We’re on Week 7 of the The Excellent Wife series. You can catch up on the older posts here. This week we’re diving into chapters 13 and 14.
Chapter 13: Biblical Submission
This chapter outlines five biblical principles concerning the wife’s submission. As with the rest of the book, each principle is backed by several portions of scripture. I loved the part that explains the role of the husband and wife in a military sense. Wives are not inferior to their husbands, but they have a different rank and are under the authority of their husband (much like a commanding officer).
“The point is, a wife must obey her husband unless he asks her to sin. Even though a husband has God-given authority over his wife, only God has absolute authority over her.”
There is a separate section about submission for women whose husbands are not Christian. I know a few women who are living examples of this; I’m assured God will bless their obedience to His Word.
Here are a few traits of a submissive wife that I gathered from this chapter:
- Obeying God is more important to her than having her own way.
- She lets the Word of Christ direct her life.
- She is submissive whether she feels like it or not.
- She does not irritate or annoy her husband.
- She does not pout when she doesn’t get her own way.
- She does not make important decisions without consulting him.
- She always pays attention to what he says.
Chapter 14: God’s Provision
This chapter outlines the resources God has provided for a submissive wife’s protection. I personally know several women who have been abused by their husbands and have not been able to take biblical action. They have either patiently endured their husbands’ abuse or walked out of their marriages. The resources mentioned in this chapter encourage the wife to take advantage of God’s protection that is available to her.
There is a step by step biblical guide to help the wife progressively deal with her husband’s abuse. It starts with communicating biblically, overcoming evil with good, appealing to her husband and giving biblical reproof for minor cases. When these fail, the wife is instructed to seek godly counsel, inform leaders in the church and if necessary, take the matter to the governing authorities.
I sincerely wish every woman struggling with an abusive husband or living in a difficult marriage would read this book. I’m glad I now have a resource I can personally recommend.
Other posts in this series:
- An Excellent Wife: Introduction
- An Excellent Wife: Chapters 1 & 2
- An Excellent Wife: Chapters 3 & 4
- An Excellent Wife: Chapters 5 & 6
- An Excellent Wife: Chapters 7 & 8
- An Excellent Wife: Chapters 9 & 10
- An Excellent Wife: Chapters 11 & 12
- An Excellent Wife: Chapters 13 & 14
- An Excellent Wife: Chapters 15 & 16
- An Excellent Wife: Chapters 17 & 18
- An Excellent Wife: Chapters 19 & 20
- An Excellent Wife: Chapter 21 & Conclusion
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