“Have you forgotten the evils of your ancestors, the evils of Judah’s kings, the evils of their wives, your own evils, and the evils of your wives that were committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? They have not become humble to this day, and they have not feared or followed my instruction or my statutes that I set before you and your ancestors…..And the women said, “When we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, was it apart from our husbands’ knowledge that we made sacrificial cakes in her image and poured out drink offerings to her?”…..This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘As for you and your wives, you women have spoken with your mouths, and you men fulfilled it by your deeds, saying, “We will keep our vows that we have made to burn incense to the queen of heaven and to pour out drink offerings for her.” Go ahead, confirm your vows! Keep your vows!’” Jeremiah 44:9-10, 19, 25 CSB https://bible.com/bible/1713/jer.44.9-25.CSB
Men are to lead their homes spiritually. Since Adam, this has been a struggle due to passivity and the seemingly noble desire to please our wives. We are to love our wives as Jesus loves the Church. Jesus does not live to please His Church, though He loves it unconditionally and sacrificially. Jesus died for His Church. His love is without ends and knows no bounds. Yet He does not live to please His Church. The Church exists to please the Lord and to glorify His Name on earth as it is in heaven. Men are to lead their families to this end. Failure to lead spiritually creates a vacuum that leads to disobedience and rebellion among children and frustration and dishonor among wives. Women and children are equal in value to all men, but the husband and father is the designated leader of the home and must choose to serve them as priests, teaching them the way they should go before the Lord even as he serves them to this end while modeling the life of the man of God for his sons to follow and his daughters to marry. Men must lead their homes as Jesus led the disciples. Focused, intentional, gentle, merciful, correcting, rebuking, teaching, forgiving, and serving them until they were able, with the power of the Holy Spirit, to continue the work He began in them. The father leads and teaches, praying for the Holy Spirit to enter the lives of his family so that generations who love God and serve Him all their days are established.
To help with this responsibility, take the first step and read MAN Up! A guide to restoring Biblical manhood.
