BEFORE YOU SAY "I DO"
Honor and Obey
Article by Dr. Tunishai Ford
Do you wonder why so many women have a problem with that part of their vows that says, "honor and obey"? I was thinking about it and I began to reflect on why this seems to be an issue with many women who want to be married but have issues with that part of the marriage covenant. Honor and obey----what is wrong with honoring and obeying? Well, I believe I understand why many women have issues with it, but the reasons for it could very well be written into a book. Being that this is a magazine article, I will have to give a short version of the matter.
When most women hear the words "honor and obey", I do not think they understand what God's intentions were when He told us to do this (Ephesians 5:22). Because of the fall in the Garden of Eden, the woman began to be at odds with her mate and there was a struggle with authority because she succumbed to the will of Satan and not God (Genesis 3: 1 - 22). Therefore, after the fall, it did not come easy for a woman to submit,
honor, and obey her husband. In other words, she had to purpose in her heart to do it. She had to continuously stay in an attitude of humility to God first to achieve this type of attitude towards her husband. God knew that it was no longer in a woman's nature to obey and honor her husband.
"...Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you", (Genesis 3: 16b, NKJV).
"She had to continuously stay
in an attitude of humility to God first to achieve this type of attitude towards her husband. .... in a woman's nature ...."