How a Husband Is Supposed To Be
In today’s society it seems more and more that the man is being stripped of the dignity that makes him a man, run over, and pushed into a corner by feminists. When the official feminist movement swept through America, it fed a generation lies that all men were sexist and bred a generation to have a disdain for the traditional male part in family life. As a woman, I see the need for females to be treated fairly, and as a Christian I see that this would be inevitable if people would follow the Law of God.
Jehovah was NEVER okay with women being treated poorly in ANY way. He did however make men to be physically stronger and gave him a position of authority over the female (Gen 3:16) that should be honored, not abused by the man or the woman. Today, many of the T.V. shows portray the man as lazy, silly, or having abandoned his responsibilities, and the woman or even the children running the household! In the very least, roles are stripped altogether, and the household is run as a democracy, which takes the value and even the definition away from biblical roles. The way Hollywood portrays the ideal family may seem harmless, but in actuality it does great harm in influencing our society into taking the fantasy of television and adopting it into preferred reality.
One of the beauties of marriage is the roles of husbands and wives and how they treat each other. It is written over and over again how a husband is to love and honor his wife. One of the aspects of this love is that it is self -sacrificing love . This means he puts her well-being above his own. A husband is not to mistreat his wife in any way. He is not to abuse his position as head over her, but gently lead her and their family toward Heaven. He is to rejoice with her (Prov 5:18, Ecc 9:9), knowing how precious a gift she is from the Lord (Prov 18:22).
How a Wife Is Supposed To Be
I once had a friend tell me that she didn’t like all the things that were written in the Bible because it was sexist toward women. Words like “submit” and “obey” have been made to look like chains that keep women pinned down and dependent on the man, unable to do anything for themselves. It is really a sad misinterpretation.
I have three things to say in response to these unfair accusations. As far as submitting and obeying is concerned, it is true that this is a commandment for wives, but God is not asking us to do anything He is not charging men to do. Paul writes that: “… the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God” (I Cor 11:3 KJV). Both men and women need to remember first their commitment and subjection to Christ and put nobody before Him (Mt 10:35-37). If we are true to our Lord then we will submit to our husbands gladly knowing we are following the will of Christ, and that our husbands are too.
Secondly, and this is what the world’s teachings have messed up so completely is, if a husband is obeying God and treating his wife like Jehovah wants him to, then the wife will have no problem submitting to him. Men aren’t entirely innocent in the feminist movement; many have changed into roles that make them pathetic excuses for leaders. A woman should be proud to know that her husband loves and respects her, and is responsible for stepping up and leading his family toward God. Women want a real man, and men need to be real men.
Another thing is, look at the account in Genesis chapter two again of Eve’s creation. Jehovah in all of His wisdom and foresight knew that issues like this would one day arise, and you better know He chose the way He formed Eve for this very purpose. She was not made exactly like Adam. God took one of Adam’s ribs, a bone that protects his heart. He did not take a foot bone to indicate that He gave Adam the right to walk all over her, nor did He take a bone from his head to signify she had authority over him. He chose a bone that would show that she was his equal as a human being. Her very existence was one in which she would help him and love him. Husbands and wives are partners, not slaves to one another.
The claims stating that the Bible is sexist because a wife must be dependent or chained down to her husband is completely ludicrous. There are not any examples where this is acceptable to God, but quite the opposite actually. Proverbs records a woman who provides for her family by being extremely industrious (Prov 31:10-31). We also read of Lydia, who had a business of selling purple garments (Acts 16:14).
When it comes down to it, women need to go back to acting like ladies, and men need to man up and be gentlemen. There is nothing respectable about a man who slaps a woman around with his words or his fists, nor is there anything respectable about a woman who bosses her husband around and belittles him. “A foolish son is ruin to his father, and a wife’s quarreling is a continual dripping of rain. House and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the LORD.” (Prov 19:13-14 ESV). If we behave as He has commanded we will see marriage for the blessing that it is: “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.” (I Pet 3:7 ESV).
A Fact Of Life?
I just want to be normal! I remember saying those words…er…possibly screaming them at my parents when I was a teenager. It wasn’t a one-time occasion either. There were a lot of things that I wasn’t allowed to do that my friends were, and I was the different one. I remember my dad gave me some advice that will stick with me for the rest of my life: “You don’t want to be average Leah…average is just the best of the worst, and the worst of the best.” It took me a few years to see the value in this, but I came around.
Whether you have noticed or not, the family is being attacked in America. No, there aren’t soldiers pounding down the doors to your homes and taking prisoners; instead it is a little more subtle than this. The soldiers come in disguise like a wolf in sheep’s clothing through our entertainment venues and crawl into our minds, helping to change our values and opinions. They program ideas like waiting for marriage to have sex is not normal, homosexuality is just a different way to live, and if you are unhappy in your marriage, free yourself from its chains. These teachings drip from the liberal elements in this world through an IV in our arms until we get our feel and think, “divorce…it’s just a fact of life.”
It is true that statistics show roughly fifty percent of marriages in America ending in divorce . This is an alarming number that stops many love birds in their paths, and thus it should. Marriage is a very serious commitment and should not be entered into frivolously. Something that needs to be asked, though, is should we just accept this statistic as just a fact of life, or do something about it? I say do something about it.
The fact that marriage is from God, and that it symbolizes our relationship to Him is so profoundly important that it demands a defender. I submit that most, if not all, divorces could be prevented if people understood this fact. Husbands and wives need to treat each other the way the Bible teaches us to, and when troubles arise put on the armor of God and defend our vows instead of retreating from them (Eph 6:13-18). Let us not be average, until the average is the peculiar (Tit 2:14 KJV).
Source: Choosing Epic