For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord.
Today’s passage is interesting. If I read through it quickly, I think, “That’s nice…” But, if I stop and think about what Peter is saying, I have to cringe a little.
Peter begins by talking about “the holy women of the past.” That is a broad brush to paint a picture with! It includes all holy women in the Bible. Who would you put on that list? Who wouldn’t make the cut?
Obviously, the holiest of holy women in the past would have to be Mary, the mother of Jesus. She is obedient to God, deferential to God’s Messenger, and she submits to her betrothed. So who else would you put on that list? Would Sarah qualify as “holy?” After all, her husband, Abraham, kept trying to pass her off as his sister.
When it comes to obedience, I can see why Peter thought of Sarah. She certainly allowed Abraham to put her in some awkward situations. Of course, there was the time she turned the tables on him and gave him her servant, Hagar, to sleep with. That led to some more awkward moments when Hagar’s attitude changed, and her son, Ishmael, started causing trouble.
And what about the angel that brought the news that Sarah would have a child? (Genesis 18: 1-15) In this passage, she obeys Abraham’s instructions to prepare food, and she refers to Abraham as her “lord.” Then she laughs at the message brought by the angel, and when confronted about laughing lies about it.
What makes Sarah holy? Isn’t it that she was obedient to Abraham? The only other reason is that she was the mother of a child promised by God. In that respect, she is like Mary.
God understands that we are a broken and sinful people. Neither of these women were perfect. By the same token, both of them were obedient to God. What counts as holiness, it seems, is obedience to His will.
Application: Obedience to God can take many forms.
Food for Thought: How does today’s passage compare to 1 Peter 2:13 where Peter writes, ”Submit yourself for the Lord’s sake to every human authority…”?
I was hoping that I could turn back to yesterday’s response but you have a challenging question this time that’s going to take more thought than I’ve got this morning.
Tim,
I try and have a challenging question every morning! 🙂
Glad that I was able to get you thinking today!!
As I was reading today’s study, the first woman who came to mind for me was the woman at the well. Not a likely woman of the bible whom one would think of as holy. However, after her encounter with Jesus, and running back to tell everyone about the man who told her everything about herself – and being so bold to tell the people about this encounter and what Jesus shared with her. I mean think about it for a moment. They already knew the junk in her life. She was going to the well in the middle of the day to avoid people, yet now here she is, running to them, telling them about the living water she had just found. Obedience / holiness at its finest and in the moment.
We don’t know the rest of the woman at the well’s story. Did she fall back into her old ways. Did she struggle with her walk – balancing between obedience and disobedience as people often do? I like to believe her story changed, just as my story changed when meeting Jesus.
As a single person, I don’t have the ability to practice obedience or holiness towards a spouse, but I do have the ability to practice it towards Jesus and doing my best to try and follow His will for my life. It took me many years to understand and figure out that when I am following His will, things turn out way better than when I take things into my own hands. Being obedient to Him and his will for my life versus being obedient to my own will certainly turns out better each and every time.
Darla,
Thank you for reminding us about the woman at the well. You point out something very interesting and very important. You write, “Obedience / holiness at its finest and in the moment.”
The woman did not have to be told what to do. And you are right, without knowing it, she was being obedient to Jesus. Meanwhile, the disciples are standing around and Jesus has to explain to them what they should be doing. (John 4:34-38)
Like you, I cannot imagine her not being changed by her encounter with Jesus! 🙂
If you are interested in reading our blog posts about this story, you can find the beginning post titled, “Perspective II,” here. At the bottom of each post is a link to the NEXT page.
Thank you so much for link Jeff. I’m still figuring out how to maneuver the site. I also appreciate some insight you provided that I did not realize. The woman ran and told everyone without being told by Jesus to do it, yet his disciples would stand around and he would have to tell them what they needed to do. I used to be so embarrassed of my “story” that I did not want to share, but I’ve learned over the last three years that He uses our messes to be come our ministry and I don’t have to wait to be told to tell people about Him.
Darla,
You are very welcome. Like me, the site is a “work in progress.” Finding your way around can be a bit of a challenge. I hope to have an index up and running one of these days that will make it easier to find things.
And yes, you are quite right; we don’thave to wait to be told to share Jesus!! 🙂
Thank you Darla. Great point. And Tim, this is a deep question, I can understand how you feel.
When we submit to any authority we do so out of reverence to Christ. In 1 Peter 2: 13, he even says it is for the Lord’s sake. When a wife submits to her husband she is really submitting to the Lord’s will and placing her trust in Him. In our passage today, this is something woman do who place “their hope in God.” In fact, as believers – including spouses, we submit to one another “out of reverence for Christ” (Ephesians 5: 21).
The point being our ultimate focus and obedience is on the Lord and to the Lord. He is the One we really submit to in order to be a testimony of who He is and to glorify His name.
To Darla’s point, some women in the Bible who are honored we may not naturally see as honorable. But their faith in the Lord, like the woman at the well, gave them a position of honor in the faith. Another example would be seen in Matthew 1: 5; Hebrews 11: 31).
Rich,
Thank you! I really appreciate how you bring this back to the Lord. No matter how we cut the cake, it is always the Lord’s cake! 🙂
Submitting to others just does not seem to come easy for a lot of us. My ego enjoyed being a self-centered rebel, doing what others were afraid or reluctant to do. I served me, shook my fist at man and God and was successful at a great price. God let me have my way and in His time, to save my soul, He called a meeting, clearly explained the facts and gave me a choice. I could follow Him of face eternal isolation. Thankfully He provided the faith to submit to His will, to live for Him rather than myself.
Believers serve God, we are left on earth to do His will, be His witness to the world around us. We no longer seek our will over His, but HIS WILL AS OURS. In obedience to God, we submit to human authority in matters of this world.
Matthew 26:39, And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying,O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
Jesus is our example, our power to obey God. We need to live knowing our place as servants of God who is beyond our understanding. Conform to the image of Christ and enjoy His presence as He works through us doing good and providing growth.
Ron,
For what it is worth, I have the same problem with ego. Submission is one of those “Push hard, it goes easy” conundrums. It seems hard, but once we submit, it feels so right!
So my pick would be Rahab,..she was picked out by God to hide the Israelite spies,..she and her family in turn were saved from the destruction,..certainly holy obedience to a God she did not know,..
Currently it is kind of hard to submit to human authority,..seems like there isn’t any,…
I am with Tim,..it’s a challenging question and I appreciate Darla’s response with the lady at the well,..made me think of Rahab for some reason,..both ladies had their problems,…but only God knows why Rahab came to mind,..that’s for sure.
John,
Thanks! Rahab is an interesting person to study. She chose to fear God rather than human authority. Hebrews 11:31 commends her for her faith, and James 2:25 commends her as being considered righteous for what she did. That gives me something to think about!
👍🏻