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Woman and the Earthly Calling.
By "the Earthly Calling" is meant, that calling of God which deals with the peoples
whose hope is earthly in sphere, Israel holding the first place. Such a calling is revealed
in the greater part of Scripture (the whole of the O.T. plus all the New with the exception
of Paul's post-Acts 28: epistles, viz., Eph., Phil., Col., I & II Tim., Titus and
Philemon). How relevant the calling of Womanhood in this Earthly Calling is to the
present Heavenly purpose of God, must be given consideration.
Having noted the basic reason for the original creation of woman, "on account of the
man", "as a help meet for him", consider now the first command given to man and
woman as a pair.
"And God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth . . . . ."
(Gen. 1: 28).
The words "fruitful . . . . . multiply . . . . . replenish" refer to the production of a seed.
Both male and female are involved in this of course, but the burden obviously falls upon
the woman, insofar that she is the one who conceives, carries, bring forth, suckles and
protects the child in its early years. A large part of her special calling therefore involves
her in motherhood. This is also appreciated from Gen. 3: 20:
"And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living."
"Eve" means life or life-spring, and she was named by Adam in connection with her
special calling of being a spring of life--motherhood.
The name "Adam" similarly conveyed a truth (remembering that the Hebrew adam is
many times used of a human being, whether male or female--cp. Gen. 1: 26, 27 "man").
Deriving from the word damah (see An Alphabetical Analysis, Part 1, page 36 by
Charles H. Welch).
It was a reminder that man was made "in the likeness of God"
(Gen. 1: 26; 5: 1).
Referring again to Eve, it is also noted that when she is judged by the Lord after the
fall, her particular punishment (which was not arbitrary) referred yet again to this special
calling:
"I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring
forth children . . . . ." (Gen. 3: 16).
Even the wonderful promise given to woman in I Tim. 2: 15 (written, it may be
noted, after Acts 28:) points in the same direction.
"She shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and love and holiness
with sobriety."
In the Earthly Calling, where Israel predominated, the production of a seed was of
prime importance. Israel was to be a great nation, and that greatness included
amongst other things, numerical strength (Gen. 12: 2; 13: 16; 22: 17; Exodus 1: 7-9;