Soon after the fall season begins, I like to get those old recipes out
again and fill the house with the enticing aroma of the autumn season.
There's nothing like the mouth-watering flavor of those old favorites,
amen? Spiritually speaking, one of the "recipes" that the Lord brought
to my mind through His Word, which is also good to revive, is that of
"Reverencing My Husband". Though I am inclined to stop thinking about
this particular recipe, my home should be filled with this heavenly aroma
ALL year long! And yours should too...
Ephesians 5:33 (KJV)
Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even
as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
Now ladies, I understand that it may very well be that others perceive
you to be a wife who reverences her husband. No doubt you answer him kindly
in public and you treat him kindly in public - and most especially in
church, amen? But YOU know on the inside how you really feel about your
man... That is precisely why the Bible states that the wife is to take
inventory of her own heart and SEE for herself if she is truly reverencing
her husband! It is our duty and responsibility to distinguish whether
we honor our husbands inwardly as well as outwardly. With hearts fully
submitted to God, we must exercise respect toward them with our body and
our minds… How are you doing, dear wife??
1 Corinthians 7:10 (KJV)
And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife
depart from her husband:
This verse describes perfectly the perspective I am speaking of today.
You see ladies, we can remain with our husbands physically, yet depart
from them emotionally. Departing first takes place in the heart… A truly
Christian marriage is filled with holiness, and reverence consists of
love and holy esteem that produces a longing to please. Is the sweet aroma
of reverence floating in the air at your house, or do you need to get
that recipe out again?? Often times we make our husband's favorite meal
at dinnertime, but I daresay that "reverence" would be a man's favorite
spiritual dish with which to be served! To allow irreverence to inhabit
our spirit is to regard iniquity in our hearts and the Bible warns against
this. If you know disrespect has settled itself down in your heart and
you encourage it or even pretend it is not there, you will be left without
God's help or support! Yes, our very prayer life suffers because of our
unrighteousness…
Psalm 66:18 (KJV)
If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:
To further illustrate the importance of reverencing our husbands, I'd
like us to spend some time in the tent, or rather, the home of Abraham
and Sarah as we turn to Genesis 18...
Verses 1-6:
And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the
tent door in the heat of the day; And he lift up his eyes and looked,
and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet
them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, And said,
My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray
thee, from thy servant: Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and
wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: And I will fetch a
morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass
on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as
thou hast said. And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said,
Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes
upon the hearth.
We see that Abraham was visited by three angels and greeted them with
hospitality, encouraging them to stay and rest. I almost wonder if he
welcomed their intrusion into his time alone with Sarah... Why do I say
that? First of all, Abraham was outside of the tent in the heat of the
day and Sarah was inside. Common sense tells you this would be the time
to get out of the sun, amen? Could it be the atmosphere was "hotter" in
the tent?? Notice that Abraham also ran to meet his guests, almost as
if he were preventing them to come near the tent. Nor did he invite them
in, but led them to sit under a nearby tree... What also stood out to
me was the fact that Abraham used the word "quickly" when he instructed
Sarah to make ready some cakes for their visitors. Scripture doesn't say
that the angels had to be somewhere by a certain time, so why the hurry
in his tone? I wonder if Abraham used the term "quickly" because Sarah
typically exhibited reluctance when it came time to responding to Abraham's
commands... In any case, is this your track record when your husband asks
you to do something??
Verses 7-9:
And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and
gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. And he took butter,
and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and
he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat. And they said unto
him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.
I couldn't help but notice here how Abraham ran about performing the household
duties that generally belonged to the woman. These were areas that should
have been Sarah's concern, especially in matters of extending hospitality...
Certainly the angels took note of the unusual situation and were prompted
to ask Abraham where his wife was! Perhaps Abraham knew that if he didn't
do these tasks, they wouldn't get done... Maybe he was avoiding a stressful
situation that normally occurred at their house by just doing things himself,
saving the embarrassment or sarcasm that would come if he had asked Sarah
to do it in front of company. Why hadn't she come out to greet these visitors??
Abraham's answer about his wife's whereabouts to the angels was brief,
yet weighty... "Behold, in the tent." I can sense the strain of silence
following his reply when he realized that the condition of their relationship
could not be hid from visitors...
Is it this way in your marriage, dear wife? Oh, I'm sure there are a small
amount of everyday jobs you carry out for your husband out of necessity.
But what is your attitude in performing them? Is it obvious to others
that you lack reverence for your husband in the things that you DON'T
do, or WON'T do? Irreverence is openly displayed when you purposefully
try to be just a "little bit difficult" as it seems Sarah was. No woman
excels who jeers at sacred things…
Verse 10:
And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of
life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in
the tent door, which was behind him.
The purpose for the angels visit to Abraham and Sarah's tent is revealed
here in this verse. They would have a son! What a shame to receive such
wonderful news at a time when husband and wife are unable to rejoice together,
when it appears that contempt has driven a wedge between them. Look where
Sarah was standing - in the tent door, behind her husband where he would
not notice her presence. She has still not formally come out and met their
company... I wonder if Sarah had a habit of listening in on Abraham's
discussions because she didn't trust his leadership… Maybe she was lingering
so she could slip in a comment or two just to reveal what she really thought
of her husband while she had an audience... Ladies, I have witnessed many
couples using a public setting such as the one in this story to dishonor
their spouse and it's wrong! Wives must be prone to guard their husband's
reputation, not seek opportunity to attack it!
Verses 11-12:
Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased
to be with Sarah after the manner of women. Therefore Sarah laughed within
herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being
old also?
It ceased to be with Sarah… Have certain fruitful manners come to a halt
in your nature, dear wife? Let's admit it, ladies, at one time or another
each of us has believed that the likelihood of definite blissful conditions
coming to pass in our marriages is extremely improbable. Because of this,
our behavior will alter itself according to our belief. When Sarah heard
of the obvious miracle that was to happen in their marriage, the Bible
says she laughed within herself. Not only was it obvious Sarah was irreverent
toward her husband, it's also obvious she was irreverent toward the Word
of the Lord! The two go hand in hand... Have you ever laughed within yourself
when you considered God granting your husband the ability to perform above
his normal behavior? Do you snicker and snort inwardly while trying to
imagine him being used by the Lord to accomplish anything worthwhile??
Be sure your sin will find you out! Sarah was in the habit of hiding her
irreverence so that it was not evident to anyone else, yet the Lord brought
it out in the open…
Verses 13-14:
And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh,saying, Shall
I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is any thing too hard for the
Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the
time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
God speaks directly to Abraham about his wife's irreverence and exposes
it for what it is - unbelief! Sarah was laughing at God and His ability
to change their marital situation, to bless it and make it fruitful. She
had long considered their relationship dead and no longer looked forward
to it being of a pleasurable state... Ladies, no matter who the man or
the woman, nothing is too hard for the Lord! He can take any marital situation
and cause it to come alive and prosper, but not if you intend to exhibit
irreverence toward His Word!
Verse 15:
Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said,
Nay; but thou didst laugh.
Ladies, are you, like Sarah, in denial over your irreverent attitude?
Do you refuse to admit that it has rooted itself deep within your heart?
Is there a hidden message in your laughter around the house? Has the poison
of sarcasm found its way into most verbal exchanges with your spouse?
Have you been guilty of treating your husband with contempt, if only in
the little things? Do you treat God with mockery in not believing Him
capable of improving the quality of your marriage? Psalm 51:6 states that
the Lord desires truth in the inward parts. Other than that, any ingredient
resting in your bosom is not good! Be honest with yourself today; if you
know that you haven't been truly respectful of your husband, confess it
to the Lord and to him. Ask for forgiveness and prayer, and then purpose
in your heart to do right! Get that old faithful recipe out again and
start cooking up the sweet aroma of reverence and serve your husband his
favorite spiritual dish! It is God's will that all wives master this recipe.
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2000 Pamela A. Iannello
Revised 2003
