TEACHING NOTES Introduction As we continue our series on important words in the Bible, today we’re going to talk about the family of God. Since it is also Mother’s Day, we’ll focus on how God uses mothers as a vital part of His mission to save the world. As we trace the concept of family through the Bible, it becomes clear that the family is the foundation of what God wants to accomplish in the world. ‌ Genesis 1:27–28 ESV 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” ‌ God created mankind = Here at the beginning of the story we learn what God wants. God wanted a human family. He already had a family of spiritual beings who He created before us (Job 38:4-7), who are called the “sons of God” though now we usually call them the angels. But God wanted a human family that could do something spiritual beings were not allowed to do--reproduce. ‌ Male and female = God wants this human family to reproduce itself and grow. This tells us that God wants a big family that continually increases. Why? Because more people experiencing the love of their Creator is better than less people experiencing the love of their Creator. God wants as many people as possible to experience His life, love, mercy, salvation, and presence. ‌ The image of God = God wants us to be like Him and reflect His character in the world. The Hebrew word for “image” here is צֶלֶם (ṣě·lěm), which is also the word for an idol or statue representation of God. This means we were created to be the representatives of God. ‌ God blessed them to rule = In the Bible, to be blessed is not about wealth but about purpose. God blessed humanity with a purpose to accomplish. We were created to be God’s co-workers in the family business. This gave humanity a special status among all creation. We’re meant to be God’s family, working and managing the family business. ‌ Family was God’s plan for the world from the beginning. ‌ Genesis 2:18 ESV 18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” ‌ Helper = Heb. עֵזֶר (ʿē·zěr) - deliverer, indispensable partner. The woman is not an assistant or helper or servant, but an equal partner in the mission. ‌ This word (ezer) is used 21 times in the Old Testament. Every occurence of this word is used of God as the deliverer of His people or of useless people who are being “no help” to others. See Ex. 18:4; Deut. 33:7; 33:26-27; 33:29; Ps. 20:1-2; 33:18-20; 121:1-2; 146:5-6. ‌ How was Eve a deliverer? Humanity was created to be God’s family and co-workers in His family business. This cannot be accomplished by Adam alone. Without Eve, Adam cannot reproduce and multiply to fill the earth with God’s goodness. New life can only occur through the union of man and woman. Even today, we refer to giving birth as “delivery.” ‌ Fit for him = This translation is misleading. In Hebrew the word for “fit” is neged, which means “corresponding to” or “counterpart.” This idea is that the woman is the equal counterpart of the man. The famous phrase “his better half” is an accurate way to understand this concept. ‌ God created a family to experience His love and work together to spread His light and goodness. ‌ As we know, the story begins well but quickly takes a bad turn. Adam and Eve disobey God and the consequences were death and destruction. God eventually chooses Abraham and Sarah to restart the family of God and bless the world. But Israel also becomes disobedient and chooses to dishonor the family. The family of God became fractured and the Father’s children needed to be saved and restored to the family. ‌ So, in the first century AD an angel of God comes to a lowly Jewish carpenter named Joseph who is betrothed to Mary and says... ‌ Matthew 1:20–21 ESV 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” ‌ He will save his people = The Greek word for “save” is sozo, which means “to deliver.” Just as Eve was created to be a “deliverer” for Adam (human), Mary became the mother of Jesus, who is the deliverer of humanity. ‌ Galatians 1:3–4 ESV 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, ‌ Deliver us = In Gen. 2:18, the woman was created to be a deliverer (ezer). In the New Testament, Mary becomes like a new Eve, who delivers the Deliverer. In Galatians, Paul tells us that Jesus is our deliverer. Jesus came to bring back what had been lost. ‌ From this present evil age = While most Gospel presentations today are focused on being delivered in the next life (heaven and hell), the Bible is focused on our deliverance from “this present evil age.” ‌ Being in the family of God is the only way to be delivered from evil. ‌ Galatians 6:9–10 NET 2nd ed. 9 So we must not grow weary in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who belong to the family of faith. ‌ Conclusion ‌Today we will end our time differently. Instead of worship and Communion, we’re going to pray for all of the women in our church family. We pray for the Holy Spirit to fill them and give them the strength to be who God has called them to be.