God told the Israelites, as described in Exodus 34:23, that three times a year all of their males were to appear together before Him to receive instructions from Him. Yet when God told them to appear, He specifically called them out before the “Lord God, the God of Israel.” He called them to submit themselves to His complete authority.
If the men submitted, they were told that they, and those connected to them, would receive God’s covering, protection and provision. But they would receive this only if they positioned themselves under His absolute rule. So essential was this element of rulership that God used three of His names as a reminder. The Israelites were told to appear before the
- Lord (‘adown)
- God (Jehova)
- God of Israel (‘Elohim)
God was in charge, to the third power. In using three different names for himself, God emphasized His supreme authority over the men of the nation and their accountability to Him.
The same principle of God’s rulership that applied to the Israelites is no different from God’s rulership today. He is God — Lord God, God of Israel, master, supreme God, ruler and judge. A kingdom man, therefore, is one who places himself under God’s rulership and submits his life to the lordship of Jesus Christ. A kingdom man is a man who rules according to God’s rule.
Keep in mind, that to rule something does not refer to domination or illegitimate control. Humankind’s misuse of the term rule through dictatorships and abusive relationships has distorted the legitimate call on man to rule under God’s sovereign rule and according to His principles.
Created incomplete
When a kingdom man functions according to the principles and precepts of the kingdom, there will be order, authority and provision. When he doesn’t, he opens himself up, and opens up those connected to him, to a life of chaos.
A man who is spiritually connected to God carries out the rule of God through combining the spiritual with the physical. An essential component of integrating the spiritual aspect into the physical rulership is in possessing an accurate understanding of the divinely intended function between a man and a woman. Much of the confusion that surrounds marriages today stems from an inaccurate view of the nature of this relationship. When people read that God said it was not good for Adam to be alone, they frequently equate that to implying that God was assuaging Adam’s loneliness through creating a woman. They equate it essentially and simply to companionship.
Yet if it were only companionship that was missing, we would more likely be reading that Adam was the one saying it was not good for him to be alone. Rather, it was God who made the statement. Adam didn’t mention it at all. As well, the specific Hebrew words used to describe the woman as a helper made specifically for Adam do not refer in any form or manner to someone who has been designed just to remove loneliness. Rather, only one clear reason exists for God to say, “‘I will make him a helper fit for him” (Genesis 2:18), and that is because Adam obviously needed the help.
While Adam had been created perfectly, he had also been created incomplete. God created Adam in such a way that the task of carrying out dominion could not sufficiently be done without assistance. Adam alone could not pull off God’s design for his life. To advance into an even greater level of dominion, Adam needed help.
This is not to negate the value of companionship or that Eve met a need for companionship, but companionship was not God’s primary concern when He created a woman. God’s concern was in empowering the man and, as a result, empowering both to exercise rule.
Created for more
The Hebrew words that have been translated into helper suitable for him are important to examine because they are a lot more powerful than what we often give them credit for. These words are ezer and kenegdo. The word ezer occurs 21 times in the Old Testament, with only two of those times referring to a woman. The remaining usages refer specifically to help coming directly from God in a superior form. For example, “Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help [ezer] and our shield” (Psalm 33:20).
To distinguish ezer from every other use in the Old Testament, which referred to a stronger help brought about by God, the word kenegdo was added, which comes from neged meaning in front of or in sight of. This is also translated to mean a completion of or a counterpart to, as in a mate. Men, if your view of the woman you have married is simply someone who cooks, cleans your house, wipes noses and drives the kids to soccer practice, you have not just missed the spiritual component of the nature of a relationship between a man and a woman, you have misused that relationship — to your own detriment. If all you want is someone to do your chores, then I suggest you hire a maid. Because Eve was created for much more than that. Eve was created to provide, what a contextual understanding of the multiple uses of ezer informs us is, a strong help in the position of counterpart. Advancing in your destiny is a collaborative effort, men, if you want to advance well.
