MARRIAGE (PART 3a)
The Subject Of Submission (A)
Wow, women of God. Welcome to another great and insightful session on marriage. I believe you are learning something new as I am. Oftentimes when I share these articles, I tend to learn more than share. So join me as we learn more on the matter of submission in marriage.
Ephesians 5:22
Wives, submit yourself unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
The subject of submission is perhaps the most difficult part to understand and accept as women of God. We can enjoy all the scriptures on marriage but certainly not the one that speaks of submission. I am still under the tutelage and the chastisement of the Lord concerning this matter. Because submission does something to your flesh that is not pleasant. And so, on some days, you just choose to go on holiday so far as submission is concerned. I hope I am not the only one and that I am in good company. But I pray even more that by the end of this series of articles on submission we will understand and even yearn to submit the more.
Let’s start by refreshing our memories on the rediscovery of man. We came to an understanding that man from creation was male and female and the two halves showed the image of God. This was what made submission even more difficult to understand for me. In the initial stages of my marriage, I endeavoured to submit because Jesus submits to the Father and the Holy Spirit submits to Jesus so if the Bible says to submit, who was I to challenge it. But I realized that submission meant so much to God. And from my little training, I have learnt that whatever means a lot to God is worth looking into. And that is exactly what I did.
Numbers 30: 6-7
And she had at all an husband, when she vowed, or uttered ought out of her lips, wherewith she bound her soul; 7and her husband heard it, and held his peace at her in the day that he heard it, then he shall make her vow which she vowed and that which she uttered with her lips, where with she bound her soul, of non-effect: and the Lord shall forgive her
Please do well to read the entire chapter. It is hard to read such books but it does pay a lot. Ok back to the subject. In the previous chapters, God was admonishing the Israelites against making silly vows that they did not mean. According to the Lord, if you swore an oath before Him, you have bound your soul and so in the case that you are unable to fulfill, you are liable to His punishment (please note that this is not an old testament theory it is an eternal principle. Do well not to vow or pledge before God things you are unsure you can do. Jesus took it further and said we should try as much as possible not to swear before the Lord). Then this same God – this same Yahweh – gives a clause to this great admonishing. If the vow is made by a woman, who is under authority, then her vow can be disavowed if her authority head disallows it and He, God, will not be angry with neither the woman nor her authority head. And that vow will not stand.
The first time I read this scripture, the remnants of the Beijing thinking started to squirm and this gave me a lump in my throat. I was furious. What? How could God say that? I want to show you my love by vowing in your presence and you throw all that away simply because an unloving follower of yours disallowed it? How could God take my love for Him for granted? I was in that mood for so long a time until He taught me on authority.
The subject of Authority cannot be overemphasized. The whole earth spins upon Authority. What keeps a kingdom running is Authority. If you take authority out of this world we will never recover from the havoc that would be wrecked upon the surface of the earth. In my studies, I realized that even if the authority is evil, God still respects it and intends that His children respect it too.
Rom.13:1
Let every soul be subject to the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
I was taught how the whole of heaven kept order by reason of authority. Why is there peace and tranquillity in the heavens and chaos on earth? Because the author of dishonour and disregard for authority has been thrown down to the earth. The originator of rebellion, Satan, the enemy of God is here on earth and so the chaos and problems we face while Authority is maintained and respected in Heaven and so there is order.
Shalom women of God. I believe we are learning something new. May our understanding of Submission increase and may we learn to submit to our husbands in all ways to the glory of the Lord. Shalom.
