Yin and Yang

 The man and the woman are yin and Yang, two complementary forces that represent the balance between opposites in the natural world. They are opposite forces that form a whole. One cannot do without the other. Nature knows this, if any nation is going through war or famine, the number of female children produced in that nation soars, because ladies are essential for procreation and more men die in war.

The point nature tries to make is simple: As long as we have females, even if only one male survives, human life will continue. Remember the story of Noah and the flood in the Bible? How would life have continued if Noah's sons had no wives? Remember the story of Ruth? All the men died leaving only three women, Naomi, Ruth and Orpah. It was through Ruth that the lineage of Elimelech was redeemed. Without Boaz, the lineage of Elimelech was cut off completely.

 In Judges 20, the tribe of Benjamin committed an atrocity. The other tribes tried to reason with them but they insisted on war. After the war, all of them were killed apart from six hundred men who ran into the hills. The other tribes realised the tribe was done for and began to weep, they had all vowed never to give their daughters in marriage to such a wicked tribe because of the atrocity the members of the tribe committed against a woman who they raped to death for no reason. Defending the cruel act instead of giving up the culprits was what led to the war.

 The people of Israel found themselves looking for a way to restore the tribe. What did they do? Let us look at Judges 21, the men of Israel had taken an oath at Mizpah: “Not one of us will give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite.” The people went to Bethel,[a] where they sat before God until evening, raising their voices and weeping bitterly. “Lord, God of Israel,” they cried, “why has this happened to Israel? Why should one tribe be missing from Israel today?” Early the next day the people built an altar and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Israelites asked, “Who from all the tribes of Israel has failed to assemble before the Lord?” For they had taken a solemn oath that anyone who failed to assemble before the Lord at Mizpah was to be put to death. Now the Israelites grieved for the tribe of Benjamin, their fellow Israelites. “Today one tribe is cut off from Israel,” they said. “How can we provide wives for those who are left, since we have taken an oath by the Lord not to give them any of our daughters in marriage?” 

Then they asked, “Which one of the tribes of Israel failed to assemble before the Lord at Mizpah?” They discovered that no one from Jabesh Gilead had come to the camp for the assembly. When they counted the people, they found that none of the people of Jabesh Gilead were there. So the assembly sent twelve thousand fighting men with instructions to go to Jabesh Gilead and put to the sword those living there, including the women and children. “This is what you are to do,” they said. “Kill every male and every woman who is not a virgin.” They found among the people living in Jabesh Gilead four hundred young women who had never slept with a man, and they took them to the camp at Shiloh in Canaan. Then the whole assembly sent an offer of peace to the Benjamites at the rock of Rimmon. So the Benjamites returned at that time and were given the women of Jabesh Gilead who had been spared. But there were not enough for all of them. The people grieved for Benjamin because the Lord had made a gap in the tribes of Israel. And the elders of the assembly said, “With the women of Benjamin destroyed, how shall we provide wives for the men who are left? The Benjamite survivors must have heirs,” they said, “so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out. We can’t give them our daughters as wives, since we Israelites have taken this oath: ‘Cursed be anyone who gives a wife to a Benjamite.’ But look, there is the annual festival of the Lord in Shiloh, which lies north of Bethel, east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.” So they instructed the Benjamites, saying, “Go and hide in the vineyards and watch.

 When the young women of Shiloh come out to join in the dancing, rush from the vineyards and each of you seize one of them to be your wife. Then return to the land of Benjamin. When their fathers or brothers complain to us, we will say to them, ‘Do us the favor of helping them, because we did not get wives for them during the war. You will not be guilty of breaking your oath because you did not give your daughters to them.’” So that is what the Benjamites did. While the young women were dancing, each man caught one and carried her off to be his wife. Then they returned to their inheritance and rebuilt the towns and settled in them. Without women, the tribe was gone! Both men and women are unique and one cannot do without the other. Please let us note this. Now do men hurt women? Yes. Do women hurt men? Yes, This has been so from time immemorial and it will continue to be so forever. 

Do men love women? Yes, Do women love men? Yes. This has been so from time immemorial and it will continue to be so forever. There is no sense in demonizing one gender, even if for the sake of banter. There are more reasonable things to banter about.

 In history, more men have died protecting their wives, lovers, girlfriends, sisters, mothers and even strangers than we can count. In history, more women had endured forced marriages, rape, sexual assault, sexualization and other denigrating things from men than we can count. 

Men had seduced women. Women had seduced men. Men had manipulated women. Women had manipulated men. Men had killed women. Women had killed men. Life has its complex colours but we have always survived and thrived together. 

Identity politics is politics based on a particular identity, such as ethnicity, race, nationality, religion, denomination, gender, sexual orientation, social background, caste, and social class. All the labels you now have floating all over the internet came as a result of this identity politics. It turns us away from each other. It stops seeing us as people but through the lens of our gender, race, location, etc. We should not fall for it or ruin our lives for us.

 Can you see how the last election in the USA was turned away from policies and the reality of the people to shame blaming and name of calling of identities perceived to have voted for Donald Trump? The white women who voted for him were called Uneducated White women. The black men were called "Uninformed" black men. The White men who voted for him were called mi·sog·y·nist. The Latinos and Hispanics who voted for him were called "Weak men".These labels that tend to identify a group in order to demonize them are ungodly. This is why Jesus gave all of us a new identity, in order to unify us. Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. This is why the gospel is the only cure to the human condition. It is not a cure that came out of a sociology department of a uniform and spread through indoctrination. It is the mystery of the word of God in its fullness which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Once you have given your life to Christ Jesus, you have become as he is and that is all the identity that you will need to live a fulfilled life and reign with him eternally.
 -GSW-