Saturday, May 30, 2015

On Being a Wife

Wives in the Bible cover a broad spectrum, so that makes me hopeful. They weren't all perfect and some were downright wicked, can you say Jezebel?

First, there was Eve, the mother of civilization. Somehow, she took the devil's bait. Why did she do that? Look at where that got her.

Then there's Sarah - who was clearly beautiful and seemed to have a good relationship with Abraham. Twice she lied and said Abraham was her brother and both times Abraham instructed her to do so. She laughed when the angel said she would have a son, as did Abraham. But she had Isaac; at 90 that could not have been easy. I might have laughed also.

Other wives in the Bible:

Rebekah - Deceived her husband so that the son she loved would receive a blessing.

Zipporah - Despised by her in-laws because of her race; she was Ethiopian.

Lot's wife - She looked back and became a pillar of salt. (How's that for not listening to your husband?)

Job's wife - She told him to curse God and die. (Whatever became of her?)

Abigail - whose husband Nabal was noted as a fool; she had the good sense to do what was right and is noted as a woman of good understanding. She eventually became one of David's wives. I think many wives who have husbands who are not godly or not living as they think a Christian man should, use Abigail as their primary example as to how to deal with their husbands. Caution should be exercised before making this your default model.

Ruth -  Listened to her Mother In Law and found a good husband in Boaz.

Esther - Became queen while married to King Ahaseurus and saved her people.

Zeresh - Fed in to her husband's hatred for Mordecai; she instructed her husband, Haman, to build the gallows that he was eventually hung from. Hatred and bitterness never yield good results.

Priscilla - knowledgeable in the Scriptures and worked side by side with her husband, Aquilla.

Sapphira - dishonest with her husband Ananias; because of this they were both struck dead instantly.


Wives are called to be help meets. We are to help - do you know what helping entails? And why do men require so much help, and are not always willing to take it from the female species based on the way they're wired? The blue print for being a helpful wife can be pulled from some of the stories above, in addition to Proverbs, Ephesians, Colossians and Titus.

Being a wife is an honored role, yet not an easy role. It can be a tad complicated - if I do say so myself. Because God has clearly defined roles in marriage, we as wives are called to submit to our husbands. But submission is not demeaning nor does it take away your dignity. Submission is reflective of Christ's example - He was equal with God the Father, yet He chose to submit to the Father's will  (Colossians 1:19); we can see that submission is a voluntary choice - a good one I might add. But it is complicated because in marriage we are two fallen human beings who come together attempting to mirror Christ, and make something beautiful.

If you're like me some times you beat yourself up, because you may feel that you don't measure up. The examples above are to let you know that there is no situation that is too big for God. Regardless of our husbands, we are responsible for our actions - sometimes it's easy and sometimes it's not. No earthly relationship can ever function properly unless we have a correct relationship; a true relationship with the God of the Universe.

But be encouraged - being a wife is a token of the favor of God.

The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the Lord. 


What kind of wife are you?
.

4 comments:

  1. This is wonderful! I have had to remind myself what it means to a wife according to what the Book says!

    ReplyDelete
  2. What kind of wife am I? Oh my! I started out young and naive, was insecure but in love and determined to be the best wife I could be. I made lots of mistakes, but the Lord continued to lead and grow me and I had a loving husband who has put up with me now for 30 years :) I am a wife who loves her husband more now than ever and I love my Lord more than ever. (A chord of three strands is not easily broken)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you! I think sometimes when we become mothers we forget the wife role. I appreciate this reminder.

    ReplyDelete

I love reading your comments; but please be kind. Unkind comments will be removed.