Education Insights • 2024 • Volume 2 • Issue 1 18 inhabitants. Genesis 1 gives a 30,000-foot view of the process while Genesis 2 provides a more detailed view, with special emphasis on the crown jewel of God’s creation—mankind. And so, in the first two chapters of the Bible, God has revealed a general knowledge of the complexities of the universe as well as information about the most intimate human relationship—the union of a man and a woman, as illustrated in the account of Adam and Eve. The way that Moses composes Genesis makes it clear that male headship began at creation. Male headship predates the fall and the curse of the fall upon humanity. The Bible describes God creating man and woman on the sixth day of creation. Then, in Genesis 2:7-25, the record focuses on the creation of Adam and Eve since mankind is the pinnacle of God’s creation. In this account God establishes Adam’s headship by four actions: (1) creating him first; (2) giving him the first command; (3) entrusting him to name the animals and Eve; and (4) declaring that only men were to “leave father and mother.”2 Psalm 112: A Man of God Will Display Righteousness in All His Responsibilities In the book of Psalms, one finds much wisdom and transparency.3 I have chosen Psalm 112 because it extols the man who fears God. The piety commended in Psalm 112 is described primarily in terms of a godly man’s character and his relationship with others, including the way he demonstrates righteous living in his own home. This wisdom psalm instructs devotion to God through praise, obedience, diligence, and resolve. These four qualities are paramount for a man seeking to shepherd his family. Psalm 112 also reveals some of the benefits that accrue to the man who fears God and delights in His commandments. Headship must be guided by piety, which comes only from the Word of God. Within Psalm 112 we are given a father’s foundation, an example of proper praise and devotion. The psalmist juxtaposes the righteous and the wicked in the opening and closing of the one hundred and twelfth psalm. The psalm begins by describing the proper position before a holy God and ends with the punishment of the ungodly. Verses 5-9 exhibit four deeds of righteousness. First, a righteous man is one who lends generously. Second, the righteous man handles his affairs justly. Third, the man of God is steady and steadfast. Lastly, a righteous man not only loves his own children, but also cares for the poor and hungry around him. The man who lives according to Psalm 112 seeks to express righteousness in all his responsibilities. 2 Scott LaPierre, “Five Ways God Established Husband’s Headship at Creation,” May 16, 2017, https://scottlapierre.org/god-established-husbands-headship/. This article is helpful and concise. 3 Psalm 112 has been a helpful text to me as a father. I first discovered it in my personal daily reading and praying through Scripture in 2017. Psalm 112 gives practical and succinct instructions to men on how to live obediently to the commands of Scripture.
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