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Servants and Guards
By Dr. W.P. "Ab" Abercrombie
The Bible is a tremendous source of instruction and challenge for the Christian husband. God's Word reminds the man that he ultimately bears the responsibility for the care, support, protection, and guidance of his home. As the leader of the home, the man is God's focal point, the one accountable for the functioning of the household. Nowhere in Scripture is this truth more evident than in 1 Peter 3:7:
"Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered."When I first read this passage, I was elated! I thought; "This explains why my wife acts the way she does…she is the "weaker vessel" and can't help herself." I reasoned that since I am a "stronger and superior" creation, I should have compassion and empathy for my frail partner. In short, I should lower my expectations, and persevere, enduring her unreasonable feminine ideas and conduct. As you can imagine, sharing this insight with my wife did not go very well. To put it kindly, she felt I had "overlooked" some key points and encouraged me to "reconsider" my interpretation of Scripture. I think her exact words were; "You're nuts!" A bit bruised, I returned to my place of study and found the verse had little to do with my wife and everything to do with me. It is not a passage that elevates the husband as a superior monarch, but instead humbles the man to the position of servant and guard. Like a rare antiquity, the wife is to receive the very highest level of care and respect. Failure to provide, as instructed, leaves the wife, the home, and the marriage in great jeopardy. To elaborate, let's break down the scripture point-by-point: | |
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First, the husband is to "dwell with them with understanding, giving honor…" This portion alone negates my first interpretation. How can a husband give understanding and honor to the wife if she is inferior? |
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Instead God is telling the man that he has been given a precious, valuable creature, worthy of his love, attention, focus, and commitment. In the original Greek, "honor" (timen) is a term used to describe the value of a precious stone. Thus, the wife is to be treasured and protected as her worth is priceless. Second, we must understand the meaning of the term "weaker vessel." Imagine if you will two vessels (containers). One is a thick crock of pottery (the husband); the other a fine cut glass vase (the wife). Stone pottery is common and made for work. Cut glass is expensive, beautiful, and rare. Pottery can become chipped or cracked and maintain its function as a working container. The cut glass is not designed to bear the same weight or duty because its function is not the same. Weaker denotes "difference" not inferiority. God made us "male and female" (Genesis 1) so that we could relate, strengthen and support each other. Can you imagine the difficulty in the home if God had made us the same? Different is good, and it is God's order for the home. In honoring the wife, and her different function, we give respect to God's design. Third, the husband is to recognize that he and the wife are "heirs together of the grace of life." God prompts us to remember that our wives are "precious" to the Kingdom of God. Whenever tempted to harm our wives with word or action, we must not forget that, as a believer, she has a Kingdom inheritance. If Christ prepared a paradise for her, shouldn't we, as husbands, provide the same? Finally, God tells us to do all of this so that our "prayers may not be hindered." The Word tells us that sin divides us from God (Isaiah 59:1, 2). Here God makes it known that failure in the home is a sin that limits our access to His throne. God makes it very clear that our wives and our homes are to be our first priority, our first point of ministry. If we as husbands aren't serving and protecting those entrusted to our daily care, we cannot advance our Christian walk. Needless to say, my wife appreciated my "expanded" review of the Scripture and the "revised" interpretation. Moreover, she really welcomes those rare occasions when I am able to place God's Word into action and live out His instructions in a practical, meaningful way. Scripture taken personally is alive with nourishment. Men who take God's instruction to heart will bless their wives and will build an order to the home that is strong, enduring, and impenetrable. Seek to become the sturdy, working, servant and guard, caring at all cost for the jewel of your possession. i | |