Amazon.com: Don’t Step in the Holes: What God Gave “For Our Learning” eBook : Taylor, Bill and Roberta: Kindle Store

Bill Taylor History and the Bible show that God judges nations based on how they treat His people.Britain promised Jews a homeland after a Jewish chemist found a better way to make gunpowder. Instead of keeping their promise, the British turned many fleeing Jews back to Germany where they were killed. God shut down the British Empire when it no longer served His purposes. Germany killed millions of Jews before and during WW II. German cities were destroyed and their nation was split into East and West.God’s purpose also explains what’s going on in the Middle East now:https://successful-marriage.blogspot.com/…/dont-step-in…discusses great empires God helped build up and wrote off when they no longer served His purpose. Is America following the same path? Certain factions want America to abandon God’s people. History shows that harming Jews isn’t a good idea.

Marriage Under Threat: Don’t Step in the Holes (successful-marriage.blogspot.com)

Chapter 15 – God’s Plan of Redemption

God has a plan for our future (Isaiah 14:26-27^[399], 23:9^[400], 46:10-11^[401], Jer. 4:28^[402], Ro. 8:28^[403]).  He inspired Deuteronomy 28:1-31:6 to show us how His actions throughout history work toward His goal.

God founded the Nation of Israel.  Jews are “the apple of His eye (De. 32:10[404]).”  They’re descended from Isaac, the 2^nd son of Abraham who believed God (Gal. 3:6[405]).  Other nations matter not at all:

Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.  Isaiah 40:15

The land of Canaan where God put Abraham is always at war.  Egyptian, Babylonian, Syrian, Greek, Roman, Muslim and Crusaders marched through Canaan on their way to conquer each other.  Extra trouble came when Sarah persuaded Abraham to marry Hagar who gave birth to Ishmael (Gal. 4:22-23[406]).  Muslims claim Abraham as their father because they’re descended from Ishmael.  Conflict started before Ishmael’s birth:

And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee. ⁶But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thine hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.  Genesis 16:5-6

How often does a man tell his wife “Do whatever you want” when she’s in a cat fight?  Abraham had wanted an heir for decades.  How bad was it for him to let his wife drive his other wife, who was pregnant with a child who might be his only heir, out into the desert to die?  Hagar nearly died.  It took an angel from the Lord to persuade her to go back to Sarah, what chance has mere human diplomacy to calm this ongoing family fight?  After forcing a temporary truce, the angel told her about her child:

And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. ¹¹And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction. ¹²And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man

, and every man’s hand against him

; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren

.  Genesis 16:10-12

Prophecy doesn’t get any more accurate than that.  “Against every man” and “every man’s hand against him.”  Do Muslims get along with people of other faiths anywhere in the world?  Muslims and Jews live together in the Middle East and still don’t get along any better than God’s angel predicted.

God uses lost nations to punish Jews who get out of line, but nations who harm His people suffer:

And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies

, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee.  Deuteronomy 30:7

Muslims aren’t the only group who’ve had trouble with Jews.  Within living memory, Germany gave Jews a hard time.  Germany was flattened during WWII and split between East and West.  Will Hamas do any better?

The only reason Jews have survived centuries of gentiles trying to exterminate them is because they are the apple of God’s eye.  The Old Testament tells how God used the Persian, Babylonian, Syrian, Philistine, and Egyptian empires to attack Israel but doesn’t tell much about them.  Records found in the Middle East give hints how God worked outside Israel, but everything archeologists dig up must be checked against the Bible.

WHY ENGLAND LOST HER EMPIRE

Standard explanations why the British Empire collapsed didn’t consider the mind of God.  The Empire started in 1600 when Queen Elizabeth I chartered the East India Company to trade overseas.  The British took over many countries over the next few centuries: Gibraltar, Crete, Malta, Canada, Australia, India including Pakistan and most of Afghanistan, Kenya, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Fiji, not to mention America.  The British never made much headway in South America because the Spanish and Portuguese got there first thanks to Christopher Columbus, but they grabbed the Falkland Islands near Argentina.

The Union Jack flew over so many lands that people said, “The sun never sets on the British Empire.”  This was true, but some said that not even God could trust the English in the dark.  This was because their sharp-nosed traders and smooth cooperation between global conglomerates like the British East India Company and the British military gave Britain the most cost-effective empire the world had ever known.

The fiction was, “Trade follows the flag.”  Lawmakers approved the military budget because wherever the military established peaceful conditions, businesses could buy, sell, and pay taxes.  Vast amounts of goods were exported from all over Britain, creating jobs and tax revenue.

Truth was subtler.  Trading firms like Hudson’s Bay Company entered unknown lands ahead of the military.  If a new territory had nothing of value, merchants moved on.  If there were valuables, they’d try to trade.  If the natives traded, fine.  If not, the military would teach the Worthy Oriental Gentlemen (WOGs) how business should be done.  Trade began, either with the original leaders or with their heirs.

Cecil Rhodes founded what became Zambia and Zimbabwe and owned the DeBeers mines which once produced 90% of the world’s diamonds.  The British military protected his holdings so he could pay taxes.

Similarly, the East India Company’s desire to sell opium in China led to the Opium Wars and British ownership of Hong Kong, where vast profits have been earned ever since.  In reality, the flag followed trade; there was no point in sending the Royal Marines unless there was money to be made.  Without profits, there’d be no taxes to fund the military.

It wasn’t all business – the Empire did a lot of good.  The British brought public health through plumbing and sewers, the rule of law, better schools, roads, railroads, industry, electricity, and manners.

Sir Charles Napier was the British commander in India in the early 19th century.  Told that sacrificing widows on husband’s funeral pyres was a cherished custom, Napier said: “Very well.  We also have a custom: when men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks and we hang them.  Build your funeral pyre; beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows.  You may follow your custom.  And then we will follow ours.”

The Empire ran into a “spot of bother” with Napoleon and with American colonists, but by and large, their Empire had it their way for more than three centuries.  Now it’s gone.  What happened?

Harold MacMillan was Prime Minister of England from 1957 until 1963.  He visited America in 1963 and spoke on TV.  “We sold our empire to you Americans to pay for WW I.  We earned it back, and sold it again for WW II.  After that, we couldn’t do it again.”  That sounds plausible, but what about Winston Churchill?

Sir Winston thundered, “If women vote, we’ll lose the empire.”  Women got the vote; they lost the empire.

GOD IN THE AFFAIRS OF MEN

Let’s see which might be true.  What’s history about?  What’s God doing?  God will draw everyone to Himself.

For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.  Romans 14:11 see also Isaiah 45:23

In the end, everyone will declare the glory and majesty of God and of Jesus His Son.  In the meantime, God expects His people to spread His word.  That’s His command to us.  That’s been His command from the moment God separated His people from all the nations by telling Abraham to move to Canaan.

And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice

.  Genesis 22:18

Abraham obeyed God so God could use him to spread the word.  God said it again:

And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed

;  Genesis 26:4

Keep therefore and do them [God’s laws]; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them

, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law

, which I set before you this day?  Deuteronomy 4:6-8

God expected Abraham’s descendants to bless all nations by preserving God’s Word (Ro. 3:2[407]), bearing the Messiah, and by showing everyone the advantages of following God’s statutes.  He commanded them to be an example of the benefits of following Him so that other nations would want to learn about God.

GOD’S PATTERNS

For I am the LORD, I change not;  Malachi 3:6a

The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun

.  Ecclesiastes 1:9

Solomon saw from Deu. 28-31:6 that God doesn’t use new patterns in working out His will.  By the time Solomon wrote, God had the Egyptians oppress Israel for 400 years, punished the Egyptians when He freed the Jews (Ex. 12:36[408], 15:4[409]), and repeatedly had them conquered until they turned back to Him (Judges).

God wants His people to spread His Word!  The Jews were supposed to do this by example.  After Jesus began the church, He expected Christians not only to set examples, but to actively seek converts:

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. ¹⁹Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: ²⁰Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.  Matthew 28:18-20

Jews are told to set examples.  Christians are told to proclaim His Word, teach, and bless the Jews.

The Japanese decided we won WW II because God was on our side.  Their Emperor was descended from the sun god.  Their gods abandoned them as we called down the power of the sun to destroy Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  They wanted to learn about our God because they saw our victory as our reward for serving Him.

God stopped writing the Bible long ago so there is no way to be sure how He guided recent history, but the Bible teaches that God is intimately involved in the affairs of men in order to work out His plans:

By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. ¹⁶By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.  Proverbs 8:15-16

The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD

, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.  Proverbs 21:1 see also Daniel 4:17b

This matter [Nebuchadrezzar eating grass outdoors for 7 years] is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men

.  Daniel 4:17

God told Abraham about the coming Egyptian bondage described on page 27 and He told Jeremiah how He planned to bring disaster on Israel around 760 BC:

Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant

, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations.  Jeremiah 25:9

God’s servant Nebuchadnezzar would come against Israel and carry everyone off.  God would have His servant Cyrus send them back and pay to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem 70 years later:

That [the LORD] saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd

, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.  Isaiah 44:28

Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus

, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; ²I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: ³And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.  Isaiah 45:1-3

Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus were God’s servants!  Cyrus is the only non-Jew whom the Bible calls “His anointed.”  Romans 6:16-20 teaches that people who don’t serve God are ruled by Satan.  We’re also taught that God lets people decide what to do.  These men didn’t belong to God.  How could God get them to do what He wanted while giving them free will?  Did Daniel tell Cyrus what God had said about him?

We can’t reconcile God’s power and His sovereignty with God giving us free will and letting us make our own decisions (Jos. 24:15[410], Eze. 18:32[411], 33:11[412]), but that’s what the Bible teaches.  Nebuchadnezzar worshipped God after eating grass for seven years (Dan. 4) but that was after God used him to punish Israel.

Romans 13:1 teaches that governments are ordained by God, it is He who raises up and He who casts down.  Jesus told Pilate, “Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above” (John 19:11).  God told the Jews that God would punish the nations which He used to punish them:

And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon

, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.  Jeremiah 25:12

For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations

 whither I have scattered thee, yet I will not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.  Jeremiah 30:11

God uses lost nations to punish Jews who get out of line, but nations who afflict His people suffer.

And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies

, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee.  Deuteronomy 30:7

What nation recently afflicted Jews the most?  Nazi Germany.  The Nazi’s didn’t just murder Jews, they murdered Slavs, Poles, and Ukrainians, anybody who wasn’t Nordic.  What happened?

Germany was utterly destroyed in WW II.  It was divided.  East Germans lived under Communism for 40 years.  Was Germany punished?  Yes, the entire nation suffered, German Christians along with everyone else.

God didn’t send prophets to tell what European Jews were doing to bring this calamity upon themselves; they should have known from what He wrote in His Word.  Was that the way God wanted this to happen?  The prophet Zachariah revealed that God would draw the Jews back to the land of Israel and Israel became a Jewish state after WW II.  Was that the way God wanted the State of Israel to come into being?

We can’t think as God thinks (Isa. 55:8-9[413]).  Jesus’ disciples asked whether the man who had been born blind had sinned, or his parents (John 9:2).  Jesus told them that the man had been born blind so Jesus could heal him to show the glory of God (John 9:3).  Jesus told Peter that Peter’s death would glorify God (Jn. 21:19) but He didn’t explain how.

How did WW II glorify God?  His thoughts are not our thoughts (Is. 55:8-9), but we can see God moving in history to glorify Himself before and after the history described in the Bible.  God helps base leaders (Dan. 4:17[414]) raise up empires to serve Him, preserves them as long as they fulfill His plans, and then lets them go.

ETHIOPIA

Around 1,000 BC, King Solomon’s glory was so famous that the Queen of Sheba came to hear his wisdom (I Kings 10).  Most scholars say Sheba was Ethiopia.  In Acts 8, we read of Philip finding an Ethiopian eunuch who’d visited Jerusalem to worship and was reading the Old Testament.  Philip told him about Christ.  The eunuch accepted Christ and went home rejoicing.

The Ethiopian church is very old.  God drew the Queen of Sheba to Jerusalem to hear about God from Solomon.  The Bible doesn’t say this, but many say that the Queen’s experience finding God in Jerusalem led the eunuch to visit 1,000 years later, just as God wants His church to be a “light to the Gentiles” (Acts 13:47).  The eunuch went back to Ethiopia and founded a church that’s still there.  God’s “light to the Gentiles” shone for 3,000 years in Ethiopia, all the way from Solomon to the present day.

Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes that all that we do is vanity.  Kings gather wise men around them.  Pharaoh had magicians, Babylon had magicians, and Solomon had wise men.  They debated philosophy – no TV, they had to do something.  Ecclesiastes shows that all of man’s wisdom is vain.  It ends with:

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.  Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

What could be a clearer light to the Gentiles?  Solomon taught, “Respect God and do what He tells you.”

The Jewish nation wandered away from God after Solomon’s idolatry (1 Kings 11:4[415]).  The Old Testament prophets listed their sins – idolatry, adultery, injustice, ingratitude, a long list – but also reminded them that they were supposed to pass on God’s message:

I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles

;  Isaiah 42:6

And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles

, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.  Isaiah 49:6

“Light to the Gentiles.”  That’s our mission.  God doesn’t change, but the nation of Israel did.  When they got away from His program, when they were no longer a light to the nations, when nobody could see the difference between God’s people and anybody else, God had them hauled off to Babylon for 70 years.

God chose 70 years because they were told to let fields, orchards, and vineyards rest for a year every 7 years.  Farmers can’t grow the same crop on a field year after year so they rotate different crops to renew the soil.  God’s people refused to give the land “her Sabbaths” for 490 years!  God is patient.

And them that had escaped from the sword carried he [the king of the Chaldees] away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: ²¹To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.  II Chronicles 36:20-21

THE ASSYRIANS, BABYLONIANS, AND PERSIANS

These three empires rose and fell in succession across a broad area of the Middle East from India to Ethiopia (Esther 1:1[416]).  1 Kings 17 tells how Shalmaneser king of Assyria conquered Samaria:

For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them; ²³Until the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day. ²⁴And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.  II Kings 17:22-24

The Assyrians and Babylonians secured their rule by replacing conquered populations with other people.

How shall we sing the LORD’s song in a strange land?  Psalm 137:4

Archaeological research shows that the Assyrians and Babylonians took conquered idols and temple furnishings back to their capital to demonstrate their power over whatever the conquered people worshipped.  Palaces where they entertained diplomats had carvings showing captives impaled on poles to show visitors the advantages of cooperation.  Cruelty may have been a calculated tactic to discourage rebellion.  They’d run hooks into a captive’s chin and out his mouth to make it easy to lead him (Eze. 29:4[417], 38:4[418]), for example.

Having conquered Samaria ~ 721 BC, the Assyrians planned to attack Jerusalem.  II Kings 18 tells how the king sent an army to threaten King Hezekiah.  The king’s ambassador Rabshakeh boasted of all the nations they’d conquered and ridiculed their trust in God:

Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered at all his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?  II Kings 18:33

II Kings 19 shows how Isaiah encouraged Hezekiah not to yield to the Assyrians.

And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. ³⁶So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.  II Kings 19:35-36

Plagues were so common throughout history particularly in unsanitary army camps that scholars who don’t want to believe that God has a hand in history are able to believe that God had nothing to do with this plague.  God preserved Jerusalem from Sennacherib, but Judah’s sins continued until they were conquered by the Babylonians ~ 587 BC after the Babylonians conquered the Assyrians ~ 625.

And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to Babylon.  II Chronicles 36:18

In the first year of his [Nebuchadnezzar] reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.  Daniel 9:2

The Assyrians and Babylonians expected everyone to melt into their culture and use their language.  Daniel knew that Nebuchadnezzar wasn’t likely to send people back to their original homes for fear they’d rebel, but he was sure that God would fulfill His promise.

Daniel 5 tells how Nebuchadnezzar’s son Belteshazzar held a feast where he had everyone drink out of the cups his father had taken from Solomon’s temple.  A hand wrote on the wall.  None of Belteshazzar’s advisors could read it.  The queen suggested that he call Daniel.  Daniel criticized Belteshazzar for his pride in abusing God’s temple vessels and said that his kingdom had been found wanting and would end.

That night, Darius the Median conquered Babylon, killed Belteshazzar, and made Daniel first among 3 “presidents” who reported to Darius (Dan. 5:30-6:2).  Daniel prospered during Darius’ reign and lived into the reign of Cyrus (Daniel 6:28) who allowed Israelite captives to return to the Promised Land around 535 BC.

In the first year of Cyrus the king the same Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, Let the house be builded, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid; the height thereof threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof threescore cubits; ⁴With three rows of great stones, and a row of new timber: and let the expenses be given out of the king’s house: ⁵And also let the golden and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the temple which is at Jerusalem, and brought unto Babylon, be restored, and brought again unto the temple which is at Jerusalem, every one to his place, and place them in the house of God.  Ezra 6:3-5

The archeological record suggests details which God choose not to give us.  Scholars believe that Cyrus started from nothing and ended up calling himself “King of Kings” because every ruler from India to Ethiopia (Esther 1:1[419]) served at his pleasure.

As his empire expanded, Cyrus promised people that if they helped him conquer their part of the previous empire, he’d let them return to their original homes.  They were encouraged to take back their idols and temple furnishings and he would pay the costs of rebuilding their places of worship.  They had to pay taxes to someone, why not pay taxes to him and get back to living their lives as they preferred instead of watching their children be assimilated into Babylonian culture?

Scholars wonder why Cyrus acted so differently from earlier rulers.  God had promised to punish the king of Babylon and the land of the Chaldeans (Jer. 25:12[420]).  What better method than to inspire (Job 32:8[421]) Cyrus to conquer them using the idea of sending people back to their homelands to make conquest easier?

So many cities and nations marched into the interior of Assyria and Babylon and disappeared from history that some rank Cyrus among the 100 most influential men of history.  The 10 northern tribes are thought to have been lost from having been conquered 150 years earlier.  By letting the Jews return, Cyrus kept them from being assimilated and preserved their culture.  Both Christianity and Islam have Jewish roots, so in preserving the Jews, Cyrus really was one of the most influential men in history.  Who guided him?

The Bible doesn’t mention other groups whom Cyrus permitted to return.  The Book of Esther which is dated ~ 520 BC, a bit before Cyrus let the Jews return, speaks of King Ahasuerus’ empire stretching from India to Ethiopia (Esther 1:1) and speaks of his commands being translated for “every people after their language (Esther 1:22)” in all 127 of his provinces.  This suggests that the Persian government was more liberal about multiple languages than the Babylonians had been.  Was this an early experiment in multiculturalism?

The Biblical account confirms parts of scholarly history.  God used the Assyrians to punish the northern kingdom and had the Babylonians conquer the Assyrians.  Darius the Mede conquered Babylon and killed Belteshazzar.  His successor Cyrus sent the Jews back to the Promised Land, right on time.

The Medio-Persian Empire lasted until Alexander the Great conquered it around 330 BC.  Instead of having dozens of languages throughout the 127 provinces of the Persian Empire, Greek became the common language of business, philosophy, and science.  Alexander died before he could even father an heir.  He prepared the way for spreading the Gospel in Greek, which was all that God required of him.

ROME

In the centuries before Jesus was born, the Middle East was wracked by war as Jewish factions strove for power.  The Romans took over and brought peace.   The Romans built the roads by which Christianity spread in the early church age and their legal system enforced the pax Romana which made travel possible.

As Christians gained political power, the Emperor Constantine accepted Christianity, at least nominally, around 312 AD.  The church joined the government so tightly over time that it was hard to separate the two.

Joining church and government always corrupts both.  When the Roman church became so corrupt that the Roman Empire no longer spread the gospel, God was done with Rome and the city fell.

GENGHIS KHAN AND THE MONGOL EMPIRE

God works in Asia, too.  For thousands of years, Chinese foreign policy revolved around one idea – never let the steppe nomads unite.  The Chinese became skilled at using bribery, lies, assassination, and other maneuvers to keep the tribes so divided that they couldn’t attack walled Chinese cities.

They noticed Genghis Khan’s tribe gaining power and persuaded one of their client tribes to fight Genghis.  To their shock and dismay, Genghis won and united the tribes in 1206.  Instead of slaughtering defeated tribesmen as was customary, he persuaded them to join his tribe by offering them shares in the loot.

Co-opting his enemies instead of killing them was a major strategic innovation.  Genghis’ policy of accepting anyone who could fight well, even a general who had wounded Genghis with an arrow, and rewarding them from the vast amounts of plunder from his conquests became so well known that several Chinese generals defected to Genghis’ side with their entire armies.  For three generations, Genghis’ empire wrought havoc on the Chinese, Russians, Ukrainians, Poles, Iranians, and any other place they bordered.

Genghis’ grandson Kublai conquered he rest of China and received Marco Polo.

Genghis Khan’s sons and grandchildren conquered an empire which by ~ 1,250 AD ran from Vladivostok to Vienna.  Enough records of their military techniques have come to light that most serious military historians rank Genghis’ army in the top 10 military forces of all time, and many put them in the top 5.  Some historians believe that Genghis’ mounted bowmen could have defeated Napoleon’s forces because it took them so little time to switch from marching to being ready to fight.

The Russians were subject to Mongol attack for centuries.  A lot of what they learned from fighting Mongols ended up in the Russian army tactical manuals.  Czar Nicholas of Russia and Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany were cousins, having been descended from Queen Victoria’s children.  In the years before WW I, their armies got along well enough that most German tactics such as blitzkrieg which were used during both WW I and WW II were based on Genghis’ strategic and tactical innovations.

The Mongol empire established a system of safe, secure roads as the Romans had.  Like the Assyrians and Babylonians, the Mongols believed in using extreme cruelty to keep order.  It was said that a woman could carry a basket of gold on her head the length and breadth of their empire without being touched – the penalties for theft were so severe that it wasn’t worth it.  The use of extreme punishment spread far enough that the American constitution bans “cruel and unusual punishments” as the Mongols had practiced them.

Having lived close to nature, the Mongols were a spiritual people.  Like Solomon, they wanted to learn whatever wisdom they could.  They invited Muslim, Catholic, Buddhist, and Hindu scholars to teach them.

The Mongols manufactured paper in large quantities and used early printing technology to multiply books.  This increased literacy and learning.  They were ready to spread the Word of God.  Their roads would have made it possible to spread the gospel as in Roman days.

They invited Christians to bring them the Bible and could have adopted it.  They didn’t, partly because Genghis had noticed that the Byzantine empire was in decline.  Although one of his granddaughters adopted Nestorian Christianity, Genghis had no interest in the religion of an empire which was growing weaker.  His view was confirmed when the Muslims sacked Constantinople in 1453.

God waited 3 or 4 generations for them to decide to spread His Word, but the Mongols chose Islam and attacked Christians.  They didn’t spread the Word when God gave them the chance.  From 1346 to 1353, the Black Death killed close to one third of the population in parts of Asia and the Mongol empire collapsed.

WHAT ENDED THE BRITISH EMPIRE?

We can see God working in the affairs of men and of nations as the Bible teaches.  Gutenberg printed 200 Bibles in 1455.  The East India Company began in 1600.  The King James Bible appeared in 1611, and in 1654, Parliament approved a law encouraging Jews to move to England.  The British spread across the globe and carried low-cost English Bibles everywhere.  Jews prospered along with the English.  American missionaries got support in America, but traveled on English ships that spanned the world as Roman and Mongol roads had.

As the British took over India, wars between the Indian states were bad for business.  Like the Romans before them, the British enforced peace and built roads and railroads to make money and collect taxes.

India had many languages; the British ruled in English.  To this day, most administration in India and Pakistan is in English.  I have an Indian friend whose employees speak more than 50 languages; the business uses English.  Couples who meet at work marry in English and can’t communicate with either set of in-laws.

As ambitious natives learned English to advance their careers, they read the King James Bibles the British had brought.  Mahatma Gandhi, the lawyer who was the major leader negotiating Indian independence from England in 1947, trained as a lawyer in England.  All his life, he was fascinated by the Bible.

Gandhi said, “If it weren’t for Christians, I’d be a Christian.”  Another young Indian caught a scrap out of his father’s funeral pyre and read, “for God so loved… that he gave…”

The young man was fascinated.  The gods he knew, Hindu, Buddhism and the rest, all those gods were haters who took from men, they didn’t love or give.  He wanted to learn about this God of love who gave.  He found a Christian who taught him the gospel; he was saved to serve his Savior and founded a ministry in India.

Why didn’t Gandhi accept Christ as this young man had?  A missionary who plants churches in Bangalore told us that God once drew Gandhi powerfully to church.  When he arrived, the ushers stopped him.

“Why can’t I come in,” he asked, holding up his Bible, “I want to learn about your God.”

“We’re sorry, sir,” he was told, “This church is only for white people.”

“Only for white people.”  We can believe that.  Racial prejudices and class prejudices run deep.  That is not of Christ.  The Bible teaches that God accepts all who seek to call on His name as Gandhi was seeking Him.  God had drawn Gandhi to seek God (Jn. 6:44[422]) and “God’s people” turned him away.

Christian Exclusiveness

Christians can shut people whom God draws out of the kingdom of God.  My wife arrived late at a service and sat in back.  God drew a woman to come in after the ushers were seated.  My wife shared her hymnbook and they sat down to enjoy the sermon.  The speaker gave a sermon from Philemon about God’s inclusiveness.  God wanted everyone to accept salvation.  There was no sin He couldn’t forgive, it didn’t matter what you’d done, God would welcome you into His family.  You could be saved to serve the Savior!

The visitor was absorbed.  She leaned forward with her eyes wide open, drinking in every word.  After the service, she told my wife she’d found a tract in a phone booth.  She read it, and was bothered enough to tell God, “I want this.”  That afternoon, she’d argued with her relatives and gone home to sulk.  She’d seen our church, and the Holy Spirit told her “Go there!”  She rushed, not bothering to change her skimpy tennis dress.

As she was telling the joy of her new-found place in Christ, the speaker walked up to her.  He didn’t approve of her revealing clothing.  He looked her up and down sternly as men do when they want to signal unhappiness to a woman.  My wife was afraid she’d run away, but she was too caught up in God to see his disapproval.  All she could feel was gratitude for his message of salvation which completely changed her life.

She came back to the next service, and the next.  She later told my wife that she knew her dress was inappropriate, but she felt such a strong pull to go to church that she didn’t have time to change.  My wife finally asked her about the speaker’s disapproval.  “I didn’t see that,” she said.  “It’s a good thing, too.  If I’d noticed, I’d probably have left and not come back.”  We plant and water.  God gives the increase (1 Cor. 3:6-7[423]).  We must never harm God’s increase no matter how feeble, delicate, or timid it may be.

Gandhi’s Rejection of the Gospel

Gandhi labored to unite Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Christians; the whole rich stew of India.  Many of his ideas came from the Bible, but he wrote, “I like your Christ; I do not like your Christians.  Your Christians are so unlike your Christ” and “If Christians would really live according to the teachings of Christ, as found in the Bible, all of India would be Christian today.”

Many people think of Gandhi as a saint, but as far as we know, he died without Christ and went to Hell.  Gandhi knew Christ’s teachings, but could not accept the sins that are all too evident among Christians.  God drew Gandhi to Himself but Christians’ rejection repelled him.

Was this Gandhi’s fault?  A little.  Gandhi was sensitive enough to God’s call to seek a church to learn more.  When “Christians” rejected him, he walked away.  Not knowing Christ, he didn’t know any better.  The Christians should have welcomed his wanting to hear the Word of God.  They rejected a sinner who was seeking Christ.  They bear great blame like Hophni and Phinehas whose sin “was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering of the LORD” (I Samuel 2:17).

Without the power of Christ in his life, Gandhi couldn’t hold India together.  A Hindu nationalist who wanted Muslims to move to their own country murdered him.  Enraged Hindus started attacking Muslims, who fought back.  The nation split violently into India and Pakistan; estimates of loss of life range from several hundred thousand to a million or more.

Of All the Words of Tongue and Pen, the Saddest Are, ‘It might have been.’

The British brought the Bible to India and taught Gandhi English so he could read it.  The wealth that sent him to England to study, the peace and railroad system that let him travel all over India organizing were made possible by the British Empire’s unifying around English.  What if he’d spread Christ instead of politics?

Gandhi was born into an influential family; his descendants ruled India for three generations.  What if he’d accepted Christ?  Would Gandhi have chosen to accept Christ if that church had let him in?

Whether they knew it or not, the British were spreading the Word of God, but when they barred the church doors to Gandhi, they drove away a man whom God was drawing to Himself.  English churches are empty.  The Archbishop of Canterbury, head of the Church of England, has said that the triumph of Muslim sharia law in England is inevitable.  He’s given up on the Word of God and on God’s promises to His people.

The British and Israel

Jeremiah 25:12[424] tells us how God punished the Babylonians for their wickedness after He had used them to punish the Jews.  The British not only stopped spreading the Word of God, they broke a promise to the Jews.

During WW I, the British army and navy ran short of gunpowder.  Sir Winston Churchill asked Chaim Weizmann, a celebrated Jewish chemist, for help.  Mr. Weismann learned how to ferment glucose to produce 30,000 tons of synthetic acetone which was needed to make cordite gunpowder.  When Mr. Churchill asked what he wanted in return, he said, “I want a national home for my people.”

In 1917, the British issued the Balfour Declaration[425] which promised the Jews a homeland in Israel.  The land of Israel belonged to Turkey, which had been on the losing side of WW I.  The British took control in 1923.

Instead of favoring Jews, British politicians gave Arabs the best parts of the land.  Jewish immigration was slowed to a trickle[426] and eventually stopped.  When Hitler started killing Jews, the British wouldn’t let them flee to Palestine.  Many who were turned back died during the holocaust.  God shut down the British Empire when it no longer served His plan of caring for Jews and spreading His word.

RUSSIA

Russian rulers have always abused Jews.  Many Jews were killed in pogroms throughout the reign of the Czars.  During WW I Germany fought a two-front war against Russia in the east and France, Britain and their allies in the west.  The Germans allowed Vladimir Lenin to return to Russia, hoping that his revolutionary ideas would make it impossible for Czar Nicholas’ government to continue fighting against Germany.  It did, but having Russia become communist worked out for Germany about as well as infecting your neighbor’s family with measles to keep them off your grass.  Lenin’s Bolsheviks came to rule Russia, and continued persecuting Jews.

The economic ideas of Karl Marx, a Jew who hated other Jews, led to Russia being far weaker economically than it could have been.  Any Jews who were permitted to leave did so, and those trapped behind the Iron Curtain suffered.  The Soviet Union collapsed economically and has been a lesser power ever since.

WHAT OF AMERICA?

God made America wealthy so we could afford to spread His Word while supporting the nation of Israel and so that other nations would look at us to learn about God as the Japanese did after WW II.  Our churches are emptying.  Older missionaries aren’t being replaced as they retire, and many of our politicians have turned against Israel.  God casts any nation or person aside who loses focus on His program:

But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.  I Corinthians 9:27

As Americans stop serving God’s plan, we could end up in the dustbin of history with the Romans, British, and so many others before us.  God wants us to “send the light” but we’re sending fewer people overseas and support for Israel is weakening.  Is God bringing Muslims to America so we can evangelize them here?

Spread the word!  It’s our job!  That’s why God has left us here on earth.

Chapter 16 – Drawing Closer to Each Other by Drawing Closer to God

Christians and the lost have the same divorce rate even though God hates divorce (Mal. 2:14-16[427]).  Lost people see that we can’t handle this life, why should they care what we say about the life to come?  Harmony between husband and wife should be a picture of the relationship between God and His people (Ro. 7:4[428]).  We should show Christ in our lives; divorce mars our picture, wrecks our testimony, and dishonors Christ.

Divorce often comes through ignorance.  If a man hasn’t learned to sanctify, nourish, and cherish his wife, he won’t know how to make her feel safe enough to open her body to him.  If his wife won’t open herself to him, a husband becomes very frustrated and is unlikely to open his heart to his wife.  If her husband won’t open his heart to her, a wife becomes extremely frustrated, and so goes the downward spiral.

Modern Christians have forgotten how God wants marriage to work.  We base marriages on what men think; the divorce rate shows that human ideas such as dating and the notion that men and women are the same or should be equal do not work.  The Bible teaches us to do things God’s way instead of our way:

There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death

.  Proverbs 14:12

There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death

.  Proverbs 16:25

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths

.  Proverbs 3:5-6

FOR NO MAN EVER YET HATED HIS OWN FLESH; BUT NOURISHETH AND CHERISHETH IT.  EPHESIANS 5:29

This devotional explores what the Bible teaches husbands about nourishing and cherishing wives so that you can teach other men how to be blessed in marriage.  Like salvation, marriage is a way of life; many things become new in marriage.  A man must hear what God tells him about marriage and do it (Matthew 7:25-26[429]).  Exploring these passages together brings husband and wife into “one accord.”  Being one in mind with your wife prepares you to help other men and families learn how to operate their marriages in God’s way.

Many reject the plan of salvation.  When you try to teach how to find God’s blessing in marriage, many reject it.  We must pass on the grace God gave us (I Pe. 4:10[430]).  As we find grace in marriage, we should pass God’s grace on to others, even if some won’t hear it.  You can’t give the gospel without knowing Jesus’ words and His works; you can’t help with marriage issues without knowing how God planned marriage to work.

Be careful to explain that there’s no shame in a man not knowing how to nourish and cherish his wife.  Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived; he was confused and frustrated by women.  God wants love between husband and wife to be wonderful, listen to Solomon praising the wife of his youth:

Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck.  How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices!  Song of Solomon 4:9-10

In his youth, Solomon belonged to his wife; his affections were on her alone:

There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number.  My dove, my undefiled is but one

; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her.  The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.  Song 6:8-9

This wife was “but one” to him, he possessed her in honor and sanctification.  He didn’t even see other women.  He later forgot the lessons of his youth and lost all the joy of marriage:

Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher, counting one by one, to find out the account: which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not

: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found.  Ecclesiastes 7:27-28

Solomon found joy with the wife of his youth.  In his old age, he was bitterly disappointed in women, even though he had a thousand.  Why?  What went wrong?  Solomon knew it should have been good:

Live joyfully with the

 wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun.  Ecclesiastes 9:9

There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not:  The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid.  Proverbs 30:18-19

Solomon knew he should have been able to rejoice in marriage, but he mourned, “a woman among all those have I not found.”  Why?  I’ve asked many men, “Why was his soul vexed and empty when he had so many women?”  They usually say, “Well, women are unmanageable,” few see that the fault lay with Solomon.  Why was Solomon, the wisest and richest man who ever lived, so frustrated?  What didn’t he know?

Solomon didn’t realize that he had to treat one woman as his only wife and belong to her.  He didn’t limit himself to one wife and belong to her even though God told him not to “multiply wives.”

Neither shall he multiply wives to himself

, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.  Deuteronomy 17:17

And [Jesus] said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.  Matthew 19:5-6

Marriage is two people, not a mixed multitude as with Solomon or serial polygamy as Americans do today.  A woman hates belonging to a man who refuses to belong to her.  It can make a woman so unhappy that we can see death in her eyes even in photographs.  Solomon had 1,000 very unhappy women running around the palace.   Having multiple wives made his soul empty, “which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not.”

He should have known the solution.  His “Song of Solomon” teaches that a woman enjoys belonging to her husband and enjoys his desire for her if he belongs to her (Song 8:2-3[431]).  He wrote it, but he didn’t know it.  He should have focused his attention on one wife and been hers.  Opening his heart and treating her as God’s perfect gift to him as he had valued the wife of his youth (Song 4:7-10[432], 6:9[433]) would have brought him joy.

Belonging to a man is a heavy physical and emotional burden; a woman can’t handle the burden if a man isn’t hers.  There’s a Biblical example on page 39.

Solomon didn’t belong to any of his wives, so they felt like toys, pets, or objects.  A man can drop a toy to play with another and the toy won’t mind, but women don’t appreciate that.  Solomon’s wives didn’t like belonging to him; that made him unhappy.  A man may be able to command a woman, but he can’t make her like it.  If she doesn’t like belonging to him, he’ll miss the joy and glory God intended that she add to his life.

A man can’t own his wife.  Deu. 21:10-14[434] says that if a man marries a woman slave, she’s no longer a slave (Gen. 16:3[435]).  A wife is not property no matter what men may think.  Treating a woman slave as a wife meant that she couldn’t be sold, she wasn’t property, and he had to set her free if he didn’t want her any more.  Taking her changed what she was, set her apart, humbled her, and sanctified her in the eyes of God.

Wives are not property even though I Cor. 11:9 says that a woman is made for a man.  God made a woman to want to belong to a man and to give her life serving him and her family (Gen 3:16[436]), but it won’t work unless he knows how to belong to her.  It’s his life for her life, or not at all.  Most men don’t know how to belong to their wives.  Solomon knew but he forgot; not belonging to any of his wives made him miserable.

WHY FOCUS ON MEN?

We can address men instead of dealing with husbands and wives together because men are supposed to lead their families.  This goes back to how male and female were created:

And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.  Genesis 2:15-17

“Keep” meant to protect from harm.  God delegated authority for tending and protecting the garden to Adam and told him not to eat of a certain tree before Eve was formed out of Adam’s body.  As keeper of the garden, Adam had to tell Eve God’s rules and make sure that God’s commands were carried out.  Adam failed:

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her

; and he did eat.  Genesis 3:6

“Adam was not deceived (1 Tim. 2:14).”  In order not to have been deceived, Adam had to have heard Satan’s lie.  Adam was with Eve the whole time, why didn’t he correct her when she misquoted God or warn her about the serpent?  Having sinned, Adam blamed Eve for his sin instead of confessing:

And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.  Genesis 3:12

Some political writers say, “It isn’t the act, it’s the cover-up.”  When Samuel pointed out Saul’s sin in I Samuel 15:16-26, Saul blamed the people instead of confessing.  Saul lost his job as King as Adam lost his job keeping the garden.  Unlike Saul, David confessed when Nathan pointed out that he had murdered Uriah the Hittite in II Samuel 12:7-15.  David kept his position as king.  Adam, the man, caused the fall:

For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.  I Timothy 2:13-14

Sin is passed from generation to generation through men (Gen. 5:3[437]).  That is why when Mary was “with child of the Holy Ghost (Mt.1:18, 23[438]),” Jesus could be born without original sin.  Although Eve was “in the transgression,” the Bible blames Adam because he sinned deliberately:

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:  Romans 5:12

Adam failed in his duty to keep the garden.  Gen 3:16 punishes Eve for not following God’s perfect leadership by placing her under her husband’s imperfect leadership.  Men are supposed to lead their families.

But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.  I Corinthians 11:3

Ephesians 5:21-24[439] command Christians to submit “yourselves one to another” to bring harmony in the church and tells wives to submit to their husbands.  This devotional focuses on men because they’re in charge.

There’s another reason for focusing on men.  The Bible teaches that we can explore the mind of God either through reading His Word or by studying His works:

But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:  Job 12:7

God explained Himself to Job in chapters 40 and 41 by calling attention to His works, so we can learn by watching how He orders societies.  Experience shows that if a husband accepts salvation, his family is 7 times more likely to follow than if the wife comes first.  Husbands tend to lead, even in unsaved homes.

We hope that men will take the lead in discussing these Biblical topics with their wives and with their children.  Exploring these passages will help any man learn about his wife to dwell with her according to knowledge.  A wife can be greatly frustrated when her husband won’t lead; this will help him lead.

That’s why this document is addressed mainly to men to discuss with their wives.

HOW TO LEAD

Men may need hints on how to lead.  There are two fundamentally different leadership styles discussed in the US today – top-down, hierarchical command and control or consensus management.

A leader’s behavior effects the harmony, happiness, and efficiency of the workplace.  For decades, management books have argued that Japanese “consensus leadership” is a better way to manage than “top-down” command.  When a decision is needed, a Japanese manager gets his people together to explore alternatives.  Each person generates suggestions with no criticism allowed.  Then they discuss them.  Exploring advantages and disadvantages of each idea ensures that everyone understands the constraints and the goal.  Once the decision is made, everyone knows how it affects his or her area, they know why it has to be that way, and they know what to do to make it work.  They get started right away because they know the plan.

This requires a great deal of trust.  The manager has to believe that his people act in good faith and that they won’t spread details of their thoughts before the plans are ready for a wider audience.  A manager who doesn’t trust his people tends to lead by command instead of getting their agreement.

If subordinates resent the decision, they may be tempted to engage in “malicious obedience” by following orders even when they know it won’t work.  “Not my fault, that’s what I was told to do.”  Does this help?

When King Rehoboam inherited the kingdom from his father Solomon, I Kings 11-12 tells how the people asked him to cut taxes.  His older advisers recommended that he treat the people gently; his young friends recommended that he raise taxes.  Instead of getting consensus, he followed the young men.  The people rebelled and stoned the head tax-collector to death instead of paying.  He blew it through bad leadership.

Japanese organizations make decisions more slowly than Americans can, getting going after the decision is made takes longer in America.  The plan must be explained after the decision; the Japanese team knows the plan.  The time to start work is about the same.  Group discussion leads to better decisions because everyone knows something nobody else knows.  It leads to better implementations because people feel that their views were heard and they understand why it has to be that way.  There’s a complaint in top-down organizations:

Ours not to reason why, / Ours but to comply!

Does being told to do something when you don’t understand how it fits into the Big Picture frustrate you?  Don’t people do a better job if they know how their work serves the greater goal?  A manager who doesn’t use all possible input is a fool.  Let’s shift from the Big Picture of how businesses operate to look at small groups.

You’ve all had bosses; you know how poor leadership affects mood and morale.  Let’s consider problems that happen in work teams when the boss isn’t leading properly:

the contentions of a co-worker are a continual dropping.

It’s better to dwell in a tiny cubicle than with a quarrelsome colleague in a prestigious office.

It’s better to dwell in the warehouse than with a contentious and angry office manager.

A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a hostile colleague are alike.

We’ve all had quarrelsome, angry co-workers who rain on our parade.  A large office may indicate prestige, but it can be difficult to share it with someone who’s always picking a fight with you.  Who wants to be anywhere near an angry office manager?  Don’t people hide when they know the boss has lost it?

When I worked at IBM, being quarrelsome or giving anyone a hard time was a wonderful way to get fired.  It usually turned out that quarrelsome people had issues with their direct manager or with his boss.  In those cases, IBM worked hard to get the boss to clean up his act because bad leadership has many costs beyond making people unhappy, employee turnover being but one.  Let’s read those again from the Word of God:

the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping.  Proverbs 19:13b

It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house.  Proverbs 21:9

It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman.  Proverbs 21:19

It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman and in a wide house.  Proverbs 25:24

A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike.  Proverbs 27:15

These passages are not criticisms of women; they’re warnings to men to lead properly!  The Bible teaches that women are made for men, the Bible teaches that wives seek to please their husbands, why is she contentious?  When we’re at work, we’re supposed to do our best as unto the Lord regardless of the boss:

Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.  I Peter 2:18

IBM found that a forward boss is expensive – unhappy workers spend so much time being miserable that they can’t work well.  Husbands should lead, wives should follow.  As in a work situation, a wife’s unhappiness is often due to bad leadership.  Why should a man be froward to his wife?  Shouldn’t he try to make it easy and pleasant for her to follow him?  That’s just good sense.  God made his wife so that she can give him a taste of the joys of Heaven, but she can’t make him any happier than he makes her (Ecc. 9:9[440]).

God held Adam accountable for bringing sin into the world; he didn’t lead his wife properly.  God holds a man accountable for how he leads.  God holds her accountable for how she responds to his leadership.

God warns that a man’s prayers are hindered unless he knows his wife and acts on knowledge of her:

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

“according to knowledge” doesn’t mean “obey,” it means learn about her and take it into consideration.  That’s another way to describe “consensus management” – it’s based on knowing what your people can do and how your decisions affect them, and getting them involved in working out plans for the future.

If a man doesn’t do that, his prayers may bounce off the ceiling.  Many men are praying for our nation.  If they aren’t dwelling with their wives as God commands, however, their prayers are hindered.  Obeying or not obeying this passage may affect the future of our land.  That’s another reason to start with men.

An older woman told my wife how her husband rebuilt her kitchen while she was in the hospital giving birth.  When she got home with her newborn, her treasured wood stove had been replaced by a modern electric stove.  She divorced him.  This was the first thing she told my wife the day they met 20 years later.

Her husband didn’t realize that in order to guide a house as the Bible commands, a woman must have a secure place in the house.  This woman had spent decades learning where to put the wood in her stove to cook things just right.  To have to learn a totally new stove while caring for a newborn was too much.

She was an “off the grid” person who loved old ways.  She cooked with wood stoves, she was a “woodie.”  He wanted everything modern.  He was convinced that his friends laughed at his old-fashioned home.  He loved electricity; he was a “griddie.”  The more his house moved to the grid, the happier he was.

He dug up her root cellar, paved it over, and gave her an electric refrigerator which she hated.  Losing her wonderful stove when she was fighting depression from giving birth was the last straw.  She walked out.

Should a man buy an engagement ring he expects his wife to wear for the rest of her life without letting her choose one she likes or express preferences?  Should a man buy a vacation home or a travel trailer which she’ll have to clean without talking to her?  Some women love surprises, some don’t, and he has to know.

WHAT NATURE DID GOD GIVE WOMEN?

A manager has trouble using consensus management unless he trusts his people.  Similarly, a husband has trouble leading his wife by serving her if he doesn’t trust her.  There are two views of women: “last in creation, first in the fall” or “last at the cross, first at the tomb.”  The first blames women for the fall; men who believe that think that everything that goes wrong is a woman’s fault.  Adam blamed both Eve and God for his sin:

And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.  Genesis 3:12

A man who blames women thinks he’d be OK if his wife didn’t lure him into sin.  The nicer she tries to be, the subtler he thinks Satan is and the harder he resists her.  A woman who marries such a man dies inside.  She yearns to please her husband and she can’t, her bones dry and you see death in her eyes.  But it’s a lie!

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.  Proverbs 17:22

This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created

.  Genesis 5:1-2

For Adam was first formed

, then Eve…  I Timothy 2:13

Eve wasn’t last in creation; they were created on the same day as one creature.  They stayed one creature while Adam named the animals.  God then separated Eve out of Adam’s body into her own form.

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: … For as by one man’s disobedience

 many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.  Romans 5:12, 19

And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.  I Timothy 2:14

Eve didn’t cause the fall, “one man” did.  The fall came after they were separated into a man and a woman.  Eve didn’t sin deliberately because Satan fooled her.  Adam wasn’t fooled, he caused the fall through deliberate, knowing sin and through bad leadership.  The 1^st view of women is false.  The 2^nd view is Biblical, women were last at the cross and first at the tomb.  The Bible teaches that a man should trust a virtuous wife:

The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.  She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.  Proverbs 31:11-12

A man who has trouble believing that probably thinks that God’s a bully who’s just looking for chances to smack him.  God created him to be lonely and to want a woman so that the woman could ensnare him.  This view is often found in fundamentalism.  The other view is that God so loves us that it’s OK to sin and it’s OK not to obey Him because He understands.  It’s hard to balance God’s holiness with His love:

And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.  Ephesians 6:4

We need both, but nurture, that is, God’s love, comes first.  The Word of God is quite clear:

Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.  Proverbs 18:22

If a man won’t adopt a positive view of his wife, there’s very little anyone can do to improve his marriage.

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.  Proverbs 23:7

A man can feed and house a woman without opening his heart to her.  If a man thinks ill of his wife, it comes out in his speech, in his body language, in his facial expressions, and in every way he communicates, particularly in the way he leads her.  Not being trusted or appreciated makes his wife unhappy, and an unhappy wife makes him cranky, just ask Solomon.  When you try to help a man fix his marriage, you start with his theology, that is, his view of God, and then with his view of his wife.

I Cor. 7:34 promises, “she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.”  A man either believes the Bible and acts on that belief or he doesn’t.

Before we met, we both knew that I Cor. 7:32-34[441] teaches that married people want to please each other.  I was surprised, however, to find out how much I enjoyed making her happy and how much I liked it when she made me happy.  That’s one reason we wanted to marry.

We thought we understood those verses, but we were wrong.  She found that giving herself to me greatly strengthened her desire to make me happy and turned it into a need.  Opening herself to me makes her far more concerned with keeping me happy until the feeling wears off a few hours or days later.

It’s pretty clear that wives care more about pleasing their husbands than husbands care about pleasing their wives.  If a husband starts appreciating his wife and letting her know how she makes him happy, that will generally make her happy, and the marriage improves.

MY BELOVED IS MINE, AND I AM HIS – SONG 2:16

Older women must instruct younger women how to love their husbands.  This works because men are enough alike that what pleased the older woman’s husband will probably please the younger woman’s.

Women are much less alike than men.  God commands a husband to live with his wife according to knowledge of the Bible and of her (I Pe 3:7[442]); the best way to get this knowledge is by talking about the Bible with her.  An older woman can give a younger woman the formula for loving her husband, but there’s no simple formula for loving a wife.

By talking openly with his wife, a man can discover the formula for loving her.  Talking with other women gives a woman a formula for loving her husband, talking with his wife gives the formula for loving her.

A man belongs to his wife as he opens his heart to her.  God expects a husband to belong to his wife and He expects him to know her well enough to set her apart from all other women (Song 6:9[443], I Thes. 4:4[444]).  One of the best ways for husband and wife to grow closer and belong to each other is discussing the Word of God together so that each of them can learn what God says to the other.  That’s the goal of this chapter.

Men and women have different styles of talking and thinking; discussing God’s Word shows how your spouse thinks.  Talking about her husband’s work helps bind a wife to him but doesn’t bind him to her, for example.  This is because men become close through experiencing high-pressure situations together, unlike women who draw close by sharing their deepest secrets and can share experiences by talking about them.

When a band of hunters sets out to kill an elephant with arrows and spears, each man wants to know that his teammates will stand and shoot when the beast charges.  Warriors and hunters die or starve when another man runs instead of doing his duty.  Athletes taste defeat when a teammate goofs up; you can count on a “clutch player” when he’s needed.  Once a man earns his team’s trust, they’re bonded for life because a man’s life often depends on the fidelity and loyalty of those around him.

Knowing whom he can trust and whom he can’t is all the relationship a man expects, but that’s not what a woman means by “relationship.”  Each wife must teach her husband the joys of having a woman-style relationship with her.  Unless he’ll rely on God’s promise that it’s safe to open his heart to her (Pr. 31:11-12[445]), however, she can’t begin until she’s built enough man-style trust that he’s willing to open his heart.

War veterans get together because the bonds of having been shot at together, while nearly unbreakable, need maintenance.  It’s difficult for women to share such bonds, however, because a woman isn’t satisfied by a report of how the men were shot at, she wants to know how they felt about it.  Men don’t care how they felt, they care who stood and fought instead of running when the shooting started.  Men don’t believe that talking about a war, a hunt, or a game can build trust, “You just had to be there,” as men put it.

Men report experiences, but the purpose isn’t to build rapport as with women.  Men tell “duty” stories to teach others how to behave, women tell “feeling” stories to build harmony and rapport.  Women feel that heroic stories are unrealistic; men feel that rapport stories are pointless.  The Bible tells about real people which combine both duty and feeling, but men and women interpret them differently.

Men like the David and Goliath story because the little guy triumphed through bravery and a secret weapon.  A David-type sling is difficult to use accurately, but a long sling with the right-sized rock can deliver a major fraction of the punch of a .38.  Men love such high-tech detail.  Women identify with the picture of family friction in God’s account of how David’s older brothers ridiculed him and how Saul didn’t give him the promised reward.  David’s courage and cleverness appeal to men; David’s faith that God would help him conquer appeals to women who like knowing that God uses weaker vessels for His glory.

The best way for husband and wife to draw closer together is to study the Word of God together.  This draws each of them closer to God, so they also move closer to each other at the same time.

This devotional gives a point of view on many Bible verses that relate to marriage.  Husband and wife should discuss them so that he understands her better and becomes comfortable in belonging to her.  This helps her become comfortable and find rest in belonging to him (Ruth 1:9a[446]).  Exploring what God said about how married people ought to relate draws you closer to your spouse and to God at the same time.  Talking also helps the man know enough about his wife to find the formula for dwelling in rest with her.

A husband must convince his wife that it’s OK for her to express opinions that differ from his.  This sounds obvious, but many wives don’t want to discuss their views with their husbands for fear of criticism.  Some husbands feel that a wife who asks questions is rebelling.  Furthermore, assuming that he’s such a perfect communicator that no questions are ever needed is pure pride.  Asking questions and offering ideas are the fundamentals of conversation.  If a wife doesn’t feel free to ask, she can’t help her husband, and he’ll lose a major part of the blessing God intended him to receive through her desire to help him.

It’s so easy to criticize other people’s thoughts that engineers have a formal process called “brainstorming.”  This seeks to get all possible ideas listed, no matter how far-fetched or silly.  Criticism is totally forbidden!  After the ideas are listed, people start exploring the good and bad points of each idea.

Experience shows that absence of criticism produces lots of ideas which are unworkable, but discussing them and the reasons why they won’t work sheds light on the problem.  Tying unexpected interpretations back to other passages in the Bible increases understanding.  Each heading in this devotional lists Bible verses.  Discussing them as a couple should help you understand each other better and prepare you for helping others heal their marriages or prepare for marriage.

A MAN’S THEOLOGICAL ERROR

Some men say that when God told Eve “thy desire shall be to thy husband (Ge. 3:16)” He meant that a wife would desire to thwart her husband’s plans and escape his authority.  This argument that husbands and wives are enemies draws on the use of the same Hebrew word תְּשׁוּקָה used for Eve’s desire in Genesis 4:7 where God reminded Cain of Satan’s desire to conquer Cain:

And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? ⁷If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire

, and thou shalt rule over him.  Genesis 4:6-7

They say that the “his” of “his desire” refers to sin or to Satan.  Commentators of this view draw parallels between sin’s desire to rule Cain and a woman’s desire to rule her husband.

There’s a better way to read the passage.  God rebuked Cain, asking why Cain sinned by being angry (Mt. 5:22[447]) at God’s chastening (Heb. 12:8[448]), but promised that Cain would be accepted if he did well.  The phrase “sin lieth at the door” refers to Cain choosing whether to honor God or not.

Consider verse 7b, “And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.”  Abel was younger than Cain.  Younger brothers generally look up to the oldest sibling and tend to want to be like him and follow him.  In those days, the oldest son almost always received the family birthright which is why Rebecca used subterfuge to get Isaac to bless her younger son Jacob instead of her oldest son Esau.

God made it clear that if Cain chose to obey God, righteous Abel (Mt. 23:35[449]) would desire to follow Cain as a woman desires to follow her husband, particularly if he serves God by serving her as Jesus commanded (Mk. 9:35[450], 10:44[451]).  Cain would rule Abel as younger brothers generally desire to follow the oldest and women generally desire to belong to their husbands and follow them.

Solomon said It’s same old sins, over and over (Ecc. 1:9[452]).  How many men raised in “Christian” homes have “lightly lien” with women without marriage because they’ve been told women seek to betray their husbands as Delilah betrayed Samson or that it’s OK because everyone does it?

Why would a woman who could get a job and support herself want to marry if she thinks that men have been taught that wives can’t be trusted?  A woman’s emotions tend to place her under the authority of men.  If a woman feels damaged, not valued, or disrespected by her human father or husband, how can she honor and submit to God as her Heavenly Father?  If a father acts like women can’t be trusted, how can his daughter feel that Jesus valued her or loved her enough to die to take away the punishment for her sins?

If he refuses to hear her side, if his habit is not listening (Jas. 1:19-20[453]), how can she believe that God hears her prayers?  If she won’t open herself to God in prayer, won’t she hear, “I never knew you (Mt. 7:23)?”  Is that her fault or the fault of the men who taught her that she would never be heard?

Men must take the responsibility God gave and appreciate their wives as God-given gifts, preserve their purity, and teach their children to follow these God-given principles.  How many women who were raised in “Christian” homes let men take them without marriage because they haven’t been taught to fear God’s judgment or to value their purity?  How can a woman love God without being shown that God loves her by being convinced that she is loved by the men in her life?

Can a leader who doesn’t listen to his wife, children, or followers expect Jesus to listen to him?  If he doesn’t open his heart to Jesus, will he hear, “I never knew you (Mt. 7:23[454])?”

DEVOTIONAL TOPICS

The following sections list verses which husbands and wives may see from different points of view.  Although women very much want attention from men, getting married doesn’t fulfill all of a woman’s desires.  Women generally want children more than they want husbands; one of the reasons women want attention is to help them get children.  What, women want children more than they want a man?  Yes, this is true.  Rachael told Jacob, “Give me children or else I die.” (Genesis 30:1).  Consider Hannah, the mother of Samuel,

Now there was a certain man … and his name was Elkanah …  And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.  …  But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the Lord had shut up her womb.  And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the Lord had shut up her womb.  And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat. Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am I not better to thee than ten sons?  And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore.  I Samuel 1:1-10

Hannah’s husband loved her, he took good care of her, he gave her a worthy portion, but she craved children above all else.  His love and devotion were not enough for her; she wouldn’t eat because she had no children.  Can you imagine a girl not eating because she had no boyfriend?

Children aren’t all a woman wants, consider what Ruth desired from Boaz:

And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.  Ruth 3:9

Spread his skirt over her?  That word refers to what we now call a cloak, Ruth was telling Boaz that she wanted him to throw his coat over her and keep her warm.  How many girls have borrowed a coat or sweater from a guy to see if he will keep her warm?  Ruth’s request also meant “place me under your protection.”  Christ wanted to protect Jerusalem like a hen covers her young (Mt. 23:37[455]).

Being warm and protected wasn’t all Ruth wanted but few wives have words to explain their needs.  A woman becomes frustrated when she knows she needs something she isn’t getting but can’t explain what it is.  Discussing the Bible helps husband and wife understand each other.  Fulfilling a wife’s needs makes her happy.  There is no joy this side of heaven for a man that compares to having a woman like belonging to him.

Present – a wife is a present from God (Pro 18:22, Mt. 7:11, I Cor 11:9, James 1:17)

A groom must know in his bones that his wife is an undeserved present from God who made her for him (I Cor. 11:9[456]).  A bride adorns herself for her husband (Is. 61:10[457], Rev 21:2[458]); he unwraps his gift and takes her to wife.  God was a special guest at our wedding, and the gift I remember best is my wife, the gift God gave me.

Salvation is an undeserved gift of God’s grace, nobody deserves salvation.  Men don’t deserve wives either; a wife is an undeserved gift of God’s grace.  Would you want to do all the things your wife does to support and care for her home and for you?  God made her heart to want to do that; you can’t make her do it.

Few men think of their wives as gifts from God.  Many scoff, “Some present she is,” but that’s what the Bible says.  Proverbs 18:22 says that a wife is a favor from God, Matthew 7:11 says that God gives good gifts to His children, and James 1:17 says that God gives good and perfect gifts.  God expects a man to treat his wife as a good and perfect gift from Him.  Proverbs warns five times that an unhappy wife is a hardship (19:13, 21:9, 21:19, 25:24, and 27:15).  If she’s made for her husband, if she’s God’s gift to him, why is she unhappy?

My wife and I know many unhappy wives.  A woman can be in sin, of course, but the problem often lies in how her husband leads her.  If a man doesn’t lead his wife as God expects, if he makes it hard for her to follow, the entire family suffers.  If she can’t or won’t submit to him, her children follow her example and don’t submit to anyone.  “A child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame,” (Pro 29:15).  A daughter is likely to rebel if her mother doesn’t belong to her father.  “As is the mother, so is her daughter,” (Eze. 16:44).

Most unhappy husbands refuse to accept any responsibility for how their marriage turned out.  I’ve heard preachers thunder that marriages would be OK if only women would submit, as if husbands had no part in it at all!  Who was the first man to blame his wife when he did wrong?

And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me

, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.  Genesis 3:12

Adam knew that Eve was a present from God and that God gave her to be his companion, partner, and participant in his life, not a slave.  Eve was a gift from God so he blamed Eve and God when he sinned.

When a man won’t take responsibility, he’s a helpless victim.  If it’s all her fault, there’s nothing he can do!  Just say, “Sure, she does wrong, but work at it, you’ll find something to do to make it better; she may follow.”

Has your boss said to his boss, “The people you gave me are so bad I can’t do my job”?  If he didn’t get fired, he’d hear, “Change how you lead them.”  Maybe your boss doesn’t know how to lead?  The company gave you to your boss; leading you properly is a condition of being boss.  If he can’t lead you, he’s gone.

God’s presents come with conditions.  I’ve heard parents say, “You left your bike in the rain, you can’t ride for a week.”  The child loses the blessing of the gift by misusing it; we lose the blessings of God’s presents if we misuse His gifts.  We can’t lose salvation, but Psalm 51:12 says, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation;” we can lose our joy in God’s gift of salvation.  Many men lose their joy in God’s gift of marriage.

I Cor. 11:3[459] says that you should lead your wife, but Mark 10:44[460] says that you must lead her by serving her.  This benefits you greatly – serving your wife with gladness and delighting in being hers makes her delight in belonging to you.  There’s no joy this side of heaven that can equal having a woman delight in being yours.

You must know your wife’s needs in order to serve her properly.  Older women are told to teach younger women about men.  This works because men are pretty much alike.  If my wife tells your wife what makes me happy, it’ll probably make you happy.  But if I tell you what makes my wife happy, it does you no good at all.

Women are more different from each other than men; the only way you can learn how to serve your wife is to talk with her.  We’ll be discussing a number of ideas.  A man must take time to discuss these ideas with his wife.  Even long-married couples generally find that their views were more different than they’d thought.

The Bible gives couples a framework for talking about feelings they couldn’t explain before.  The better they know each other, the better the marriage goes.  You can’t tell a man how to make his wife happy, but you can show him Biblical principles that will help him talk with her enough to figure out how to lead his family so that his wife is happy to belong to him.  God wants wives to like belonging to their husbands.

Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.  I Corinthians 11:9

I Corinthians 7:4 teaches, “she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.”  A woman cares deeply that her husband be happy with her.  His happiness with her makes her happy.  If she’s happy, it’s simple for her to give him a taste of the joys of heaven, but she can’t make him any happier than he makes her.  How happy does he want to be?

I saw this while dating.  My wife enjoyed making me happy and I enjoyed making her happy.  That’s one reason I married her.  We thought we understood those verses, but we didn’t.  Shortly after we married, she found that her desire to please me suddenly became far stronger.  Giving herself to me made her want to please me far more than she’d expected.  I’m continually amazed and grateful that God made her that way.

She belongs to me.  That’s all I want so it’s hard for her to give me Christmas presents.  One day she was in a store praying that God would give her an idea of something I’d want.  That’s how much she wants to please me.  She saw a coffee variety she recognized.  15 years before, a wealthy friend had taken me to dinner and introduced me to that variety.  I liked it very much, but it cost $50 per pound.  This blend was only $8 per pound.  We could afford that so she bought some.  It’s really the only coffee blend I like; I drink other kinds for medicinal reasons.  Every time I drink her blend, I’m reminded that God gave her so much desire to please me that she prayed to find something that I’d enjoy.  That’s God’s gift to me and her gift to me!

One of my goals in leading her is to make sure I don’t damage or blunt her desire to make me happy.  God will hold me accountable if I damage the desire to serve me which He designed into her as His gift to me.  Jesus told men how to lead families and churches:

If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all and servant of all  Mark 9:35

But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them.  But so shall it not be among you

: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: and whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.  For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister

, and to give his life a ransom for many.  Mark 10:42-45

Jesus came to earth to serve.  Women generally minister to their families as Christ ministers to His people.  You can serve your family at mealtimes by giving them the best of what’s available and taking your food last.  If you get a bonus at work, do you buy what you want or something she wants?  Do you lead by commanding or do you lead by serving?  The Bible teaches that whatever you do to your wife, you do to Christ:

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren

, ye have done it unto me.  Mathew 25:40

The wife is the least in your marriage.  If you fuss at your wife, or treat her harshly, you treat Jesus harshly.  If you honor your wife, if you praise, appreciate, and glorify her, you praise, honor, and glorify our Lord Jesus Christ.  God designed women so that your wife multiplies whatever you give her and gives it back to you.

Think about making babies.  You give your wife one tiny cell.  She nourishes what you give her within herself and gives you a baby with billions of cells.  Every cell of that baby has your mark in it (Gen. 5:3[461]).  If you give her a boy cell, she makes a boy, if you give her a girl cell, she makes a girl.  We reap what we sow:

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.  Galatians 6:7

God gave women sensitive emotions (Gen. 3:16[462]) so that your wife wants you to be pleased with her, so she can figure out what makes you happy, and so that she can tell whether you’re pleased or not.  Her emotions make her into a mirror; she’s not a light.  If you give her anger, criticism, unhappiness, she’ll be tempted to use her power to vex your soul to death (Jud. 16:16[463]), multiply your unhappiness, and give all your unhappiness back to you.  If you give her praise, appreciation, and love, she’ll multiply all the happiness you give her and fill your house with your joy in her.  You reap what you sow to your wife, very quickly.

The way you feel about her determines how she fills your house.  Sow a boy cell, reap a boy.  Sow a cell of love; reap a house full of love.  The secret of happiness in marriage is to be happy with your wife so she can multiply your happiness and reflect it back to you.

Some men say, “Sure, she follows me in wrong,” as if husbands were blameless, but God told Eve in Gen. 3:16 that her husband would rule her.  One of the ways you rule your wife is that God made her so that she has an extremely strong tendency to follow your example in whatever you do.  Women can fight this, to be sure, and don’t always follow their husbands into sin, but shouldn’t you give her the best example you can?

One definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over and expect the result to be different.  If there’s trouble in a marriage, someone must change, just as with salvation.  The man’s supposed to lead.  If he wants things to get better, he has to take the lead in changing himself.  And change starts with prayer.

Prayer – marriage runs on prayer; prayer brings wisdom (I Thess. 5:17-18, Psalm 127:1, James 1:5)

Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.  I Thessalonians 5:17-18

Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: Psalm 127:1

No matter how hopeless the situation seems, God promises a way out, but we have to ask:

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape

, that ye may be able to bear it.  I Corinthians 10:13

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God

, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.  James 1:5

A man who’s in the habit of being negative may not know how to give grace to his wife.  God can change a man’s heart to make him the husband God wants him to be but he must humble himself, pray for wisdom, and ask God to change him. He can ask his wife to tell him when she thinks he’s being negative to help him change.  A man needs God’s and his wife’s help to clean his heart of what unsettles his family.  It’s humbling to change.

God wants everybody to go to Heaven, but a sinner goes to Hell unless he admits he can’t save himself and asks Jesus to save him.  Similarly, God wants all married people to experience a taste of the joys of Heaven, but unless a man leads his family in God’s way, he’ll often create his very own Hell right here on earth.

When a man asks Jesus to forgive his sins, he must mean it, or he’ll go to Hell.  Similarly, a man can tell his wife he wants to change to make their marriage better, but unless he means it, it won’t work.  When a good girl goes wrong with a bad guy, we say, “He must have fed her a line.”  A man can fool a woman by telling her what she wants to hear, but a wife figures her husband out pretty fast.  If he talks about change without meaning it, she’ll be angry when she finds out he’s lying, but if he tries to improve, a woman generally cuts him some slack and helps him change.  That’s why a man should pray that God will change his heart to make him the husband God wants him to be and ask his wife to pray with him to help him be a better husband.

There is a danger.  Suppose a man comes to you with a troubled marriage, you walk him through this material, and he tells his wife he plans to do better.  She may give him a hard time just to be sure he means it.  An insecure person often hurts you on purpose to see if you care.  If his wife’s insecure, and if he knows the marriage is in trouble, she’s probably insecure, she’s likely to hurt him to make sure he still cares about her.  When a man tries to change, things may get worse as his wife tests him.  If he lasts through that, if he’s able to keep trying to treat her better even while she’s hurting him, she’ll eventually catch on that he’s trying to make her happy and treat him better.  But it takes time.

A man should ask God to help him understand how to treat his wife as God’s perfect present to him.  If a man discusses these topics with his wife and starts to treat her as God’s perfect present, she may start to act like God’s perfect present.  There are few activities that draw a man and wife closer than looking into God’s Word to find what God says about making their marriage work better.  Having a man appreciate his wife as God’s perfect gift to him and having her act as God’s perfect gift to him builds any marriage.

Love your wife as Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5:25-28)

Men must decide to love their wives sacrificially; it’s something every husband is commanded to do.  It’s interesting that wives are commanded to submit to their husbands, God didn’t command them to love their husbands.  That may be because God made women so that their nature is to serve their husbands and families.  If you lead your wife decently, honorably, and respecting her needs, she’ll cut you a lot of slack and serve you, but it works better if you love her as God tells you to.

Love doesn’t do her any good unless she knows you love her.  Let’s see how to show love to your wife.

Praise – God tells you to appreciate your wife and praise her (Pr. 31:28-29)

Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.  Proverbs 31:28-29

A man should tell his wife that she blesses him by being the best wife he knows.  Solomon’s Song teaches men how to do that.  The husband praises his wife in mind-numbing detail.  When you praise little details about your wife, she knows you’ve been paying attention to her, this shows you’re pleased with her.  If you don’t praise her, she feels that she’s failed.  Nowhere in the Bible does a man criticize his wife.  Job’s wife told him to curse God.  He didn’t criticize her; he rebuked her sin while loving the sinner (Job 2:9-10[464]).

Be careful, there’s a huge difference between praise, which is uplifting, and flattery, which hurts.  Praise comes from the heart, it’s offered out of genuine gratitude and appreciation.  Flattery comes from the head; it’s a way to manipulate someone to get something.  Flattery is meant to benefit the person doing the flattering.  Praise, in contrast, benefits the person being praised and the person doing the praise.

Giving money to the church out of gratitude to God is worship; giving money to the church so God will give you something in return is idolatry.  Praising husband or wife out of genuine gratitude that God set you in a family builds your marriage, saying nice things with the idea of manipulating or getting something turns the marriage into a business deal, which is whoredom.

The basic difference between flattery and praise is that you have to know your wife pretty well to praise her in a way that means something to her.  In the Song of Solomon, the husband praises his wife in mind-numbing detail.  He praises her lips, her breasts, and her nose, everything about her.  Being praised in detail convinces your wife that you’re paying attention to her, which makes her happy.

Some say that a wife shouldn’t need praise or respect from her husband and that she should look to God for appreciation and help.  A woman should rely on the Lord, but men must understand God’s hierarchy:

But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.  I Corinthians 11:3

God is Christ’s head; when we look towards God, we see Christ.  That’s all right – Christ obeyed His father so well and takes such good care of the people God gives Him that when we see Christ, we see the Father.

Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father

; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?  John 14:9

When a wife looks toward God, she sees her husband, then Christ, then God.  Jesus reflects God perfectly, so we see God when we look to Jesus.  A husband must love his wife as Christ loved the Church (Eph. 5:25[465]); when a wife sees her husband, she should see the image of Christ reflected in her husband’s love for her.  As Christ appreciates, loves, and nourishes the people God gives Him, a husband should appreciate, love, and nourish the wife God gives him.  It’s hard for a wife to feel God’s love unless she feels her husband’s love.

What you say about your wife shows her your heart:

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.  Luke 6:45

Women care what you say about them because your words show your heart.  The army teaches soldiers to say, “Yes sir!” as a sign of obedience.  Saying, “Yes sir!” works on the heart and makes men more willing to obey.  Similarly, thinking about how your wife benefits you, thanking God for giving her to you, and thanking her for being yours works on your heart and makes you appreciate her more.  This makes both of you happy.

The Bible teaches that a virtuous wife should receive praise:

Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.  Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.  Proverbs 31:30-31

A wife used to receive the fruits of her hands.  Farm wives managed the kitchen garden and the hens.  Any money she made selling eggs beyond what her family needed belonged to her without question.

“Gates” is where all the town business happened – Boaz went to the gate to publicly record his marriage to Ruth (Ruth 4:1[466]), a king was trampled in the gate (II Kings 18-20[467]).  She can’t praise herself, of course:

Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips. Proverbs 27:2

A wife shouldn’t praise herself, so her husband has to praise her publicly.  Some of her works are visible to all, however.  “Goodwife” was an honorable title awarded to a woman who made her husband happy with her, everyone could see that.  This title had to be awarded by common consent, it could not be claimed, but everybody knew that the community should honor a virtuous wife.  Have we forgotten?

Pride – you must take pride in having her as your wife and let her know it (I Cor 11:7, Deu. 28:47-48)

the woman is the glory of the man.  I Corinthians 11:7b

Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.  Proverbs 31:23

Your wife wants you to think she’s beautiful and to tell her that she’s attractive, but doesn’t want you to exhibit her.  Many men want their wives to dress immodestly to show them off to other men.  Esther 1:10-12[468] tells how king Ahasuerus told his wife Vashti to come to his drunken stag party to show herself.  She didn’t want to be exhibited and wouldn’t come.  The king was right to appreciate her beauty; he was wrong to show her off to his friends.  Your wife wants you to appreciate her other gifts as well as her looks.

It’s easy to fall into sin through pride even if we’re being proud of someone else.  Proverbs 31:31 says that a wife’s works should praise her, perhaps it would be better to say that your wife expects you to glory in her gifts and in the work she does; this shows her that you’re pleased with her and glad that she’s yours.

Psalm 84:11a[469] promises us grace and glory.  You get grace through salvation; you get glory through your wife.  A wife can’t glorify her husband unless she glories in belonging to him.  This is a matter of leadership and making her feel appreciated from your heart, not just your head, a woman can tell the difference.

Ephesians 5:27 speaks of Christ drawing a “glorious church” to Himself.  A man should love his wife the same way Christ loves the church and sanctify his wife to himself as a “glorious wife without spot or wrinkle.”  As Jesus develops His people by having us “work out your own salvation,” a man should develop his wife by helping her and encouraging her to develop her talents and skills.  She’s his main source of glory in this life.  We’ll get glory in Heaven for people whom we point to Christ and Paul said that he gloried in the churches he founded.  A man should take care not to miss the glory that God planned should come through his wife.

Pleased – she needs to know you’re pleased with her (Pr. 5:18-19, I Cor 7:34, 11:9)

A woman is made for a man, it’s important to her that her husband convince her that he’s pleased with her:

Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man

.  I Corinthians 11:9

Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth

. Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.  Proverbs 5:18-19

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

.  I Corinthians 7:34

God expects you to rejoice with your wife (Ecc. 9:9), this includes telling her that you’re rejoicing with her and because of her.  Rejoicing with her helps your fountain be blessed.  It’s hard for a woman to bless her husband’s fountain unless he convinces her that he’s extremely pleased with her.

If you don’t meet her need for talk, it’s difficult for her to meet your physical needs.  As your need is measured in times per day, her need to have you open your heart to her is measured in hours per day of open, intimate, meaningful, heart-to-heart talk.  This means asking questions until you understand, listening as if your life depended on understanding her, appreciating her ideas, and taking her words into your heart so that knowledge or her (1 Pe. 3:7) affects your behavior.  You must supply at least 1/3 of the words.

It’s hard for men to understand how much women need appreciation.  I knew a pastor’s wife whom I’ll call Mary.  Mary served her husband’s ministry for years, but her husband criticized her so much that she didn’t feel that he appreciated her.  She felt so inadequate because of his criticism that she was tempted to leave him.  She prayed that God would do “whatever it took” to show her whether her husband loved her or not.

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.  Proverbs 17:22

When you ask God to do “whatever it takes,” He may answer in ways you don’t expect.  Mary was diagnosed with cancer.  She thought her husband would leave her, but he took early retirement.  He cleaned up when she threw up after chemotherapy; he nursed her and cared for her.  He’d been so critical of her for so long and had dried her bones so thoroughly that it took more than two years for her to be convinced that he truly loved her.  By the time she decided she wanted to live, the cancer was too far along, and she died.

Feeling appreciated was worth Mary’s life.  I don’t think any man can understand the importance of appreciation to a woman, but men need appreciation too, that’s why God tells wives to call their husbands “lord” (Eph. 5:33[470], I Pe. 3:6[471])  When Mary died, he was alone.  Without the axle on which the wheel of his life turned, he was dying slowly until God had mercy and gave him another wife.  It is not good for a man to be alone, but a man must appreciate the wife God gives him or he’ll end up alone emotionally if not physically.

Peace – she expects you to treat her gently (Deu. 28:56a, Ruth 1:9a, Mt. 11:28-29)

Carl Sandburg described Abraham Lincoln as a “man of steel and velvet.”  A woman wants her husband to be steel enough to cling to the Word of God and to walk the correct path in spite of temptations, yet velvet enough and soft enough to lead her and her children gently.

The word “gentleman” comes from two words, “gentle” and “man.”  Your wife wants you to be man enough to lead her, gently.  She wants you to be a gentleman; this gives her peace in your house.

The tender and delicate woman among you … Deuteronomy 28:56a

Women are tender and delicate.  In Genesis 3:15, God told Eve that he would multiply her sorrow.  God multiplies sorrow to women by giving them sensitive emotions.  Her sensitivity helps you, of course, because it helps her see your needs and meet them, but sensitivity causes her great pain if you aren’t careful of her feelings.  If you’re gentle with her, however, she can find peaceful rest in belonging to you:

The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband.  Ruth 1:9a

A wife needs food and shelter of course, but she also needs rest.  Opening your heart to her to help her learn your thoughts about everything especially your thoughts about her and your children gives your wife rest if your thoughts toward her are as favorable as Jesus’ thoughts are favorable to His people:

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me

; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  Matt. 11:28-29

Your wife wants you to be happy with her (I Cor. 7:34b[472]).  Marrying took on the yoke of pleasing you and the yoke of serving you because of the desires God put into her.  You must help her learn your wants and desires so that she can be confident she’s pleasing you.  That makes your yoke easy and your burden light.

God commands that you dwell with her according to knowledge, which means modifying your behavior based on what she tells you about her requests, her needs, and her feelings.  God gave her to you as His gift to help you become what He wants you to be.  That means you must listen to her and act on it.

If you read a manual telling how to use a device you’ve just bought, do you ignore the manual because you think it’s unreasonable for it to work that way?  Won’t ignoring the manual take away the blessing you expected?  You might even break your toy.  That’s another reason to talk with your wife and to praise her.

God knows this is hard to do, so He gave this command:

Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.  Colossians 3:19

As men do lots of things that drive women crazy, women do lots of things that bewilder and infuriate men.  As wives are commanded to honor husbands, husbands are commanded not to be bitter, no matter what!

Protection – protect her from your passions and from her emotions (Heb. 13:6, Pr. 25:28)

So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.  Hebrews 13:6

God made women smaller and weaker than men so your wife tends to look to you for protection.  God gave her strong emotions to bind her to you, and you’ll need to support her and uphold her when her emotions give her a hard time.  She expects you to manage your passions by avoiding sex until after marriage.

You also have to protect her after marriage.  If she says, “Ouch,” you should stop.  It’s a bad idea to give your wife the idea that you don’t care about hurting her when you touch or take her.  You must rule yourself:

He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.  Pro. 25:28

You must protect your wife from jokes.  A woman’s humor is generally different from a man’s, “If a wife laughs at her husband’s jokes, is he funny, or is she smart?”  Women seldom agree with men about what’s funny; your wife may please you by laughing at what you think is funny even if she’s hurt by what you said.

It’s a particularly bad idea to tease her.  The Bible says that you shouldn’t tease people at all:

As a mad man who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death, so is the man that deceiveth his neighbour, and saith, Am not I in sport?  Proverbs 26:18-19

Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.  Ephesians 5:4

The Bible says that when you have to say, “just kidding,” you can be like a madman who scatters death.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue:  Proverbs 18:21a

There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health

.  Pro 12:18

If your words are a sword to your wife, is she going to want to hear what you have to say?  Your words should protect your wife’s feelings and emotions by being health to her.

Provision – she expects food, clothing, and shelter for her and for her children (I Tim 5:8)

But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.  I Timothy 5:8

The most precious gift she can give her children is to live on your income so your children have a mother.  The most precious gift a woman can give her children is to belong to their father so they belong to him too.

It may take considerable discussion to distinguish between what you want and what you actually need:

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.  Philip. 4:19

You may have trouble telling the difference between wants and needs, but God doesn’t.

Sanctify your wife (Song of Solomon 6:9, I Thessalonians 4:4)

“Sanctify” means to set apart for a special purpose, generally a holy purpose.  Marriage is holy to God, so sanctifying your wife means setting her apart for a holy purpose.

Your wife expects you to set her apart from all other women.  She expects you to give up your right to chase all the women in the world and focus your attention on her and on her alone.  It is hard for your wife to belong to you unless she’s convinced that she’s the only woman in your life.

This is more important than a man can know.  Men get so intense about making love that it’s easy for her to think that any woman would do.  She may have heard, “all cats are gray in the dark.”  Feeling that women are alike is based on lust instead of love.  It’s the opposite of what God commands:

For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor

; not in the lust

 of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:  I Thessalonians 4:3-5

God commands a man to set his wife apart from all the other women in the world.  Is your wife going to be glad to open her body to you if you make her feel like an interchangeable sexual appliance?  Appreciating everything she does for you and for your family and praising her in detail reassures her that you’re possessing her and not just anybody.  I Timothy 5:2[473] says we’re supposed to treat other women as sisters and mothers.  If you have trouble looking at other women, if you’re attracted to other women, if you can’t sanctify her by setting her apart from all other women, you haven’t spent enough time talking to your wife.

The first step in sanctifying a woman is marrying her before taking her.

God tells us to be a “peculiar people” unto Him (Deu. 14:2[474], 26:18a[475], Titus 2:14[476], I Peter 2:9[477]) and expects you to be peculiar as a couple.  Your wife expects to be a “peculiar wife” unto you so that you avoid pornography, don’t look at or comment on other women, and everybody sees that you belong to her.  You should be “peculiar people” together unto God so that everybody knows you belong to each other and to God.

No wife can complete with the artificial perfection of women in pornographic videos or magazines.  Looking at or admiring younger women may damage your wife’s confidence that you really do belong to her.  This can be particularly dangerous if your daughter grows up to be a younger version of her mother.  A wife can become jealous of her own daughter if her husband isn’t careful to reassure her of his focus on her.

Part – make her a vital part of your life (Ge. 2:18, 22-23, I Cor 11:8-9, Mark 10:8, Eph. 5:28)

And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.  Genesis 2:18

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.  Genesis 2:22-23

For the man is not of the woman: but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man

.  I Corinthians 11:8-9

And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.  Mark 10:8

So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.  Eph. 5:28

God created your wife to help you and to become part of you.  God expects you to treat her as an important part of your life; you’re to love her as you love yourself.  She’s to be the axle on which the wheel of your life turns.  She’s the tail on your kite, she holds steady while you soar, but you’d better have a string.  If you’re a kite without a string, you’ll drag her along the ground and she’ll get all muddy.

Passion – you should desire her alone (Song 6:9a, 7:10, 8:2-3, Pr. 5:18-19, I Cor 7:5)

The wife in the Song of Solomon understands what belonging to a man is all about:

I am my beloved’s, and his desire is toward me

.  Song of Solomon 7:10

I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother’s house, who would instruct me: I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate.  His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.  Song of Solomon 8:2-3

She wants her mother to teach her how to love her husband, but she already understands quite a bit.  What does a woman have one of that interests a man?  She wants to bless his fountain:

Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.  Proverbs5:18-19

Why is she happy to give herself to her husband?  Because he’s hers, she’s the only woman he sees and she delights in his delight in receiving her as God’s gift to him:

My dove, my undefiled is but one

; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one

 of her that bare her.  Song of Solomon 6:9a

Her husband has sanctified her; he’s set her apart from all other women, so she likes being his.

Even if your wife is eager to make love whenever you’re able to take her, God gave you unlimited desire but limited capacity.  You can’t ever make love as often as you’d like unless you take drugs which may shorten your life.  Your wife can never satisfy you in the sense of your not wanting her any more, but she can accept all the seed you can make.  God gave you unlimited desire so that you’d come home to be with her; He gave you limited capacity so that you and she could do other things such as caring for the house and raising children.

Your wife likes talking to you.  Is it possible to open your heart to her so much that she doesn’t want to talk anymore?  You can talk with her until she’s exhausted and falls asleep, you can communicate until she has to do something else, but is it possible to talk so much that she doesn’t want any more talk from you?

The Bible warns that you and she should satisfy each other’s desires:

Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.  I Corinthians 7:5

It’s not her fault if you still want her after making love, that’s how God made you.  On the other hand, she’s taking a risk if she lets you leave home when you have any seed in you.  If she absorbs all of your desire for her, it’s a lot harder for other women to get your attention.  If you leave home loaded, on the other hand, you’ll be much more vulnerable to being burned by temptation:

Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?  Proverbs 6:27

That works both ways, of course.  You defraud her if you don’t try hard to satisfy her need for talk.

Gen 3:16 says that a woman’s desire is to her husband and that she’ll be ruled by her desire for her husband to be happy with her.  The difference between a husband and other men in a virtuous woman’s life is that her husband is the only one who makes love to her.  Making love makes a woman more sensitive to the man who took her.  If you’re pleased with your wife, being more sensitive to you after making love lets her see your joy in her more clearly; she likes that.  If you’re unhappy with her, however, being made more sensitive helps her see your anger and frustration.  Will she like that?  Will she want to make love again any time soon?

Making love makes a wife feel dependent.  God wants children to have fathers, making women cling to men who take them helps children have fathers.  It generally takes a woman a while to feel independent again after making love.  If you’re away, she runs the house independently.  When you come back, you make love to her again, she loses her feeling of independence, and you’re back in charge.

The difficulty is that she doesn’t like feeling dependent unless she trusts you to take care of her.  If she doesn’t find rest and security in belonging to you, she won’t want to give up her independence by making love.  If you’re unhappy with her, she won’t want to feel your unhappiness more keenly when she makes love.

Women generally interpret what men say more negatively than men intend.  A wife can perceive criticism in a look, a facial expression, a tone of voice, or other body language.  That’s why the Song of Solomon teaches that a man should praise his wife repeatedly in detail and tell others how much he appreciates her.

The happier you are with your wife, the more easily you can convince her you’re happy, and the happier she’ll be to belong to you.  The happier she is with you, the happier you’ll be.  The best way for a husband to be happy is simply to be happy with his wife.  She multiplies his happiness and gives it back to him.  Whatever a man gives his wife, be it seed, love, anger, whatever, he always gets back far more than he gives.

There’s another issue with making love.  God made women so that most of them want children:

… There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough: the grave; and the barren womb;  Proverbs 30:15-16

Men don’t generally marry in order to talk or in order to have babies.  A man talks during courtship because he enjoys her company, but he marries so that he can have her:

And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her.  Genesis 29:21

Once he’s married, making love expresses a man’s possessiveness:

Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.  Psalm 19:5

This man has just taken his bride to wife.  How does he feel?  He feels strong, he feels like superman, he’s ready to leap tall buildings at a single bound.  How does his wife feel?  She’s been taken, she feels humbled (Deu 21:14, Eze 22:11).  Leaving your seed inside your wife marks her as your own.  She may not understand this in her head well enough to talk about it, but she knows it in her heart.  Whenever you take your wife, you remind her that it’s you who rule her and you remind her how much she cares about pleasing you.

Women associate lovemaking with making babies.  A wife who wants children thinks of her children as the most precious gift that she can possibly give you.  Many a girl thinks her boyfriend will marry her if she has his child even though Abraham, who was a friend of God, didn’t marry all the women who had his children (Gen. 25:6[478]).  If your wife wants a baby and submits to you by taking birth control, she’ll feel your rejection of her child every time you make love.  Will that make her enjoy being yours (Pr. 13:12[479])?

Pursuit – your wife expects you to chase her (Pr. 18:22, Song 8:2)

I Cor. 11:9 says that God made women for men.  One way this shows itself is that women like men to come after them, to chase them, to pursue them.  There’s an old saying, “faint heart ne’er won fair lady.”  In her heart, a woman wants to belong to a man (Song 2:16, 6:3, 8:3).  Your wife may not fully understand your physical drive, but she’ll probably feel that you don’t care about her if you stop pursuing her.

Pursuit is physical.  Looking at your wife arouses you (Job 31:1[480]); your touch arouses her (I Cor. 7:1-2[481]).  If you touch her and compliment her and build her up when you look at her, she and you are aroused equally.  Grab her in the garage and fondle her in the foyer.  Hug her in the hall.  Pounce on her in the pantry and kiss her in the kitchen.  Doing this all day reminds her of your love so that you can bounce on her in the bedroom.

Kissing in the kitchen is important because that’s where she prepares food; wives often have attachment to kitchens.  If you grab her there, she’ll likely protest that dinner will be ruined.  Turn off the burner, tell her you’d rather have her than dinner, and drag her off.  This doesn’t work as well once you have children, of course, mothers want children in bed on time.

She may squawk but she’ll be happier afterward.  She can lie there thinking, “He wants me!  I’m much more important than food; look at the grief I put him through to get me!”  Women don’t think in such explicit terms, but a man might understand this way of putting it.

You must convince her that she’s so important to you that you don’t see other women.  Unless you’ve sanctified her so that she knows she’s “but one,” pursuit makes her worry that you’ll pursue other women.  Pursuit comes after you’ve made it clear that she’s the only woman in your life (Song 6:9).  One way to sanctify her is to remind her what a good idea marrying her was and how happy you are that God gave her to you (Pr. 18:22[482]).  Why wouldn’t you pursue God’s gift?  God’s good and perfect gifts are worth pursuit.

Peculiarity – you should delight in how God made her prudence different (Pr. 19:14b, I Pe. 3:7, I Thess. 4:3-5)

a prudent wife is from the LORD.  Proverbs 19:14

“Prudence” means thinking ahead, the way your wife’s mind works is of God.  If you don’t understand how the way she thinks benefits you, that’s your problem, not God’s.  You need to appreciate her ideas and her thoughts, appreciating her is part of opening your heart to her and belonging to her.  After all, you want her, you pursue her, and you talk to her because she’s the only woman in the world for you.  She’s peculiar!

Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.  I Peter 3:7

God expects you to live with your wife based on knowledge of her.  The only way to do that is to talk with her.  God says it’s hard for Him to hear your prayers if you don’t hear your wife, but this passage clinches it:

For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor

; not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:  I Thessalonians 4:3-5

Some Bible teachers hold that the word vessel refers to a man’s body, not to his wife.  A man should care for his body, but a man doesn’t possess his body, he is his body.  Vessel refers to the wife in I Peter 3:7.  This makes sense: a vessel contains something.  The husband’s body gives and the wife’s body contains.  Vessel refers to the wife, so you must know how to possess your wife in honor and sanctification by making her feel valued and special.  Jesus said that “they are no more twian, but one flesh,” so there’s only one body anyway.

God made men and women think differently.  Men’s brains are structured so that they tend to focus more strongly than women who have to be better able to switch from one task to another.  This makes sense – if a man’s squatting beside a game trail, he may get a one-second chance to shoot a deer.  If he’s not paying attention when the deer goes by, he won’t eat that day.  When a woman’s busy at home, she must pay attention to what her children are doing.  If a baby chokes, she better hear and help or the baby may die.

Proverbs 31:28-29[483] shows that a husband must teach his children to respect and honor their mother so they can learn from her.  Proverbs 31:1 describes the chapter as “the prophecy that his mother taught him.”  Why did King Lemuel pay attention to his mother’s words?  Because his father taught him to honor her.

Pleasure – she expects physical pleasure from the relationship (Song 1:2, 8:2-3, Gen. 18:22)

The Song of Solomon starts with the woman wanting her husband to give her physical pleasure.  Gen. 18:12[484] shows that when Sarah was promised a child when her husband was 90, she was concerned that he was no longer able to give her the pleasures of marriage to which she had become accustomed.  Women aren’t generally as driven towards physical interaction as men are, but they do appreciate it (Song 8:2-3[485]).

Perfection – she’s your good and perfect gift from God (Pr. 18:22, Ja. 1:17, Song 4:7, Eph 5:27-28)

Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.  Proverbs 18:22

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.  James 1:17

Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.  Song of Solomon 4:7

God expects you to treat your wife as a good, holy, perfect, and unique gift from Him:

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.  Ephesians 5:27-28

God treats His people as if we were perfect.  As Christ treats His people as perfect, you should treat your wife as perfect.  This means telling her she’s perfect for you and thanking her and thanking God for giving her to you, this helps her know you’re pleased with her.  Nowhere in the Bible does a man criticize his wife.

Possession – God expects you to be hers (Song 2:16, 6:3, Jud. 16:15a, Pr. 31:11)

Older women should have taught your wife that both you and God expected her to belong to you before she married you, but regardless of what she does, God expects you to belong to her after you marry:My beloved is mine

, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.  Song of Solomon 2:16

I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine

: he feedeth among the lilies.  Song of Solomon 6:3

His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.  Song of Solomon 8:3

This woman likes belonging to her husband.  Why?  Because he belongs to her, she starts by saying, “my beloved is mine.”  Your wife expects you to belong to her; it’s hard for her to give herself to you if you don’t.

We know what it means for your wife to be yours – it means you can have her several times per day, but what does it mean for you to belong to her?  Let’s look at a case where it didn’t happen:

And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me?  Jud. 16:15a

Samson said he loved her but didn’t open his heart to her.  He wasn’t hers.  He said he loved her, he took her, but he wasn’t hers, he betrayed her. Having taken her, he scorned her by not opening his heart to her.  There’s a saying, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,” we all know what she did after he scorned her.  There are songs about “stand by your man.”  Would Delilah have betrayed Samson if he’d been hers?

If you don’t open your heart to your wife, if you don’t treasure her speech, she won’t feel that you belong to her.  You don’t feel loved if your wife won’t open her body to you; she won’t feel loved if you won’t open your heart to her.  You expect her to receive your seed whenever you want her, she expects you to receive her speech whenever she wants to talk.  Her speech is as important to her as your seed is important to you.

It’s hard for a man to understand how difficult it is for a woman to belong to him.  The Bible says that being taken by her husband “humbles” a woman (De. 21:14, 22:29, Eze. 22:10-11), that’s one of many issues in her belonging to you.  It’s hard enough being humbled, but being taken by a man who doesn’t belong to her is humiliating.  It’s as frightening for a woman to belong to a man as for a man to belong to a woman.  Opening your heart to her frightens you, but God says it’s safe to open your heart to your wife:

The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.  Proverbs 31:11

Warning!  If a man’s needs are met, he generally thinks everything’s fine.  By the time a man tells about trouble in his marriage, he’s pretty frustrated.  A wife expects her husband to open his heart to her in talk.  If he hasn’t talked to her in a while, it may take a lot of talking – days or weeks, even – before she believes he belongs to her and feels safe opening herself to him.  A man who’s trying to win his wife back by meeting her need for talk learns what “longsuffering” is – wives dream of talking to husbands for hours per day, but the more he talks to her the more he wants her!  He’ll have to be patient until she trusts him enough to be his.

A man possesses his wife physically; a woman possesses her husband by talking with him, not to him.  It doesn’t count if she does the talking and he comments now and then.  He must interest himself in her talk, respond to her ideas, contribute his own thoughts, and supply at least 1/3 of the words.  Women can tell whether a man’s mind is engaged when he talks; a wife wants his mind and his heart.  He wants to be one physically; she wants to be one emotionally and in planning daily activities no matter how long it takes.  God expects husband and wife to become one (Mt. 19:6[486], Mk. 10:8[487]).  Both parties change over time to become closer to the other’s views.  Becoming one in thought, word, and deed takes a great deal of communication.

All that talk may seem boring, time consuming, and frightening, but that’s how you belong to your wife as God expects.  If you aren’t hers, how can you expect her to be yours?  It’s your life for her life or not at all.

God made men very possessive.  God brought Eve to Adam who declared, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”  Adam named her and claimed her on the spot, that’s possessive.  This works to a woman’s advantage if she encourages and supports his possessiveness.  If he believes she’s his, he’ll be much more willing to take care of her.  If she belongs to him, her happiness is his, too.  In that case, spending money making the house nicer will make her happy, and he will find that making her happy makes him much happier than anything he could buy for himself.

Everything Solomon did was vanity and chasing after wind because he did it for himself.  My work is not vain because I do it to take care of my wife.  Her relying on me and belonging to me validates my work.  A woman said, “You have cat tracks on your car.”  She was clearly asking a question, so I said, “They’re my wife’s cats.”  Her questioning look got deeper, so I said, “Long ago, she made a conscious decision to belong to me.  She’s mine, her cats make her happy, so her cats are mine.”  Her face cleared, she nodded, and walked away.

No matter how much biological knowledge is in a man’s head, down in his heart, where it really matters, men don’t believe they have anything to do with making babies.  The child is clearly his wife’s, she had it last.  If she belongs to him, then both her happiness and her children belong to him too.

If her happiness belongs to him, he’ll find that making her happy makes him far happier than anything he can do for himself.  The only way to give children a father, that is, a man who has a powerful emotional, financial, and psychological drive to furthering the child’s well-being is for the mother to belong to him so he has a strong emotional, financial, and psychological drive to further her well-being before they’re conceived.

That said, belonging to a man is emotionally draining on a woman.  She can’t keep it up very long unless her emotional needs which are described in the other topics in this devotional are met.

Purity – value and guard her purity before and after marriage (Pr. 31:10, Heb. 13:4)

A woman who’s been taught that God expects her not to have sex until after she’s married is a treasure:

Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.  Proverbs 31:10

Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.  Hebrews 13:4

Both God and your wife expect you to protect her purity during courtship and then to uphold the purity of your marriage covenant.  As you’re dating, you’ll want her, but she won’t want you because women aren’t as driven by sex as men are.  If you touch her at the wrong time, however, her passions can rule her and you’ll have to supply the control for both of you.  She expects you to protect her from her desires at such times.  That’s why God says it’s better not to touch her so as to arouse her until after you’re married:

It is good for a man not to touch a woman.  I Corinthians 7:1b

History confirms the biblical importance of purity.  Dr. Unwin has studied more than eighty former civilizations; all societies which became sexually permissive collapsed.[488]

Honor your wife (I Thessalonians 4:4, I Peter 3:7)

Honoring your wife means showing her over and over that you respect her.  Having respect for her is different from loving her.  Wives need respect from husbands as much as you need respect from your wife.  There are many ways to show your wife respect.

Participation – involve her in decisions

And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.  Genesis 2:18

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

.  I Corinthians 7:34

Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man

.  I Corinthians 11:9

God created your wife to help you and gave her a desire to please you.  She can’t help you unless you tell her your goals and plans.  It frustrates her terribly if you won’t let her use her gifts to serve you.  She needs a place to live, and she needs a place in your life.  This is another reason to talk with her, she needs to know what’s going on so she can help you.  If she understands why you make decisions, if she knows she’s been heard and that you’re taking her views into consideration, it’s easier for her to follow you.

Your wife can obey you without knowing why, but being left out of your plan makes her feel used.  Suppose you give her things to do but don’t tell her why.  Without knowing your plan, she won’t be able to feel pleased when the plan succeeds.  If a woman works on a project but doesn’t know enough about it to receive joy when it works, she’ll feel like a lesser being and it will be hard for her to keep working at her best.

Plan – explain where you’re going so she can follow (I Co. 11:3, Pro 29:18a)

But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man

; and the head of Christ is God.  I Corinthians 11:3

Where there is no vision, the people perish

:  Proverbs 29:18a

Men often get frustrated when their wives ask questions, but your wife can’t read your mind.  This is an area where many men go wrong in leading wives.  In Gen. 3:16, God told Eve that He would multiply her sorrow; I Cor. 11:8-9 says that women are made for men.  In multiplying women’s sorrow and in making them for men, God gave most women more sensitive feelings than most men have.  The result is that women generally understand men better than men understand women.  Men call this “female intuition.”

The problem is that a wife’s intuition extends only to her husband’s feelings.  She can read his heart to know when he’s pleased with her and when he’s frustrated, but she can’t read his mind.  A man may say, “You know me, you know what I want, just do it,” but she can’t read his mind well enough to understand his plans.   A husband must explain what he wants in detail, taking enough time to understand her thoughts, answer all her questions, and have her tell him what he said so that he knows she’s heard what he has to say.

How else can your wife understand your plans well enough to follow you?  Your thoughts are not her thoughts.  Women live on details, you have to explain in detail or she can’t follow.  Helping her understand the plan is part of giving her a place in your life.  It’s unfair to blame her for not following you when she doesn’t understand what you want.  If you’ve ever had a boss who told you to do something without telling you how to do it and was upset when you did it “wrong,” you’ll understand how your wife feels.

For example, if a husband says, “Let’s go on a picnic,” his wife’s mind fills with questions.  She wants to know where they’re going and what she’ll find there.  Are there bathrooms?  Is there a playground?  How long will we be gone?  How many diapers will we need?  How many meals?  Should we bring swimsuits?

Have you ever had a boss who got angry when you asked questions, then blamed you for not doing the job the way he wanted it done?  Followers need details.  When an army travels, soldiers carry rifles, but they aren’t given bullets until time to fight.  Loaded weapons are trouble; the Army doesn’t want bullets lying around.  Can you imagine an officer saying, “Why don’t you have bullets?”  He’s responsible for issuing ammo, it’s his fault if his troops run out, but I’ve heard husbands complain, “Why didn’t you bring enough diapers?”  You have to tell your wife how long you’ll be gone so she can pack enough diapers.  Your wife can’t follow your vision unless you tell her what it is, and without a vision, the family perishes (Pr. 29:18[489]).

There’ve been scandals where billions of dollars were stolen.  The boss said he didn’t know his people were stealing.  The juries decided it didn’t matter, he should have known; he went to jail.  You should know what goes on in your family – they perish if the husband won’t lead.  Few women want to grab the flag and run with it, but your wife will pick up the flag and try to lead when you won’t, but that’s not God’s way.

It’s not that simple, your wife must lead when you’re away from home.  How does this work?  How does she switch from following when you’re there to leading when you’re gone?  God provided for that.  Opening her body to you as often as you want her takes away her independence.  God wanted children to have fathers.  He designed women so that a woman clings to the man who takes her.  That’s why a lot of wives avoid making love – it’s frightening to lose her independence to a man she doesn’t trust.

When you’re around, making love to you takes away her independence and she can follow you if you lead.  When you’re away, you stop making love, her independence comes back, and she can lead.  When you get back, she must deliberately decide to give up her independence once again and submit to you.  She makes the same choice every month.  Her period is usually long enough for independence to come back, but when it’s over, she once again gives up her independence.

In the old days, judges gave children to the husband during a divorce so that they grew up seeing a man lead, but now, children usually go to the mother.  Children of divorce grow up seeing a woman lead.  This makes it hard to follow the husband’s leadership when they marry.

Persuasion – she expects you to persuade her (Ro. 14:5b, 14:23b, II Cor. 5:11, Phi. 1:9a)

Persuasion instead of commanding is another way to show honor.  Trying to persuade your wife tells her that you value her opinion, her experience, and her agreement.  Persuasion is not only effective, it’s Biblical:

Let every man be fully persuaded

 in his own mind.  Romans 14:5b

for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.  Romans 14:23b

Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men

;  II Corinthians 5:11a

Yet for love’s sake I rather beseech thee

,  Philemon 1:9a

Every Christian should be “fully persuaded.”  You make your wife sin if you command or coerce her so that she obeys without being convinced that God wants what you want.  Even with heaven or hell in the balance, Paul said, “we persuade men.”  When Paul wanted Philemon to forgive Onesimus, he could have used his apostolic authority to command, but instead, he begged Philemon for love’s sake.  Persuading takes longer than commanding, it’s part of longsuffering.  That’s where giving grace comes in.

As you seek to persuade your wife, she’ll appreciate hearing your reasons why you want to do what you want to do.  God gave her a different point of view so that she could help you; she may think of possibilities you didn’t.  The more information, thought, Bible research, and prayer you and she put into decisions, the better decisions you’ll make.  You’re in charge, you have the tie-breaking vote if you and she can’t agree, but if you can’t agree, it’s best to put off the decision as long as possible.  When it’s not necessary to decide, it’s necessary not to decide.  Get all the facts before making decisions.

Persuading your wife is a good time to tell her other things about your plans; letting her in on what you’re trying to do makes her your friend instead of your servant.

Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.  John 15:15

Jesus tells us what God wants through the Bible and through the Holy Spirit.  If you do not share your heart or your plans with your wife, you’re in effect treating her as a servant who does what she’s told without being persuaded or even knowing why.  Women are inclined to go along with their men; you’ll find that the more you explain your reasoning, the more she’ll agree with you and the more easily she can follow you.

Passivity – she wants you to stay out of household details except when she wants your opinion or help

A wife wants you to care about everything she does so that you can appreciate it, but she wants you to leave details to her.  If she decides that she wants your opinion, it frustrates her if you don’t care.  I don’t have food preferences.  My wife is happy to fix what she wants to eat.  Once in a while, she doesn’t know what she wants and it frustrates her that I don’t care enough to decide.

When I’m making plans, she wants me to work out the details in discussion with her, but when she’s doing something, she wants me to leave the details to her unless she wants me to decide for her.  Working out the right combination of planning and passivity requires that you talk with her each day.  God gives the formula for husband and wife working together:

For we are laborers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.  I Cor 3:9

Today’s couples seem to have forgotten that we’re supposed to be working together with God in building our homes.  Most couples seem to set apart separate areas – the wife doesn’t concern herself with the husband’s turf and vice versa.  God expects husband and wife to become a one-flesh unit and to work together.  The wife may do most of the work of guiding the house and the husband may do most of the work outside the home, but both parties should know what’s going on in all areas.

Praise (Proverbs 31:29)

She has to be convinced that you’re convinced that she’s the best wife in the entire world.[490]

How marriage functions (Proverbs 31:28-29, Song of Solomon, I Corinthians 7, 11)

Now let’s talk a bit about how a marriage operates.

Place – she expects a place to live and a place in your life (Gen. 24:67, Ruth 4:12a)

And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.  Genesis 24:67

And let thy house

 be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give thee of this young woman.  Ruth 4:12

Isaac supplied the tent.  Boaz had a house.  If your offer to a woman doesn’t include food, clothing, and shelter, it’s not Biblical.  It’s wrong for a man to involve a woman’s emotions before he can support her.  Letting her emotions get caught up in him when he can’t marry her and take care of her is emotional fornication; they either fall into sin or break up.  This makes it harder for her to give herself to her husband later on.  God gave most women stronger emotions; it’s the man who must control the situation.

He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.  Proverbs25:28

The man who replaced his wife’s prized stove without talking to her about it took her place away.  A woman can’t guide the house as God requires without a well-defined place which all parties respect.

He did more than replace her stove.  He paved over her root cellar and given her a refrigerator which she hated because the butter was too hard to spread.  The root cellar had kept it just right.  She loved the old-fashioned ways; he was ashamed of her when his modern friends came to visit.  She had no place in his life.

Procreation – appreciate her children as her finest gift to you (Ps 127:3, 128:3, Mal. 2:15)

There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough: The grave; and the barren womb; …  Proverbs 30:15B-16a

Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.  Psalm 128:3

Genesis 30:1 has Rachel telling Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die.”  I Samuel 1:1-8 tells us that even though she knew her husband loved her, Hannah desired children so badly that she wouldn’t eat.  Proverbs 30:15-16[491] declares that the empty womb is never satisfied.

Given birth control, would there be babies unless women wanted them?  Many say that babies are a burden and that women should concentrate on careers, but most women eventually want children.  God wants children; why else did God institute marriage?

Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.  Psalm 127:3

And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed

. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.  Malachi 2:15

Malachi explains that God made marriage so that His servants would raise children to serve Him.  God warns you against treating your wife poorly.  The story of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30 shows that God expects an increase when he gives a woman to be His gift to a man.  Birth control lets men and women come together without expecting children.  100 years ago, there would be children so they took it seriously.  Many women marry thinking they don’t want children only to realize in their 30’s that they do want babies.

A woman puts her life on the line to give her child life.  If a husband doesn’t value his wife’s gift of a child, she’s going to find it hard to believe that he values her.

Partnership – you must work together to guide your children (Pr. 2, 5, Pr. 31:1[492])

Pr. 2 and 5 are a father writing to his son about non-virtuous women; Pr. 31 is a mother writing to her son.  Why did King Lemuel value his mother’s wisdom enough to write it down?  His father taught him to honor, respect, and obey his mother.  God gives different gifts to husband and wife; they must work together to teach their children effectively.  Christians emphasize her teaching about virtuous wives, but her principles of leadership in Pr. 31:2-9[493] cover the basic principles of leadership, both at work and in the home.

·        Don’t mess around with women, don’t let women run your life, don’t take bad advice 31:3

·        Don’t abuse mind-altering substances 31:4-5

·        Take care of your people when they’re hurting 31:6-7

·        Treat everybody fairly 31:8-9

Mrs. Lemuel didn’t teach about having a vision, but that’s taught elsewhere: “Where there is no vision, the people perish: (Pr. 29:18).”  Just about every management principle goes back to Mrs. Lemuel.

Position – you must give a position of authority to her (Pr. 1:8[494], 6:20[495], 15:20[496], 19:26[497], 20:20[498], 23:22[499])

A father must teach his children to respect their mother, both by precept and by example.  He must listen to her ideas and show his children that he both heeds and honors her thoughts and her knowledge.

Home schooling won’t work unless fathers create a strong enough position of authority for their wives.  A woman who’s not respected can’t teach her children very much or get them to finish their lessons.

Paternity – she expects you to be emotionally, financially, and logically involved in raising her children (Pr. 19:18[500], 23:13-14[501], Heb. 12:7-9[502], Gal. 4:1-2[503], Eph. 6:4[504])

Your wife guides your house, but you set overall policy for bringing up your children.  In God’s eyes, you’re the prime contractor for training up your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.  Many subcontract education and child care to hirelings rather than doing it themselves.

The Bible expresses concern for the fatherless more often than for orphans who have no parents.  After risking her life to give them life, the greatest gifts a mother can give her children is belonging to their father so they also belong to him and living on his income so she can stay home and be their mother.

In all human societies, the father is regarded by tradition as indispensable … no child should be brought into the world without a man—and one man at that—assuming the role of sociological father, that is, guardian and protector, the male link between the child and the rest of the community.[505]

‘I know of few other bodies of data in which the weight of the evidence is so decisively on one side of the issue. … two-parent families are preferable. ’[506]

Perception – you must make it clear that you see and value her gifts (Pr. 18:22, 19:14b, James 1:17)

God gives each of His people gifts as it pleases Him.  When you marry, you are not only responsible for developing your own talents and using them in the service of God, you’re responsible for helping your wife develop her gifts so that you and she together can use all your gifts to glorify God.

Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.  Proverbs 18:22

and a prudent wife is from the LORD.  Proverbs 19:14b

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.  James 1:17

Your wife and your children know she’s a “good thing,” she expects you to tell her that she’s a good and perfect gift from God.  God gave her a unique combination of emotions and logic that determines how she thinks.  She expects you to enjoy the way she expresses her thoughts.  Men can be clueless about women; she expects you to talk with her enough to hone your perception so that you can understand what she’s saying and know how she can help you.  Once you understand her thoughts, she expects you to value her ideas.

Patience – she expects you to talk until you understand her (I Pe. 3:7, Phil 2:4)

Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge

, giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.  I Peter 3:7

Your wife thinks she’d like you to understand her, but that’s not realistic.  God doesn’t expect a man to understand his wife, He expects him to know her, and there’s a difference.  We have a quilt on our bed.  My wife believes that the quilt isn’t square and the flowers have to be right side up instead of sideways or upside-down.  She gets out of bed and turns or flips the quilt to get it right, then she turns the quilt above it and so on.  She can’t sleep if the quilt’s on the bed wrong because, she says, it doesn’t cover her completely when I’m in the bed.  I say it’s king-size and she’s a small woman, it’s wide enough either way, but she doesn’t agree.

There are 7 wrong ways to put a quilt on a bed but only one right way.  For years, she was frustrated because I’d put the quilt on the bed wrong when I tried to help her.  She could’ve been like the women who say, “If he loved me, he’d know how I want the quilt,” but she knew I loved her.  She finally decided I really couldn’t tell which way was up.  Then she noticed a tag on the quilt and told me to put the tag in my corner.

Do I understand this?  I do not.  But I know it; I know where she wants the tag, so I put the tag where she wants it.  This makes her feel loved because she knows it makes no sense to me, she knows I don’t care; she knows I do it just for her.  When you do something just to make your wife happy, she likes it, it makes her feel loved, which, done many times per day, makes her glad to belong to you even if you don’t understand her.

This took patience.  I see no difference between the top and bottom of the quilt, but the tag, I can find.  She had to be patient while she figured out how to communicate so that I could meet her needs.  I figured out other areas like putting toilet seats down and rinsing the sink after I brush my teeth.

Some say I’m demeaning my wife by telling others that she cares so much about an unimportant quilt.  God gave marriage because He wants children.  It does God no good for a child to be born if it dies because someone overlooks some detail in taking care of the child.  Women generally worry about a huge number of details that aren’t on a man’s radar.  A man thinks the quilt’s just as warm no matter how it goes on the bed, but women agree that there’s one right way to lay a quilt, the other 7 ways are wrong.

Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.  Philippians 2:4

My wife manages many details of guiding our home and children, I’m glad I don’t have to.  I concentrate on the Big Picture, but when something matters to my wife, it had better matter to me.  If I don’t care about whatever matters to her, if I don’t look on her things, she thinks she doesn’t matter to me.

People say, “Whatever floats your boat.”  In marriage, you float your wife’s boat and she floats yours.  A woman can talk to herself and a man can touch himself, but that doesn’t satisfy.  If you and she don’t float each other’s boats, your boats won’t float.  It takes patience to learn to float your wife’s boat.

Pleasure – delight in opening your heart to her (Jud. 16:15[507], Pr. 31:11[508])

Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.  The wife hath not power over her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath power not of his body, but the wife

.  Defraud ye not one another, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again lest Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.  I Corinthians 7:2-5

Husband and wife owe each other grace; it’s fraud if they don’t give themselves to each other as God’s gifts.  God says that the husband’s body belongs to his wife and the wife’s body belongs to her husband.  The husband knows exactly what “due benevolence” he’d like to give his wife, but giving his wife benevolence doesn’t mean meeting his needs, it means meeting her needs.  The dictionary defines “benevolence” as “a gift given out of generosity.”  A gift costs the giver something, it’s something the receiver appreciates or wants.  Meeting a man’s sexual needs is his wife’s benevolence to him because he’s generally more interested in sex than she is.  What sort of “due benevolence” does a woman want from her husband?

God created women so that men wouldn’t be alone.  God gave women a drive to talk to help them keep babies alive, to help them learn how to care for husbands, and to keep husbands from being alone.  A woman builds relationships every day by talking about whatever’s important to her for hours at a time.  If a man doesn’t enjoy receiving his wife’s words, she feels unloved.

It’s a sacrifice to open your heart about topics that interest your wife, but it’s a sacrifice for her to submit to you.  When you and she become one flesh, each of you must die to self in favor of your family.  Many couples think the man loses if they do what she wants and she loses if they do what he wants.  Talking enough usually finds something neither of you thought of at first that’s best for the family.  Basing discussions on win-lose makes both of you unhappy.  If you take time to find a win-win, things go better.

My wife has been talking to me since March of 1971; we’ve been making love since August 21, 1971.  As we’ve gotten older, God has reduced my ability to take her.  Ever since age 50 or 55, I’ve been shootin’ pool with a rope.  This is frustrating; I desire her as much as ever but I am not able to take her as often as I used to.  God has not diminished her ability to talk.  As she gets older, it seems that she has more to say.

This suggests that my talking to her is more important to God than my taking her.

I’ve met wives whose parents were divorced; they didn’t talk much to their parents, so they didn’t learn how to build relationships through talk.  In such cases, the husband not only has to learn to open his heart to his wife, he has to teach her to open her heart and body to him.  This is difficult, but I’ve seen it done.

Privacy – keep the innermost thoughts of her heart to yourself (Pr. 11:13[509], 19:11[510], 20:19a[511])

The Bible praises discretion, which basically means not saying what you shouldn’t say.  From a man’s point of view, women appear to talk about so many different topics that it’s hard to believe that there are some things your wife won’t want you to talk about.  When my wife became pregnant, she didn’t want me to tell anybody.  Your wife has some list of topics she doesn’t want you telling other people.  You should find out what’s private to her and honor her list of secrets.  She should do the same for you, of course.

Peer – the world says that men and women are the same; the Bible says not (Mt. 19:4[512], Mk. 10:6[513])

Your wife may have been told that men and women have the same needs and desires.  The Word of God refers to “male and female” to indicate that men and women have different wants and needs, words and deeds.  You and she are not equal.  Talking to your wife shows how her needs differ from yours and what she means by what she says.  Women who haven’t been taught how men think can be frustrated when men don’t think the way they do.  Finding and exploring such differences requires a great deal of talk.

Potential – she expects you to better yourself all your life (II Tim 2:15[514])

She’ll want you to continue in Bible study so that you can lead your family properly.  She’ll want you to improve your skills and knowledge so that you can advance in your job.  If she helps you advance she can usually bring in more money than having a job herself.  Having a wife work gets her used to getting praise and appreciation from her boss rather from you and makes her feel independent because she’s bringing in money.  No woman can serve two masters, she can’t serve both her home and money (Mt. 6:24[515], Luk. 16:13[516]).

Many women work just to get out of the house.  It’s up to you to make your house a pleasant place for your wife by appreciating her and sharing your work with her so that she can find rest in helping you.

WHOSE FAULT WAS THE FALL?

And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it

 and to keep it

. ¹⁶And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: ¹⁷But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. ¹⁸And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help[517] meet for him.  Genesis 2:15-18

God put Adam in charge of caring for the garden and to “keep it” which means to protect it.  God then made Eve to help him.

But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it

, lest ye die.  Genesis 3:3

Eve wasn’t formed when God told Adam not to eat the fruit.  Who added “don’t touch” to what God said?  Most men blame Eve for adding to what Adam told her even though a) the Bible doesn’t say and b) Heb. 12:20 repeats what God told Moses.  We know that Moses added to what God said in Exodus 19:10-15.  Did Adam?

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her

; and he did eat.  Genesis 3:6

1 Tim. 2:14 says that Adam was not deceived; in order not to be fooled, he had to have heard Satan’s lie.  Adam was there “with her” the whole time, why didn’t he correct her, warn her about the snake, or tell her not to eat the fruit?  It was, after all, his responsibility to keep her.

And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. ¹³And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.  Genesis 3:12-13

Instead of confessing his sin and asking forgiveness, Adam blamed Eve.  She followed his example and blamed the serpent.  To this day, many men blame women for just about everything that goes wrong.

CONCLUSION

God said a great deal about how a husband should lead his wife because it’s important to God.  God made your wife so that she’s inclined to follow you, but if you make it difficult or impossible for her to follow; your children won’t follow either of you.

The basic idea of leading your wife is to treat her as a good and perfect gift of God.  You don’t deserve her submission; it’s a gift of God.  You know her faults, so the only way you can treat her as perfect is to give her the same undeserved grace that God gave you when He saved you.  She knows your faults, too.  The only way she can call you “lord” from her heart, the only way she can reverence you honestly, is to give you the same grace God gave her when he saved her.

The best way to show your wife that you appreciate her is to spend time talking to her.  One way to deal with all this information is to discuss this talk section by section with your wife.  Few women understand their own needs well enough to explain them; these ideas may help your wife find the words to tell you how to meet her needs.  And the happier she is with you, the easier it is for you to treat her with the grace of God.

When lost people see you treating each other with the grace of God, they’ll want God’s grace for themselves.  When they see Christians divorcing, however, they think that we can’t handle this life any better than they can and won’t care what we say about the life to come.

Your best opportunities to spread the Gospel of Christ come when people see you giving your wife the grace of God.  Marriage prospers when you treat your wife as God’s perfect gift to you and she acts as God’s gift to you.  Lost people see it, and ask you how you do it.  This gives you a chance to tell them of God’s grace.

There’s a children’s song, “If you’re saved and you know it, then your life will surely show it, if you’re saved and you know it, pass it on.”

Chapter 17 – The Church Abandoned Holy Matrimony

Christians divorce at the same rate as the lost even though Mal. 2:14-16 says that God hates divorce.  We show Christ by the way we live; divorce wrecks our testimony and dishonors Christ.  Lost people see that we can’t handle this life any better than they can; why should they care what we say about the life to come?

Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away

 first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;  II Thessalonians 2:3

American society is falling further and further away from the Word of God.  As marriages fell apart and casual sex became normal, churches seemed to be 20 to 25 years behind society in abandoning Holy Matrimony.  In reality, the Church led the way in tearing down both sexual morality and our legal system.

For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. ³So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.  Romans 7:2-3

The word “divorce” means ending a marriage bond by some person of authority.  When Jesus said “let not man put asunder (Mt. 19:6[518], Mk. 10:9[519]),” He meant that no man has the authority to end Holy Matrimony.  Once married in the eyes of God, a person cannot have sex with a third party without being in adultery.

But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried

 or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.  I Corinthians 7:11

Although a woman may have to initiate a divorce according to the laws of man before asking a judge for a restraining order to keep an abusive husband from harming her, God says that she can’t marry anyone else.

COLLAPSE OF MORALITY

The church’s deliberate destruction of Bible-based marriage is described on pp 251-263 of The Confucian Cycle – China’s Sage and America’s Decline, William A. Taylor and Ken Taylor.  To summarize, the Presbyterian Church started re-examining divorce in the 1930’s.  The church decided to permit divorce for the “moral equivalent of adultery” and changed the Westminster Confession to permit remarriage “when sufficient penitence for sin and failure is evident, and a firm purpose of and endeavor after Christian marriage is manifested.”  In other words, you can remarry if you’re sorry and promise to try harder next time.

In the 1950’s, Presbyterians Eric Mount Jr. and Johanna W. H. Bos wrote, “The primary purpose of marriage was no longer the benefit of society but the benefit of the people entering the marriage covenant.”[520]

Marriage changed from duty to delight.  Holy Matrimony is based on duty.  Divorce is impossible – duty lasts until death.  If marriage is for delight, you can get an easy divorce any time you aren’t delighted.

For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.  II Thessalonians 2:7

The word “let” meant “prevent” when the Bible was translated.  John Adams observed, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”  The Holy Spirit in Christians prevents some evil.  Abandoning Holy Matrimony has loosed great evil in our land.

The state of California passed the first no-fault divorce law in 1970, twenty years behind the church.  No-fault divorce makes it easier to get out of marriage than to get out of paying for a refrigerator.  Our “hookup culture” came from teaching young men and women that marriage needn’t come before delight.

Temporary hookups hurt women.  The book “Unprotected” by Psychiatrist Miriam Grossman explains biological reasons why sex outside marriage is so damaging.  Having treated more than 2,000 women for depression and other psychological problems at a prestigious American university, she found that a woman can become very depressed when she realizes her boyfriend had no interest in her beyond sex.

Many women are sensible enough not to assume the burdens of pregnancy or the duties of motherhood unless a man assumes the long-term duties of fatherhood.  The pill shows that many women want a man in their lives badly enough to live with a man without marriage, but they find it hard to find a committed husband if they decide they want a child.  Birth rates among educated, productive women are falling while welfare family sizes are increasing – the more babies a welfare recipient has, the bigger her payment.

MULTIPLYING FATHERLESSNESS

The future belongs to those who show up for it.  Only those who are born are allowed to participate.  We know for observing the welfare system for the last 50 years that that will be the less educated.  This has NOTHING TO DO WITH RACE!

“Downfall of a Decent Clan”[521] shows how families fall apart when welfare pays a woman’s costs:

“Karen Matthews is a striking figurehead for this generation.  She has never been in regular work yet receives £400 a week benefits, having had seven children by five different men.”  [emphasis added]

These men take no responsibility; her children are largely raising themselves.  Here’s another example:

“Tennessee Deadbeat Dads”[522] tells of three men who fathered 81 children by 46 different welfare mothers and provide no fatherly influence or child support at all.

In addition to taking duty out of marriage, churches lobbied for the creation of the welfare system.  The Bible commands that every person should help the poor.  People are tempted to mooch, so it says:

For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat

.  II Thessalonians 3:10

Fatherlessness exploded when the church changed the principles of marriage and favored turning poverty programs over to the government.  This has gone on long enough that we now know that fatherlessness is an excellent predictor of poverty and a life of crime, and the church led the way back in 1950!

Marriage rests on God having created male and female.  He expects men and women to enter into permanent faithful relationships to create safe spaces where they can raise their children.  God also expected churches and governments to uphold sound families.

Given the church’s lead in destroying marriage, is there any wonder that Satan has been able to confuse the definitions, first of marriage to include sodomites, and then the definitions of men and women?  This will not end well, and the deliberate destruction of Holy Matrimony started in the church.

Chapter 18 – The Church Led the Collapse of our Justice System

The Bible gives the church responsibility for defining the practice of justice throughout society:

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God

: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?  I Peter 4:17

“Judgment” applies to finding out whether wrong has been done, who did it, and finding the appropriate response.  This should include repentance and might include punishment.

The Bible warns of spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph. 6:12[523]).  We have prayed for more than 50 years that God would reveal the wickedness.  We’ve been shocked and amazed at how few people care about all the wickedness that’s leaking out in spite of coordinated media attempts at censorship.

AMERICAN JURISPRUDENCE CAME FROM THE BIBLE

American due process– innocent until proven guilty, equality before the law, rules of evidence, guilt beyond reasonable doubt, a citizen grand jury to decide if a crime has been committed, a citizen jury to determine guilt or innocence – comes from the Biblical formula for handling offenses justly:

Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. ¹⁶But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established

. ¹⁷And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.  Matthew 18:15-17

The decision is not made by church leaders.  Authority to judge guilt or innocence is given to the entire church after every word about what was done and why it was done is heard from both sides.  As Nicodemus put it, “Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth (John 7:50-51)?

Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world

? and if the world shall be judged by you

, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? ³Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?  I Corinthians 6:2-3

The Bible places a very high value on truth:

Wherefore putting away lying

, speak every man truth with his neighbour

: for we are members one of another.  Ephesians 4:25

But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth

.  I Timothy 3:15

The church body is the pillar and ground of the truth, not the leadership.  Satan’s servants lie freely:

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him

. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it

.  John 8:44

And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies

: but they are not valiant for the truth

 upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the LORD. ⁴Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother

: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders. ⁵And they will deceive every one his neighbour

, and will not speak the truth

: they have taught their tongue to speak lies

, and weary themselves to commit iniquity.  Jeremiah 9:3-5

Abandoning truth was one reason God dragged Israel into captivity.  Diligent search for truth is necessary for doing justice given that false witnesses and political influence on courts are to be expected:

And the judges shall make diligent inquisition

: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother; ¹⁹Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you.  Deuteronomy19:18-19

Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor

, nor honor the person of the mighty

: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.  Leviticus 19:15

The Bible states that false witnesses must be punished and that everyone should be treated equally.  Over the last decade or so, there have been no consequences for government employees who lied for political purposes.  The way our “justice” system treats liberals differently from conservatives – innocent until proven Democrat – shows that political power governs our judicial system instead of the rule of law.

WHEN SOCIETY ABANDONED JUSTICE

We first realized that our society had abandoned due process in 1989 when our friends were falsely accused of child abuse.  Child Protection Service workers lied in court and the judge merely “corrected the record” when they were caught because the law gave them complete immunity from any liability.

Hearsay evidence was permitted and our friends were not permitted to cross-examine their accusers.  The trials were held in secret and our friends were forbidden to tell anyone what was going on.  History tells us that secrecy and immunity are the traditional tools of tyranny.

This travesty of justice came from the “Mondale Act” of 1974.  40 years later, Faith and reason wrote

“it is almost impossible to fully insulate one’s family from the threat of a system that on very little pretense can simply reach into the home and take away one’s offspring. The massive incidence of false abuse/neglect allegations shows that current law and public policy on child abuse and neglect and the routine actions of the CPS are a major threat to the American family today.”[524]

There is more detail about CPS in The Confucian Cycle – China’s Sage and America’s Decline cited above.

Knowing that a fish rots from the head and having seen injustice in lower courts, we weren’t surprised to see federal injustice.  The Obama administration’s “Dear colleague” letter declared that accusations of sexual misbehavior by any man were true by definition without due process.  This was a logical extension of the Mondale Act’s declaration that accusations against parents were true by definition without due process.

“A Legal System Corrupted”[525] documents many recent injustices by the American government:

·        The FBI’s hidden and far-too-tardy acknowledgment that the Bernie Sanders supporter who tried to murder the Republican House leadership in 2017 was a domestic terrorist.

·        The continued mistreatment (overcharging and continued solitary confinement) of several of the January 6 Capitol demonstrators compounded by the officials’ lies about it and the Department of Justice’s refusal to make available to the public the government videos of that event.

·        A claim by a defendant in the George Floyd case that a key witness in the Chauvin trial had been improperly coerced to change his testimony and the prosecution (the Minnesota attorney general’s office) did nothing to inform the defense of the interactions the defendant asserts were coercive.

HOW THE CHURCH ABANDONED JUSTICE

About 25 years ago, we were thrown out of a church which did not follow the Matthew 18:15-17 process.  We were told we’d be thrown out at the next service and that we wouldn’t be allowed to speak.  How can “every word be established (Mt. 18:16)” if we can’t speak?  How can we “hear the church (Mt. 18:17)” if the pastor announces the verdict beforehand?  The abusive pattern of ignoring the Biblical formula for truth by hearing both sides and through “diligent inquisition” in favor of pastors ruling by decree had become common enough to support an entire “spiritual abuse” publishing niche.

We’re slow learners.  We didn’t connect the decline of justice in the church with unjust court proceedings against parents or the weaponizing of government agencies which began with President Kennedy and have intensified ever since.  Societal injustice followed judicial malpractice within churches just as moral decay followed the church’s redefinition of marriage.

The Bible teaches that blame falls on every individual Christian to a greater or lesser degree.  First, the Bible teaches that church members rise or fall together:

That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another

. ²⁶And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it

; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.  I Corinthians 12:25-26

Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them

; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.  Hebrews 13:3

Second, Daniel and Nehemiah both acknowledged the destruction that abandoning God’s laws had brought on God’s people, accepted their own responsibility for those sins, and confessed their part in them.

And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; ⁵We have sinned

, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:  Daniel 9:4-5

Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee

: both I and my father’s house have sinned

. ⁷We have dealt very corruptly

 against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.  Nehemiah 1:6-7

God hasn’t changed (Mal. 3:6[526]).  God expects us to understand our responsibility to influence society.  God wants us to be a light to the nations (Mt. 28:19[527], Phi. 2:15[528]).  When we let our light go out, evil magnifies itself.  If you think it unrealistic to place responsibility for our ongoing societal collapse on the church’s failures, remember that the Bible teaches:

For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let

, until he be taken out of the way.  II Thessalonians 2:7

When the King James Bible was published in 1611, the word “let” meant “prevent,” which is why some legal documents use the phrase “without let or hindrance” meaning that one party isn’t supposed to prevent  or get in the way of the other party from doing something mentioned in the contract.  The Holy Spirit which indwells Christians “letteth,” that is prevents, some evil in our society.  Just our presence has positive impact.

Judgment begins in the church and flows out to the rest of society by example.  That is how we got the American legal system which had so many protections for people who’re falsely accused.

Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. ¹⁷ For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God

: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?  I Peter 4:16-17

“Spiritual abuse” based on false accusations is becoming more and more common (Is. 66:5[529]).  Our political system shows the same perverted justice based on the same loss of protection for citizens who fall out of favor with the hierarchy that churches have taught.  Why are we surprised that so many young people leave the church?  Jesus warned us that churches are worthless without salt (Mt. 5:13[530], Luk. 14:34[531]).

Leading the way as our justice system discards protections of unpopular individuals will let Satan’s forces attack churches – pastors are being arrested in Canada; martyrdom is coming unless we repent.

And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? ⁸I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth

?  Luke 18:7-8

WHERE CHURCHES WENT WRONG

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. ¹¹Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men

;  II Corinthians 5:10-11a

Even with Heaven or Hell in the balance for our child’s soul, we persuade, we can’t command.  Young people can’t live on our convictions; they need their own.  We have from birth until they leave home to persuade them and convince them that our ways are best, or they’ll do something else when they leave.

Some churches preach the “buddy god” who loves everybody so much he’d never send anyone to Hell.  A love-only message is useless because it doesn’t tell people that God hates sin (Ps. 7:11b[532]).  How can people recognize personal failure before a Holy God, admit that they can’t save themselves, repent, and seek forgiveness without knowing how God hates all sins, even theirs (Is. 64:6[533], Ro. 3:10[534])?

Others preach the “bully god” by hammering away on God’s holiness without emphasizing His love.  The bully god wrote a bunch of rules in the Bible which the leadership interprets and extends.  The bully god watches your every thought, word, and deed to whack you with the pastor’s help when you get out of line.

Holiness without love is repugnant because it’s too harsh.  Sinners don’t want to hear about holiness alone because they don’t want to feel hopelessly bad about themselves.  Love gives hope and helps sinners accept God’s holiness.  Sinners can’t understand why Jesus had to die on the cross unless they’re taught to cling to His love as they learn to follow His path of holiness (1 Pe. 1:16[535]).

Without knowing God’s love, people can’t feel confident of His care for us (1 Pe. 5:7[536]) or of His promise never to leave us (He. 13:5[537]).  Jesus love for us keeps us following Him because we want Him to be pleased with us (2 Cor. 5:14a[538]).  We follow His holiness out of love for Him.  We can’t have one without the other.

The Bible sets a high standard for the balanced persuasion without which Christians cannot grow:

But speaking the truth in love

, may grow up into him in all things

, which is the head, even Christ:  Ephesians 4:15

Some churches hammer away at truth, particularly the parts about obeying those that have the rule over you (He. 13:7[539], 13:17[540], 13:24[541]).  Other churches preach only love.  Weaving God’s truth and God’s love together is extremely difficult.  Fathers are commanded to bring up children in both love and holiness:

And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.  Ephesians 6:4

Finding the right balance between God’s nurture and God’s admonition is the most difficult part of being a parent, pastor, or leader.  Persuading children while clearing away misunderstandings about word meanings and of past events instead of commanding or punishing takes a great deal of time and patience.

As we’ve stopped showing young believers God’s concern for justice by treating them unjustly, we’ve failed to persuade them.  Do we take the time to persuade, explain, encourage, discuss the Bible, and spend the hours needed to thoroughly understand their side?  If not, they walk away, carrying the message of our abandonment of God’s standard of justice out into society at large.  We see the results everywhere.

---

[1] Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.  Psalm 119:11

[2] Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.  I Thessalonians 5:11

[3] Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.  Psalm 119:11

[4] All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.  John 1:3

[5] But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:  John 1:12

[6] And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin.  Genesis 35:18

[7] And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it.  I Samuel 4:20

[8] And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die.  Genesis 30:1

[9] Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.  Luke 1:25

[10] And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.  Genesis 1:31

[11] And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.  Colossians 1:17

[12] Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:  Hebrews 1:3

[13] A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?  Malachi 1:6

[14] And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.  Genesis 1:5

[15] This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations. ²⁷For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?  Isaiah 14:26-27

[16] The LORD of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth.  Isaiah 23:9

[17] Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it?  Isaiah 43:13  Note: the word “let”meant “prevent” in 1611 when the KJB was published.

[18] Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.  Isaiah 46:11

[19] For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black; because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.  Jeremiah 4:28

[20] And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.  Romans 8:28

[21] The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.  Proverbs 9:10

[22] The region of the air; the sky or heavens; the great arch or expanse over our heads, in which are placed the atmosphere and the clouds.

[23] And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.  Genesis 1:31

[24] And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.  Genesis 2:18

[25] Daniel reported to the “prince of the eunuchs.”  Conquerors “recruited” captives into their bureaucracies.  Family loyalties can be strong; it was prudent to deny captives the ability to form families so their loyalty would be to the administrative deep state.

[26] And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her.  Genesis 29:21

[27] For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.  Galatians 5:13

[28] The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her,  Proverbs 31:11a

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

[30] And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.  Genesis 1:29

[31] When the KJB was written, “Lucifer” was the longstanding name for Venus, the morning star.  The passage refers to the morning star, so Lucifer was an accurate translation.  Lucifer became another name for Satan because of this passage in the KJB.  Satan wants to be equal to Jesus so it’s no surprise that he would claim Jesus’ title “the bright and morning star (Rev. 22:16).”

[32] Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.  I Corinthians 10:31

[33] Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.  Proverbs 4:24

[34] The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness.  Proverbs 10:32

[35] The Hebrew word for “help” is ezer used in “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my ezer (Psalm 121:1).“  God helps us when we cry.  Is a “help” inferior?  “Meet” means suitable.  A wife is a suitable help for her husband.  We used to say, “Behind every successful man there’s a woman” because of the value of a wife’s contributions to her husband’s success.

[36] And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes. ¹⁵And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives.  Exodus 19:14-15

[37] I am my beloved’s, and his desire is toward me.  Song of Solomon 7:10

[38] Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.  Genesis 3:16

[39] 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.  I Corinthians 7:34 

[40] I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.  I Timothy 5:14

[41] A foolish son is the calamity of his father: and the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping.  Proverbs 19:13

[42] It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house.  Proverbs 21:9

[43] It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman.  Proverbs 21:19

[44] It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman and in a wide house.  Proverbs 25:24

[45] A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike.  Proverbs 27:15

[46] Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. ²⁹Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.  Proverbs 31:28-29

[47] I am my beloved’s, and his desire is toward me.  Song of Solomon 7:10

[48] His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.  Song of Solomon 8:3

[49] Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?  Proverbs 6:27

[50] Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.  Song of Solomon 1:2

[51] And the LORD said unto Moses, Get thee up into this mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given unto the children of Israel. ¹³And when thou hast seen it, thou also shalt be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother was gathered. ¹⁴For ye rebelled against my commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the water before their eyes: that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.  Numbers 27:12-14

[52] 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.  I Corinthians 7:34

[53] And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.  Mark 9:35

[54] And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.  Mark 10:44

[55] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.  Matthew 11:30

[56] And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.  Jeremiah 25:12

[57] Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.  I Corinthians 11:1

[58] And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.  Mark 9:35

[59] And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.  Mark 10:44

[60] If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.  Genesis 3:31

[61] And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.  Genesis 3:15

[62] But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.  Matthew 5:22

[63] But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.  Hebrews 12:8

[64] Matthew Henry, “Commentary of Genesis 4”

[65] Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, “Commentary on Genesis 4”

[66] That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.  Matthew 23:35

[67] And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.  Mark 9:35

[68] And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.  Mark 10:44

[69] Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?  II Chronicles 20:7

[70] But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.  Isaiah 41:8

[71] And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.  Exodus 33:11a

[72] And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran. Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:  Genesis 11:32-12:1

[73] Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. ⁶In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.  Proverbs 3:5-6

[74] Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.  Philippians 2:12

[75] Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. ⁶In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.  Proverbs 3:5-6

[76] Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.  II Timothy 3:5

[77] Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.  II Timothy 3:12

[78] For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. ¹⁷For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.  John 3:16-17

[79] But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.  Genesis 6:8

[80] And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;  II Peter 2:5

[81] Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.  I Peter 3:20

[82] And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  Genesis 6:5

[83] https://arkencounter.com/noahs-ark/size/

[84] And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls.  Acts 27:37

[85] https://www.vita-romae.com/roman-ships.html

[86] And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron:  Genesis 4:22a

[87] https://answersingenesis.org/geology/mount-st-helens/

[88] https://www.grisda.org/rapid-bedrock-incision-by-water-stream-outburst-the-case-of-the-oroville-dam-california-usa-1

[89] https://www.visitrenotahoe.com/things-to-do/fly-geyser-one-of-nevadas-little-surprises/

[90] And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.  Genesis 1:9

[91] I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. ¹⁴And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: ¹⁵And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. ¹⁷And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.  Genesis 9:13-17

[92] Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.  Ecclesiastes 8:11

[93] For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.  Romans 4:3

[94] Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.  Galatians 3:6

[95] And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.  James 2:23

[96] Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?  Genesis 18:18

[97] And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.  Genesis 22:18

[98] Even all nations shall say, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this land? what meaneth the heat of this great anger? ²⁵Then men shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt: ²⁶For they went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods whom they knew not, and whom he had not given unto them: ²⁷And the anger of the LORD was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book: ²⁸And the LORD rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day.  Deuteronomy 29:24-28

[99] And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.  Genesis 15:17

[100] And hath confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant,  I Chronicles 16:17

[101] The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.  Isaiah 24:5

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

[103] Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.  Mark 10:15

[104] 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.  I Peter 3:5-6

[105] So it came to pass, when the king’s commandment and his decree was heard, and when many maidens were gathered together unto Shushan the palace, to the custody of Hegai, that Esther was brought also unto the king’s house, to the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women.  Esther 2:8

[106] And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her.  Genesis 29:21

[107] They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.  Luke 17:27

[108] And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her.  Genesis 29:21

[109] And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away.  Mark 10:4

[110] And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee.  Genesis 16:5

[111] And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.  Genesis 16:9

[112] And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.  Genesis 13:10

[113] And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.  Genesis 19:14

[114] And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.  Genesis 17:20

[115] Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah.  Genesis 25:1

[116] Now the sons of Keturah, Abraham’s concubine: she bare Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. And the sons of Jokshan; Sheba, and Dedan.  I Chronicles 1:32

[117] But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country.  Genesis 25:6

[118] That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?  Genesis 18:25

[119] And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:  II Peter 2:7

[120] Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.  Genesis 18:11

[121] And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.  Genesis 22:8

[122] And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.  Genesis 24:58

[123] And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel. ⁶⁵For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself.  Genesis 24:64-65

[124] And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon.  Genesis 26:7

[125] And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.  Genesis 24:67

[126] And Abigail hasted, and arose and rode upon an ass, with five damsels of hers that went after her; and she went after the messengers of David, and became his wife.  I Samuel 25:42

[127] But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.  I Corinthians 7:9

[128] Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?  Acts 15:10

[129] Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.  II Timothy 2:22

[130] Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. ²⁹Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.  Proverbs 31:28-29

[131] Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.  Proverbs 31:10

[132] Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.  Proverbs 31:31

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

[134] 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.  I Corinthians 7:34

[135] And God said unto Abraham, … for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.  Genesis 21:12b

[136] And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering :  Genesis 22:8a

[137] If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found; ²⁹Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days.  Deuteronomy 22:28-29

[138] He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.  Proverbs 13:24

[139] Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.  Proverbs 19:18

[140] Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.  Proverbs 22:15

[141] ³Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. ¹⁴Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.  Proverbs 23:13-14

[142] The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.  Proverbs 29:15

[143] I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,  Malachi 1:2

[144] As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.  Romans 9:13

[145] And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD.  Genesis 25:22

[146] And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.  Genesis 25:28

[147] And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them.  Genesis 27:13

[148] That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?  Genesis 18:25

[149] Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.  John 4:35

[150] There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.  Genesis 49:31

[151] And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.  Genesis 35:19

[152] And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben: for she said, Surely the LORD hath looked upon my affliction; now therefore my husband will love me. ³³And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Because the LORD hath heard I was hated, he hath therefore given me this son also: and she called his name Simeon. ³⁴And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have born him three sons: therefore was his name called Levi. ³⁵And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the LORD: therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing.  Genesis 29:32-35

[153] Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the camel’s furniture, and sat upon them. And Laban searched all the tent, but found them not.  Genesis 31:34

[154] And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me. ⁸If he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the cattle bare speckled: and if he said thus, The ringstraked shall be thy hire; then bare all the cattle ringstraked. ⁹Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me.  Genesis 31:7-9

[155] It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt: but the God of your father spake unto me yesternight, saying, Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.  Genesis 31:29

[156] And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.  Genesis 32:6

[157] And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.  Genesis 35:29

[158] And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him an house, and made booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.  Genesis 33:17

[159] And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.  Genesis 37:11

[160] Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.  II Timothy 2:22

[161] Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.  Isaiah 66:5

[162] Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him.  Genesis 40:23

[163] For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.  Luke 14:11

[164] And the famine was over all the face of the earth: and Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt. ⁵⁷And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands.  Genesis 41:56-57

[165] And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.  Genesis 45:4

[166] And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not their’s, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;  Genesis 15:13

[167] All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which came out of his loins, besides Jacob’s sons’ wives, all the souls were threescore and six;  Genesis 46:26

[168] Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.  Exodus 1:11

[169] When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.  Hosea 11:1

[170] For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: ⁴For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.  Romans 13:3-4

[171] And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews’ children. ⁷Then said his sister to Pharaoh’s daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?  Exodus 2:6-7

[172] Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?  James 2:25

[173] But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.  Acts 4:19

[174] And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink. ⁴And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.  Exodus 2:3-4

[175] And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand. ¹³And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow? ¹⁴And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known. ¹⁵Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.  Exodus 2:12-15

[176] Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.  Exodus 3:1

[177] And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel.  Acts 7:23

[178] We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: ⁶But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.  Numbers 11:5-6

[179] And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. ¹⁶And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God.  Exodus 4:15-16

[180] And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.  Exodus 32:4

[181] (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)  II Corinthians 6:2

[182] So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.  Hebrews 9:28

[183] By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.  Hebrews 10:10

[184] And he [Pharaoh] called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said. ³²Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also. ³³And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men.  Exodus 12:31-33

[185] Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation. ¹¹And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? ¹²Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. ¹³Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever. ¹⁴And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.  Exodus 32:10-14

[186] And the LORD said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee. ¹⁷And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.  Numbers 11:16-17

[187] And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the LORD, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle. ²⁵And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease.  Numbers 11:24-25

[188] Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? ¹⁷Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. ¹⁸A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. ¹⁹Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. ²⁰Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.  Matthew 7:16-20

[189] Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.  I Timothy 3:6

[190] And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.  Genesis 21:5

[191] And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;  Matthew 27:51

[192] And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.  Mark 15:38

[193] And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.  Luke 22:19

[194] And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.  I Corinthians 11:24

[195] For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.  Hebrews 10:4

[196] And Moses said, This shall be, when the LORD shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD. ¹²I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God.  Exodus 16:8, 12

[197] And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?  Exodus 17:3

[198] Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward which have murmured against me.  Numbers 14:29

[199] And the LORD said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.  Deuteronomy 34:4

[200] And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.  Deuteronomy 34:7

[201] 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.  Joshua 24:15

[202] And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. ¹⁰For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. ¹¹And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.  Joshua 2:9-11

[203] And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;  Matthew 1:5

[204] Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? when he had wrought wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed?  I Samuel 6:6

[205] And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.  Joshua 6:5

[206] But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.  Joshua 7:1

[207] So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.  Romans 12:5

[208] Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.  Ephesians 4:25

[209] And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.  Judges 3:11

[210] So let all thine enemies perish, O LORD: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years.  Judges 5:31

[211] Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted up their heads no more. And the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon.  Judges 8:28

[212] And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.  Judges 13:1

[213] Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that was by it. ³¹And Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will ye plead for Baal? will ye save him? he that will plead for him, let him be put to death whilst it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one hath cast down his altar. ³²Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead against him, because he hath thrown down his altar.  Judges 6:30-32

[214] And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, ³⁷Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said. ³⁸And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water. ³⁹And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew. ⁴⁰And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.  Judges 6:36-40

[215] And the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast thou served us thus, that thou calledst us not, when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites? And they did chide with him sharply. ²And he said unto them, What have I done now in comparison of you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer? ³God hath delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb: and what was I able to do in comparison of you? Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that.  Judges 8:1-3

[216] And all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and went, and made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that was in Shechem.  Judges 9:6

[217] Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings.  Proverbs 31:3

[218] And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. ⁵And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee.  Genesis 16:4-5

[219] And ye are risen up against my father’s house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother;)  Judges 9:18

[220] And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.  Judges 9:21

[221] And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baalberith their god.  Judges 8:33

[222] My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.  Song of Solomon 2:16

[223] I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies.  Song of Solomon 6:3

[224] And Samson’s wife wept before him, and said, Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not: thou hast put forth a riddle unto the children of my people, and hast not told it me. And he said unto her, Behold, I have not told it my father nor my mother, and shall I tell it thee? ¹⁷And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted: and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she lay sore upon him: and she told the riddle to the children of her people.  Judges 14:16-17

[225] And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments unto them which expounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father’s house.  Judges 14:19

[226] The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. ¹²She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.  Proverbs 31:11-12

[227] Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken.  I Samuel 1:13

[228] And Naaman said, Be content, take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and laid them upon two of his servants; and they bare them before him.  II Kings 5:23

[229] The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.  II Kings 5:27

[230] Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.  James 4:8

[231] And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;  Matthew 1:5

[232] His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.  Song of Solomon 8:3

[233] Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.  Proverbs 31:10

[234] But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.  Matthew 6:33

[235] And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.  Genesis 24:58

[236] And when she came to her mother in law, she said, Who art thou, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done to her.  Ruth 3:16

[237] And she lay at his feet until the morning: and she rose up before one could know another. And he said, Let it not be known that a woman came into the floor.  Ruth 3:14

[238] Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day.  Ruth 4:10

[239] But 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.  I Peter 3:4

[240] 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.  I Samuel 8:7

[241] And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.  I Samuel 9:2

[242] And it came to pass, when all that knew him beforetime saw that, behold, he prophesied among the prophets, then the people said one to another, What is this that is come unto the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets? ¹²And one of the same place answered and said, But who is their father? Therefore it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets?  I Samuel 10:11-12

[243] But there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but went not out unto the tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp.  Numbers 11:26

[244] But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.  I Samuel 16:7

[245] Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.  I Samuel 16:13

[246] And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father’s house free in Israel.  I Samuel 17:25

[247] And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjathsepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.  Joshua 15:16

[248] And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjathsepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife. ¹³And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife.  Judges 1:12-13

[249] And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but an hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king’s enemies. But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. ²⁶And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king’s son in law: and the days were not expired. ²⁷Wherefore David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men; and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full tale to the king, that he might be the king’s son in law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife. ²⁸And Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal Saul’s daughter loved him.  I Samuel 18:25-28

[250] But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David’s wife, to Phalti the son of Laish, which was of Gallim.  I Samuel 25:44

[251] And David said on that day, Whosoever getteth up to the gutter, and smiteth the Jebusites, and the lame and the blind that are hated of David’s soul, he shall be chief and captain.  II Samuel 5:8a

[252] And David said, Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain. So Joab the son of Zeruiah went first up, and was chief.  I Chronicles 11:6

[253] As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.  Psalm 103:12

[254] I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.  Isaiah 43:25

[255] And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.  Hebrews 10:17

[256] Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: ³²And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.  Ephesians 4:31-32

[257] How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?  Hebrews 9:14

[258] For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.  Malachi 3:6

[259] Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.  Hosea 14:2

[260] And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.  II Samuel 12:13

[261] Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.  Psalm 2:9

[262] And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.  Revelation 2:27

[263] And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.  Revelation 12:5

[264] And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.  Revelation 19:15

[265] And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:  Luke 22:31

[266] And unto David were sons born in Hebron: and his firstborn was Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess;  II Samuel 3:2

[267] If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found; ²⁹Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days.  Deuteronomy 22:28-29

[268] And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.  Genesis 34:30

[269] And Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David’s brother, answered and said, Let not my lord suppose that they have slain all the young men the king’s sons; for Amnon only is dead: for by the appointment of Absalom this hath been determined from the day that he forced his sister Tamar.  II Samuel 13:32

[270] Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;  Exodus 20:5

[271] Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.  Exodus 34:7

[272] The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.  Numbers 14:1

[273] Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me,  Deuteronomy 5:9

[274] The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.  Deuteronomy 24:16

[275] And his second, Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur;  II Samuel 3:3

[276] And the chapiters that were upon the top of the pillars were of lily work in the porch, four cubits. ²²And upon the top of the pillars was lily work: so was the work of the pillars finished.  I Kings 7:19, 22

[277] In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the LORD laid, in the month Zif: ³⁸And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it.  I Kings 6:37-38

[278] In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the LORD laid, in the month Zif: ³⁸And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it.  I Kings 6:37-38

[279] And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.  I Kings 11:3

[280] I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother’s house, who would instruct me: I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate. ³His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.  Song 8:2-3

[281] Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.  Deuteronomy 17:17

[282] But he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them.  Genesis 40:22

[283] Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid,  Nehemiah 2:2

[284] Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings.  Proverbs 31:3

[285] It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: ⁵Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.  Proverbs 31:4-5

[286] Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. ⁷Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.  Proverbs 31:6-7

[287] ⁸Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. ⁹Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.  Proverbs 31:8-9

[288] She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.  Proverbs 31:12

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

[290] The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.  Proverbs 31:11

[291] A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.  Proverbs 12:4

[292] She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.  Proverbs 31:26

[293] There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.  Proverbs 12:18

[294] Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.  Proverbs 31:28

[295] Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.  Proverbs 31:29

[296] Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.  Proverbs 31:31

[297] For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.  Ephesians 2:10

[298] I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards:  Ecclesiastes 2:4

[299] So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.  I Corinthians 3:7

[300] Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.  Isaiah 1:2

[301] Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.  Jeremiah 2:2

[302] Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.  Song of Solomon 1:2

[303] I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother’s house, who would instruct me: I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate. ³His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.  Song 8:2-3

[304] And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?  Proverbs 5:20

[305] Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?  Proverbs 6:27

[306] And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:  Matthew 12:25

[307] But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth.  Luke 11:17

[308] And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the old men’s counsel that they gave him; ¹⁴And spake to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. ¹⁵Wherefore the king hearkened not unto the people; for the cause was from the LORD, that he might perform his saying, which the LORD spake by Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam the son of Nebat. ¹⁶So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents.  I Kings 12:13-16

[309] Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the tribute; and all Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. Therefore king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.  I Kings 12:18

[310] For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin, to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities.  I Kings 16:26

[311] And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin.  I Kings 21:22

[312] And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin:  I Kings 22:52

[313] Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.  II Kings 3:3

[314] Howbeit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, to wit, the golden calves that were in Bethel, and that were in Dan.  II Kings 10:29

[315] And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.  II Kings 13:2

[316] And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.  II Kings 14:24

[317] And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his fathers had done: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.  II Kings 15:9

[318] And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not all his days from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.  II Kings 15:18

[319] And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.  II Kings 15:24

[320] And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.  II Kings 15:28

[321] Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years.  Isaiah 38:5

[322] And Elisha said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee.  II Kings 3:14

[323] And there came a man from Baalshalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat. ⁴³And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the LORD, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof. ⁴⁴So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the LORD.  II Kings 4:42-44

[324] But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper. ¹²Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.  II Kings 5:11-12

[325] For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.  II Chronicles 16:9

[326] And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand.  II Chronicles 16:7

[327] Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance, and joined affinity with Ahab.  II Chronicles 18:1

[328] But when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal of the house of Judah. ¹¹But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons that were slain, and put him and his nurse in a bedchamber. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest, (for she was the sister of Ahaziah,) hid him from Athaliah, so that she slew him not. ¹²And he was with them hid in the house of God six years: and Athaliah reigned over the land.  II Chronicles 22:10-12

[329] Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.  II Timothy 3:5

[330] Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?  Matthew 7:16

[331] Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.  Matthew 7:20

[332] If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.  II Chronicles 7:14

[333] The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.  Psalm 34:10

[334] And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.  Jeremiah 29:13

[335] Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:  Matthew 7:7

[336] As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:  Romans 3:10

[337] If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.  Colossians 3:1

[338] But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.  Hebrews 11:6

[339] But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense.  II Chronicles 26:16

[340] And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever.  I Samuel 13:13

[341] If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  I John 1:9

[342] Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he brake down, and burned the high place, and stamped it small to powder, and burned the grove.  II Kings 23:15

[343] And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations.  II Chronicles 35:25

[344] And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. ¹⁰And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.  II Kings 2:9-10

[345] And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.  I Chronicles 28:9

[346] For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.  II Corinthians 8:12

[347] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62619397

[348] Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.  Isaiah 7:14

[349] For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. ⁷Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.  Isaiah 9:6-7

[350] The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.  Isaiah 11:6

[351] I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting. ⁷For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. ⁸He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me.  Isaiah 50:6-8

[352] Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. ²And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. ³And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken.  Isaiah 32:1-3

[353] Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. ²He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. ³A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. ⁴He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.  Isaiah 42:1-4

[354] And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch.  Isaiah 34:9

[355] I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: ⁶That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.  Isaiah 45:5-6

[356] Thus saith the LORD, The labour of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall come after thee; in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God.  Isaiah 45:14

[357] For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.  Isaiah 45:18

[358] Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. ²²Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.  Isaiah 45:21-22

[359] Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,  Isaiah 46:9

[360] Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children: ¹⁰For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me.  Isaiah 47:8, 10

[361] And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.  Ephesians 6:4

[362] O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!  Deuteronomy 5:29

[363] God is angry with the wicked every day.  Psalm 7:1b

[364] As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:  Romans 3:10

[365] Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.  I Peter 5:7

[366] For the love of Christ constraineth us;  II Corinthians 5:14a

[367] And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.  Isaiah 10:2

[368] Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.  Romans 7:4

[369] He that wasteth his father, and chaseth away his mother, is a son that causeth shame, and bringeth reproach.  Proverbs 19:26

[370] And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king’s meat.  Daniel 1:15

[371] He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gathhepher.  II Kings 14:25

[372] But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: ⁴⁰For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. ⁴¹The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.  Matthew 12:39-41

[373] And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. ³⁰For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.  Luke 11:29-30

[374] Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?  Genesis 18:18

[375] And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.  Genesis 22:18

[376] And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;  Genesis 26:4

[377] Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. ⁷For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for? ⁸And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?  Deuteronomy 4:6-8

[378] Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spake to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.  Jeremiah 26:18

[379] He 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?  Micah 6:8

[380] But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.  Micah 5:2

[381] 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. ¹⁹He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.  Micah 7:18-19

[382] For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces that are not their’s.  Habbakuk 1:6

[383] but the just shall live by his faith.  Habbakuk 2:4b

[384] For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.  Romans 1:17

[385] But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.  Galatians 3:11

[386] Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.  Hebrews 10:38

[387] For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.  Habbakuk 2:14

[388] But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.  Habbakuk 2:20

[389] Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts:  Haggai 2:4

[390]

[391] They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.  Psalm 22:18

[392] They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.  Psalm 69:21

[393] I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.  Isaiah 50:6

[394] As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:  Isaiah 52:14

[395] And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.  Daniel 9:26

[396] And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.  Zechariah 11:12

[397] And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.  Zechariah 12:10

[398] Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.  Zechariah 13:7

[399] This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations. ²⁷For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?  Isaiah 14:26-27

[400] The LORD of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth.  Isaiah 23:9

[401] Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: ¹¹Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.  Isaiah 46:10-11

[402] For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black; because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.  Jeremiah 4:28

[403] And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.  Romans 8:28

[404] He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.  Deuteronomy 32:10

[405] Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.  Galatians 3:6

[406] For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. ²³But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.  Galatians 4:22-23

[407] Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.  Romans 3:2

[408] And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians.  Exodus 12:36

[409] Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea.  Exodus 15:4

[410] 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.  Joshua 24:15

[411] For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.  Ezekiel 18:32

[412] Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?  Ezekiel 33:11

[413] For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. ⁹For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.  Isaiah 55:8-9

[414] This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.  Daniel 4:17

[415] For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.  I Kings 11:4

[416] Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus, (this is Ahasuerus which reigned, from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces:)  Esther 1:1

[417] But I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales, and I will bring thee up out of the midst of thy rivers, and all the fish of thy rivers shall stick unto thy scales.  Ezekiel 29:4

[418] And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:  Ezekiel 38:4

[419] Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus, (this is Ahasuerus which reigned, from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces:)  Esther 1:1

[420] And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.  Jeremiah 25:12

[421] But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.  Job 32:8

[422] No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.  John 6:44

[423] I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. ⁷So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.  I Corinthians 3:6-7

[424] And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.  Jeremiah 25:12

[425] https://www.history.com/topics/middle-east/balfour-declaration

[426] https://www.britannica.com/event/Balfour-Declaration

[427] Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant. ¹⁵And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. ¹⁶For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.  Malachi 2:14-16

[428] Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.  Romans 7:4

[429] And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. ²⁶And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:  Matthew 7:25-26

[430] As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.  I Peter 4:10

[431] I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother’s house, who would instruct me: I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate. ³His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.  Song 8:2-3

[432] Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee. ⁸Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions’ dens, from the mountains of the leopards. ⁹Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck. ¹⁰How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices!  Song 4:7-10

[433] My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.  Song of Solomon 6:9

[434] When thou goest forth to war against thine enemies, and the LORD thy God hath delivered them into thine hands, and thou hast taken them captive, ¹¹And seest among the captives a beautiful woman, and hast a desire unto her, that thou wouldest have her to thy wife; ¹²Then thou shalt bring her home to thine house, and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails; ¹³And she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thine house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month: and after that thou shalt go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife. ¹⁴And it shall be, if thou have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her go whither she will; but thou shalt not sell her at all for money, thou shalt not make merchandise of her, because thou hast humbled her.  Deuteronomy 21:10-14

[435] And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.  Genesis 16:3

[436] Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.  Genesis 3:16

[437] And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, and after his image; and called his name Seth:  Genesis 5:3

[438] Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. ²³Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.  Matthew 1:18, 23

[439] 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.  Ephesians 5:21-24

[440] Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun.  Ecclesiastes 9:9

[441] But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: ³³But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife. ³⁴There 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.  I Corinthians 7:32-34

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

[443] My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.  Song of Solomon 6:9

[444] That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;  I Thessalonians 4:4

[445] The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. ¹²She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.  Proverbs 31:11-12

[446] The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband.  Ruth 1:9a

[447] But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.  Matthew 5:22

[448] But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.  Hebrews 12:8

[449] That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.  Matthew 23:35

[450] And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.  Mark 9:35

[451] And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.  Mark 10:44

[452] The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.  Ecclesiastes 1:9

[453] Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: ²⁰For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.  James 1:19-20

[454] And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.  Matthew 7:23

[455] O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!  Matthew 23:37

[456] Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.  I Corinthians 11:9

[457] I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.  Isaiah 61:10

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

[459] But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.  I Corinthians 11:3

[460] And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.  Mark 10:44

[461] And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, and after his image; and called his name Seth:  Genesis 5:3

[462] Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.  Genesis 3:16

[463] And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;  Judges 16:16

[464] Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. ¹⁰But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.  Job 2:9-10

[465] Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;  Ephesians 5:25

[466] Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down.  Ruth 4:1

[467] And so it fell out unto him: for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died.  II Kings 7:20

[468] On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven chamberlains that served in the presence of Ahasuerus the king, ¹¹To bring Vashti the queen before the king with the crown royal, to shew the people and the princes her beauty: for she was fair to look on. ¹²But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s commandment by his chamberlains: therefore was the king very wroth, and his anger burned in him.  Esther 1:10-12

[469] For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory:  Psalm 84:11a

[470] Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.  Ephesians 5:33

[471] Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.  I Peter 3:6

[472] she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.  I Corinthians 7:34b

[473] The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity.  I Timothy 5:2

[474] For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.  Deuteronomy 14:2

[475] And the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee,   Deuteronomy 26:18a

[476] Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.  Titus 2:14

[477] 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;  I Peter 2:9

[478] But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country.  Genesis 25:6

[479] Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.  Proverbs 13:12

[480] I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?  Job 31:1

[481] Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. ²Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.  I Corinthians 7:1-2

[482] Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.  Proverbs 18:22

[483] Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. ²⁹Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.  Proverbs 31:28-29

[484] Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?  Genesis 18:12

[485] I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother’s house, who would instruct me: I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate. ³His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.  Song 8:2-3

[486] Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.  Matthew 19:6

[487] And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.  Mark 10:8

[488] Sexual Relations and Cultural Behavior, by J. D. Unwin (Frank M. Darrow 1969)

[489] Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.  Proverbs 29:18

[490] Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.  Proverbs 31:29

[491] The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough: ¹⁶The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough.  Proverbs 30:15-16

[492] The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.  Proverbs 31:1

[493] Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings. ⁴It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: ⁵Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted. ⁶Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. ⁷Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more. ⁸Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. ⁹Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.  Proverbs 31:3-9

[494] My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:  Proverbs 1:8

[495] My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:   Proverbs 6:20

[496] A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish man despiseth his mother.  Proverbs 15:20

[497] He that wasteth his father, and chaseth away his mother, is a son that causeth shame, and bringeth reproach.  Proverbs 19:26

[498] Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness.  Proverbs 20:20

[499] Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.  Proverbs 23:22

[500] Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.  Proverbs 19:18

[501] Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. ¹⁴Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.  Proverbs 23:13-14

[502] If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? ⁸But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. ⁹Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?  Hebrews 12:7-9

[503] Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.  Galatians 4:1-2

[504] And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.  Ephesians 6:4

[505] Anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski quoted in Daniel Patrick Moynihan Family and Nation, (San Diego CA: Harcourt Brace, 1986) pp. 169-170.

[506] David Popenoe, “The Controversial Truth”, New York Times December 26, 1992, A-24.

[507] And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me?  Judges 16:15

[508] The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.  Proverbs 31:11

[509] A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.  Proverbs 11:13

[510] The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.  Proverbs 19:11

[511] He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets:  Proverbs 20:19a

[512] And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,  Matthew 19:4

[513] But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.  Mark 10:6

[514] Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.  II Timothy 2:15

[515] No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.  Matthew 6:24

[516] No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.  Luke 16:13

[517] The Hebrew word for “help” is ezer used in “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help (Psalm 121:1)?“  God helps us when we cry.  Is a “help” inferior?  “Meet” means suitable.  A wife is a suitable help for her husband.  We used to say, “Behind every successful man there’s a woman” because of the value of a wife’s contributions.

[518] Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.  Matthew 19:6

[519] What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.  Mark 10:9

[520] Mount, Jr., Eric and Bos, Johanna W. H.  “Scripture on Sexuality, Shifting Authority,” Journal of Presbyterian History 59 no. 2, (Summer 1981): 224

[521] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-559949/Downfall-decent-clan-What-Shannon-family-tree-reveals-social-breakdown-Britain.html

[522] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2159476/Tennessees-deadbeat-dads-The-men-81-children-46-different-women–theyre-paying-child-support-them.html

[523] For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  Ephesians 6:12

[524] https://www.faithandreason.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Mondale-Act-After-Forty-Years_-True.pdf

[525] https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2021/05/a_legal_system_corrupted.html

[526] For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.  Malachi 3:6

[527] Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  Matthew 28:19

[528] That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;  Philippians 2:15

[529] Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.  Isaiah 66:5

[530] Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.  Matthew 5:13

[531] Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?  Luke 14:34

[532] God is angry with the wicked every day.  Psalm 7:11b

[533] But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.  Isaiah 64:6

[534] As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:  Romans 3:10

[535] Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.  I Peter 1:16

[536] Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.  I Peter 5:7

[537]Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.  Hebrews 13:5

[538] For the love of Christ constraineth us;  II Corinthians 5:14a

[539] Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.  Hebrews 13:7

[540] Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.  Hebrews 13:17

[541] Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy salute you.  Hebrews 13:24