Patriarchy Profile- THE MAN Adam

 It is intentional that I have left some comments without reference, as I believe those interested should rather go to God's Word to find the truth rather than just having it fed to them. I have shared some references below, but these are by no means exhaustive. 

I challenge each one reading this article (which is targeted at men but profitable for all) to get into God's Word for yourself, and let the Holy Spirit show you the deep truths of His Word. This is part of being a man, and I hope to encourage that hunger for God's Word, yet if some need help I am willing so long as we are working together in this search for truth to obey for God's glory. 

As we consider Biblical patriarchy, and what we should learn from the men of Biblical history, we should take some time considering the example of the life of Adam, the first man on Earth. His name literally means "man", and I have enjoyed finding some pictures of the puzzle from God's Word.

Though Cain, Abel, and Seth are the only ones named, other children are recorded in Genesis 5:4 also as being fruit of this first marriage in history. We see from the Genesis account that Adam had other sons and daughters and that Adam lived 930 years. While we do not have more record of those children, one would wonder how many children one might have if they lives for over 900 years. Maybe Adam gave the Duggars a run for their money, maybe not. We just don't know. 

Adam and Eve had a marriage unlike any other in history. We can learn many good things from this first marriage and the physical parents of all mankind, but there are also some things that will be limited in scope as there is much silence also in the historical record. We know that Adam walked with God in the garden that was East of Eden. We know that Adam was a type of Jesus Christ in many ways and yet also failed in his calling from God and ultimately fell into sin even though he had firsthand knowledge of God's commands. What a variety of lessons we could learn from studying the life of Adam, but for now our focus will be on how Adam led his family.

Adam was formed first, and was given dominion over the animals. He was commissioned by God to name them and was told the boundaries of right and wrong in regards to the fruit of the trees in the garden. God had created this first man in the world, and then gave Adam a helper. We don't see the scope of what this role was in its entirety, but we see from many other passages that the woman's role was primarily not one of her own independence as Eve was literally created from Adam and as a suitable helper to him (Gen. 2:23). Eve was given a name by Adam, but we also see that she was known by Adam's name in God's sight (Gen.5:2) which would seem to be the practice by which we now see married women take the name of the husband.

The man is the spiritual head of the woman (1 Cor. 11:3-12; Eph.5:22-33; 1 Tim. 2:8-15) and given a great responsibility in the family, not lording it over those he leads, yet being firm in his convictions and living out the example of holiness for his family. While the Old Testament leaves some details unmentioned, we have lots of commentary on this first family in the New Testament. I encourage folks to consider the whole picture, and look up how often Adam is mentioned later on in the Bible.

As the Bible sums up Adam's history and genealogy, there is not much spoken concerning the parenting styles, discipline measures used, and so we are left to other men's lives to consider and need to continue looking if we are to find the pattern of Biblical patriarchy. Adam is not the poster child for parenting, as one son murdered the other, and Adam's weak leadership and protection of his wife allowed a serpent to deceive her and then join her in willful disobedience to God's clear and plain commands. When confronted, Adam blamed his wife (who he was responsible for) and in essence blamed God also, as it was God who gave the wife to him.

It appears that we will have to look a bit farther to find the perfect patriarch, husband and father. I am so glad that God didn't give up on the human race with the failure of the very first man. God's grace and mercy shine through in the failures of mankind, and it is through the victories and the defeats, the failures along with the successes that we see more clearly the complete picture of what God intended and allowed for marriage, parenting, and Biblical patriarchy. I am amazed at the mercy the Lord has shown to me in my failures, but more than anything, I am thankful for the perfect examples we see in God's own character on these topics.

Think for just a moment of some of the contrasts we find between Adam and God.

• Adam failed to protect his wife, whereas Christ paid the ultimate price and will protect His bride from the ultimate effects and even the presence of sin forever.
• Adam placed the blame on others for his faults, whereas Christ paid the debt for sin that was not His own. 
• Adam's sin brought death into the world and to all his progeny, whereas Christ died to keep sin from having power and dominion over His children. Christ provided life through death, and victory in seeming defeat.
• Adam's helper was deceived and fell into sin, whereas the Holy Spirit (Helper) is all wise and keeps us from sin.
• Adam had life breathed into his nostrils, whereas Christ is the Creator of life and gives eternal life to those who believe on Him.

I hope this short profile has helped you to see that even in human failure, we can see evidence of God's hand on a man's life. We see that in spite of the failures of man, God will accomplish His will, in His grace and mercy we get to be part of His plan for the world. While none of us live up completely to the fullness of God's character, we have many examples of the character of God through His dealings with mankind. Next up, we will look at a bit of the life of Noah to see what we can learn.

May we all seek the wisdom of the Lord and His strength to obey as we humbly accept the roles and responsibilities give to us by God. All glory to the Lord for the successes, and all glory to Him for His mercy as we falter along the way. One day, we shall see Him and we shall be like Him. What a glorious promise!