What Did He Call Me?

Woman, `Ezer or Eve? What is your name?

Genesis 2:18, 21-23 –  And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man (‘adam) should be alone; I will make him an help meet (èzer) for him. 21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 22 And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man (‘adam), made he a woman (‘ishshah), and brought her unto the man (‘adam). 23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman (‘ishshah), because she was taken out of Man (‘iysh).

The more I travel on this journey of self-discovery, the more interesting gems I find. One such gem can be found in the account of the introduction of the woman to earth and her presentation to Adam. The account can be found in Genesis 2:18-23. Some interesting facts that are often overlooked are:

  1. When the woman opened her eyes and gained consciousness, the first thing (person) that she saw was God, her designer, builder, and maker.
  2. The next thing that she saw was the environment in which she was placed.
  3. The man, Adam, would follow next.
  4. She was not named by God, though defined by Him.
    – Naming was an assignment given to Adam by God. Just as God called/named the light Day, the darkness Night, the firmament Heaven, the dry land Earth, the gathering together of the waters Seas, he brought every beast of the field and every fowl of the air to Adam to name them. Genesis 2:19-20 told us that whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. So like God had done with all the living creatures in the Garden, he brought this newest living creation to Adam to be named.
  5. The woman was defined by God but named by Adam.
  6. Adam named her Woman. Woman was the word by which she would be addressed or referred to. Adam was looking for a help meet for him (Genesis 2:20). He was looking for an `ezer. But he did not name her `ezer, who she was. He named her based on her similarity to him – Woman – because she was bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh; because she was taken out of him.
  7. Throughout the Genesis account, she is called Woman up until the pronouncement of their punishment for eating of the forbidden tree. Just before God covers them and banishes them from the Garden, Adam changes her name from Woman to Eve, because she was the mother of all living (Genesis 3:20).
  8. The names that she was given – Woman/Eve – were all an expression of some aspect of who she was: Adam’s wife/counterpart and the mother of all living. However, none of the names encompassed the totality of who she was. None captured the fullness of her assignment. Throughout the ages, she has been called many things, but very rarely has she been called `ezer.

    Most of us women have, like the first Woman, accepted the names that we have been given, not realizing that each of those names were only partial expressions of who we truly are. Some of those names were erroneously given to us by people who saw us through blurred lenses. As such, we have been walking around with misrepresentations of who we truly are. Until we have an encounter with our designer, builder, and maker, we will never receive the revelation of who we really are.

    Jacob had such an encounter and such an experience. While he was growing in his mother Rebekah’s womb, God gave her a revelation of who he was – a nation. Genesis 25: 23 – And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of pe.ople shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. But the circumstances of his birth caused his name to be Jacob (supplanter, defrauder). Throughout his youth and adulthood, this image introduced by his name would color his life.

    Then one day he was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day (Genesis 32:24). Jacob was desperate for a change. He was desperate for a blessing. He was tired of the sensation of drowning under the weight of the image introduced by his name. His blessing came in the form of a question: What is your name? His answer was to give the name that he was given by man. His deliverance came when he accepted the name given him by God. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed (Genesis 32:28).

    No woman will ever know who she really is until she receives the answer to the question: What is YOUR name? Not what did your parents name you nor what are you called or known as, but What is YOUR name? What are you known as by God? What does God call you? 

    With the knowledge of your name comes the knowledge of your assignment, your purpose for being sent here on earth. With the knowledge of your name comes the understanding of who you are to affect change in the earth.

YOU ARE AN AGENT OF CHANGE on assignment from heaven to bring change to my world.

YOU ARE AN AMBASSADOR FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, and YOU HAVE AUTHORITY to command and affect change on earth.

YOU ARE EQUIPPED with power, gifts, and abilities to be successful in YOUR assignment.

BE WHO GOD SAYS YOU ARE.

DIG DEEPER:
1. Blog Post – Who Are You?