What God Demands From Wives

Marriage is one area of relationship that many view as being complex, and delicate. This is likely as a result of highly televised marriage failures, and obvious neglect of God's recommended approach to marriage around the world. One of these is the practice of submission. Contrary to scriptural teaching, submission is seen by many as a weakness. The woman empowerment movements and the feminism concepts appear enticing to women especially with the level of humiliation women have received from wicked and brutal men in the past. However, these movements have destroyed not only families but also the very core of womanhood.

The bible is very emphatic about how women should relate with their husbands: 'Wives submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.' This in my opinion is a very bold statement. How do you feel reading it? The bible didn't say women should submit to their husbands as unto their bosses but AS UNTO GOD. That is quite audacious and goes totally contrary to what the society of today tries to tell us.

We should understand that this level of scriptural submission does not make the woman a slave or make the male gender superior to the female gender. Some people look down on submission as if it were something demeaning, degrading or humiliating. In a biblical sense, that is not what submission in marriage is about. It is not servant-hood, or sign of weakness. In fact submission in marriage is a sign of strength, not of weakness. It requires a great degree of personal strength of character to submit without coercion. Ironically, someone who feels inferior or has poor self esteem ( which most times manifests as pride), will struggle more to submit, than those who possess true personal confidence.

There is beauty in submission, and only a lady who understands her place will discover, and epitomize that beauty. Don't let anyone talk you out of submission to your husband, and let no one make you feel it is the old school way. You will enjoy your marriage better when you accept this approach to marriage. Notice that Paul does not base his argument on culture or societal norms. Instead, he bases it on the God-appointed leadership role given to the husband. God designed marriage to be this way. Many have failed because they thought the bible way is for old folks. Interestingly, most successful godly women achieve their success not by pursuing headship or equality at home but through submission even when they are better positioned materially than their husbands.

The story of David and Jonathan illustrates the beauty of submission when one truly wants to follow God's way. In 1 Samuel 24:20 Jonathan, the heir to the throne, said to David: 'And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine hand.' Jonathan discovered that God had chosen David instead of him to be king. This did not go well with his father, but he knew that the best response is to submit to God's leadership hierarchy. In 1 Samuel 23:17, we saw his humble submission to David's leadership: 'Do not be afraid, for my father Saul will never lay a hand on you. And you will be king over Israel, and I will be your second-in-command. Even my father Saul knows this is true.'

Fighting God's leadership design in marriages only creates unnecessary problems, submission instead positions you to be in God's side, and to reap the benefits thereof. I understand it could be such a challenging thing when one is married to an unreasonable man, or to one who does not naturally elicit submission. This challenge is one important reason you must dare to marry a man that fears God. Finally, submission does not imply one has to disobey civil law or God's law in the name of 'submission' to her husband. You're to submit to things that are right and lawful and God-honoring. Of course, a wife should not 'submit' to abuse.To try to use the principle of 'submission' to justify abuse and unlawful practices is to twist Scripture, to deceive oneself and to promote evil.