Wives be Subject unto your Husbands, As the Church is Subject unto Christ... Read more...

 

• What is a “Help Meet”? - The Hebrew word for “help meet” is ('ezer:H5828) in Gen 2:18 and 20: “And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet ('ezer) for him…”, “... but for Adam there was not found an help meet ('ezer) for him”. It is significant that this word “'ezer” in most cases identifies with God as our “help”, as we see in Psa 124:8, “Our help ('ezer) is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth”. But let’s not forget that it was God who “… made… a woman, and brought her unto the man…”. It was God – not Adam – who recognized that man needed a “help meet” (Gen 2:18); then God fulfilled that need in a most wonderful way, which shows that He indeed is mankind’s greatest Help. But what is the Gospel, or spiritual, meaning in this beautiful account? God also likens the union of a husband and wife to the mysterious union between Christ and His Bride, the eternal church, in Eph 5:31-32. As we discuss the roles of both husbands and wives, we must never lose sight of this wonderful spiritual dimension. Adam represents the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is called the “last Adam” in 1 Cor 15:45. He is given a Bride (typified by Eve) comprising all true believers (John 6:37, John 17:24), and God the Father brought her to Christ.

Gen 2:20-23 “And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”

Eph 5:31-33 “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.”

Rev 21:2 “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem [the eternal church], coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband [Jesus].”

• The Wife see that she Reverence her Husband and Submit Herself - The Greek word translated “reverence” (phobeo:G5399) in Eph 5:33, is the word generally rendered in English as “fear”, “be afraid of”. We find a similar passage in Col 3:17-22, and we discover this same word translated as “fearing” in verse 22: “... not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing (phobeo:G5399) God:” and notice how each representative group of individuals is to follow certain commands, such as “… wives submit …”; “… husbands love …”; “… children obey …”; “… fathers provoke not …”; “… servants obey …”. 1 Pet 2:13 reminds us: “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake ...” and Rom 13:1: “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God”. Rom 8:7 explains the warfare that exists between the unsaved person and God, and it underscores man’s inherent inability to be under, or obedient to, God’s Word prior to salvation : “So then they that are in the flesh [unsaved] cannot please God. Because the carnal [unsaved] mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be”. On the other hand, Col 3:23 gives a very practical and important command - to think, speak, and act with the goal of glorifying his Savior and Master, which really underscores the true character of one who has become a child of God: “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men”. In Luke 2:51 we find the example of the Lord Himself, as a boy, Who subjected Himself to His parents’ authority. A similar emphasis appears in Eph 5:22, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord;” and verse 24 adds that wives are to subject to their husbands “in every thing”. We find a similar statement expressed as “all things” in Col 3:20: “Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord”, “Servants, obey in all things your masters”. This denotes a sincere willingness of a wife to place herself under the complete authority of her husband (unless of course he violates the Scriptures) as she would to Christ Himself. Such an attitude is both acknowledged and demonstrated by Sara as seen in 1 Pet 3:6, “Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord…”. The Greek word for “submit yourselves” (hupotasso:G5293) in Eph 5:22 is also found in Tit 2:5 (which spells out the characteristics of a Christian wife) is rendered as “obedient”: “... obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed”. We learn the reason why a wife is to be subject or obedient to her husband, in Eph 5:23: “... the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body”. 1 Cor 11:3 further asserts this reality by a three-fold description: “... the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God”. The wife is to submit, or be subject to, her husband as “unto the Lord”; and her husband, in turn, is to love her as Christ loves the eternal church, as Eph 5:25 so clearly testifies. Naturally, it is much easier for the wife to submit to a husband when he demonstrates this type of sacrificial love for his wife. Nevertheless, if this is not the case, the wife is still to submit to her husband “as unto the Lord”.

Col 3:17-22 “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing (phobeo:G5399) God: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;”

Eph 5:21-24 “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. 22Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.”

• Chaste Conversation (Conduct) of a Wife can Win an Unsaved Husband - The context of the verse 1 Pet 3:1 discusses an all too frequent scenario in which the wife is saved, and the husband is not. This is evident from the language, “… if any obey not the word …”. Wonderfully, God can turn this situation around in that He is able to bestow His salvation upon the unbelieving husband by using the “conversation” of his wife as a “silent” witness (which is the meaning of “… without the word …”) as opposed to her “preaching” verbally to her husband. “Conversation” is actually referring to one’s conduct, or behavior; and God uses two other words here – “chaste” and “fear”. This word “chaste” (or “pure”) is also found in Tit 2:5: “To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed”. In 1 Pet 3:3-4 we read wives not to adorn with ornaments but with “... the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price”. One has to be careful to not take this verse “... not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel” at “face value”. If one were to follow the verse literally, wives would be forced to be barely put together. Obviously, this is not what is in view! Here God is highlighting the difference between that which is “outward” and that which is “hidden” (or “inward”), or the “hidden man of the heart”, which has to do with salvation and is also known as “a meek and quiet spirit”. The word “outward” is also used in Mat 23:27 where the Savior is highlighting the importance of one’s spiritual priorities in this penetrating verse: “ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness”. What good is it to be physically well kept, attractive, and healthy, and yet be spiritually sick (unsaved) and destined for eternal damnation. A believing wife’s “world” (as well as that of her husband’s) should be focused on advancing the Kingdom of God, and not become “captivated” by “… the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life …”. Lot’s wife comes to mind as an example of one whose heart was still anchored in Satan’s kingdom as she violated God’s command to not “look back”. Luke 17:32 ominously warns, “Remember Lot’s wife”.

1 Pet 3:1-6 “Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives 2While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. 3Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; 4But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. 5 For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: 6Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.”

• Please Her Husband... Not to Usurp Authority over the Man - 1 Cor 7:34 reveals: “... she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband”. At first glance the phrase “… careth for the things of the world …” would seem to contradict what I was just speaking about until we consider the phrase “… how she may please her husband”. Remember, earlier in this study we read this in Eph 5:22, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord”. In her role as wife she is to “model” the command of Tit 2:4-5: “That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed”. Let’s keep in mind the very reason that God formed women in the first place is to be a “help meet” according to Gen 2:18 (as we discussed in the first lesson in this study), “And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him”. 1 Tim 2:11 also instructs, “Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection”. God explains why in 1 Tim 2:12-14: “For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression”. Unfortunately in our day we see this command violated with impunity all over the world. Bear in mind that the spiritual analogy of the woman learning in silence from her husband is a picture of the Church learning from her Husband, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the Holy Spirit reveals the truth of the Scriptures to them by comparing “spiritual things with spiritual” (John 16:13-15).

1 Cor 7:34 “There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.”

1 Cor 14:34-35 “Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.”

1 Tim 2:12-14 “But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.”

• Saved in Child-Bearing... Professing Godliness with Good Works - 1 Tim 2:15 asserts, “Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety”. Is this verse somehow teaching that child-bearing is a decisive factor in salvation? The answer is yes. However, it is not referring to one’s own progeny, but rather to the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, as Gal 4:4-5 highlights: “... God sent forth his Son, made of a woman ...”. In 1 Tim 2:9-10 we find the admonishment that “women adorn themselves” with “good works”. 1 Tim 5:10 addresses the conduct of believing women whose husbands have died and their “good works”. Acts 9:36 gives us an example of godly “disciple named Tabitha”: “Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and alms deeds which she did”. Suffice it to say, these citations are not merely applicable to women, but are the duty of all believers whether it be man or woman, as the following verses so beautifully illustrate: “For we [believers] are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Eph 2:10); “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col 1:10); “Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (Heb 13:21). This study is to remind those of you who are blessed to be wives to serve your husbands in such a God-glorifying manner. Furthermore, it is an admonition for all of us – “Bride of Christ” – who have been blessed with salvation to recognize that we are simply servants as we serve the King of kings  – our husband “Christ” to whom we owe all fear, all obedience, and all loyalty.

1 Tim 2:11-15 “Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. 12But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. 13For Adam was first formed, then Eve. 14And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. 15Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.”

Gal 4:4-5 “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”

1 Cor 11:12 “For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God.”

1 Tim 2:9-10 “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works”.

1 Tim 5:10 “Well reported of for good works; if she have brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints’ feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work.”

Husbands, Love Your Wives, Even as Christ Also Loved the Church... Read more...

• Husbands, Love Your Wives - This verse Eph 5:25 which says, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;” is packed with meaning regarding the chief role of husbands – that is, to love their wives as Christ loved His Bride, the eternal church. Bear in mind that this is not merely a suggestion or a good idea – it is a command from the One Who not only instituted marriage but created both man and woman! as Gen 2:21-24 explains. Rev 21:2 also portrays the glorious wedding day which each child of God eagerly anticipates: “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem [the eternal church], coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband [Jesus]”. In order for those of us who are husbands to fully appreciate the significance of this command, we have to answer the question, “How did Christ love the church?”

Gen 2:21-24 “And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”

• Even as Christ also Loved the Church, and Gave Himself for It - The Greek word agapao is used for “love” and “loved” in this beautiful verse: “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;” (Eph 5:25). This word agapao is used throughout the New Testament in describing God’s Love towards His people, as we read in 1 John 4:19: “We love him, because he first loved us” and 1 John 4:10: “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins”. We must remember that Christ loved His people while they were “without strength” (meaning spiritually sick or dead) and were ungodly, sinners, and enemies in total rebellion against Him, as Rom 5:6-10 insists: “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”. Rev 1:5 teaches that the Lord Jesus willingly offered up His life (typified by His blood) to wash away the sins of His people: “Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood”. Tit 3:4-7 affirms that it is solely God’s mercy and grace that brings salvation. God commands us husbands to demonstrate the same type of sacrificial and unconditional love to our wives regardless of their sins, shortcomings, and failures. After all, isn’t that the very condition in which Christ finds all of His elect prior to salvation? May God bestow His grace upon those of us who are husbands that we might indeed treat our wives with love and kindness, “even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.”

Eph 5:25-28 “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it ...”

Rom 5:6-10 “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”

Tit 3:3-7 “For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

Gal 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

Eph 5:2 “And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.”

• He Might Sanctify and Cleanse It With the Washing of Water by the Word - Let’s read Eph 5:25 and 26 together, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word”. Specifically, how did He “sanctify and cleanse it”? The Greek word for “sanctify” originates from the word for “holy”, which means “to set apart as holy”. John 17:17 affirms, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth”. Heb 10:22 explains that only the pure water of the Gospel (the Word of God) can wash away sin. Once again, the cleansing that is being emphasized here is spiritual in nature as John 15:3 also affirms, “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you”. In these marvelous verses, God again reminds us that salvation only occurs by the Bible, even as we read in Rom 10:17, “… faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”. The “darkness” and “power of Satan” that underlies an unsaved person’s life are carefully delineated in 1 Cor 6:9-11 and reminds the believers, “such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God”. The redemption that God has procured for each believer, by sanctifying and cleansing them by His own blood (Rev 1:5), by His Spirit (Tit 3:5, 1 Cor 6:11), by His Word (Eph 5:26, John 15:3) and by His faith (Gal 2:20, Acts 26:18), is the greatest miracle in this universe, as we see from Acts 26:18.

Eph 3:5 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;”

John 17:19 “And for their sakes I [Jesus Christ] sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.”

Heb 2:11 “For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he [Jesus Christ] is not ashamed to call them brethren.”

Acts 26:18 “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.”

1 Cor 6:9-11 “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”

Heb 10:22 “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water [of Gospel].”

• Husbands Love Your Wives… Giving Honour to the Wife - The eternal, glorious church that the Lord Jesus will receive as His Bride is comprised of all those whom He has redeemed. The word “glorious” in “That he might present it to himself a glorious church...” (Eph 5:27) refers to her “glory” in Rev 19:7-8. God continues to underscore the sinless purity that He has bestowed upon His holy Bride. Notice that in Rev 19:8, she is arrayed with “righteousness” – the righteousness of Christ – which is how she has “made herself ready”. I hasten to add that this condition in Christ’s Bride was altogether the result of the work and faith of the Lord Jesus alone in order to complement His own sinless perfection! Here we see the greatest exchange that has ever taken place in this universe: The righteous God, Who is holy, pure, and sinless become unholy, impure, and sinful on the Cross. Simultaneously, we see unrighteous Church, who by nature is unholy, impure, and sinful become holy, pure, and sinless by the righteousness of her Lord Jesus Christ that is given, or imputed, to her (2 Cor 5:21). The absence of “spot, wrinkle, or any such thing” describes the spiritual status that has been granted or imputed to every child of God by God’s unmerited favor. Song 4:7 affirms this astounding reality: “Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee”. 2 Tim 1:9 underscores why: “according to his own purpose and grace” and when: “before the world began” (2 Tim 1:9) this took place and Eph 1:4 reiterates the same truth. This wonderful truth should remind all husbands to forgive, and to forgive, and to forgive again and again and “giving honour unto the wife” (1 Pet 3:7). Once again, God is driving home the point to those of us who are husbands that we are to hold our wives in the highest honor and respect – and love them accordingly – as Christ has demonstrated.

Eph 5:25-28 “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish ...”

1 Pet 1:18-19 “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:”

Rev 19:7-8 “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.”

Rev 21:2 “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

Col 1:22 “And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 22In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:”

1 Pet 2:9 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”

2 Tim 1:9 “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.”

Eph 1:4 “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:”

1 Pet 3:7 “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour [glory] unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.”

• So Ought Men to Love Their Wives as their Own Bodies - In the second part of Eph 5:28 God explains how husbands are to love their wives: “So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself”. These are exceedingly important words for every man who has the privilege and responsibility of being a husband and he would do well to heed this vital principle regarding his relationship with his spouse. 1 Cor 7:33 succinctly expresses: “But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife”. God has established that the husband and wife are to care for and please each other. In obeying these Scriptural commands, ultimately, we are pleasing God, as 1 The 4:1 teaches: “... how ye ought to walk and to please God ...”. In 1 Cor 6:19-20 God makes the following assessment with regard to every believer’s body: “know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost”. Keeping this concept in mind, Rom 12:1 reveals in which way our bodies are to be used: “ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God”. As the divine institution that God established, marriage mirrors the spiritual union of Christ and His eternal church (Eph 5:31-33). That relationship is based upon God’s love and forgiveness, “... charity [Love] shall cover the multitude of sins” as 1 Pet 4:8 states. As husbands, we are to reflect the same humility described in Php 2:3-4: “... Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind ...”. The supremacy of love that we husbands should emulate is extolled in 1 Cor 13:4-7. May these words take root and flourish in our marriages and homes.

Eph 5:25-28 “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.”

Rom 15:1-3 “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.”

1 Pet 3:7 “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour [glory] unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.”

1 Cor 7:32-34 “But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife… but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.”

1 Cor 6:19-20 “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

Eph 5:31-33 “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.”

1 Cor 13:4-7 “Charity [love] suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”

• This is now Bone of my Bones, and Flesh of my Flesh - In Eph 5:29-33 God explains why “ought men to love their wives as their own bodies” – “For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church”. Mankind in general has been intensely interested in his temporal body while neglecting his immortal soul. Because he thinks that his body is “all there is”, he attempts to focus his time, energy, and finances in satisfying and maintaining the needs and desires of his body, or flesh. This is also true for a child of God, however the motivation is different, as we see from 1 Cor 6:19-20: “... your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s”, and in Rom 12:1: “ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God”. In essence, one who has experienced the “new birth” wants every aspect of his life to be wholeheartedly devoted to the service of His Master. If he is married, this would include loving his spouse as he does himself because husband and wife have become one flesh – therefore, we read these words in Eph 5:29. What then is the meaning of nourishing and cherishing one’s flesh? The implication of Eph 5:29 is that we husbands are to nourish or take care of our wives as we take care of our own selves, both physically and spiritually, “… even as the Lord the church”. We will conclude this study with Rev 21:2, which declares the eternal destiny of the body of true believers – the Bride of Christ: “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband”. May God bestow His grace upon those of us who are husbands that we might indeed treat our wives with the greatest honor and devotion “even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it”.

Eph 5:25-28 “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.”

Gen 2:23-24 “And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”

Eph 5:29-33 “For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.”

Eph 5:23 “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.”

The Sacrifices of God are a Broken Spirit and a Contrite Heart.

• I will have Mercy, and NOT Sacrifice - Matt 9:13 declares, “But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance”. We are born sinful by birth, by nature, and by inheritance, as we learn from Rom 5:12. Rom 6:23 also affirms, “For the wages of sin is death...”. And the death that God has in mind is eternal damnation in the Lake of Fire. It is no wonder that the Bible uses such horrific language as “...Vengeance is mine, I will repay...” found in Rom 12:19; and Heb 10:31, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God”. One of the most amazing of all of God’s characteristics is His mercy. It has been said that grace is getting what you don’t deserve (salvation), whereas mercy is not getting what you do deserve (God’s justice). God in His Mercy has provided Himself the only sacrifice that can redeem us from His wrath, which is the Lord Jesus Christ, typified by a “lamb …without blemish and without spot…” in 1 Pet 1:19, whose “precious blood”, or “life”, is the only covering, or payment, for sin. John 1:29 says, “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world”. Our only hope lies in the work of the Lord Jesus to pay for our sins in Hell, and bestow His righteousness, or goodness, upon us, as we read in Eph 2:4-5. In Psa 86:13 we find words of eternal comfort for those who, by God’s grace, have a Savior – the Lord Jesus Christ: “For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell”. Titus 3:5 declares, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us...”. Quoting from the Old Testament and referring to the sacrificial work of the Lord Jesus, Rom 4:7-8 asserts, “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin”. Acts 5:31 further acknowledges, “Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel [Israel of God-the Elect], and forgiveness of sins.”

Luke 12:5 “But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.”

Isa 8:13 “Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.”

Mic 7:18 “Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.”

Heb 2:17 “Wherefore in all things it behoved him [Jesus Christ] to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.”

Eph 2:4-5 “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved).”

• I am NOT come to Call the Righteous - Matt 9:13 declares, “But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance”. The Bible declares in Rom 3:10-11, “There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God”. Of course, apart from the Lord Jesus, of the human race, there is not one person—since the fall of Adam and Eve into sin—who can say that they are righteous in God’s sight. We are sinful by birth, by nature, and by inheritance, as we learn from Rom 5:12. Furthermore, 1 John 1:8 reminds us: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us”. The most fundamental deception of sin denies the very existence of sin itself. Deception is indeed the core foundation for all sin, and its roots go down very deep into the darkest chambers of our hearts, as James 1:14-15 sharply warns. Sin also enslaves, as Jesus explained to the religious leaders of His day in John 8:34: “Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin”. Sin is also characterized by spiritual deadness, as we see from Eph 2:1-3, “... who were dead in trespasses and sins...”. God sets the stage for us in Luke 18:9 by introducing those to whom this parable was addressed: “And he [Jesus] spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others...”. Immediately we know that the two sins of pride and lack of love are very much in evidence as we read through this account. The words of Luke 16:14-15 speak to this very issue. The contrast between pride and humility is found throughout the pages of Scripture; and one such example is the historical parable of the Pharisee and the publican, or tax-collector, found in Luke 18:9-16, which is a good example of the difference between the so-called “righteous” and “sinners”. Keep in mind that a parable is an earthly story with a spiritual meaning that God has assigned to it to teach His people truth. In Luke 18:10-12, look at the Pharisee’s words – one can’t help but notice the personal pronoun “I” used four times in two sentences! He also prided himself, boasting ostentatiously, for what he was not instead of acknowledging his sinfulness. Instead of standing in the grace of God, that Pharisee was standing in his own pride, as Jesus pinpointed. Prov 16:18 proclaims – “Pride goeth before destruction [in hell], and an haughty spirit before a fall”. In 1 Pet 5:5b (and in James 4:6) we are admonished to “… be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.”

Rom 5:12 “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”

James 1:14-15 “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”

Luke 16:14-15 “And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him. And he [Jesus] said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.”

Luke 18:10-12 “Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.”

Isa 29:13 “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men...”

James 4:6 “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble”

• I am come to Call Sinners to Repentance - Matt 9:13 declares, “But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance”. The good news of the Gospel is that the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners from eternal damnation in Hell. In fact, Rom 10:17 informs us, “... so then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”. God utilizes His divine words of the Bible to convict of “sin, righteousness, and judgment”, as we see from John 16:8. David, after having sinned grievously, acknowledged his sin and repented of it, when God’s Word came through prophet Nathan, in Psa 51:5-6, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom”. As God opens our spiritual eyes and ears to comprehend our spiritually dead condition, we realize that we are sinners by birth and by nature, and that we have violated God’s Word, the Bible. This recognition, in turn, drives us to conclude that we need a Savior — Someone Who is altogether Righteous – because we are unrighteous, or wicked. Lastly, we need the Righteousness of Christ to escape the fiery judgment of God. In parable in Luke 18:14, God reveals a very important biblical principle, “... every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted”. We must never forget that the publican was no more deserving of salvation than the Pharisee. What transpired has to do with the electing love of God entirely. Luke 18:13-14 describes the heart attitude of one who has already been humbled (or saved) by God. Both men uttered words which were indicative of the condition of their hearts as Mark 12:34 reveals, “... out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh”. Only God can so work in a person’s soul as to bring about that which James 4:10 affirms, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up”. Once again, the words of 1 Cor 1:27-29 ring out in praise to God’s rich grace and mercy: “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: THAT NO FLESH SHOULD GLORY IN HIS PRESENCE”.

Ps 69:13 “But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.”

Isa 66:2 “For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word”

Ps 34:18 “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”

Luke 18:13-14 “And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”

Ps 51:16-17 “For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”

Will the Lord be Pleased with Thousands of Rams? To Obey is Better than Sacrifice.

• Will the Lord be Pleased with Thousands of Rams? - The Bible teaches much about forgiveness and how it is intimately associated with blood atonement. But why blood atonement? In Lev 17:11 we find this principle, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul”. In Heb 5:1 we learn the purpose of burnt offerings and sacrifices, “For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins …”. Nonetheless, all of those sacrifices commanded by God in the Old Testament merely served as sign posts to illustrate a deeper spiritual reality which was yet to appear, the Lord Jesus Christ (Heb 10:8-10), as we find stated in Gal 4:4. What is the meaning of these “burnt offerings and peace offerings”? Undoubtedly they speak of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who had to become sin offering for His people, and then had to endure the flames of God’s eternal justice on their behalf. He was the “burnt offering” to redeem wicked, rebellious sinners. He was forsaken by His Father and became a curse in order to mediate an eternal peace between Holy God and fallen man. Heb 10:8 declares, “Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein” and Isa 53:10 asserts that God is pleased with only one sacrifice, “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him [Lord Jesus]; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.”

Mic 6:6-8 “Wherewith shall I come before the, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”

Heb 10:1-4 “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. 2For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. 3But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. 4For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.”

Gal 4:4 “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”

Heb 10:8-10 “Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he [Lord Jesus], Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

• To Obey is Better than Sacrifice, and to Hearken than the Fat of Rams - Jer 7:22-23 is an astounding declaration of the value of obedience which God desires above anything we might offer Him. This agrees perfectly with the New Testament admonition found in John 14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments”. Obedience is the thrust of the statement we find in Luke 6:46, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say”? Another very significant example for the necessity of obedience is found in 1 Sam 15:19-23 where Saul, the first king of Israel (who was not a saved man), is being reproved by God through the prophet Samuel for his sin of disobedience. Firstly, 1 Sam 8:7 highlights the gravity of rejecting God’s Word (the Bible), which is tantamount to rejecting God, as Israel desired for a human king (foolishly coveting what other nations had) as opposed to the perfect King and Lord Himself: “And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them”. The life of King Saul, Israel’s first king, is a sad, but provocative, account that illustrates the importance of true obedience as opposed to a false sense of obedience. Many aspects of King Saul’s life and rule were not unlike other non-Christians who appear outwardly to be highly moral. However, in this account (and others) he displays a critical lack of understanding the fundamental principles of obedience as he succumbed to self-deceit, blaming others, and stubbornness. Toward the end of his life he even consulted a medium, thus violating God’s law which he, as king, was responsible to enforce. This grievous sin speaks of his utter disregard for the Word of God: “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry”. His life is a warning to all of us who claim to be a believer to take a long, hard look at how we measure up to the Bible. On the other hand, the Lord Jesus was the epitome of obedience, as Heb 5:7-9 affirms. Indeed Christ came to fulfill all righteousness – every jot and tittle that the Law of God demanded. As the perfect Man and “God in the flesh” he perfectly obeyed His Father in thought, word, and deed. It is only by the obedience of Christ that anybody can be saved, as Rom 5:19b asserts: “… so by the obedience of one [Christ] shall many be made righteous”. Apart from Lord Jesus, who else can obey? Those who do come to salvation by God’s grace alone (Eze 36:26-27) hear His voice and subsequently obey, as John 10:27 indicates, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me…”. It should be carefully noted that obedience is a result of salvation, as are all other Christian “virtues”. Before Salvation one is spiritually dead in trespasses and sins under just wrath of God, according to 2 Thes 1:8 (and a plethora of other passages), “In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ”. Notice how God connects the idea of “knowing God” (that is, having a relationship with God) and “obeying the Gospel” (which in actuality is the entire Bible, or the “Law of God”, or the “Covenant”). After salvation God continues to work in the life of the child of God to mold them into likeness of Christ, in accordance with Php 2:13, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure”.

Jer 7:22-23 “For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices: But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.”

1 Sam 15:10-12, 17-23 “Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying, 11It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night ...  the LORD anointed thee king over Israel? 18And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed 19Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD? 20And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites 21But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal. 22And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. 23For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.”

Heb 5:7-9 “Who [Lord Jesus] in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; Though he [Lord Jesus] were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;”

Eze 36:26-27 “A new heart also will I [God] give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”

• The Sacrifices of God are a Broken Spirit: a Broken and a Contrite Heart - We read in Isa 66:2, “For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word”. Who is this person described as “poor, of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word”? This person is found among those to whom Luke 1:50 refers, “And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation”. Those whom God has saved, or reconciled, have a deep fear and sensitivity to God’s Holy Word, the Bible, because they are fully aware that His Word is an extension of God Himself. When we become saved, we also become “Just” in God’s eyes because we are clothed with the righteousness of Christ. And only God can humble someone. For each child of God, humility is not an option but a way of life, as God indicates in Isa 57:15. It is God who enables those who first obtain His mercy through salvation to reflect His merciful nature towards others. 1 Pet 2:10 explains who those people are, “[Believers] Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God:which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy”. In other words, those who “obtain mercy” (salvation) are called “the people of God” (believers), and God gives His people the ability to “love mercy” according to Mic 6:8. Although believers do not have the authority to forgive sins, they do have a duty to share God’s mercy with others by proclaiming the True Gospel of grace so that God may forgive their sins, if it is His will to do so. The Gospel is the “power of God unto salvation” according to Rom 1:16. We read in Pro 14:21, “He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he”. Our “neighbour” is our fellow man, and those who are spiritually “poor” are unsaved. We believers have mercy on our unsaved neighbors by giving them the Gospel. Have you obtained God’s mercy so you can obey God’s commandment to “be merciful” that we read in Luke 6:36? “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful”.

Psa 51:16-17 “For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”

Isa 57:15 “For thus saith the high and lofty One [God] that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”

Mark 12:30-31 “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.”

Mark 12:33 “And to love him [God] [obedience - loving God is keeping commandments] with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour [showing mercy] as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

Mic 6:6-8 “Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? 7Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”

As for Me and My House, We will Serve the Lord

• Choose you This Day Whom Ye will Serve - You can see in Exo 11:4-7, how God puts “a difference between the Egyptians and Israel” — typifying the unsaved and the saved, God’s people and the people in Satan’s kingdom. A lot of this, of course, is spiritual language about God’s mercy and God’s judgment. One of the reasons why God describes His Word as having two edges is because it always presents us with two sides, two opposites. There is life and death, blessing and cursing, good and evil, light and darkness, sweet and bitter, wisdom and folly, mercy and judgment. Why are there these two edges in life? Why is it not always blessing and love? Of course, it is the result of the sin. We were created in the image of God (Gen 1:26) and we were created to be creatures to serve God and to obey God. Yet, when Satan deceived Eve, and then later, Adam also rebelled against God (Gen 3), this whole world was plunged into sin, the whole world was cursed and we became servants of sin. This is what brought all of this evil into the world. Now the choice is, we are either going to serve sin unto death, where Satan would be paid homage, or we will serve the Lord Jesus Christ unto righteousness, because He has saved us.

Exo 11:4-7 “And Moses said, Thus saith the LORD, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts. And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more. But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the LORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.”

Deu 30:15-20 “See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; in that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it. I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live [eternal life]: that thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land [new heaven and new earth] which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

Joshua 24:15 “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Rom 6:16-18 “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 17But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.”

• Woe unto them that put Darkness for Light, and Light for Darkness - Notice that Eve, having been deceived by Satan, succumbed to the three enticements found in 1 John 2:16, “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world”. Those within Satan’s dominion continue to follow these same lusts, regarding them to be part of a “normal” lifestyle. Christians are not immune to the same temptations; but, because they have regenerated souls, there is an innate battle between their redeemed souls and their unsaved bodies. Now if we are not reading the Bible, if we are not letting God talk to us, how are we going to know what is good and evil? We are only going to have our own mind to guide us, and that is what the world does. Isa 5:20-24 tells us, we will have the two sides backwards, upside down, and are going to go down the wrong path because our minds are tainted by sin and not trustworthy. We can not see anything because we are spiritually dead and we have turned things upside down and only God’s Word can open our eyes as Isa 29:18 declares: “And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind [spiritually blind] shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness”. 2 Pet 1:4 assures the true believer of the necessity to rely upon God’s Word—the truth entirely: “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust”. When God saves us and changes our heart, he turns us right-side up, upright again. Psalm 146 declares how, in the end, God is going to restore everything to its proper place. The word “woe” in these verses we just read from Isaiah 5 is a pronouncement of judgment. Jer 10:10 also speaks of the Lord: “But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation”. The Living God is the very essence of Truth, as God the Son so boldly asserted in John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me”. Psa 146:5-6 states: “Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God: Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever…”

Isa 5:20-24 “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.”

Acts 17:5-7 “But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down [upside down in World’s eyes but right side up in God’s eyes] are come hither also; whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.”

Psa 146:8-10 “The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous: the LORD preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down. The LORD shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the LORD.”

• As for Me and My House, We will Serve the God of Living - We must bear in mind that man’s death in the Garden of Eden is his greatest problem. We read the first reference to dying in Gen 2:17, “for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die”. Thus, when Adam disobeyed God’s command of “thou shalt not eat of it”, God cursed man and the earth with death, as we read in Gen 3:17-19. Sadly, we see that man’s relationship with God was broken. He died spiritually in his soul, or spirit essence, and physically his body became subject to deterioration and death. We can think of that as the “first death”, although that is not a term used in the Bible. The phrase “dying thou shalt die” indicates that every human being is a “spiritually dead man” in the first stage of the dying process during his temporal life on earth; and, unless God resurrects his soul from that condition so that he “hath part in the first resurrection”, he will ultimately experience the “second death” in hell. The “darkness” and “power of Satan” that underlies an unsaved person’s life are carefully delineated in John 3:19: “men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil”. Not only are the unsaved in complete rebellion against God and His Law, the Bible, unsaved man is under Satan’s (the god of this world) spiritual control and is a prisoner in his kingdom. The redemption that God has procured for each believer is the greatest miracle in this universe and pictures the transfer of power and spiritual metamorphosis that occurs when one experiences birth from above to become a servant of Christ, as we see from Acts 26:18. New-Birth — Resurrection is critical to God’s salvation program. And true salvation is inextricably linked to the Bible, as John 5:25 affirms: “when the dead [spiritually dead] shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live [born-again]”. John 8:12 and Psa 119:105 assures the Christian that his path will be well lit and that Lord Jesus and His Word is the source of the light: “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” and “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path”. Rom 6:12-13 becomes part of the new “marching orders” of the resurrected believer: “yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive [born-again] from the dead”. In Mark 12:24-27 we find Jesus’ response to a question about the Resurrection, “He is not the God of the dead [spiritually dead], but the God of the living [born-again believers]”. Thus, the eternal body of elect believers are those whom God has “called out” of the world (or Satan’s kingdom) and placed in His eternal kingdom – the Kingdom of Christ (Col 1:12-13), are admonished in Rom 12:1-2 to live out their lives in this world, as ambassadors of the Lord Jesus Christ and “be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind” . Those who have been placed in God’s family or kingdom can certainly identify with the words of Gal 1:4: “Who [speaking of the Lord Jesus] gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father”.

Mat 22:31-33 (Exo 3:6) “But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead [spiritually dead], but of the living [born-again believers]. And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.”

Acts 26:18 “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.”

Col 1:12-13 “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us [true believers] meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:”

Rom 6:12-13 “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive [born-again] from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.”

1 Pet 2:9 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 10Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”

1 John 2:15-17 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

Rom 12:1-2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”