“Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.” (Prov 31:25) “Jesus answered them, ‘Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh”? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.’ ” (Matt 19:4-6)

Scripture doesn’t tell us much about Eve other than her creation and her sin. “The unique method of Eve’s creation is deliberately emphasized in order to remind us of several crucial truths about womanhood in general. First, it speaks of Eve’s fundamental equality with Adam. It is an equality in character. The valiant woman of Proverbs has strong arms (31:17), but her most obvious strength is in the fact that ‘she laughs at the time to come’ (vs.25). A woman laughing at the time to come is not a woman who is looking at her biceps as her source of security. She knows anything could happen to take her physical strength from her at any moment. A godly woman displays a gentle and quiet spirit in a body intentionally designed to be physically weaker than a man. (1 Pet 3:4, vs.7) And yet she is steadfastly fearless. (1 Pet 3:6). This is, of course, all contrary to Hollywood action films which portray ‘super’ women who are able to kick, punch, and kill like men. Her complete opposite is the biblically strong woman who brings the strength supplied by God to her family – and ‘laughs at the time to come’ because her faith is in Christ alone.” (John Piper)

Remember that Adam did not request a mate. Grace is always God’s idea. And since it was God’s idea to create Eve to be Adam’s “helper,” not his slave nor his supervisor, she would need to be intellectually and spiritually equal so that their relationship would be complementary – subordinate to his leadership, yet in no way inferior. “Subordinate, yet equal? The best picture of this is in the Trinity. Absolute equals, yet the Son is subordinate to the Father: ‘I do not seek My will but the will of the Father who sent Me’ (John 5:30). That was precisely Eve’s position after creation. She was under the husband’s headship, yet she was to be treasured by him, and a fellow-laborer with him in the garden.” (John MacArthur) No super heroes needed. Just heavenly relationships. (Gen 2:20-24)

David