Wednesday, July 14, 2010
In a culture and society where women now try to dominate – where females have demanded the same “rights” and “payment” as men… submission is seen as weakness. Yet if we really soak in what God says about how a women should act, it is an entirely different picture. Women are seen as beautiful when submissive. Like Sarah, who called Abraham her master and obeyed him – she was beautiful. (1 Peter 3:6)
If you really soak in 1 Peter 3:1-6, wives should be able to see how women delight the Lord when they are submissive. There are so many nuggets of truth in those verses that speak specifically to females. Submission is not weakness, it is beautiful and actually with Christ, it is quite powerful. Take a look at verse 1 and 2 in 1 Peter 3 and you will see:
“Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.” (NIV)
Submission is pure and reverent to God, and very powerful as we see from these verses. Since a husband may be won over WITHOUT WORDS, simply from the behavior of his wife. Christ receives so much honor and glory through a submissive wife, husbands may be won over to believe the word of Jesus with the behavior of a female of this kind.
Verses 3 and 4 in this passage talk about beauty… how it should not be from outward adornment. This is another societal pressure on females to dress, primp, and “beautify” themselves on the outside – when God’s word speaks contrary. Now I’m not saying females should be a total mess, always wear their hair in a bun, never wear make-up, and dress in all baggy clothing – not at all am I saying that. Nor do I believe Peter was saying this either. However, I think our culture and society has things way off balance. The emphasis should not be placed on our outward appearance so much as it should be on our inner self.
“Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” 1 Peter 3:4 (NIV)
“Gentle and quiet spirit” – I found this interesting… because I very rarely see such a female anymore (including myself). But a gentle and quiet spirit is seen as great worth in God’s sight… quite contrary to the world and society which often glorifies “beautiful” outward appearances and wild/louder females or women who appear “independent”.
Making your inner self beautiful, rather than focusing on your outward appearance is how holy women of the past put their hope in God and made themselves beautiful as 1 Peter 3:5 talks about. They made themselves beautiful because they were submissive to their own husbands (3:5).
“For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands…” 1 Peter 3:5 (NIV)
You can’t ever tell me that submission is a weakness. From this passage and what GOD says, it is far more beautiful than we even realize.
The final verse that I wanted to focus on was 1 Peter 3:6… it may be the most difficult one for us worldly females to swallow.
“like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.” 1 Peter 3:6
Sarah OBEYED Abraham and called him her MASTER? Say what?! This is exactly what it says… and is exactly what she did. Submission. So many women will still think this is a weakness, and see submission as a negative thing… even after reading these verses. They may feel that by being obedient to their husband (or submitting to the point of calling him your master) is “too low” or giving the husband too much power. Choose what you want to believe… but being submissive in my opinion, is a God-given command for wives – something He delights in and sees as beautiful. I’d rather give HIM that, than to appease the world somehow by being beautiful only on the outside and un-submissive to my husband.
I would like to be one of Sarah’s daughters, who obeys my husband (I will even call him my master) and does what is right in the Lord’s eyes… to please Him, by also pleasing my husband. And I do not want to give way to fear (as we females have such a tendency to do).
I will wash his feet, by being submissive to my husband, in everything – as the bible says to. And by virtue of my being submissive to my husband, I will wash His feet and hopefully please the One who really matters in the end – Jesus.