Today's Reading:
Ephesians 5:21-33
Ezekiel 16
Isaiah 45
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Thoughts and Commentary on Today's Reading
In today's reading from Ephesians 5, we find the concept of godly balance in the marriage relationship. This is such a needed concept - and such a tough one, that I want to focus on it for a bit.
There is a delicate balance in many concepts of Truth. Leaning too far to the right, or left, throws us quickly out of the healthy and balanced path which Yahweh designed for us. In marriage relationships, I have seen both the far right and the far left, neither of which is godly or balanced.
On the far right there are wives who browbeat their husbands, badgering and bullying them. They reduce these men to a mere shadow of themselves through years of withering words and disrespect. Then, to our amazement, many of these same wives have complained to us that their husbands don't lead out in worship, nor take up any of the priestly headship in their homes which Yahweh ordained them to have. These wives blindly blame their husbands for being incompetent and weak priests. Yet, they are blind to their own role in spiritually emasculating their husbands.
On the far left there are husbands who dominate and rule over their wives, criticizing and demeaning them. They keep their wives barefoot and pregnant, reducing them to cringing mice hiding in the corner and scurrying about to do their duties while staying out of reach from the next verbal kick. Sadly, amidst this atmosphere of tremendous emotional and verbal abuse, the husband often feels he is "righteous", leading his household as a godly priest should! While sanctimoniously spouting Scripture, they are blindly destroying themselves, their wives, and their families.
But the words of Scripture, from today's reading are neither on the far right, nor are they on the far left. Yahweh wants His people to walk the balanced path, which lies in the middle, light years away from either of these unhealthy extremes.
Lest we lose ourselves on the far right, Ephesians says:
Ephesians 5:22-23 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto Yahweh. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the Head of the church: and He is the Saviour of the body."
Lest we lose ourselves on the far left, Ephesians says:
Ephesians 5:25-28 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word... So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself."Yahweh is a God of balance. Let's seek it prayerfully today in all of our relationships.
