity that arises from a woman trying to do a man's work, it is often more convenient for the man just to stay out of the way.

Result: a society of women who are frazzled beyond all belief as they try to juggle their responsibilities as mother and homemaker with the man's responsibilities of leadership and provision. On the other side is a society of men whose masculinity has been trampled by a stampede of high heels and a flurry of impatience and disrespect, leading them to a life as a target of disdain and disgust - why bother?

It is my belief that if women would stand down and suppress the frequently overwhelming desire to DO something, men would move forward to fill the gaps. If women would stop despising men and focusing on what they don't do and start showing respect and deference for the laudable things they DO do, men would blossom and begin to reclaim their manhood. If women would expect men to be men and to take charge and not only wait for them to do so, but encourage them as they moved toward that goal, the blood of manhood would once again run through their veins.

I believe women have a much more difficult role in life... we are to be supportive and respectful.

This can be one of the hardest things a woman can ever do; to stand back and wait for the man to fill the gap he was uniquely created to fill. This is not a wimpy role, it does not detract from womanhood to do this. In fact, I believe it will elevate men's opinion of woman and instead of seeing and treating her as a poorly-behaved man, he will begin to see and treat her as a woman - completely different from him, yet uniquely suited to complement, not compete, with him throughout life.

It is time for women to stand down and allow men to stand up... they will if we let them.