Wayfaring Strangers
A study of 1 Peter
Part 12
“ Husbands honoring wives”
1 Peter 3:7
In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered
Today after a one week break for Mother’s Day
We will continue our study of 1 Peter
Over the last few weeks
We have been concentrating on the subject of submission
And in today’s passage
Peter continues this line
After instructing all believers to submit to the ones placed by God
In authority over them
This includes
Governments
Bosses
Teachers
Preachers
And family
Even when theses areas of authority are less than friendly to our faith
Please remember
We are to be loyal to God first
If anyone who has authority over us
Asks us to do something that goes against God’s word
We are not required to do it
But also
Remember
We are not immune from the consequences of our refusals either
Then Peter continued on in this line of teaching
With a message to the women
We learned 2 weeks ago
That while all women are called to be submissive to their husbands
Peter was specifically addressing
Christian women
With unbelieving husbands in this passage
We saw how
Women wives can lead their Husbands to the Lord
By their actions
And their focus on inward beauty that comes from the Lord
Today to wrap up this section
Peter addresses husbands
1 Peter 3:7
In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered
Th words in the same way
Once again
Tie all the last few weeks together
And Peter gives us 4 crucial things in this passage
For living together with our wives in a way that honors God
And them
Verse 7b
“you husbands must give honor to your wives.”
Honor
According to Wikipedia
The word can be either a noun
Or a verb
As a noun it can mean
1. high respect; great esteem.
"his portrait hangs in the place of honor"
2. adherence to what is right or to a conventional standard of conduct.
"I must as a matter of honor avoid any taint of dishonesty"
3. something regarded as a rare opportunity and bringing pride and pleasure; a privilege.
"the great poet of whom it is my honor to speak tonight"
As a verb
1.
1. regard with great respect.
"Joyce has now learned to honor her father's memory" ·
2. fulfill (an obligation) or keep (an agreement).
"make sure the franchisees honor the terms of the contract"
Men
No matter how you define it
We see that
We are to place our wives
In high regard
Loving our wives
Means we treat them with
Respect
Do what is right
Consider it a privilege to love and provide for them and their needs
We are to regard them with great respect
And
Fulfill the terms of our contract
Or better stated
Our Covenant
Listen to me
Most of you
As I did
Promised to
Love
Honor
And Cherish
Our wives
In sickness
And in health
This means in the good times
And the bad times
Till death do us part
Men
We are to honor and give honor to our wives
Next Peter
Tells us we must
Treat them with understanding
Verse 7c
“Treat your wife with understanding”
I can tell you straight up
I do not
Nor do I believe I will ever understand my wife
Or any woman for that matter
But that should not keep me
Or you
From treating them with understanding
This also can mean simply Know your wife
Treating someone with understanding
Means accepting their weaknesses as well as their strengths
Dealing sympathetically and empathically with their desires
Their fears
Their worries
Their dreams
Knowing them
Not just knowing about them
Yes, I know my wife’s hair color
And the color of her eyes
We all know the simple things
The outward things
God though his servant Peter
Is telling us here that we need to “KNOW and understand our wives”
We are to strive to know her inner person
What makes her happy
What makes her sad
What brings joy and laughter
What takes it away
And so much more
Listen
I know this is hard
I often fail to do so
And have no doubt you do as well
But
If we are to follow God’s word on marriage
We must strive to deal with our spouse in an understanding way
And really know her
We do this by paying attention
Listening
Asking questions
And by
Doing life together
Which brings us to our next point
Peter goes on in verse 4d
To say we must do this
Know them
And
Treat them with understanding
Verse 4d
“As we live together”
I think a better term might be as we do life together
Peter is not talking about
Just sharing a roof
Or even a bed
He is talking about “closeness”, “oneness”
“One fleshness, I know that probably is not a word
But, I think you get my meaning
Providing for your wife financially
Can never take the place of providing for her emotional needs
As we share our lives together
We grow closer in spirit and in body
This is how God designed marriage
And a biblical marriage is a picture of his love for us
Men
As you do life with your wife
Get to know her, I mean really know her
Strive to understand her
And treat her with understanding
Treat her with honor and respect
And in the process
You will be honoring God
Verse 4 e
“She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life.”
This verse and a few others like it
Have been used out of context
Misused
And even abused
So much
That many in the world
Mostly of the female persuasion
Get plumb wadded up about it
Men
And women, if you are among the many who get your hackles up on this verse
Please listen carefully
Peter is not saying
Implying
That women are somehow inferior to men
When he refers to them as weaker
He is not referring to their spirituality
God through the Apostle Paul
Said there is no Jew or Gentile
No male or female
We all have the ability to come to God
And to know God
Intimately
Peter is not referring to their morality
God puts it in the hearts of both men and women to know right from wrong
He is not referring to their intellect
Women have just as much ability to learn as do men
Peter is referring to physical weakness in this passage
Men as a whole are stronger than women
And as a result
Men since the beginning of time
Have the responsibility top protect women from danger
Men while we are stronger
This does not give us the right to bully our wives
Physically or emotionally
It does not give us the right to bully them sexually
And it never gives us the right to abuse or wives in any way
Or job is to protect them!!!!!
In the second half of verse 4e
Peter says
“but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life.”
Listen to me
Equal partner
Nuff said
Peter wraps up this verse and this passage with these words
Verse 4f
“Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.”
Listen
I am going to stomp a bit her
First on myself
Then on you
God’s word says we are to love our wives as ourselves
His word says we are to treat them with respect and honor
God’s word says we are to know them and treat them with understanding
God says we are to become one flesh, one mind
And we are to live together in unity and harmony
God’s word also says
If someone has something against us
To get up and go make that right
Then come back and give our sacrifices. Our prayers
His word says we are to remove to log in our own eyes before pointing out the speck in someone’s
Listen to me
What I am telling you
Through the words of Peter
From the mouth of God
That if you are not treating your wife as you should
First you are not only not honoring God
You are disrespecting him and his word
And secondly
Your prayers will not be fully answered
Until you start doing what he says
The bottom line is love
Love your wife as you love yourself
Love your wife as Christ loves you
Unconditionally
Sacrificially
Eternally
Close from the heart
Pray
