Daughters of Sarah:Wives of Great Worth - NCCG.ORG Ning Network Archive 2008-10

(I have changed the names to read Yah'shua, Yahweh and Elohim instead of Jesus and God, but the original article may be found here - http://www.house-of-hope.net/women/sarah/index.html)
_________________________________________________________________

Daughters of Sarah:Wives of Great Worth
Studies from the book of First Peter

For instance, Sarah obeyed her husband, Abraham, when she called him her master.
You are her daughters when you do what is right without fear of what your husbands might do
1 Peter 3:6

Choosing Obedience

1 Peter 1:1-5

"Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands..." (3:1).

Most of us as wives have convinced ourselves that this Scripture does not apply in our own circumstances. It can't mean we are to be submissive to our husbands if their decisions are not in line with what we understand Yahweh's will to be.

Yet upon closer examination we realize that this passage in 1 Peter was written especially for us when our husbands are not Christians or fail to make decisions in line with what we understand to be Yahweh's direction. Read the rest of the verse:

"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," (3:1).

Do you have the courage to look into what Yahweh is really saying here? If so, be prepared to make some changes.
To understand what Yahweh means by, "In the same way," we must start at the beginning:

"Peter, an apostle of Yah'shua Messiah, To Yahweh's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of Yahweh the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Yah'shua Messiah and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance" (1:1-2)

This Scripture is written to those who have accepted Yah'shua as Savior and Lord and thus have become part of Yahweh's elect. He has elected those who accept his Son for special blessing, provision, protection, and honor.

Notice first that we have been "chosen." From the very beginning, the Elohim who had all foreknowledge of the situations we would face in our marriages today chose you and me!.

What are we chosen for? First we are chosen for obedience. Because we are chosen, we are immediately faced with a choice. Our choice is: "Will I choose to be obedient or disobedient to Yahweh's choices for me?"

In the context of being a wife, and the question of submission to our husbands, am I willing to obey what Yahweh shows me? That is the only question that really matters.

It is not a question of whether our husbands are capable; or whether they are worthy of leadership; or whether we can do a better job. Those areas are for Yahweh to decide.

The question for me, ultimately is not whether I will submit to my husband. It is whether I will submit to my Heavenly Father. I have been "chosen...for obedience." Will I choose obedience or disobedience to Yahweh?

If we are unwilling to submit to Yahweh here, at the foundation of his call to us, how do we dare to judge our husbands for their failures in the leadership areas Yahweh has called them to?

Yahweh knew we would blow the obedience issue before we ever got started. We have not always chosen to submit to our husbands. But the real problem is that by choosing not to submit to our husbands in the ways that God has ordained, we have chosen to rebel against Yahweh's design for us.

So the second thing that Yahweh chose us for is "sprinkling by his blood." I thank my Elohim that his choices for me have the power to overcome and rescue me from the wrong choices I have made!

I am chosen for obedience. Because Yahweh knew I would fail in obedience to Him, he chose me for forgiveness, for redemption through the blood of Yah'shua Messiah.

"Praise be to the Elohim and Father of our Lord Yah'shua Messiah! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Yah'shua Messiah from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade -- kept in heaven for you" (1:3-4).

This is a hard choice Yahweh has called us to make. It always seems that it would be easier to have someone else's choice -- to be required to make someone else's commitment. Commitment is never easy.

Commitment to Yahweh by submission to another human has to be one of the toughest callings Yahweh has ever required. But it brings with it the richness of Yahweh's protection and blessing in a way that frees us as nothing else can.

We are "chosen...for obedience" through the "sprinkling by his blood," into "an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade -- kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by Yahweh's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time" (1:4-5).

======= PRAYER =======
Lord,
The topic of submission is really a place that we don't want to go. We would like to write something else into what you are saying in your word on this subject. But we cannot. You have told us that our submission is ultimately an act of commitment and submission to you.

Thank you for the privilege of saying "yes" to you, Lord. Thank you that we can give you the gift of our desires and even the security we feel at being in control. We trust in a greater security of your control and your desires for our good, Lord.

We don't want to go to the topic of submission. But we choose to go there because that is where you have called us, and we go with you, Lord. Thank you for leading us safely through all the troubled waters we must travel as we submit to your plan for us.
Amen.

*******************************************************

Taking Control

1 Peter 1:6-15

"Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands..." (1Peter 3:1).

How can we submit to someone who is at best imperfect, and sometimes fails to lead us in the right direction? We submit through faith in our mighty Elohim!

In our own power, or our husband's power, there is always vulnerability for the things we value to "perish, spoil, or fade," no matter how wise our plans. As we submit to Yahweh's plan in faith we are "shielded by Yahweh's power."

No matter how poor our husband's decisions may be, we are shielded! We may suffer some consequences with him, yes. But we will not be overthrown. Our Father Yahweh will see us through. We have his word!

"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Yah'shua Messiah is revealed" (1Peter 1:6-7).

Our submission to our husbands is a monitor of our faith in and submission to our Elohim. It is not enough to submit reluctantly or grudgingly. Submission sounds like a passive word. We want active control. Yet this is not different from what we want in every area of our lives. Yahweh says, "No." He requires us to give control of our lives to him. Only then can he provide for us his very best.

If our husbands have control, does that not override Yahweh's control in our lives? No. As the leader of our home, our husbands are to submit to Yahweh's control as well.

"But what if my husband doesn't submit to Yahweh's control? That frees me from this requirement of submission. Right?"

We are just looking for excuses. Yahweh says neither we nor our husbands are given ultimate control. Yahweh requires submission as an act of obedient faith. Yahweh never requires submission so he can get control. Yahweh already has control!

This frees us to submit to our husbands knowing that even if our husbands rebel against Yahweh, they cannot lead us into areas where we are not, by faith, "shielded by Yahweh's power!"

We don't want to be passive. We want to be active, and that is exactly what Yahweh has called us to!

The submission that Yahweh requires is never passive. It must be active obedience to and acceptance of Yahweh's plan for us. How can we actively submit to our husbands and ultimately to Yahweh?

"Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Yah'shua Messiah is revealed" (1Peter 1:13).

Ah, the control that we so desire! But not control of our husbands. Ours is a higher calling: self-control. We must prepare our minds for action by acknowledging that Yahweh is our ultimate authority. We must determine to cooperate with Yahweh by embracing His plan of submission to our husbands.

We must be self-controlled. No longer can we allow ourselves to assume the leadership role in our homes. We must relinquish control of our homes and take control of our attitudes, thoughts, and actions. We must discipline ourselves to submit to our husbands in accordance with the command of our Elohim.

We must not allow our minds to dwell on the possible consequences of what appears to us to be poor judgement on our husband's part. Our hope must be "fully set" in Yahweh's grace.

Because of his grace, Yah'shua lives in us by faith. Yah'shua is being revealed in our lives every day as we submit to Yahweh's authority. Ultimately Yah'shua Messiah will be revealed in all of his glory in power on high. We will be there with him, partakers of his grace that give us acceptance in his love!

So now, as wives, we are faced with a choice. Yahweh says, "As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do" (1:14:15).

*******************************************************

Living by Faith

1 Peter 1:7-21

"Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands..." (3:1).

We are no longer ignorant of Yahweh's requirement. Yahweh has called us to submission to himself. This submission will be demonstrated by our submission to our husbands. Anything short of that is rebellion against Yahweh.

But what if my husband leads us into sin. Will I not be held accountable?

The Bible has much to say about submission to our husbands. Yet no where in Scripture does the Bible address how a woman is to respond if her husband asks her to actively participate in a direct sin.

There is a good reason for the Bible's silence on this issue. When a woman submits to her husband in an act of total submission and sacrificial obedience to Yahweh, Yahweh will never allow her husband to require her to actively participate in a direct act of sin. She is "shielded by Yahweh's power" (1:4).

Yahweh will never allow his children to be placed in a position of having to choose between two opposing commands. It may seem so at first. But if she looks to Yahweh, he will provide a way of escape.

Yahweh may allow a husband to deny his wife the privilege of actively participating in commands that Yahweh has given. For example, a wife may desire to tithe or be active in church and her husband may forbid it.

"Her husband may confirm or nullify any vow she makes or any sworn pledge to deny herself. But if her husband says nothing to her about it from day to day, then he confirms all her vows or the pledges binding on her. He confirms them by saying nothing to her when he hears about them. If, however, he nullifies them some time after he hears about them, then he is responsible for her guilt" (Numbers 30:13-15).

Yahweh may allow her husband to deny her the privilege of certain acts of commitment and worship. But even as her husband denies it, he is unknowingly providing her opportunity for a more supreme sacrifice of commitment and trust in Yahweh by submission to her husband.

"Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear" (1:17).

"Man" in this verse is referring to "mankind," both male and female. We call on a loving Heavenly Father. In our Father's eyes we are judged individually and impartially. We are accountable before Yahweh to be the wife he has called us to be.

Whether our husbands fulfil the role Yahweh has called them to as Godly leaders is immaterial to our responsibility before Yaweh. It is also immaterial to Yahweh's provision for us. Yahweh will judge us impartially and provide for our needs as we are faithful to the wifely role of submission he has given us.

How can this be, you ask? We are bound together as one flesh. Our livelihoods are bound together. Yet the Elohim who created male and female, who ordained marriage, who hung the stars -- this Elohim will move heaven and earth if necessary to meet the needs of a wife who faithfully submits to her husband and trusts in her Elohim!

We no longer have to live in emptiness and defeat.

"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Yah'shua, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake" (1:18-20).

We are "chosen...for obedience." Yah'shua was chosen for the sacrifice that would pay for our disobedience!

"Through him you believe in Yahweh, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God" (1:21).

"Your faith and hope are in Yahweh..."

When we as wives refuse to submit to the leadership role Yahweh has given to our husbands, we are placing our faith and hope in our own ability rather than in our Elohim. We are deliberately choosing to live outside Yahweh's will. That is the most dangerous place on earth to be!

Yahweh has called us in some ways to take a step of faith even greater than that to which he has called our husbands. He has called us to willingly submit to the judgement of another whether that judgement is sound or unsound. Yahweh has called us to take the ultimate step of trust in His faithfulness.

"Your faith and your hope are in Yahweh....

*******************************************************

Rid Yourselves!

1 Peter 2:1-8

"Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands..." (3:1).

Does this mean we are not to have any role in the decisions of our home? Not at all.

We owe it to our husbands to share with him our insights on the issues we face together. But we are not to force these insights upon him. We are to offer them in love with respect for the leadership role that Yahweh has given to him.

"Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind" (2:1).

Rid yourselves! Rid is an action word. We tend to think of this Scripture as referring to someone else. We think it refers to our attitudes toward other people in general.

We need to bring this verse home where it hurts. If our attitudes are wrong at home, they are wrong everywhere. This is not multiple choice. There is only one right answer: Rid yourselves!

In your home, toward your husband, is there
malice?
deceit?
hypocrisy?
envy?
slander?

"Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation" (2:1)

A newborn baby craves only one thing -- pure milk. When we are born again, we are born to crave Yahweh's pure milk. We feed on it. We are nourished. However as we grow, and develop an appetite for more solid food, we often turn away from Yahweh's wholesome word to the delicasies of the world.

"Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly -- mere infants in Yah'shua. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? (1 Corinthians 3:1-3).

We are like a two-year-old whose favorite word is "me." We stomp our feet if we don't get our candy bar. We bang our head on the wall when our husbands fail to live according to Godly standards. We sulk and pout when our husbands attempt to lead us against our "better" judgement. What we don't realize is that our role of submission is just as important and just as honorable in the kingdom of Yahweh as our husband's role of leadership.

Where is a wife to turn when her husband fails to honor her as he should?

"As you come to him, the living Stone -- rejected by men but chosen by Yahweh and precious to him -- you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to Yahweh through Yah'shua Messiah. For in Scripture it says: 'See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame'" (2:4-6).

Are you rejected by others, maybe even your husband? You are chosen by Yahweh. Think about it: not just accepted, but chosen! You are "...chosen by Yahweh and precious to him." He uses the same words for you that he uses for his Son when he calls him a "chosen and precious cornerstone..." You are chosen and precious.

By submitting, we are not accepting a role of second class citizens. Some husbands may treat their wife as though they were inferior. But the wife who submits her heart and actions to Yahweh is highly honored by Yahweh. He himself was rejected by men and he understands the plight of a wife whose husband has rejected his responsibility to care for her in love.

The real problem is not our husbands. The problem is our own hearts.

"Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, 'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,' and, 'A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.' They stumble because they disobey the message -- which is also what they were destined for (2:7-8).

Many women stumble at the command of submission. They fall because they disobey. They miss Yahweh's best.
Let us rid our self of the selfish attitudes that keep us from Yahweh's best for us. Let us submit to Yahweh and experience the security and richness of a life rooted deeply in the Cornerstone of life itself, Yah'shua Messiah our Savior.

*******************************************************

Called To Be Holy

1 Peter 2:9

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to Yahweh, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light" (2:9).

Ah...there's that beautiful word "chosen" again! Yet this Scripture goes beyond chosen. Not only are we chosen, but if we have trusted in Yah'shua, we are part of a royal priesthood. What does this mean?

In the Old Testament, the priests were set aside to offer lambs and other sacrifices for the sin of the people. The priests also were given the opportunity to communicate directly with Yahweh in the Holy of Holies area of the Hebrew Tabernacle and later the Temple. Then they would share Yahweh's words with the people.

The Tabernacle was composed of three parts, and the Temple was later patterned after the Tabernacle. There is rich symbolism throughout. Each part in some way symbolized Yah'shua.

The first part was an outer court in a fenced-in area. Just inside the Gate (Yah'shua, our Entryway) was the Altar (Yah'shua, our Sacrifice) where the lambs were sacrificed to atone for sin. Also in the outer court was a basin or Laver (Yah'shua, who cleanses us.)

The inner part of the Tabernacle consisted of two rooms. The first room, called the Holy Place, contained a Table of Bread (Yah'shua, our Sustenance), a Candlestick (Yah'shua, our Light), and an Altar of Incense (Yah'shua, our Intercessor).

The second part was the most holy place, called the Holy of Holies. It was separated from the Holy Place by a curtain, or Veil. The Holy of Holies contained the Ark of the Covenant (Yah'shua, our Ark of safety and Fulfillment of promise).

It was inside the Holy of Holies that the priest went to commune with Yahweh. When Yah'shua gave his life on the cross as our atoning Lamb, the Veil of the Temple, which was as thick as a man's hand, was torn in two.

This symbolized the beginning of a new era. We would no longer need a priest to communicate to Yahweh for us in the Holy of Holies. In the New Testament, Yah'shua, the Lamb of Yahweh, became our High Priest. The Veil was torn in two, as Yah'shua's sacrifice opened the way for whoever accepts His atonement to freely commune with Yahweh.

"Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of Yahweh" (Hebrews 10:11-12).

Once we accept the sacrifice he made for us, we become part of the priesthood under Yah'shua. The sacrifice is complete. Now we can communicate directly with Yahweh our Father.

"In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from Yahweh" (John 16:26-27).

There are Scriptures that tell us that Jesus does intercede to the Father for us. But he wants us to know that he has also made a way for us to communicate directly with the Father because we love Yah'shua and the Father loves us!

The Israelites are Yahweh's chosen people, chosen to be a holy nation. However, the Bible teaches that today every believer in Yah'shua becomes part of Yahweh's spiritual holy nation. Yahweh has lovingly called us "a people belonging to Yahweh." Male or female, we share this same privilege.

Yahweh has shown us the light of truth. Have you responded to the truth and received Yah'shua as the sacrifice for your sin? If you haven't, that is the first step.

*******************************************************

Winning the Inner Battle

1 Peter 2:10-16

"Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of Yahweh; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy" (2:10). We are part of the people of Yahweh and partakers of his mercy just as our husbands are.

"Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul" (2:11). Because of the wonderful calling we have, we are urged to live above our sinful desires.

I hate submission to my husband! I would like to take charge of my home and my life and tell my husband he can like it or lump it! That is sinful desire warring against my soul! I abstain from that. I have a higher calling. I am chosen for obedience to my worthy Elohim!

"But you don't know my husband!" you exclaim. Is your husband pagan (non-Christian) in reality or in action? Here is Yahweh's desire for you:

"Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify Yahweh on the day he visits us. Submit yourselves for the Master's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right" (2:12-14).

I'll be honest ladies. I could never submit to my husband for my husband's sake. Much as I love him, I couldn't submit out of love and respect for him. I am too independent. I've got my own ideas of how to run the show!

But for my Master's sake? My Master who chose the cross for me and became my Savior? For him my armor of resistance melts. "For the Master's sake" I choose to submit to every authority instituted among mankind -- including authority in the home.

"For it is Yahweh's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men" (2:15).

Do you want to silence your husband's "ignorant talk" and "foolishness" toward things involving your home? This is Yahweh's simple plan for doing just that.

If we are always fighting against our husbands, the Bible has something else to say about us: "Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife" (Proverbs 25:24). Again, the Bible says, "A quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping on a rainy day (Proverbs 27:15).

Ouch! Are you a quarrelsome wife? Are you constantly nagging?

The Bible does not have anything to say about a quarrelsome husband -- only a quarrelsome wife. There is a good reason for this. Our husbands are correct in seeking to take control of our homes. Now, if they are lost, they may not be aware that this leadership is their Yahweh-given position. But they still instinctively seek control.

When we are quarrelsome with what Yahweh has given to them and not to us, we are the ones in rebellion against Yahweh. But when we choose obedience to our Yahweh and allow him to mold our hearts into the Proverbs 31 woman, our value will be far more than rubies: "A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies (Proverbs 31:10).

When we present ourselves as this woman, offering the rubies of a Godly wife to our husbands, this can silence their ignorant and foolish talk. No longer do they have to clamor for what is rightfully theirs to start with. We gladly give it in Yahweh's love. We exchange our quarrelsome nature for treasures far above rubies. We present this treasure as a gift to our Elohim and he gives us the grace to humble ourselves and present it to our husbands as well.

"Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of Yahweh" (2:16). Only when we submit our willful nature to the loving control of our Yahweh are we really free to be all Yahweh made us to be.

We are afraid to submit to our husbands. We hold onto what we perceive to be our "rights," and in so doing we are keeping ourselves imprisoned in a household of bitterness and rebellion. We live in misery. We are constantly going against the grain.

We need to confess our willfulness to Yahweh and allow him to free us to experience his peace, joy, love, and hope in our homes. No matter what our circumstances, Yahweh wants to provide something better than what our quarrelsomeness can provide for us. He wants to make us free!

The Bible is full of paradoxes. Here is one: By giving up the control that Yahweh never gave us as wives to start with, we make ourselves free. We no longer have to struggle to get that which is not ours. We are free to experience Yahwehs best for us!

*******************************************************

What About Our Rights?

1 Peter 2:17-25

"Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear Yahweh, honor the king" (2:17).

"However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband" (Ephesians 5:33).

Your husband is King in your home. Are you showing him proper respect?

"But, what if my husband is unworthy of respect?" you ask.

"Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of Yahweh" (2:18-19).

While this passage is referring to slaves and wives are not slaves, the principle remains the same. Are you being treated unfairly? Are you not getting your "rights" as a wife? Is your husband not treating you as he is commanded to do in Yahweh's Word?

Here is news: You have no rights! If you have accepted Yah'shua as your Savior, you gave them all up to Yah'shua. Your Master Yah'shua Messiah holds all rights to your life.

"But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before Yahweh. To this you were called, because Yah'shua suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps" (2:20-21).

Our wonderful Master does not require from us anything that he did not first submit himself to.

We are not advocating here that women endure beatings. This was written to slaves, and while we can adapt some of the principles to our role as wives, wives are never commanded to endure physical abuse from their husbands. However, he gave us a perfect example of how to deal with a malicious and verbally abusive husband:

"'He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.' When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly" (2:22-23).

Do you think he did this with an attitude of, "Well, they are wrong. But this is what I have to do, so I will do it. But I begrudge it!"

No! His attitude was, "I love these people. They are undeserving, but that does not change my love." He also did it because of love toward his Father. He knew it was his Father's will.

These are the two reasons we choose to ignore the failures in our husbands and to be all Yahweh wants to give them in a wife. We choose to be Yahweh's gift to our husbands in love. Because we give ourselves to a loving Yahweh who deserves our very best, we are free to give our husbands the treasure of a Godly wife who will always seek his well-being no matter what.

It is immaterial whether our husband is deserving or not. By virtue of our husband's position and the authority Yahweh has given him we confess our wilfulness and unworthiness before Yahweh and ask Yahweh to enable us to present the gift of a Godly wife to our husbands.

We know our husbands may not be always following what is best for us. But we, as Yah'shua, entrust ourselves to him who judges justly.

"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed" (2:24).

We no longer have to live in our sinful rebellion and quarrelsomeness. He has paid the price to rescue us. We have bowed our heads in shame for our willfulness and he has set us free. He has healed our sin-sick attitudes. He is making us into wives of great worth to our husbands.

"For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls" (2:25).

No longer will we walk the stray and lonely path that demands it's own rights. We have returned to our Shepherd who is overseeing our well-being. Praise Yahweh!

*******************************************************

Purity, Reverence, and Modesty

1 Peter 3:1-12

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... (3:1)

In the same way as what? Backing up into verses 20-25 of chapter 2, we find the context is speaking of Yah'shua and his submission to the unfairness he suffered in order to purchase our redemption.

"In the same way..." Yah'shua is our way. He has set us an example. Now he tells us that his way is not words, but behavior. Yah'shua could have told us over and over from heaven, "I love you." But his words would have rang empty, and we would have still been forever separated, were it not for his behavior:

5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Messiah Yah'shua:
6 Who, being in very nature Elohim,
taking the very nature of a servant,
he humbled himself
even death on a cross!
(Genesis 18:10-15).

Sarah was not perfect, yet Yahweh calls her a holy woman of the past and says she had unfading beauty because she subjected herself to her husband, did what was right, and did not give way to fear. Yahweh puts a high priority on this.

How do we give way to fear? We fear that when we obey our husbands in what seems to be poor judgement on his part we will bring disaster on ourselves and our children. We don't have to fear being obedient. Obedience to Yahweh via our husbands is right. Yahweh will honor our obedience and take care of us.

"Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers" (v. 7).

"Ah... finally we are getting to the heart of the matter. I would if he would!" We sound like Spiritual two-year-olds. How Yahweh must long for us to grow up and realize that our husband's failure does not free us.

"Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble" (v. 8).

We are commanded to live in harmony. Our part is submission. We are commanded to love as brothers. Is it possible to love our husband with brotherly love as well as romantic love? It is not only possible, it is necessary. What is brotherly love? Compassion and humility are good descriptions.

"Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing" (v. 9).

Do you want to get even with your husband? How can we repay evil with blessing? What is promised if we repay with blessing?

"For, 'Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it...'" (v. 10-11).

If we keep our tongue from evil but harden it in our heart, are we okay then? No, what is in our heart will eventually spill over. We can only keep the lid on so long.

"...Man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). Submission starts in the heart.

"For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil" (v. 12).

Do you want Yahweh's eyes and ears attentive to you or against you? The greatest blessing on earth is to have the Yahweh of the universe attentive to our prayers. He asks so little in return. He only asks that we trust him, trust him enough to be submissive to his leadership through our husbands. Yahweh calls us to submission to teach us faith so he can bless us.
You can trust Yahweh. He gave his Son for you.

*******************************************************

When Things Still Go Wrong

1 Peter 3:13 - 5:11

Some of us have done our best to be submissive, Godly wives, yet we've found ourselves groping in the rubble of a broken home. We trusted Yahweh. What went wrong?

Yahweh has a precious and tender answer for us:

"Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened" (1 Peter 3:13-14).

Can it be that even in what seems so wrong, "You are blessed"? Oh, yes!

When a woman faithfully follows Yahweh in a troubled marriage, Yahweh walks daily with her. She is called to a great faith. As she trusts Yahweh day by day, she learns that he is faithful to that trust.

"For Yahweh watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish" (Psalm 1:6).

What greater opportunity to grow in faith than when the very foundation we've built our marriage on begins to crumble. What a comfort to know that even in this Yahweh watches over our way!

When a woman is faithful to the Lord, Yahweh will multiply that faithfulness back to her many times over. She will begin to experience continual joy and peace in the midst of the pain.

"And the peace of Yahweh, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Messiah Yah'shua" (Philippians 4:7).

"You are blessed!" Peace and joy in the midst of suffering and a broken heart -- can there be any greater blessing than this? As we are faithful in a troubled and sometimes broken marriage, we learn of Yahweh's faithfulness as we could no other way.

"Therefore, since Yah'shua suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of Yahweh" (1 Peter 4:1-2).

Do not live for the things you desire (a beautiful marriage relationship.) Rather, live to fulfill the will of Yahweh for your life. Yahweh's desire is that your marriage be made whole. But his greater desire is that you experience continual trust in and fellowship with him. Live for that!

Rather than envy those who have "solid Christian marriages," begin to thank Yahweh for the blessings he has given you even in the painful times of your marriage. Remember, those "solid Christian marriages" have their struggles also.

Some of them are much more shaky than they appear from the outside. Others are strong, but none is perfect. In every one of those marriages you so envy, the wife is frustrated with her husband from time to time. He is sometines annoyed with her.

So do not envy. Rather be thankful for Yahweh's blessing in the marriage where you are. You are blessed!

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering Yahweh's grace in its various forms" (1 Peter 4:10).

The Bible speaks of gifts of the spirit. But in the context of 1 Peter 4, could it be that the gift here is the gift of adversity? What greater gift can the Lord give than to make life hard so we learn to trust him?

As songwriter Andrae Crouch says in "Through it All": "For if I had never had a problem, I would never know that Yahweh could solve them, and I would never know what faith in his word could do."

How are we to use these gifts of suffering? By "faithfully administering Yahwehs grace in its various forms."

Yahweh will give you grace to live for him as you trust him through the heartbreak of a wayward child. Yahweh will give you grace to live for him as you hold his hand through the storm of a difficult marriage. Yahweh will give you grace to continue on for him as you experience the "gift" of feeling the marriage you've worked for crumble under your feet.

"Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Yah'shua, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed" (1 Peter 4:12-13).

This verse was written to a people who were suffering persecution for their faith. Ours is a different situation, but in a sense it is the same. Because of our commitment to the Master Yah'shua Messiah and to our husbands, we've lived for Yah'shua in our marriages. Many have followed Yah'shua even as their husband followed the world. Some have been the only Christian in their homes.

"So then, those who suffer according to Yahweh's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good" (1 Peter 4:19).

What do you do when things go wrong? When things go wrong, you go right! Be humble toward your mate, and be willing to admit your own weaknesses in the marriage. Give your husband to the Lord, and continue to trust Yahweh moment by moment.

"...clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, 'Yahweh opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' Humble yourselves, therefore, under Yahweh's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
"And the Yahweh of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Yah'shua, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast" (1 Peter 5:5-7, 10).

Always remember "You are blessed!"

Purchase the WHOLE Website by clicking here