The Bible says WOMEN are “weaker” than MEN….it is sooooo true!

The Bible says WOMEN are “weaker” than MEN….it is sooooo true!

God gives me messages or sermons or whatever you want to call them at any given time. Usually, it happens anytime I sit still for more than 5 minutes.  I have touched on this topic of women being weaker than men several times during a Sunday message or two over the years.

For whatever reason, since I am now doing these Facebook and website notes, He brought this to my attention while walking my dog tonight.  That of course, has nothing to do with the message, but I know some of you are curious about such things, so, well, there you have it. lol

WOMEN, THE “WEAKER” VESSEL

I thank God that he has emboldened me to never allow myself to be afraid to speak His word, even if it’s not a popular subject.

So here I am, on dangerous ground publicly calling today’s Independent Woman…weak.  I can see the manicures being filed into sharp points already, and I haven’t even gotten started yet. hehe

If you read this whole thing though, you might be surprised at how important an insight this is to understand. I pray you take the time to read this whole thing and seek God about it.

I have watched pastor’s fumble over this or try to read past real fast and sadly even SKIP this scripture, for fear of “upsetting” someone.

This is a disservice to the body of Christ, as we need to understand God’s full will in our lives in order to truly walk the path of our Destiny.

The scripture in question is:

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“Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.”

–1Pe 3:7

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Now I often use this verse to explain to married couples the importance of agreement in the relationship.  The Bible is clear that when husband and wife are on two different pages, their prayers often go unanswered.
This is largely due in part to the fact that God sees the “couple” as one person, and therefore will not answer the prayer of a double minded individual. (Genesis 2:24, James 1:5-8)

But, again, that’s not what this is about.  I want to focus on the “weaker” vessel portion, in a brief attempt to bring some clarity (and peace) to the body of Christ on this subject.

Non-believers and religious Christians have done a good job of furthering the incorrect propaganda that God is sexist and is about putting “women down”.  This is so far from the truth; it is actually the opposite of God’s heart.

Scriptures like this one are often taken out of context to further that misconception, and sadly, those that WANT to agree with it, don’t truly understand it and/or are scared of its implications.

I won’t sit here and try to smooth over God’s word with you. It means what it says. But let’s be clear on what it really says.

First off, this verse is not a barb or attack on women. In fact, it is a commission for men to be the best husbands they possibly can be.    As you know, Pastor Moe’s Rules of Bible Study state that the MOST important thing to remember is CONTEXT.

Looking at the context of this section of scripture, it is speaking directly to married couples, first the wife (especially those with unbelieving or non-walking husbands) and then to the husband, on how to treat his wife.

Notice it says “as unto the weaker vessel”.  In other words, to: “take care of in the way you would a weaker vessel”.

In America, we’ve got things twisted.  We think “strong” means “aggressive”. It does not.

We also think “meek” is equal to weak, and that weak means wimpy.  Again, neither is true.

The woman who doesn’t take any junk from anyone, is in your face, quick to tell you about yourself, and will give you a piece of her mind (opinion) is not strong. She is simply brash, aggressive and truly the definition of a weak woman without realizing it.

She is weak because she can not even control her own emotions.

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“He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.”

–Proverbs 25:28

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We see from the wisdom of proverbs, that one who can’t control their own spirit, is like a broke down and defenseless city.  So while she tries to come off as “strong”, she in reality is weak.

In fact, she is so weak; she is actually MORE vulnerable to be controlled.  So feisty to “not let anyone tell her what to do” she has fallen into a trap of Satan, and created the opposite effect she was going for.  I have found such “strong” women to be more susceptible to abusive relationships, emotional instability, substance abuse and depression.

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“And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.”

–James 3:6

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You ever experience someone whose tongue seemed to be on-fire from hell? lol.

If not, maybe it’s because it was your tongue! wink

So to clarify, a “strong” woman is not, someone like Wendy Williams or Roseanne, who have a lot to say, but do not say much of value.  A strong woman would be more like Mother Theresa, who silently endured, and consistently loved.

The woman, who is truly strong, exudes the virtues of a Christian that can only come from God’s Spirit.  Love, joy, peace, patience (that’s long suffering), meekness (gentleness or the power to control their strength), self control, etc. (You know them. If not see Galatians 5:22, 23).

A good picture of spiritual strength would be something like the one at the beginning of this article:

A tiger carrying a cub.

A full grown tiger’s jaws and teeth can snap bone in half, crush bodies and pierce through any thickness of living flesh.  It’s not a place any living thing normally wants to be.

If the TIGRESS, were indoctrinated by American culture, she would arbitrarily run around snapping tree trunks, crushing smaller females skulls and constantly bragging about how strong her jaws are to anyone who would care to listen (and even those who do NOT care to hear it.)

How silly would such a tigress be, to be so overtly and unnecessarily aggressive, even to her own young, just to prove a point and hide her insecurities?

But instead we see here, in nature, a picture of meekness.  Meekness is gentleness. It is tenderness, despite the awesomeness of power available.

How easily would a slight shake, or a little pressure, instantly kill the baby tiger cub? But instead, because of love, it exercises self-control and makes the decision to be gentle. She made a conscious decision to be soft; to be meek; to be weak.

If you think a tiger is weak for not showing how strong she is, go into her cage and challenge her to an arm wrestling match.

I will personally pay to fly you to the zoo or safari of your choice to display your strength to such a “weak” mother tiger. You just have to allow me to videotape and post your folly on youtube for the world to see.

Are tigers weak? Of course not, yet they are meek when appropriate.  Tigresses are strong women.  They attack when necessary, not simply to prove they are strong.  They don’t fight and argue and war, for the sake of doing it, because they are afraid someone will think they are no longer tigers.

The truly strong Christian woman, likewise, is the one who the so-called strong women of today laugh at and stays silent.

The “strong” women, ridicule her for being so weak, and letting people talk any kind of way to her.  When in reality, she smiles inwardly, because she has the confidence of knowing she is the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

She is not concerned with the REAL weak women who put on a false air of strength.  She knows they are so silly and busy bodied, they don’t even realize they HAVE a destiny, much less actually WALKING it.  The strong woman silently prays for such women, that they would come into their Identity in Christ, and not one modeled after Beyonce, Oprah Barbara Walters or Hillary Clinton.  Not that there is anything wrong with these women per se, its just they are not Jesus, who is to be our primary role-model.

The last laugh is had by this virtuous woman, who has a husband who is proud of her, and brags about her. Unlike the so-called “strong” women who have frustrated husbands who can’t get a word in edgewise, if they even have a husband.

Some women are already offended, at what they have read thus far, but think about this.  You wouldn’t get offended if the shoe did not fit.  So, if it does, then wear it, girl and simply work on letting Jesus fit you into a new pair.

I hope you see the difference.

Honestly though, in a way, I wanted to scare off some people with the above part, in the hopes they would stop reading the rest of this.  That they would go ahead and call me all kinds of names; a chauvinist, sexist, or whatever else and continue on in their ignorant folly. Those are what the bible calls scoffers, and they do not ever really learn anything.

I wanted to be as real as possible in this, so that real people would appreciate it. I know the REAL women will still be with me and see the next part, which is the most important part. I find what I discuss next, is the true beauty of this whole scripture.  Yes, I said beauty.

WHAT THE BIBLE MEANS BY A WEAKER VESSEL.

Here is a quick story that may help to illustrate the point before I explain it.
My mother used to sell something called Princess House when I was a kid. It’s a party plan like Mary Kay or Avon etc, and they sell lead crystal items.  All kinds of things like decanters, punch bowls, ash trays, dishes, vases etc.  She would throw parties, and invite women over, and sell the items.

One of the biggest items was glassware.  Every kind of glass you could image: wine glasses, shot glasses, drinking glasses, champagne glasses, formal glasses, etc.  She still has many to this day.

I can remember anytime we had to move, a whole day was dedicated to carefully wrapping each piece in newspaper, and then stuffing them in boxes full of newspaper, and then marking FRAGILE on the box in sharpie.

One day, at about 8 years old, I found out that lead crystal glasses have a very unique property.  If you wet the rim, and rub your finger around it, an audible tone is created.  The size and shape of the glass, and the amount of liquid in the glass determines the actual tone or note heard.

This was an irresistible characteristic to a child that comes from a musical family like me.

So, if you get around, I don’t know, say 30 or 40 different glasses, and filled each with varying levels of water around 2am and put them on the kitchen table…

Well, let’s just say if you are an only child like myself, you’ve got several hours of party time!

All you have to do is dip your fingers in the water, then run your them around the rim, and you get a beautiful tone.  The more glasses you, the more tones you can make. Ultimately, you could have a mini orchestra going.

Go ahead, pull a glass or two out of your cabinet and try it.  I will wait.

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Ok, now that your back, (I know you stopped to try it!) let’s continue.

OK so, I got into a lot of trouble for that.  First of all, imagine the mess of water I got EVERYWHERE.

But what was the real issue?

Princess house is EXPENSIVE.

One of the reasons is because it is considered “fine” glassware.  Just like fine china.  That word “fine” means delicate or fragile or…weak.

In other words, if I had taken out the plastic Tupperware, which is less expensive because they are more durable and “Stronger”, it would not have been AS big a deal. (I would still have gotten in trouble for dirtying up EVERY piece of Tupperware though.)

You can take a Tupperware bowl, toss it out the door, skip it over a puddle, and let it get run over by a car.  Simply, throw it in the dishwasher, and use it like normal.  They are Tonka Toy tough!

Now, similarly take a lead crystal plate, and simply let it accidentally hit the side of the cabinet a little too hard, and you just cracked or chipped it.  Not only is it now unsafe and worth less than before, but it is also damaged in its aesthetic beauty and its specified function.

You have to be careful with fine china and crystal. It is weaker than other items that are made similar and have similar function.

Princess house is not only a fragile crystal, it is also made with more care, often with elaborate decorations on them (and you can engrave them too).  I can remember my mom taking hours to simply put one initial on someone’s glass.  This extra care made them worth even more.

If you go back to the original Hebrew in Genesis, we see God “formed” man out of dust, but he “fashioned” woman.  This “fashioning” implies he took more time and care, like an artist does with an elaborate tapestry.

Women are more complex physically, spiritually and emotionally than men.  It’s a fact.

It is this complexity that makes them more fragile.  My wife will cry over other people’s problems much quicker than I do, even if it is the woe of a stranger or fictional character.  Emotionally she is more sensitive to change.  She is fine crystal.  Me, on the other hand, you can beat me with a baseball bat, and I might not cry.  I’m tough durable Tupperware.

I am good for the everyday rough-and-tumble, take-a-beating type situation.  When you need something strong, that already has some nicks and bruises, and can take a few more and still work, I’m your guy.

When you want elegance, class, sophistication and something sensitive to the environment – you know the kind of thing used on special occasions, you want my wife. She is “weaker” like that.

As a husband, I have to remember that simply saying the wrong words, or saying them too loud, can hurt my wife. She is weaker.  Just like when you eat on crystal, you can’t let your fork hit it too hard, else you damage it.

For some that’s silly.  Tupperware probably laughs at the crystal for not even being strong enough to withstand being put in a dishwasher.  At the same time, the Tupperware rarely finds out the pleasure of being washed, rinsed and dried by hand, and then put on display in a prominent place for all to see.
We totally treated Tupperware different than Princess House. Even the names are different in what is pictured before seeing the product. The different ways we would put food onto them, carry them around and even ate with, were totally opposite.

We kept Tupperware at the bottom of the sink and in the back of dark cabinets. We never served company on Tupperware.

There was a special china cabinet for our Princess House crystal and guest always got the “good dishes”.

In this verse, the word of God says to be mindful that women are more fragile, and also HONOR them as co-heirs to grace. Somehow the gist of the verse saying to HONOR women gets lost to a hypersensitivity to that word “weaker”.

This verse simply means women are on equal terms to Gods grace as men, but require a special, more sensitive handling.

Are women weaker than men?

Definitely, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

It is what makes them special, unique, fragile…and as the bible says, more precious than rubies.

Brothers, treat women as fine, delicate crystal.

Sisters, do NOT be afraid to be weak, meek, gentle and loving.  God fashioned you to be such a way.   Also do not let any man ever forget you are that way. Demand them to put you on display and handle you with care.

Pastor Maurice “Moe” Evans

Tampa Bay Christian Center

http://www.TampaBay.cc