Leadership: Spiritual Responsibility
Ruth 3 - God-Honoring Marriages
Naomi and Ruth are biblical examples of virtuous women. Hard working. Godly. Loyal. Courageous. Faithful. They earned their good reputations. Naomi knew Ruth needed a husband. As exemplified by Boaz in Ruth 3, the husband is the provider. Our job, men, is to “do what is necessary” to provide for our families as Boaz did for Ruth and Naomi (Ruth 3:11). We are spiritual leaders. Protectors. Providers. God’s way for marriage: one man, one wife. Men, love your wife as Christ loves the church.
I’ve blogged elsewhere about God’s design and qualifications for elders and spiritual leaders. But I think it is important to continue to speak the truth about the need for godly marriages, and that also translates to ecclesiastical fidelity to God's standards. Weak and wicked people promote roles God forbids. Churches that place women as spiritual leaders over men mock God’s design and Scripture's qualifications for spiritual leadership. Reject such teaching. Find and worship with those who humbly uphold God’s eternal standards.
Men, stop expecting someone else to provide for your family. You are the provider. It's a God-ordained privilege. A responsibility. Being a husband and dad requires sacrifice. Make your wife and family your priority the way God says we must (Ephesians 5:25). That’s God’s design. With God, we always have more than we need. With faith in God alone, we are promised God's generous wisdom, blessing, and stability (James 1:5-8).
Godly women, like Naomi and Ruth, acknowledge that the husband is the provider. That is as true today as it was in the time of the Judges. Women, you are, as Erika Kirk said at her husband Charlie's memorial, your husband's helper (1 Corinthians 11:3, 1 Peter 3:1-6, and Genesis 2:18). You are not his taskmaster. Not his provider. Not his spiritual leader.
Push back against weak, woke men pushing gender uniformity. We have unique God-given gifts to equip God’s people, to build His church (Ephesians 4:12). Should we turn from 2,000 years of Church teaching that men and women have distinct roles? God forbid. No, we shall not.
The Word of God teaches Spirit-guided relationships that honor God’s design. Yet weasels in the church claim the Spirit directs women to ordination as spiritually authoritative pastors and priests, which God forbids. I heard a pastor recently say he’s seen the Spirit at work through women, so therefore they should be ordained as priests. Pathetic. Every wind of new teaching...decide if that aligns with the Church’s ancient teaching. We all have the moral ability to choose where we worship. We can choose if we follow such new teaching or if we will follow God's inerrant Word. Is God’s Word mistaken, or is a woke pastor’s wife’s desire for more power more authoritative? I choose God’s inerrant Word.
The Bible has a lot to say about a God-ordained Marriage:
"And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything. For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. And we are members of his body. As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." (Ephesians 5:21-33)
Men, let's step it up. Time is of the essence. Love your wife as God commands. Provide. Lead. Selflessly. Sacrificially. Like Boaz.
I’m a slow learner. I wish I’d matured sooner in obedience to Christ. But I thank God that Kari and I married early and had kids early. They are our life’s blessing. Truly. Yet we have an epidemic of unmarried men and women in their thirties and forties in the church. It's not good. Marriage is God’s institution. We must yearn for our children’s well-being, including preparing them for godly marriage. And giving them our blessing to marry young and to raise godly families.
Ruth loved and respected Naomi. She trusted her. Naomi loved and trusted Ruth. It was risky for Ruth to go to the threshing floor; she could’ve been accused of promiscuity. Her faith, bravery, and loyalty moved God to bless her. We are the recipients today of that blessing.
Boaz and Ruth weren’t young. Yet Boaz was likely much older than Ruth. Both were virtuous, however. A great fit. God blesses marriages. Thank God that He looks beyond appearances (age, etc.) and knows our character. God looks to the heart. One godly spouse brings blessings. But when both husband and wife are seeking to honor God and His way, the blessing is immeasurably more!
Ruth and Naomi took risks. Good. They waited patiently. Boaz waited too. Boaz knew the value of a godly, virtuous wife. Who knows how long he was praying for a woman of faith. Boaz could’ve chosen a younger woman or a non-foreigner. But he saw Ruth’s character, her faith in our God. Again, men, let's step it up and love our wives dearly and truly. Take initiative this week to love as God says we must.
Lord, help us prepare our children for their own families. Help us to lead and encourage by example. Please bring our sons virtuous wives, loyal, hardworking, and beautiful and pleasing in Your eyes. Like Ruth. May our sons honor their brides before You with God-honoring love, kindness, and loyalty. Amen.
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