A Nugget from New Life Network
Scripture for the Day (January 10, 2017)
But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority (dominate) over the man, but to be in silence. (1 Timothy 2:12)
My wife Cheryl and I will be married 50 years in June 2017. We have been in the ministry for 35 of those years and we have heard and seen everything imaginable, read tons of books, conducted marriage seminars, and heard many sermons on the age-old debate of the man’s place versus woman’s place related to church and marriage. My wife preaches and teaches the Word with power so this devotional is in no way a condemnation of women or intended to diminish their callings. We have ministered for years together on the same platform and could write books on this subject but today we just want to deal with our daily scripture. Hopefully, we can give you some insight on this scripture that may help you understand the “usurping authority” part of this battle.
We counseled with a married couple years ago that was a very good example of this particular situation. The man was radically saved at an early age and made certain commitments to God. The wife was also a Christian but was not as vocal as her husband was about God. The struggle came with the question of how much was too much and what were the appropriate times and places to share his faith. By nature, most women are usually more concerned with relationships than a man and they do not want to see their husbands offend people unnecessarily. However, a Christian man that has been radically saved is usually more evangelistic, doesn’t care if people are offended, and is more interested in keeping his commitments to God. You can easily see how this could bring friction to a marriage relationship.
There are three key instances in the Bible concerning similar situations. The first instance is recorded in 2 Samuel 6:16 and 6:20-22: But as the Ark of the Lord entered the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked down from her window. When she saw King David (her husband) leaping and dancing before the Lord, she was filled with contempt for him. When David returned home to bless his own family, Michal, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet him. She said in disgust, “How distinguished the king of Israel looked today, shamelessly exposing himself to the servant girls like any vulgar person might do!” David retorted to Michal, “I was dancing before the Lord, who chose me above your father and all his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the Lord, so I celebrate before the Lord. Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this, even to be humiliated in my own eyes!”
The second instance is recorded in Job 2:7-10: So Satan left the Lord’s presence, and he (Satan) struck Job with terrible boils from head to foot. Job scraped his skin with a piece of broken pottery as he sat among the ashes. His wife said to him, “Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die.” But Job replied, “You talk like a foolish woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” So in all this, Job said nothing wrong.
The third, and most serious instance, is when Eve convinced Adam to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 3:17). And unto Adam he (God) said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
In my personal opinion, these three instances reflect what the scriptures are talking about when referring to a woman “usurping authority” over the man. We have missed the point when we concentrate on women being silent in church or not teaching a man. God gives all of us (men and women) certain gifts. As a man, God expects us to have a firm backbone and not to be swayed from the commitments we have made to God. The woman needs to understand that those God commitments to a man are much more important than the feelings of other people (including the wife).
On the opposite side of the coin the man must love, honor and respect his wife’s gifts and make darn sure he knows that the commitments he has made to God are appropriate and exercised in love. God speaks to women also and disregarding the sensitivity of your wife to the Holy Spirit can land you in a ditch. You are supposed to be one-flesh. You are supposed to complete each other, not compete with each other. Just be careful you are not trying to usurp the very authority that God has given.
