Truth: how we value ourselves individually as women is directly related to our effectiveness as Daughters of the King. (Not to mention our well-being.)

After all, we cannot impart value if we do not believe we are valuable.

In Episode #11, I shared the Biblical truth of how Satan has a special hatred for women. And today, I’m going to show you, through Scripture, just how quickly he worked to devalue women - and how well he has kept this truth hidden. (Because I'm betting there's a few things in this episode that you've never heard before!)

Plus, I’ll cover why it's so important for us, as women, to reclaim our true value and how we can go about doing just that.

Show Notes:

• Intro

  • Alright! I gotta admit, I’m a bit excited about today’s message - which is going to build on the previous episode, Episode #11. And, in some ways, Episode #9 as well. So if you haven’t listened to Episode #11, I highly recommend doing so because it provides foundational context for where I’m going to today - which is taking what we learned and diving into a specific place of practical application in our daily lives as women.  

  • So first, let’s do a brief recap - so we’re all on the same page. And then we’ll build from there.

  • So in the previous episode, Episode #11, I shared some amazing, mind-blowing, Biblically-based knowledge that I had learned recently from reading the book Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge. Which is that while Satan is obviously not fond of males and females, or anything in God’s creation, he has a special hatred for women. 

  • The gist of it is this: that Satan, back when he was Lucifer, was an amazingly gorgeous and decked out angel. Check out Ezek 28: 12-14 and you’ll see exactly what I mean. Lucifer was adorned with jewels and gold - and he was gloriously beautiful.

  • But then pride entered his heart - and he fell from his position. He went from being an angel - to being highly focused on death and destruction. 

  • Within that, he became insanely jealous of us women. Why? Because we’re uniquely glorious and captivating and alluring … which we covered in Episode #9 when we talked about the real story about why God created women … and Satan no longer is. He lost his own captivating beauty when he fell. 

  • On top of which, as women, we’re also the bringers of life. Not just physically, but relationally and holistically - while, at the same time, Satan’s goal is death and destruction of as much of God’s creation as possible.

  • So, ladies … and I’m not saying this to scare you … but the reality is that we have a special target on our backs. Which, if we think about it, isn’t really a surprise. I don’t think it’s reaching to say that we’ve all personally felt that at some point. And beyond that, it’s clearly evident just by looking back throughout history. 

  • Women are specifically targeted in ways that men aren’t. Or at least, not that degree (in some cases). And we listed some of those in previous episode: sexual assault (including rape); being denied basic education; female babies being considered less desirable than males … all the things. I could list so many, right?

  • And as we discussed in Episode #11, when bad things happen to us, whatever they look like, we tend to think that they happened to us because we weren’t or aren’t enough somehow - or that we somehow deserved it. 

  • This is pure hogwash, plain and simple. But why do we think that?

  • Because the Enemy wants us to believe that we have no value; that we aren’t enough; when in fact we are immensely valuable. When, as we talked about in Episode #9, the real Biblical truth around the creation of Eve - and women in general - was that Eve was created to be irreplaceable. Which is the complete opposite of invaluable.

  • Friend, I want to pause here a second because this is highly, highly important. It’s so pivotal. I just said two very critical statements that deeply affect your life as a woman:

    • One, God created you with immense value. Irreplaceable value.

    • Two, the Enemy wants you to believe that you have little or no value. And because he hates us so much, he’s going to go after that goal with a vengeance. 

      • This can include him getting you to believe that with your thoughts and emotions.

      • And it can include how he orchestrates the people and systems and environment around us.

  • I’m going to dig into some scripture to validate those two points. And then I’m going to thread this back to Jesus - who is our source of empowerment and value. 

  • Because this isn’t a “doom and gloom” message. This isn’t about throwing up our hands and saying, “Well, Satan has a special hatred for me. I can’t win. What’s the point?”

  • The point is that truth sets us free. And I think for too many of us women, we haven’t been told the truth about who we really are. How many of you heard the story of Eve told the way I shared in Episode #9? Probably not a lot, right? But yet it’s so foundational to our identity.

  • And today’s focus is about understanding and protecting our God-given value. Not because we’re more valuable than men. But because our value is attacked so much more strongly because of this truth that Satan has a special hatred for us. And once we’re aware of that truth, we’re more informed and in a much better place to be the Daughters of the King that we’re called to be.

  • All that to say, this is about freedom and hope. Not hopelessness.

  • But first, let’s look at some scripture to better understand how quickly our value as women was attacked.

• How quickly women lose their value after Creation

  • So after I recorded the previous episode, my brain continued to process and churn away on this topic. And suddenly, it came to me to check in Genesis to see when the first mention of multiple wives occurs.

  • Because God created one woman for Adam, right? He created Eve. One husband per one wife. And yet, starting in Genesis, we begin to see the occurrence of multiple wives.

  • So I got out my Bible and looked. And, as it turns out, just six generations after Adam, in Genesis 4:19, we have the first mention of multiple wives. It says, “Lamech married two wives, Adah and Zillah.” (And by the way, Lamech wasn’t the most wonderful guy as the verses go on to show.)

  • Now, there are several key things we need to note here:

    • First, this means that within seven generations from creation, if we’re counting Adam, women have already been devalued. We’d gone from being an equal co-ruler to Adam; from being God’s pièce de résistance and Adam’s ezer kenegdo (his sustainer beside him - which is NOT the same as the helpmeet or helper so many of us have heard) to … not. 

      • Seven generations. In the history of the world, that means women have been devalued for about 99% of it. Seven generations is not that long when compared to the entirety of history.

    • Second, I think it’s important to note where this takes place in regards to the scripture around it. 

      • In the end of Genesis 3, God kicks Adam and Eve out of the Garden. 

      • At the beginning of Genesis 4, we have Eve giving birth to Cain and then Abel. And then the chapter continues with the story of Cain and Abel bringing their offerings to God. And we all know how this goes, right? God isn’t pleased with Cain’s offering because his heart isn’t in the right place. So Cain ends up murdering Abel, his own brother.

      • So at this point after Adam and Eve have left Eden, we have the recording of two major sins. One, Cain’s heart not being in the right place with God when he brought his offering. And then, two, Cain murdering his own brother.

      • Those are two pretty big events, right? And they’re the first recorded sins outside of the fall itself.

      • And then what’s next? Genesis 4 goes on to tell of how Cain was exiled by God - and went on to have a son named Enoch. And then, four generations after Enoch, came Lamech.

      • And in verse 4:19, it says, “Lamech married two wives, Adah and Zillah.”

    • In other words, we have this:

      • Cain’s heart not being in the right place when he presents God with his offering

      • Cain murdering Abel, his brother

      • And the next sin mentioned is Lamech having two wives

  • Let’s just pause on this for a second, ladies.

  • How many times have we heard the Cain and Abel story? In a Bible study, or Sunday School, or a sermon? Probably quite a few times right?

  • How many times have we heard a sermon on Genesis 4:19 - the first mention of multiple wives? Or on the multiple wives issue in general?

  • After the first murder in the Bible, we have the first instance of women being devalued. That’s the first big eye-opener. 

  • The second is that this is, to the best of my knowledge, hardly ever discussed. Despite the fact that it is a pivotal part of our identity as women and our history.

    • As I was writing this episode, I actually went onto Apple Podcasts and did a search for “Lamech” and “Genesis 4:19” and “Bible multiple wives.”

    • As vast as Apple podcasts is, I got maybe 4 results - total. And none of them were encouraging - especially for a woman.

    • One on hand, that seems insane. But on the other hand, totally believable.

  • I know it sounds like I’m rabbit-trailing for a second, but just hang with me for a minute. I promise this is coming full circle.

  • But I want to ask you a question - because I think it’s important. And because I’m honestly curious about the answer. Email me ‘cause I want to know.

  • Here’s my experience. And this was especially true as a young Christian. Because, as we know, numerous men in the Bible had multiple wives - such as Esau, Jacob, David, and even Solomon. 

  • And I remember, especially as a young Christian, listening to sermons that centered on these men - whether it was about their sin or things they’d done well ... and as a woman wanting to raise my hand to bring attention to the elephant in the room and be like, “Ummm...and what about them having multiple wives???”

  • Because, one, I couldn’t help but wonder: how did things go wrong so quickly for women in particular? I was like, “Why did God allow there to be this whole devaluing of women?” And now I know, it’s actually due to Satan’s special hatred for women. 

  • And, two, here I am as a woman, and a young Christian, being told how this book is the Word of God and it’s the living Bible and, yes, that’s true … and yes, the modern Church in the US isn’t into having men marry multiple wives or having concubines … but that’s in this book. So as a woman, I need to understand the why and how behind this whole issue in the Bible. Because it affects my identity. 

  • So my question to you, ladies - and again, please email me because I really want to know - is am I alone in that? Have any of you experienced that, too? Wondering about the multiple wives and concubines and being frustrated that the core issue is just ignored or glossed over?

  • In any event, to bring this full circle, this shows how badly Satan wants us to be devalued. There’s the sin of others, too, both men and women, that play a role in this - just like everything else.

  • But it’s truly as if Satan is doing everything he can to make us feel completely devalued and, along with that, weak, or at fault, or useless, etc.

  • Why? Again, like I reiterated at the beginning of this episode, Satan hates us because we are so beautiful and life-giving and powerful...and valuable. 

  • Including to man, right? God said: It wasn’t good for man to be alone. And then He created Eve - not as someone to keep house while Adam did all the ruling and adventuring. But as his co-ruler and ezer kenegdo - his sustainer beside him.

  • So it’s no surprise, then, that Satan wasted no time in attacking our value. That suddenly women aren't worthy of having one man, and the deep relationship that comes with that, all to ourselves. We’re just a possession; a pretty thing; someone to clean the tent and extend the male line. A man can have more than one of us. Because we’re no longer seen as that ezer kenegdo. Our value has been greatly diminished in culture’s eyes.

  • And here’s where I’m going with this, friends...

• How many ways does this still play out today, ladies? 

  • Even in our modern culture. How many ways does the culture, even the Church, tell us that our value is diminished? We don’t deserve equal pay. Our words are dismissed. We’re told we’re here to serve.

  • How many ways do we, ourselves, lose sight of our value? And believe that we don’t deserve it? That we did something wrong? That we need to be more? Blaming ourselves for things that happened because of other’s sin - or because Satan hates us especially.

  • For me personally, having this new knowledge...it’s made me (a) better understand my value in general as a woman and Daughter of the King, and (b) made me want to reclaim my value and protect it. Fiercely. 

  • Some of that is practical. Such as giving myself more self-love. More time to focus on what God created me to do and what I enjoy. More reveling in my God-given beauty despite how it measures up to the culture’s idea of beauty. More refusing to let someone or something make me feel as if I’m less valuable than I really am.

  • But the most important part of this comes down to the phrase in the title of this podcast: Jesus empowered.

  • Jesus defeated the Enemy by dying on the cross. That’s why we say in Christian circles that the war is won. We know the ending, right?

  • But what we need to keep in mind is that this also means we have our identity, authority, and freedom through Jesus too. Here. Now.

  • Satan may have a special hatred for us. He may be doing everything in his dark power to ensure we feel devalued. But he doesn’t control everything. He’s not the only power. We have God. We have Jesus. We have the Holy Spirit.

  • And when it comes to our value, ladies, we need to reclaim it like our lives depend on it. Like the end of the world is around the corner (though I’m not saying it is) … because our impact on the world, which Satan is trying to stop, depends on how we see our own value.

  • God already sees our value. And I think if we stop and listen and think on this a bit, we might be able to see some ways where He’s trying to show that value to us.

  • I know for me, in recent weeks, I’ve had a friend respond to my sharings about work with the words, “I think God wants to show you your value.” And initially, those words went right past me. If anything, I was like, “Why would God need to do that? I mean, I know He’s been raising my confidence and this is the first day job I’ve had where my value is actually recognized and rewarded…”  But it still kinda just zipped by me.

  • Now I understand better. God wants us to see our value. Jesus wants to empower us through our value. But it starts with us, ladies, first recognizing our true value; then owning that true value; and then protecting that value. Fiercely. As much as we can considering what we’re up against.

  • And we also need to protect it together. This also alludes back to the previous episode, but Satan loves to drive us to a place where we don’t open ourselves up to be vulnerable enough to have deep relationships - including with other women. And we need to stop that. Now. Today.

  • We need to come together in part so that we can empower each other - and remind one another of our value. And help each other protect it. And start larger conversations within the Church to its leaders and whoever will listen to about how women are not well-served in the Church. That is the one place where, ideally, we should be free to be who God created us to be. It should be where we’re taught about our identity from the pulpit - so both men and women can hear. Where we have an equal voice. Where we’re co-rulers. 

• Ok, I know I’ve given you a lot today. Heavy  stuff - but hopeful stuff. So ladies, I’ll end with this:

  • One, our value is immeasurable. It is. 

  • Two, Satan has a special hatred for us - which means he is all out to make us feel invaluable. (We saw this in Genesis. He wastes no time.)

  • Three, how we view our value - or, to say it another way, how much we value ourselves - affects not just our own well-being … but the impact we can make as Daughters of the King.

  • Four, Jesus is our empowerer. He’s the change between Genesis and today. Jesus values us so much that he died on the cross so that the Enemy would lose. And that we would have authority in Him.

  • Five, we need to lean on Jesus, our empowerer, to reclaim our value. We need to recognize it - with His help - and own it. And protect it as fiercely as we can - again, with His help. Because we can’t fight Satan on our own. But we have Jesus - and if we come together, we have each other to pray for one another and support each other.

  • And in the end, our value is worth fighting for.