- Genesis 1:26-28
- Genesis 2:7, 18-25
God institutes marriage, and whenever it is outside this perimeter, its full potential will not be seen. God created man first signifying his role in leadership in the marriage relationship. When problems rise in the home, it is the man's responsibility to resolve them. God gave him a partner- a woman. God never intended that two men or two women live together in this same manner, as it would only breed trouble.
Marriage is to be a picture of the relationship between Christ (the husband) and the Church (the wife). If we as partners in this relationship of marriage would keep it in this outline as given to us by God, the problems we face in our marriage would be non-existent.
The name husband has to do with economics, being thrifty, and farming. He is to be the bread winner for the family and doing everything in his power to make sure things are taken care of financially and around the house. He too must care for the physical, emotional, as well as spiritual needs of his wife and family or he will be counted as an unbeliever. ( 1 Timothy 5:8)
- To love unconditionally
- To lead as a service
- To nourish
- To protect as a service physically, spiritually, and emotionally
Man's first responsibility to his wife is to love her unconditionally. We are all human and humans make mistakes but that is nor reason for the husbands not to fulfill his foremost responsibility.
If he just lets his family go to the “dogs”, he has shirked his responsibility and must repent before God and his family.
The responsibility of the welfare of the family falls solely on the husband/father, however, the wife/mother helps carry out his vision for the family.
He must have a vision for his God-given responsibility. Without a vision the family will die. 18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
Prov 29:18 (KJV)
Life does not just happen, but must be arranged by the man under the direction of God for a purpose.
The love of the husband for his wife must be clear to her. A woman who is unloved yet married is a difficult thing. It seemingly falls into the same category as a servant who reigns over the king. Not a nice picture at all.
23 For an odious woman when she is married;
Prov 30:23 (KJV)
This is not meant to be an insult to unmarried women or women that are caught in a relationship that does not show love, but rather is meant to encourage the man to fill his responsibility seriously.
Christ loved the church so much He was willing to die so it could live. Marriage is analoge of the relationship between Christ and the Church, therefore, what Christ has done for the Church is what husbands and fathers need to do for their families.
We may never physically lay our lives down for the sake of our families, but that shouldn’t be ruled out as a possibility. The idea behind this is sacrificing the things we enjoy for the sake of leading the family on fin truth.
God has instilled in all men the need to be a leader and a desire for women to be led.
16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
Gen 3:16 (KJV)
This is not to say that the husband should get an over-rated opinion of himself and say that she had better follow him, but rather he should lead in a manner that is worthy of being followed.
The love that a man has for his wife will cause him to submit to her in that he sacrifices himself for her betterment. In submission, he is not making her his lord, but rather is offering himself as a servant as a result of his love.
Christ came to be our servant while on earth and while not making us His lord sacrificed Himself for the reconciliation of our souls. If we are not submitted in humility to our wife’s needs the hope of having a relationship with her like the relationship between Christ and the Church is extinguished. We must give her our all to redeem the relationship.
1 Corinthians 11
Through the sacrifice of the husband, he is offering love, protection, and nourishment which will only be seen through her submission to him.
The husband must see to it that his wife’s needs are met. God has given him the responsibility of nourishing her physically, spiritually, and emotionally. In a time when the family unit often chooses to go their separate ways it is unmistakable that many wives needs are going unnourished. When this happens she then has a void that she fills with something else.
Nourishing your wife means feeding her in all three of the areas mentioned before.
Protection of your wife is also a responsibility of the husband. Christ offered Himself as a protection for His bride and as physical marriage is a symbol of that, then man is to offer himself as a protection for his wife. Only when we get a grip on this concept will our wife feel secure in our love and Christ.
That your prayers are
not hindered
1 Peter 3:7
Love your wife in an understanding way, be thoughtful of her and treat her as royalty. God has created her for the finer things in life. Even though she is physically weaker than most men, she is strong in her own way. Whenever we go against this plan that God has set up, our prayers will be hindered and God will not hear us. We will have built a wall between us and God.
Take care of her heart and look for ways to help her. Pray for her.
