Esther 1: 16-22
On to the consequences. No wife will treat King Xerxes that way…and this royal decree suggested by Memucan to be spread about the land will let the Kingdom know this. Men are the ruler of the household. The leaders demanded respect.
I must confess I do have to keep myself from the male bashing here, but scripture makes it clear from the beginning of the Bible in Genesis that God created man and he is to look after woman, family, and the kingdom God entrusted to that man. The age old argument comes in how the “ruler of the household” is to act and the responsibilities. It is easy for a man to see this as a way to do what ever he wants. It is easy for a woman (and yes I am definitely talking to myself here) to get angry from this and wonder where she stands in all of this. Beth shares Ephesians 5:22-30. These are tough scriptures. My thoughts are this: yes- man is to be the head of the household- but he is also to be submitted to God first. God will always be the ultimate head of our lives- male or female. If King Xerxes had submitted to God’s rule first, he wouldn’t have had to make a decree to have his wife respect him- he would have earned his wife’s respect through his own actions and how she is treated by him. Let God be the Lord of our lives and all will fall into place. Not easy, but the respect of others is in the balance. Not to mention our very lives depend upon it.
On to the consequences. No wife will treat King Xerxes that way…and this royal decree suggested by Memucan to be spread about the land will let the Kingdom know this. Men are the ruler of the household. The leaders demanded respect.
I must confess I do have to keep myself from the male bashing here, but scripture makes it clear from the beginning of the Bible in Genesis that God created man and he is to look after woman, family, and the kingdom God entrusted to that man. The age old argument comes in how the “ruler of the household” is to act and the responsibilities. It is easy for a man to see this as a way to do what ever he wants. It is easy for a woman (and yes I am definitely talking to myself here) to get angry from this and wonder where she stands in all of this. Beth shares Ephesians 5:22-30. These are tough scriptures. My thoughts are this: yes- man is to be the head of the household- but he is also to be submitted to God first. God will always be the ultimate head of our lives- male or female. If King Xerxes had submitted to God’s rule first, he wouldn’t have had to make a decree to have his wife respect him- he would have earned his wife’s respect through his own actions and how she is treated by him. Let God be the Lord of our lives and all will fall into place. Not easy, but the respect of others is in the balance. Not to mention our very lives depend upon it.
Robbyn - I do find that these verses can seem overwhelming... especially to women! But I have found that as I draw closer to the Lord and reading through the Bible... that these verses become more "understandable"... that as we know God's heart... His plan will unfold before our very eyes.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE these verses in Ephesians 5:25-26 "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word," it's such a beautiful description of love and sacrifice to me. I cling to that because what greater love is there than the love of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. I felt intimidated by these verses before, but now when I think about Christ calling the church His bride, it brings a great sweetness to these verses for me.
ReplyDeleteI love your blog posts, they are so thought provoking! Pink is my favorite color! This Esther study is really bringing out the good stuff.