The Lord said to Moses, “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. If anyone makes a special vow to dedicate someone to the Lord by paying the value of that person, here is the scale of values to be used. A man between the ages of twenty and sixty is valued at fifty shekels of silver, as measured by the sanctuary shekel. A woman of that age is valued at thirty shekels of silver. A boy between the ages of five and twenty is valued at twenty shekels of silver; a girl of that age is valued at ten shekels of silver. A boy between the ages of one month and five years is valued at five shekels of silver; a girl of that age is valued at three shekels of silver. A man older than sixty is valued at fifteen shekels of silver; a woman of that age is valued at ten shekels of silver. If you desire to make such a vow but cannot afford to pay the required amount, take the person to the priest. He will determine the amount for you to pay based on what you can afford. [Leviticus 27.1-8]
It would seem that gender equality is not something God ever intended. I suppose we could disparage God and His Bible, but, all things considered, I don't think the outcome of that would be desirable! So, what are we left to do? It would be best to try to understand and then work with that understanding!
In Bible times, people were most likely valued based on their ability to do work. Work was mostly manual labor in the days Leviticus refers to. Regardless of what may be argued otherwise, men's physical features (broader shoulders and larger hands for example) are generally more suitable to manual labor than are women's.
The thing is, God's whole valuation of genders, had everything to do with order. This same order becomes an economical theme as seen in the utilization of slavery (indentured servitude really - not to be mistaken for racial inequality). Both of these practices were at the foundation of a working economy and were ultimately good for all involved! Mistreatment of women or slaves is never acceptable, however, throwing out gender and economy when throwing out mistreatment is ludicrous!
I am not really amazed at our current state of affairs. Society, left to its own means to arrive at goodness, will ultimately fail. In our pursuit of goodness, we have left Godliness and chaos has nearly overwhelmed us. Goodness is not to be the goal - Godliness is. Our attempts at justice without the Almighty Judge have become a continuous circle of "rights" beyond reason. Our pursuit of this justice without the "Judge" has yielded at society where justice serves the unjust more so than the just!
It's just a mess. Much of it began when we allowed our laws to veer from The Law (the Bible). Sure, some of our equality claims find their roots in the Bible, but disingenuously so. We claim the Bible as reason to discredit mistreatment but grossly fail to acknowledge the Bible when it points out the clear 'order of things.'
Oh, I've crossed a line here for sure. Oh wait, I didn't cross the line, the Bible did! But wait! The Bible didn't cross the line, mankind did when it left the Bible!
Father, it is clear to see that those who genuinely try to follow You and the Bible will be at odds with the world. Light and darkness will never coexist and will certainly never actually commingle. True light dispels darkness - I know it never blends with it.
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