“Then the man said,
‘This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
because she was taken out of Man.’” (Genesis 2:23)
One of Adam’s authoritative roles as representative head of his garden home-temple is naming. There is authority exercised for good or ill in the act of naming. From the authority of parents in naming their own children to the prerogative of the oldest grandchild in deciding between Mimi or Grandma or Nana we see that there is a certain authority that is obviously attached to deciding a name. It is not the shipwright who names the vessel. It is its owner.
God gave Adam the task of naming all the animals. Genesis 2 tells us, “Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.” (Genesis 2:19) This naming rite is part of the dominion that Adam has been called to.
In verse 23, quoted above, Adam names Eve. She is Woman. In Hebrew, like in English, the two words are related. Man is “Ish,” and the woman is “Ishah.” She is his counterpart. This authority in naming her is a powerful implication of the authority that God has given to the man. That Adam named Eve is obvious on a cursory reading. That he named her twice is often missed.
Adam named her Woman, Hebrew “Ishah,” in Genesis 2. It isn’t until after the Fall that Adam gave his wife the name Eve. The first name is her name in relationship to Adam. The second name is her name in relationship to the focus of her curse, bearing offspring. She is the mother of all the living.
Adam’s authority is derivative of his headship, and he must exercise his authority, or he is disobedient. There are many ways that the man can sin in exercising authority over his wife; one of those ways is to not exercise authority over his wife at all. This is precisely what we see in chapter 3 when Eve is deceived by the Serpent. Adam was there with her in the garden, and yet he failed in his role as authoritative head. Adam’s failure is made evident in Eve’s sin. He should have led her in such a way that she could successfully resist the Serpent. He should have protected her from the Serpent. This, in yet another way, demonstrates Adam’s headship. Eve sinned. Eve bears guilt for her sin, but Adam is responsible for it. God does not ask Eve first about the couple’s rebellion. He asks Adam first, then Eve.
Men, how do you exercise authority over your household? How would your wife characterize your authority? Would she say that she is gently nurtured, loved, and led in righteousness, or would she say that she is merely held responsible when things go wrong?
In Christ Alone,
Pastor Charles
