DUTY OF THE HUSBAND

‘The Law of the Husband,” sermon #203, was about the wife’s subjection. Now the other side of the coin: the husband’s duty to his wife.
God, the designer of marriage, saw it was not good that man be alone so He made “a helper suitable for him” (Gen 2:18). When Adam gave names to all the animals, he saw each pair was almost alike, but he himself was all alone. God put him to sleep while He made a matching mate to be his complement
(I Cor 11:9). This relationship was one in which the husband was to “love his wife as his own body” and “as himself’ (Eph 5:25-29), caring for her just as Christ does the church. He is to be considerate and treat her with respect, “as the weaker partner in the grace of life” (I Pet 3:7). He is in no way to “lord it over his wife,” but is to treat her with love and respect.
Being first in sin, woman was placed in submission
(Gen 3:16; Tit 2:5; I Cor 14:34; I Pet 3:1-7) . Man was created first as leader, then her place came as follower whose “desire was to her husband” who would “rule over” her (Gen 3:16) for her own protection, comfort and emotional health.
Ask for studies by Betty Choate and Marian Starks.

(#260)