Missing Understanding?

“A priest must not defile himself by being in the presence of a dead person unless it is his father, mother, child, brother, or unmarried sister.  In such cases it is permitted. [Ezekiel 44.25]

I just want to point out one thing today: an "unmarried sister" is permitted to be touched by a priest if she dies.  However, once she is a married woman, the rules change.

There was something big that occurred when a marriage took place.  A woman's identity, apparently tied directly to her father at first, was then transferred to her husband.  However, the rule for priests above makes no address or allowance for the priest to be in the presence of his wife if she died.  I cannot believe that the wife would have been excluded by accident, so there must have been further meaning to this...  It would seem that the childless wife was in a 'black hole' of sorts according to the rule above.

Unlike modern culture, women in the time of Ezekiel's writing above, found their place in life as mothers.  This really highlights the disgrace depicted in the Bible of a childless wife.  It certainly sheds further light on the plight of Jacob's wives vying for procreation-time with Jacob as described in the book of Genesis.

As I have commented many times before, our modern culture, civilized as it may be, is so far removed from the male-female roles of ancient times that I fear we miss something.  It is as if a huge part of understanding the differences between men and women is missing.

But then, the ruling passed on by Ezekiel was for priests.

Father, I am certain we have very poor understanding of our roles as men and women as far as Your plan goes.  Unfortunately, our society makes little allowance for us to even experiment in order to see what benefit could come to our homes and families - and society in general - if we more closely adhered to past more-holy cultural ways.  I don't know what to do about it except to try to remain true to You and Your ways when and where I can...