The Purpose of the Wife-Part2

The purpose of the wife - Part 2
By Brother Mike (12-19-21; 17 minutes)

1Peter 3:1-6

1 Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives ;
2 While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear .
3 Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel ;
4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price .
5 For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands :
6 Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement . {daughters: Gr. children }

Grace and peace to you. This is Brother Mike at May-212011.com with another message for thought.

Last time we looked at the purpose of the wife, and we found that the wife was created for the man to love, serve, and obey him in his service to Yahweh and to satisfy his need for a companion, for, remember, God had brought all the newly created animals to Adam to name and for companionship, but there was not found a suitable helper for him. Therefore, God took from Adam one of his ribs and fashioned from it a suitable helper, and Adam named her, woman because she came out of man (Genesis 2:19-23). So, we see that the wife was created for the man to be his helper, and she would be under his authority to serve and obey him because she was made for the man and from the rib of the man, and it was the man who named her to show that he had authority over her just as he had authority over all the animals that he had named.

But, like was stated in our last Sunday devotional , even though the woman was created for the man to love, serve, and obey him, and for companionship to him, today women are rebelling against what they were created for like never before due to sin just like the churches of our day who, spiritually, are supposed to be the wife of Christ, and, therefore, subject to Him in everything (Ephesians 5:22-24), have rebelled against Him by running after false Christs, gospels, and teachings. Yes, many wives have turned from devotion to their own husbands! There has never been another time in all history when so many wives are divorcing their husbands in pagan courts (the public court system) to think that this has set them free to remarry or fornicate with strange men other than their true husbands. What they don't realize is that in the eyes of God, nothing but the physical death of the husband can end a marriage (see DIVORCE, THE BIG LIE! and What Jesus teaches about divorce and remarriage ). No matter how hard the wives, or the husbands for that matter, run from their marriages, they are still married before God, and they will still be accountable to God as though they were. Therefore, wives that divorce their husbands and then marry others, or have sexual relations with others, are judged by God as adulterers just as surely as if they had committed adultery before they divorced. Indeed, Jesus Christ does not recognize divorce in human courts because He created marriage to be for the entire life of the spouse; that is the nature of marriage, and there is no human being or judge that can change that. In fact, with respect to marriage, Christ commands, "Let not man [or humankind] put asunder" (Matthew 19:6; Mark 10:9), which means all these judges who divorce people in the public court system will have the day when they are judged to hell for their sin unless, of course, they were saved in Jesus Christ by May 21, 2011, when Judgment Day began. Indeed, the law of the land does not recognize a marriage any longer after divorce, but the law of God does. And it is this law of God that everyone will ultimately be accountable to in the end. The law of God is infinitely more important than the law of the land!

Well, what I want to focus upon in this short devotional is to continue on the topic of the Purpose of the Wife. Let's look at 1Peter 3:1-6. There we read,

1 Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives ;
2 While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear .
3 Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel ;
4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price .
5 For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands :
6 Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement {daughters: Gr. children }.

Notice how Sarah, Abraham's wife, is used as the example on how wives should obey their husbands. So, let's look back to Abraham's time as recorded in the book of Genesis to see what we can learn about Sarah's obedience. We read in Genesis 12,

10 And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land .
11 And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon : '
12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive .
13 Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee .

Here, when Abraham comes to Egypt, he tells his wife, who actually was his half-sister (Genesis 20:12) to say that she is his sister and not his wife because he feared she was so outwardly beautiful that they would kill him for his wife. Thus, Abraham was afraid for his own life. But, what about the life of his wife! Even though she could be taken by them and raped, killed, or whatever if she told them she was not his wife but his sister, Sarah still obeyed her husband. She had no idea what would happen to her if she obeyed her husband - whether she would be raped, killed, or what - nevertheless, she put her life in the hands of Yahweh and obeyed her husband. You see, she still obeyed her husband, Abraham, even when her very life was at stake, and when her husband cared more for his own life than for hers. Yes, Abraham should have been willing to give up his own life as Christ would give up His life for His wife, the elect, who are the true church, but Abraham did just the opposite. He valued his own life above that of his wife. He was very imperfect like all earthly husbands are, but still Sarah obeyed him, calling him Lord, even when it could mean her very own life, for her life was in God, and she trusted in Him. What tremendous faith Sarah must have had! And she is the example that God puts before Christian wives to follow. Are you willing to submit to your husband, and do you have the faith to obey your husband in all things including when it could mean your very own life? Sarah was, and this is how Yahweh wants you to be as well.

Now, what happened to Sarah when she obeyed her husband even when it could mean her own life? We read in Genesis 12,

14 And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair .
15 The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house .
16 And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels .
17 And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram�s wife .
18 And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife ?
19 Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way .
20 And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had .

So, we see that the answer to the question, what happened to Sarah when she obeyed her husband even when it could mean her own life is this: her great obedience of faith resulted in Yahweh's complete protection of her from Pharoah and the men of his kingdom. When Sarah obeyed Abraham and told them that she was not Abraham's wife but his sister because that is what Abraham told her to say, they took her into Pharoah's house, yes, supposing that she would become one of Pharoah's many wives, but instead, Yahweh plagued Pharoah's house with great plagues until Pharaoh came to learn that the plagues had come because Sarah was Abraham's wife. Then Pharaoh quickly returned Sarah to her husband and sent them away.

Thus, by Sarah obeying her calling of being a wife and so obeying her husband even to the death, if need be, she was protected by God, and her husband, Abraham, was also treated well. But the vast majority of women in our day would never obey their husbands if it could mean their deaths. No, they would rather stand up against their husbands and cry abuse against them. They wouldn't be able to see why obeying their husbands in such a situation would profit them, so they would disobey him. Afterall, they did not marry their husbands to fully love, serve, and obey them in obedience to the reason for which they were created, but, deep down, they married them for their money, or whatever else they thought would satisfy their own desires. So, when they discover that their own desires are not being fully met, or when they think that their husbands are abusing them like Abraham apparently abused his wife by putting her life second to his own, they divorce their husbands because they are not out to fully, please God and, therefore, their husbands, but they are out to serve themselves and get as much out of this world as they can. They don't know what it means to walk by faith, for they walk by sight. If they cannot personally see why continuing to love, serve, and obey their husbands in all situations for his entire life will bring profit to themselves, they will eventually divorce them or run off with other men.

But obedience through the gift of faith in Jesus Christ does greatly profit a woman, for not only will she be blessed in this life, but also blessed and rewarded forever in the glorious life to come. Indeed, Sarah obeyed her husband and called him Lord because she knew what her purpose in being created was, and that was to be a helper to her husband, to serve and obey him as if he were her very Lord, God. This is why she called her husband, Lord, because she knew her place in life. Do you?

Now, until the next time, may Yahweh bless thee, and keep thee: Yahweh make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: Yahweh lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace (Numbers 6:24-26).