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Let us notice a striking -- and most often overlooked -- facet of the conduct of the Christian wife; "Even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord."
In the national bestseller,
Doesn't it make you wonder ... just a little? We read for ourselves ... as so few apparently do. Abraham gave commands to Sarah and Sarah obeyed Abraham. It was not unrighteous for him to give his wife commands,
and God was delighted in Abraham for the way he commanded his household. (Gen 18:19) When Abraham told Sarah to quickly prepare bread for some guests (Gen 18:6), during one of their many stops in their relentless journey, she did
so. Abraham did not explain why he needed this, nor did Sarah ask. He did not ask her if it was convenient, seek her permission or her will in the matter, nor did he make sure he was not interrupting some other work she had planned
for the day. He did not apologize for the short notice, nor make any excuses for needing to order her life. She promptly obeyed him. It was clear to both Abraham and Sarah that Abraham owned all of Sarah's time;
Abraham's priorities had become Sarah's priorities. She regularly confirmed that she had given her life to him and for him, and he trusted her. She was an extension of him; they were one. She did not resist, hesitate, or even
question her husband when he called her to the task, any more than his own arm or leg would have so done; knowledge of her lord's will was clear and became her own. Sarah often reminded Abraham that her life was
dedicated to him, and encouraged him to use it as he saw fit in the Lord. She did this by calling him, "Lord." Sarah addressed Abraham as her master, as her lord in this life, acknowledging him as the one she was devoted
to serve and obey. Her husband's desire and will was her duty before God, so long as it was not openly contrary to the direct commands of God. When she called him "Lord," she was saying to him in so many words, "At
your service." Sarah reminded Abraham and herself of this principle when she addressed him, and also when she spoke of him to others. When speaking to the Lord Himself about her husband, she naturally referred
to her own husband as, "my lord." (Gen 18:12) Her own will and desire were not the overriding concern in her relationship with her husband, any more than it was between her and her God. She saw that in God's order her
service to her husband and her service to the God of Creation were one and the same. She was not devoted to herself or to her own way, but was constantly looking to her earthly master for leadership and direction in the matter of
raising his child of promise, faithful to him in guiding the affairs of his home, and she honored him when representing him to others, both within the home and without. You are encouraged to do the same. Was this
something that was particularly easy for Sarah for some reason? Sarah likely knew her husband Abraham as well as or better than any woman can know her husband. She was not only his wife, she was his half-sister and ten years the
younger. She had known him and lived with him for as long as she could remember. If any woman might resent and resist submission, it might be a woman married to her elder half-brother. If any would find familiarity a difficulty, be
tempted to disrespect, resent, belittle, and resist her husband, it might such a woman. If any woman would resist calling her husband, "lord," we actually might have a good candidate in Sarah. Certainly,
it is clear that Sarah's example to you in addressing her husband as "lord" does not necessarily represent an explicit command from God. God is not saying you are required
to call your husband "lord." Similarly, the Word of God does not command
a husband to tell his wife that he loves her, and to tell her often and affectionately that she is the most important person in the world to him. Yet any husband that resents doing so exposes a severe heart problem in following Jesus Christ, for Jesus Christ certainly expresses His love for the Church in this way.
If following the example of Sarah in calling your own husband, "Lord," brings grief to you, as with any hard-hearted husband who will not communicate love appropriately to his wife, your difficulty
likewise exposes you as the rebel, like an unbroken horse or as the mule, which will not yield to the bit and the saddle, stiff-necked and rebellious, saying, "I will not have this man to reign over me." (Lk 19:14) Don't
be this way. (Ps 32:9) This is casting off the rule of your heavenly Father in your life, saying, "My lips are my own, who is lord over me?" (Ps12:4) As a wife you are encouraged by Sarah's example to
develop the regular habit of addressing your husband as your lord and master. This is entirely consistent and appropriate for you to do in following God's command
that you be in subjection to your husband and that you reverence, or fear
him. It is equivalent to a husband giving consistent verbal affirmation to his wife that he loves and cherishes her in obedience to God's command that he love his wife as Christ loves the Church. In the same spirit, call your husband "Lord" as often as you call him "Honey" or "Sweety" or "Sugar" or any other nickname you are fond of using. Call him "Sir;" call him "Boss;" call him "Master." Find frequent use of addresses and titles that confirm to him you are working for him, that you are at his service, that you respect him and the position he holds, that you are seeking his welfare, and that you are committed to helping him, ministering to him, and pleasing him in every way possible.
When you verbally and thoughtfully acknowledge your husband as your lord you do several things. You probe the purity and tenderness of your own heart, ensuring that you are walking in the way of obedience, checking
your self-will and unmasking and exposing the subtle encroachments of sin. You also encourage your husband in his leadership in the home, and you assure him of your loving loyalty and respect. You bolster his confidence, and enable
him in the work God has called him to, and you remind him of your selfless devotion to him, that you remain at his disposal, by his side, naturally drawing out his appreciation and thankfulness to you and to God for your open
subjection to the Gospel of Christ. We also have here in Sarah's example an explicit reference to the formal state of the wife in regard to her servanthood. This word translated lord is kurios, the
same word used to refer to the Lord Jesus Christ throughout the New Testament. It means supreme in authority, controller. (Strong) It is translated God (Acts 19:20) and Lord (approx 600 times in the NT). It is
translated masters: "And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven." (Eph 6:9) In calling her husband lord, Sarah was
formally acknowledging her husband as her master and accepting the place of a servant in his house. In this she was respecting divine order and following God's pattern for the home. This order was established before the Law, when
Sarah lived, and is expressed as the pattern of godliness now. It applies to every married woman in every age. When a woman gives her life to serving the Lord Jesus Christ in her home like this, not only is it an
unspeakable delight to the heart of God, in all but the foulest of men this type of quiet subjection will draw out a profound gratitude and thankfulness. Your obedience to God will very likely cause your husband to naturally
cherish you as his most precious earthly treasure, and result in abundant overflows of thanksgiving to God. Render him the respect and service that our Lord calls you to render unto him, as unto Christ Himself. Remind your husband
and yourself frequently that you are a willing servant to him, calling him lord for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ. This walk of obedient faith, where the husband leads in wisdom and love, and where you
follow in quietness, subjection and love, is how the two of you are designed to function. When two walk together in this way there is profound beauty, satisfaction, and health. Walking outside of this way, especially when the wife
does, brings conflict, shame, and a reproach: women are to be, "good, obedient unto their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed." (Titus 2:5) That The Word of God Be Not Blasphemed When a married woman claims to belong to Jesus Christ and is not generally fearfully obedient
to her husband the Word of God is blasphemed. That is why it is so important for older women to be a godly example in their subjection to their own husbands, both in word and deed. Elder women are to, "teach the
young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed." (Titus 2:4-5)
When this foundation of divine order in the home is destroyed in the church the Word of God is discredited in the world. Domestic disobedience is an open testimony to the world of a practical rejection of the authority of God over
the Church, and this broadly proclaims an open, public rebellion against His principles. When the Church does this it brings God great dishonor and robs the kingdom of God of its innate power, as when Israel went a whoring after
the gods of the nations about them and learned their wickedness. Satan goes after this end, this goal, seeking it with a relentless, deliberate, constant vengeance. He wants to have the Word of God blasphemed
legitimately and viciously. There is little that can accomplish this like rebellion in God's own people. That is evidently one reason why there is such a common rage against the truth here, against the principle of divine order in
the home, especially within the walls of our churches, and why it is so very important for saints to repent, and become obedient and faithful to the Lord in this matter. It is absolutely essential that we internalize these truths
and teach them to others who look to us as mentors. Any time that a wife purposes to violate the authority of her husband, she opens the door of her life and home to demonic invasion just as if she were to resist
any other duly appointed authority in her life. Whether we understand it or not, the principles of the kingdom of God are rooted in God's order, and godly authority is intrinsic to His order. Civil authority, parental authority,
and spiritual authority in the church are commonly developed as areas where saints should remain in respectful submission so that they will be protected from attack and devastation by the enemy. It is in the key area of marriage
that authority as been crushed by feminism and the church silenced, leaving consistent open access to demonic invasion of the Christian home. In restoring this order to the Church and home, we close the doors to satanic access. The
enemy will not retreat easily. In my opinion, one of the main reasons that the Word of God is mocked in western society is the refusal of professing Christian women to walk in obedience to God in their homes, and
the refusal of nearly all professing Christians to say or do anything about it. The relationship of obedience to God's ordained authority in marriage to the health of both the home and society is clear, but this text brings to
light the fact that disobedience in the home significantly impacts the health and effectiveness of the very kingdom of God. When God's Word is being legitimately blasphemed in the world, it is because the kingdom of God is
effectively paralyzed. Only the children of God can wreck such havoc on the kingdom ... because it is chaos from within. Truly, the gates of hell cannot withstand the attack of the kingdom of God ... but it need not worry about a
kingdom in disarray, boasting an army that cannot find its hands. (Ps 76:5) Disobedient saints are not a threat to the darkness: they are its most powerful friends. This is not a peripheral, academic subject that
we are neglecting as a Church, as the living body of Christ upon the earth. The subjection of the wife to the husband deeply affects the very foundation of our temporal existence and of God's spiritual kingdom. We do not well to
stand by in silence as feminism mangles the foundations of all that we hold dear. As Long As Ye Do Well This concept is so central in the design of God that He actually associates it with salvation. The text we have before us here implies that only so long as a woman generally continues in
what many would consider to be this deeply unhealthy submission in her home … should she even consider herself to be a Christian at all … "whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well." It is not
that a wife need earn her salvation by being subject to her husband, but it is a simple plain fact that any true saint of God is ... Is there room for error in a Christian? There most certainly is. Is there room for blatant, persistent, willful, prolonged, deliberate rebellion
against the principles of God as a manner of life? No, there is not room for prolonged and deliberately defiant rebellion in the life of a believer. Such sinners are not of the Lord's sheep, for, as our Lord said, His children,
"hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." (John 10:27) "But unto them that are contentious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness," is the reward of "
indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish." (Rom 2: 8-9) "Let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil ... In this
the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God." (1 Jn 3:7-8, 10a) The general manner of life of a married Christian woman will
be characterized by a certain obedience to God in the home, a "doing well." Quite simply, those women who refuse to walk in this way of obedience as a manner of life are not to consider themselves Christians:
servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, any more than men who deliberately and maliciously abuse, misuse and neglect their wives may have assurance of eternal life. Encouragement that one is a child of Abraham is not available outside
this walk of obedient servanthood; it is only, "as long as
ye do well" that assurance of an eternal inheritance in Christ may be enjoyed. This walk of obedience is fundamental to God's call upon the woman; for the saintly wife whom He has begotten, it is part of the very fabric of her being.
Be Not Afraid with any Amazement Further, in walking in respectful submission to your husband, you should not be dreadfully fearful or amazed, as many a lost woman might surely be in such a state … as God exhorts you, "be not afraid with any amazement." This command strikes at the root of why so very many married women refuse to walk in the ways of God in the home: they are afraid. They are afraid that if they let go of their very stranglehold on their husbands' necks, that they themselves will become very unhappy. Such fear is often caused by disappointments early in life that promoted a controlling spirit as a defense to further hurt. Regardless, whether a woman's fear is culturally acceptable or not, her subjection to her husband is commanded and expected. She is also commanded to put away her fear, as Sarah did. Abigail In being an example to other women, in giving them sound instruction to bless their homes, to understand the extent of God's commands and how far God would actually have a wife go in
this submission to a husband, in her being subject to him and honoring him when he is not obedient to God, you do well to take a good look at the example of the chaste and brave Abigail. (1 Samuel 25) We have here a very unusual
story in the Word of God, an extreme case of a pious and reverent woman submitting to a profoundly proud, foolish and arrogant man: her husband Nabal. Abigail's story is set during the days when king David was a
very young man, after he had been anointed king of Israel. It was commonly known in Israel that Saul, who still reigned as king, had outlawed David due to his jealousy concerning Samuel's prophecy that David would be the next king,
and that Saul diligently sought to slay David. Saul's persecution rendered David incapable of providing for himself and forced him to constant evasion and a dependence on foraging in the wild or on the occasional kindness of those
he chanced upon in his escapes. At one point, David encountered the herds and herdsmen of Nabal, Abigail's husband, and became a shield to his shepherds and flocks, protecting them from thieves and wild animals.
After the safe return home of Nabal's goods, David meekly asked Nabal for some provision. Instead of being generous and hospitable, Nabal was arrogant, selfish, rude, condescending, and cruel to David. This angered David so deeply
that David purposed to vindicate himself and annihilate Nabal and his entire family and community. As David was on his way toward their home to slay every male in their entire estate, from the immediate family
members to the common servants, Nabal was feasting sumptuously in celebration of the successful return of his flocks … at David's honest expense. The household servants, understanding the vulnerable strait in which they suddenly
found themselves, came to Abigail and pleaded for their very lives. It was commonly understood in their midst, as these servants conferred with Abigail about the matter, that Nabal was such a fool that no one could even begin to
speak reasonably with him about his rudeness to David. It was pointless for her to make an appeal to him. She knew what must be done. To save her life, the lives of her servants, and – yes – even her husband's own
life, Abigail hastily prepared an extravagant present of food for David and his men, and personally rode quickly out to meet him before he attacked their community. Abigail found David, in his hot displeasure, on
his way up the hill with sword in hand to slay her family, and pled with him to take out his anger on herself, owning her husband's sin before David. She understood David to be the legitimate king of Israel and she acknowledged him
as such. She stepped between David and her husband, begging David to spare the rest of the family the anticipated vengeance upon Nabal's foolishness. She pleaded with David to receive the present of food at her hand, explaining
that she understood David to be a righteous man who was being pressed unjustly by king Saul, and that she had been unaware of David's modest request for provision. She asked the Lord to protect David and his men, and to deal justly
with her husband – bringing him into judgment along with all the rest of David's enemies. This was, obviously, totally against her husband's wishes, but it was
for his own life, and for the lives of their entire family. What she said was true, and it was said to proper authority above her husband ... authority that he had deeply offended. Submitting to her husband's wishes at that time would have been sinful, violating the wisdom of God in the context of the imminent and dreadful danger of their circumstance. In matters of life and death, in matters of blatant lawlessness where the husband is being deliberately careless, in such cases the rule of common sense, the Word of God and of basic divine charity prevails; one must obey God rather than men. Abigail prayerfully and reverently went before her king to ask the life of her sons, her husband and his men. She considered herself to be expendable in the matter.
Abigail fully sided with David in this situation, standing against her husband in his arrogance and sin. She did not pretend that her husband was anything other than what he had shown himself to be: a plain fool.
(vs 25) However, she remained faithful to Nabal as his wife in her spirit even in this. Also, and more importantly, she was submissive to God and His uprightness in her, though it were to her own temporal destruction. Though Abigail loathed her husband's cold-hearted foolishness, she did remain submissive to him, even in her disobedience to what she knew he wanted. After she had appeased David and saved the lives of her
loved ones, she returned to her home and told her husband everything that she had done, exactly how she had done it, and submitted herself to his hand to do as he pleased with her for her action. (vs 37!) This was
an extremely brave and upright thing for Abigail to do. The situation reveals the extreme differences between her and her husband in their character and disposition. It is plain that she was a woman of rare virtue, married to an
infidel of unusual proportions. We see in this that God, in His sovereign pleasure, at times places two people together in a marriage who are at the two extremes of human nature: one very pleasing to Him, and the other very
displeasing to Him. We also see in this example the fullness to which God would have a woman submit to a man, regardless of his wisdom or character, and how God honors this subjection, as though it were unto
Himself. This is the only example in the Word of God where a godly woman plainly dealt with an abusive and sinful man, and Abigail was properly submissive to her husband Nabal in all respects … even as he endangered the lives of an
entire community of people. She followed God's principles carefully and fully under extremely difficult circumstances, then returned to her earthly lord and submitted to his anticipated abuse, yielding to her master and awaiting
his judgment for her well-doing. Though he had apparently never been deeply abusive with Abigail to the point of justifying a divorce, it is not unreasonable to expect that he would have, at this point, brutalized her for what she
had done ... had he been left to his own devices. Even so, without having any warrant to judge him so from experience, she submitted to him and trusted in God to protect her. God did protect Abigail from Nabal's
retaliation, and struck her husband dead before he could even rise from his stupor to deal with her. David heard about this a short time afterwards, and sent to take Abigail as his bride. Her virtue and wisdom were no deep secret.
She spent the rest of her days the wife of an incredible king, a man after God's own heart, nurtured in the epicenter of God's chosen people. Abigail is perhaps the most profoundly righteous woman in all of the
Word of God. There is certainly no record of any other woman called upon to deal with a situation as difficult as this, who evidenced such poise, wisdom, and perfect humility as this dear woman did in her response. If any woman has
righteously endured an unreasonable man as a husband, Abigail has. If any woman was called of God to disobey her husband's heart in righteousness, Abigail was. If any servant can be found such as this, to return to such a senseless
master after having saved his life, to humbly submit to being destroyed by him in his rage against her for having done so well, I have not seen it. It is superbly fitting that she was delivered of this fool by the hand of God, and
placed at the side of king David as his bride. Amen! Yet in all this, there was no sharpness in Abigail towards her husband. She never reprimanded him, nor did she correct him, nor did she give herself to
denouncing him to others (though she did testify truthfully and humbly concerning him before David, whom she knew to be the rightful king of Israel and a proper authority above her husband who had been deeply wronged by him, vs.
30). So shall it be with any godly wife. Before a wife engages in conflict with her husband, or puts him in a bad light with others, she does well to consider the extreme nature of this particular instance of a wife's submission to
her husband … and think again. A situation can hardly be expected with any remotely reasonable man that will justify a contentious, disrespectful, or uncooperative spirit in his wife. Shall We Continue In Sin? Far from an unhealthy, morbid thing, it is very good for us to be here … to consider the depth of
this call for a bit. After all it is God's
call to us, not merely a human institution, an arbitrary thing. Who else calls us to meditate on this beautiful subject so bluntly and so plainly? The King of the Universe bids us in this as we seek his Holy Face, though none else be faithful here. That one living thing of "great price" to God is now sorely trampled under foot by most, but let it be cherished by us now.
Sister, the depth and degree of God's call for you in submitting to your husband is far beyond what is commonly understood today and we do well to ponder these texts thoughtfully. There is great wealth hidden in
this place, to us and to our God. To know the truth is to be set free. To disdain any portion of the Word of God, as many certainly do here, is to insult the holy origin of it and to lose the benefit intended therein. Suppose you do disdain some portion of this counsel. What are your options as a wife? What godly options are apparent that differ from what I have proposed? "Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?
God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" (Rom 6:1,2) How can a child of God consider such things? To rebel is to give place to the devil and to be taken captive by him at his will. (2 Tim
2:26) Your husband is not perfect, to be sure. Neither are you. Feminism would strip your husband of his authority in the home, and it relentlessly undermines his confidence ... teaching you to stand up, resist
your husband, and take control when you do not like what is going on. If you are the dominant personality in your home, you will likely succeed if you attempt to do so. It is extremely likely that no one in the church will condemn
you, and that no one in your community or family will think the less of you. Suppose you yield to this? Should you for any reason resist your husband instead of walking in subjection to him you will grieve and
anger him. This is given. Every time you speak against your husband, every time you loose your tongue to reprimand him, to correct him, to admonish him, to contend with him ... you wound him just as he would wound you if he struck
you with his fist. The wound cannot be seen, but it is just as real ... and the fact that it is socially acceptable does nothing to justify or mitigate it ... and rather deepens the wound than helps it to heal.
What principles of God will give you direction to resist your husband? Dare you indeed contrive some text to give you boldness here? If your husband is not demanding blatant sin, is the outcome of your rebellion against him any
better for the cause of the Lord? Even if you succeed in having your way and manipulating your husband, achieving some short-term temporal comfort, can you pretend that God is pleased in this, and that some heavenly reward awaits
you for doing so? Suppose your husband is
unfaithful to you? How does your departure from him improve anyone's lot? Does it benefit your husband? your children? the church of God? Does it really even benefit you? Does it glorify the Lord? Should Sarah have left Abraham? Should Abigail have left David when he went after Bathsheba?
Even if your husband happens to strike you unjustly, would your earthly physical comfort be your primary concern? Is departing from your husband outside the bounds set by our Lord consistent with loving not your
life unto the death? of taking up your cross daily in your pursuit of Christ? of seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness? Have not many suffered so much more for the sake of the Lord Jesus, not accepting deliverance,
that they might obtain a better resurrection? Look down the roll call of the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11. Would you be counted among them? Or do you wish to live in carnal pleasure at God's expense? Only a
walking corpse can do such a thing. (1 Tim 5:6) In the end, looking back on your life from the bosom of Christ in eternity, would you prefer to look back with Him and hear Him say, "You were faithful unto
death, I will give you a crown of life?" (Jas 1:12, Rev 2:10) Can you truly say that resisting your husband, or leaving him, is part of your abiding in Christ, that when He shall appear you will have confidence in this and not
be ashamed before Him at His coming? (1 John 2:28) Are you willing to leave your husband ... and your children too? Is your earthly comfort of more concern to you than the comfort and holiness of God? Ye Serve The Lord Christ The Word of God is clear. Dear sister, your duty before God as a wife is to
submit to your husband in all things, as the Church herself submits to her Lord Jesus Christ in all things. This submission and subjection to your husband is to come from the very depths of your being; it is not a shawl to don and
discard at a whim. You are to address your husband as lord and master and confirm your obedience and the purity of your heart towards him frequently. You are to walk with him in shamefacedness and in general silence, in meekness
and in quietness, in all reverence and godly fear and subjection, honoring him and seeking his will instead of your own in all things, uplifting him and encouraging him and ministering to him as unto the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
The children you bear are your husband's, your time is his, and your energy and strength are his. This is for all of your days, "She will do him good, and not evil, all the days of her life" (Pr 31:12), until the
Lord calls one or the other of you home. As a servant to your husband, you truly are a partaker with your husband in his work as you minister to him and uplift him, and you will likely be given to enjoy the fruits
of his efforts according as you give your life and strength to serve him. It is God's purpose to enable a godly man through the loyal strength and devotion of a godly wife, and it is generally His way that the woman should be
partaker in the results of her husband's labor and success. This will naturally occur as your husband reaps the reward of his labor. As the Church reaps the benefits of the work of her Master Jesus Christ, this principle will
generally hold for you. It applies in temporal matters as well as in spiritual matters. If your husband serves the Lord God, be confident that you are enabling the Lord's ministry through him and be joyful in that.
If he be a prophet, and you enable him in your service, you receive a prophet's reward. (Matt 10:41) If he be an evangelist, you will reap the reward of an evangelist. If a righteous man, his reward is also yours. If your husband
be ungodly, yet watch your God use your selfless service to glorify Himself in countless ways, both in your home and in your community. He will likely use your chaste and fearful manner to convert your husband to holiness and to
encourage other women to love and serve their husbands, bringing great glory to God and honor to His written Word. Even if not, be confident at least in the fact that in the last day, you will be justified and redeemed from all of
the evil and abuse of your love. No sin will go unpunished in Jesus Christ. (Col 3:25) As you yourself remain faithful to God's call to you, receive the greatest reward of all, the reward of a servant: "
He that is greatest among you, shall be your servant." (Matt 23:11) Be it in your heart to hear Him say to you, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord
." (Matt 25:21) Truly, it is not merely your husband that you serve in this walk of humble service; ultimately it actually is the Lord God Himself. In this calling, as you walk therein, you serve your God to
the full; you cannot serve Him and be amiss in your duty to your husband. When you are in rebellion against your husband, you are in rebellion against your God, your eternal Husband. When you selflessly serve your earthly husband
as unto the Lord God, you do serve the Lord Jesus Christ in truth. In the end, when you enter His glorious presence having ministered to your husband in this way with your full energy and devotion, you will hear the words, as much
to you as to the Apostle Paul himself, "Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord." (Matt 25:23)
She Shall Be Praised What will be your temporal desert for this walk of humble
service? Perhaps, in truth, it does not really matter... for your true taste is for the heavenly reward as you "esteem the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of" this ol' world. (Heb 11:26) But
the Word of God does indicate that there will be a rich reward for you, heavenly and earthly as you purpose to follow Him. His design is for a reason: it is good for you, as well as for your husband. There is no instruction of God
that is not designed to bring you health, peace and joy as you obey Him: "His commandments are not grievous." (1 John 5:3) "A woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised … Her children arise up and call
her blessed, her husband also, and he praiseth her. Give her of the fruit of her own hands and let her own works praise her in the gates." (Pr 31:30b, 28, 31) Let us be honest with ourselves
here, friends. For all of the violent rage spewing forth from feminists against this doctrine, what reasonably sane man would not nearly die to have a daughter of Abraham by his side? "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her
price is far above rubies?" (Pr 31:10) What would a man NOT give to find such holiness and submission and oneness in a woman? Both his arms and legs would likely not be too high a price! Most any man, if he could ever find
such a woman, would be like Jacob working for Rachel fervently for seven years to have her, and the time seemed to him, "but a few days for the love he had for her." (Gen 29:20) She would be worth more to him than
any fortune he could dream of having. It would render such a fortune needless to him, other than to please her with it – he would already have his treasure! "Her husband... shall have no need of spoil." (Pr 31:11)
Godly submission in a woman's heart captures the heart of a man as little else can. Such a woman is not only precious in the sight of God, she is the most valued treasure a man can imagine! As a friend of mine
elated to me ... in one rare unforgettable glimpse into the present glory of such a marriage ... a real marriage with real people ... right in my circle of acquaintance ... that he simply finds himself weeping for joy as he thinks
of the inward beauty of his wife ... a wife that is truly in subjection to her husband as a manner of life. He literally trembles and weeps in bewilderment at the fantastic goodness of God, finding himself utterly unworthy of such
love and devotion. He cannot find ways to express it adequately! I have never heard such passion expressed anywhere else about anything else ... other than that explosive consuming passion that raptures the hearts
of sold-out saints for the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Believe you me, this blessed husband knows he has no small thing! He has found what God has intended in His design for marriage. This is pure ecstasy ... not transient and
carnal, nor driven by sensual appearance and pleasure ... but a joy that raptures both husband and wife into a unity and intimacy of the most profound degree: an abiding and vibrant and living and rich and deep and fulfilling and
satisfying and transcendent and pure and holy ... oneness! This is impossible apart from God's way!! This husband's eyes simply glisten with delight as he speaks of this dear woman ... his own precious wife
! He will do absolutely anything for her ... with the kind of robust passion that inspires bookstand fantasies ... anything that is not itself a grief to his God. Why would anyone disdain this?? What man, with any trace of godliness within, would not deeply cherish, preserve and protect such a fearfully obedient, selfless, attentive, compliant, peaceable and reverent woman? Verily, if he is a remotely
reasonable man, he will boast of her in public (Pr 31: 28, 29, 31) and in private, and think of her constantly throughout his days with thanksgiving and deep rejoicing. He will be encouraged to do his best in his work and in his
service to God, and in the end will say with all sincerity, "I could never have done this without my dear, sweet, loving wife! She is God's greatest gift to me, next to Himself!" He will be thrice the man, with such a
woman as this at his side, than he would ever hope to be by himself without her. Truly, "It is not good that the man should be alone," just as the Father said in the Garden. (Gen 2:18) God has intended to complete Man
with the virtue and power of you ... a dedicated woman, one who has given her life to serving her husband unconditionally and fervently. The alluring temptation from other women will be a disgust to such a blessed
man, if he has any sanity about him at all. As one blessed husband said, "Why should I steal an old Volkswagen off the street when I have a brand new Cadillac in my garage?!" If he is a good man, instead of being tempted
with wantonness, he will love you tenderly, and with the deepest passion. He will look for ways to express his love for you, unable to contain the intensity of it, and his love will not be merely for your outward fleeting beauty,
but for the exceeding treasure of your heart. Even so, your reverent submission will also move him to find your outward appearance to be so much more attractive as the years go by … and there will be no need for
the superfluity of ornaments to adorn you … though he will likely see to it that you have them aplenty. He will enjoy providing for you, and be bolstered up to be all that His God has intended him to be through your service to him.
If he is a bad man, it is likely that he will "be won by" your "chaste conversation coupled with fear," (1 Peter 3:2) and become a good man, if you persevere in your love for Him in the power of
the Holy Spirit. Truly, when a woman walks in this way of humble service to her husband, "Strength an honor are her clothing, and she shall rejoice in time to come" (Pr 31:25). Her earthly reward
will be only a diluted taste of her heavenly reward. Such a woman has no fear of death, no shame, no guilt. In my opinion, the highest throngs of the saints in the heavens will have a large proportion of women among them, blessed
saints who walked in the way of holiness for the love and fear of God, fearful and silent in the mist of a crooked and perverse generation. They are oft unseen and unheard here below, but will be among the crown jewels of the God
of heaven, bursting with praise and glory before Him, exceedingly precious in His sight, borne on high of Him with joy for all to see and admire! Who Can Find A Virtuous Woman? Daughter of Abraham, it is so sad that more women have not found the way of holiness before God. Truly,
she is a rare beauty, a unique treasure, of great price in His sight: a virtuous woman. Be one. And by your own word and godly example ... mentor other wives after you. If God calls
you, as a wife, even to suffer for His name's sake, do not deny Him; count it a great privilege: "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake
." (Phlp 1:29) "Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator." (1 Peter 4:19) Look for your Blessed Hope, abide
in the glorious Lord Jesus Christ, and be diligent that you may be found of Him in peace, without spot, blameless (2 Peter 3:14), confident, and unashamed (1 John 2:28) in that day. Now the truth of God rests where
it belongs: between you and your God. I trust that in you, daughter of Abraham, it does set well. Feed My Sheep "As for my people... women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths." (Is 3:12) Man of God,
I call on you to take up the teaching mantle with a new purity and integrity and strength, and shun not to declare unto the church ALL the counsel of God. (Acts 20:27, Ps 40:10) Pastor or not, every man of God, every born again
adult male ... is a teacher. Prove all things and hold fast that which is good. (1 Thess 5:21) Teach God's truth to your daughters, to your sons, to your wife, to your brothers and sisters in Christ. Take it to your local body in
Christ, to the elders. It is time to seek the Lord: I expect that you have found something different and unfamiliar here. I trust it is compelling. It is not
peripheral: open your mouth before the saints and speak to a more practical and relevant and precious and powerful and needful and ... neglected ... subject than this one. Can this be done? I think not. Be a Berean. I
beseech you: Do not walk away until you have a clean heart and a good conscience in the Holy Ghost in this matter. Soon the Son of Man will be seen in the heavens, coming to rule the nations with a rod of iron. All
the tribes of the earth will wail and mourn because of Him (Matt 24:30, Rev 1:7), for their day of rebellion will be at its end. In that great and dreadful Day, the Word of God (Rev 19:13) will dash the rebel to pieces, as the
vessels of the potter are broken to shivers (Rev 2:27), and He will restore His established order in His kingdom, including His order in the home. Each will have their due reward, and there will be no respect of persons. Meanwhile, sure ... you will suffer for living this out. So will I. Wife, husband, male, female, pastor, elder, younger, new babe in Christ ... we are all called to suffer. "Yea, and all that will live godly
in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." (2nd
Tim 3:12) It is right here, right now, that we need to lay it all down and take up our cross and follow Him. We need not imagine ourselves suffering with saints long ago, or lift up those in far away lands now persecuted for His name's sake ... and feign as though are hearts are one with them, faithful ... and that we would also be suffering if we did not live in such a prosperous Christian nation. The time to stand is now!! Fear not what men will do to you. He is worthy of our suffering ... and of so very much more.
If you think to walk away and do nothing with this ... to deliberately choose the way of silence, the way of ease, the way of darkness and shame ... to let your belly be your god ... and become an enemy of the
cross of Christ (Phil 3:18-19), consider this one last thought before we part: What would you not give, on your What else do you truly have ... but Him? May the God of all grace sanctify you wholly, and confirm you unto the end, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight, to the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen..
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