Ezer Rhymes with Razor

And that's where the metaphor ends because a razor is a tool; it cuts; it can be helpful or hurtful; it can bring relief or cause pain, but it's an object. And an ezer is a person, a human being, and not an object. More specifically, an ezer is a woman; any woman and all women are ezers by design. And if you're a woman, and you didn't know this before, then today is a banner day because you get to find out something wonderful about yourself. (Guy, you're welcome to lurk on this one, cause this is good news for you, too.)

Remember when you were a kid and you dressed up like Wonder Woman and you kicked the bad guy in the face and saved the world? Nah, me either. I rode my bike and played house. But pretend for a moment that you dressed up like Wonder Woman, kicked the bad guy in the face and saved the world. Well, guess what? You were being an ezer and you didn't even know it! 

Turns out that that lil Hebrew word in the opening story of creation (Genesis 2:18 for you Bible nerds), you know, where God says of Adam, "I will make a helper fit for him," turns out that word is EZER! You're excited, right? Right? Ok, maybe not if, like me, helper in this verse always sounded to you like getting to stay in and do the dishes while the other kids got to go out and play, or like getting to sew the costumes and paint the scenery while the other kids get to take center stage. 

But this is the deal. Ezer means Wonder Woman. Well, mostly. I'm pretty sure the crown and wrist thingys are optional (and don't even get me started on the bustier).

But, think about it. You've known for a long time that women are strong. And you've known that they get a whole lot done (albeit many times in the background). But maybe you didn't know that that's exactly how God created you! Not to (only) be stuck in the kitchen with the dishes, but also and often to be a powerful ally ruling alongside your brothers. 

I know, that "ruling" thing sounds so . . . so . . . unlady like. Rewind to Genesis I:27 & 28. God created human kind in His image (so cool!), and He created us male and female (also cool, right?) and then He told us, US, to fill the earth and subdue it, rule over it. So the picture here is of a partnership, all parties fully franchised, what Carolyn Custis James calls, the blessed alliance. Think not only Adam and Eve before the fall, but also Esther and Mordecai, Miriam and Aaron, Priscilla and Aquila.

As Mimi Haddad in "Why did God Create Woman" notes:

According to Genesis, the only cloud hanging over Eden was man without woman. "It is not good that the man should be alone, I will make him a helper as a partner" (Gen. 2:18, NRSV). What is the good or strong help that women offer? According to R. David Freedman, the Hebrew word used to describe woman’s help (ezer) arises from two Hebrew roots that mean "to rescue, to save," and "to be strong" (Archaeology Review (9 [1983]: 56-58). Ezer is found twenty-one times in the Old Testament. Of these references, fourteen are used for God and four for military rescue. Here is an example of ezer used for God's rescue of Israel:

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help [ezer] comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth (Ps. 121:1-2, TNIV).

Do you hear that? We are created to be powerful allies offering strong help, saving help to our brothers and sisters. Now how cool is that!
(Really, let me know. Cool?)

Welcome to All2Stand

As tempting as it is to settle into a comfortable easy chair, life's more vibrant and meaningful when we're learning and being challenged. Some of my old assumptions have been dislodged of late, and that's a good thing. While I'm not a relativist - some truths are ancient and immutable - the ways we think about them can be skewed, incomplete, immature, or encrusted in language that no longer communicates. But where do new viewpoints come from and how sturdy are they? What are other people thinking about issues I'm concerned with? How can I connect with them? Consider All2Stand a place to check in for ideas and resources and questions about the intersection of the Christian faith and personal integrity in the here and now.  

To help orient you, here's some of my background.

I grew up the second of five kids. Counting out the chocolate chip cookies, "one for you, one for me," is pretty ingrained in me. So is "Share" and "Wait your turn" and "Look after your sisters."

I have two speeds, fast and really slow, really slow being the dominant one until I get fired up over something, and then fast is never fast enough. I think too much (but not always well), and I take myself too seriously except when I don't take myself seriously enough. 

When I was four, I came home from Vacation Bible School and told my mom that I no longer had a heart. She asked the appropriate question, and I explained that I no longer had a heart because I'd given mine to Jesus. Thankfully, I find that Jesus honors these small gifts. 

When I was 15, Christ challenged me to a more adult commitment. Nine months later my brother died in an automobile accident. In the hours between the accident and his death, I passionately asked God to save his life and his soul. I don't know the status of my brother's soul, but with his physical death, I learned that God is God and sometimes he says, "No." Even when we’re not selfish and what we ask for is a good thing. And I learned to trust him because he was near me and loved me even in his "No." This is one of the strongest pieces of evidence I have that faith is a gift of God. 

So yes, I'm a Christ follower, but because of this experience or perhaps simply because of my nature, I am suspicious of platitudes. Yet I’m horrified too often to hear them wafting off my own lips. It’s what we do when we want life tied up in a neat bundle. But life is far from a neat bundle, and if we insist on one, we cheat ourselves.  

A number of years ago, I worked as an advocate for abused and neglected children in our community. Honestly, part of my motivation was to see that God could work in some of the darkest places, that he could be real there. I think that impulse still lurks along the fringes of my life. That’s part of the rationale for this blog.

My hope is that All2Stand can be a place to ask questions, to find resources, to explore, to unsettle complacency (mine as much as yours), to flush out those flimsy platitudes and find the rock bottom places where we can firmly plant our feet and “having done all, to stand.”

Other things you might want to know about me:  I’ve been married for almost 36 years, and we have a son and a daughter, both married. Each one is a mystery and a delight and a challenge and a wonder. I love them with all my heart. I’ve lost my parents, one to Alzheimer’s and the other to cancer. My in-laws exhibit an amazing longevity and remain active in their late 80s. I’ve been a stay-at-home mom, a middle school teacher, a college instructor, a community and church volunteer. I exercise because I have to and read because I love to. I think ideas are wonderful and that what we believe matters.