For quite some time the trend of some wives has been to show disdain for their husbands in a vocal manner. It is regrettable that this is done at all, but is especially so when done in public. Wives often treat their husbands as one of their children and reprove them openly. They fail to show proper respect and set a bad example in front of their children.
In general, men have been portrayed in radio and television programs as being of inferior intelligence to women. I used to think this was something peculiar to present day comedy shows, but then I remembered that it was also prevalent in radio programs such as “Fibber McGee and Molly.”
God created Adam before Eve. We are told in I Corinthians 11:8-9, “For the man is not of the woman, but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman, but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.” God placed the responsibility for the spirituality of the family with the husband, hence the Patriarchal Age. Just as Abraham, Moses, Jacob and others were placed in charge of God’s heritage, Christian fathers are given this divine appointment from God to guide the home. When wives wrest the husband’s position as head of the family they are doing themselves, their children, their husbands and primarily God a grave disservice.
Some husbands seem passive about the abrogation of their God-given role. They defer to the wife as a means of keeping peace in the family. Their example is passed on to their children. Sons choose wives with their mother’s traits; daughters select husbands they can dominate. From generation to generation the man’s authority is watered down to the extent that their influence is all but negated. The consequences of women’s rule is legendary.
Eve made the decision to partake of the tree of knowledge without consulting her husband. We are all casualties of that sin. Sara advised Abraham to father children for her through Hagar her handmaid. The result of Abraham’s submission to his wife’s suggestion resulted in much misery for Ishmael and his descendants.
A woman who browbeats her husband is unhappy. She probably wishes her husband would challenge the usurping of his authority. By nature, a woman being the weaker vessel wants a man she can lean on and defer to his wisdom and strength. She cheats herself when she becomes the aggressor and assumes her husband’s role. What Christian woman doesn’t want to be the object of her husband’s love, protection and admiration?
Sometimes husbands are brutish. We hope this is not true of Christian mates. A wife under these circumstances must behave in a discreet manner. She may have to protect her husband from himself and act upon occurrences without his knowledge. This was true of Abigail whose husband Nabal was “churlish and evil in his doings” (I Samuel 25:3). If Abigail had not intervened and prepared food to feed David and his followers there would have been bloodshed.
In I Peter chapter 3 verses 1 through 7 we are instructed: “Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands…” He further tells us how we are to conduct ourselves. In verse 6 he describes the respect Sara had for Abraham when she called him “lord.”
There was a survey conducted recently to determine if the father was a necessary part of the family unit. That is deplorable! There should be no question about it! It certainly indicates that in many cases women have displaced men as head of the family. How sad.
-Rose Burroughs
Rose was secretary at TBC for 15 years. She passed from this life in 2007. Founding President Malcolm Hill said of her: “Rose was the best…We will miss her here. It won’t be long until we see her again.”
