#157 – Henpecked Husbands and Dominated Wives

Well, I am back from Israel. What a wonderful time we had on our trip. If you would like to read about the day to day activities from that trip you can go to consfords.com and read the daily updates that I wrote while we were in the Promised Land.

I hope you enjoyed the last few days of The Morning Meditation. I know they were reruns but they were no longer listed in iTunes and we have had many new subscribers come on board since I read these.

Today on The Morning Meditation we are going to meditate on:

HENPECKED HUSBANDS AND DOMINATED WIVES

Eph. +5:21 “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.”

When a man submits to his wife in our society, he called henpecked. When a wife submits to the God given authority of her husband in our society she is said to be married to a domineering husband. All the liberated women feel sorry for her and would gladly give this “dominated wife” advise on what to do. And if her husband will not give her freedom, they will gladly recommend divorce. It is liberation at any cost. I have this little thing that turns flips inside me when I get a “secret thrill.” And I get it when I see the look on a woman’s face when she is in a conversation with a submissive wife and the submissive wife says, “I’ll have to ask my husband first!” Wouldn’t it just turn you on to hear Mrs. Clinton say that?! Now let me really add fuel to the fire. I always consult with my wife before I invite someone to my home for a meal, spend the night, or, before I buy an item that amounts to anything, or before I agree to do something that I think that she would like to be a part of especially in the decision making. She is a business partner that covers the whole of my life. I check in with her if I am out doing “the Lord’s work” like visiting hospitals, and I am going to be a little late getting home. She basically knows where I am at all times. I want it that way. Paul says by inspiration of God, “submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.”

The words “submitting yourselves” (hupostasso) mean, “to obey, be subject. A Greek military term meaning ‘to arrange [troop divisions] in a military fashion under the command of a leader’. In non military use, it was ‘a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility, and carrying a burden.’” I’ll never forget counseling a man who told me that his wife, after he had told her to do something, went into the bedroom and came out dressed in his old Air Force uniform, stepped before him and saluted and said, “yes sir.” Then proceeded to do what he had told her to do. I don’t know, but I think there was a little resentment in that act of obedience! And she may have been justified in resenting it because in counseling him I discovered he would not be an easy man to live with. But the situation does illustrate the meaning of this word as a military term. This is offensive to anyone who has not yet found his/her place of submission to Jesus Christ. You say, “preacher you just have a special wife.” You do to. After all she saw something in you that made her accept your proposal. Now you have to admit that makes her brilliant! Unless you had a shot-gun wedding!

Let me give you a little open secret. When the children of Israel did not like what God said, they blamed Moses. And when you don’t like what God says, it goes something like this. “Grace has set us free. We are not under the law and rules and things like this. A woman is no different than a man in Christ. This matter is just the preacher’s opinion.” Well, I don’t want to be gross, or, bust your bubble, but if this is true, let’s take down the partitions between the men’s and women’s restrooms in Church. You say, “Preacher don’t be absurd.” I say, “How about being right.” Each of us have a God given place in life to serve. I serve as a man and my wife serves as a woman. Each of us enjoys the place God put us because He is the most important person in our lives.