… faithful to his wife …
Summary: The Greek text for this passage points us to the teaching that a man should have only one wife. The idea of being faithful is desirable in our marriages and also our relationship with God.
Where should we start with this text? Should we look at its historical context? Should we examine the Greek? Perhaps we ought to place it in a generic setting and look for a principle to extract.
This passage is a bit of a challenge because the NIV has taken the liberty of updating the phrasing to make more sense in today’s world. The Mounce Reverse Interlinear translates this from the Greek to read, “a man of one woman.” Most translations use a phrase like, “the husband of one wife.”
Why?
In the second chapter of Genesis, Moses writes, “Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. … and they become one flesh.” (Genesis 2: 22, 24b)
That is the picture of marriage in the Garden of Eden. Of course, it didn’t take long before things went wrong, and Adam and Eve found themselves outside the garden wall picking their way through the sticker bushes. It was here, outside the wall of that amazing place that sin blossomed. Before long, God wiped the earth clean of mankind except for Noah and his family (Genesis 7-8). Then we see God choose Abram to become Abraham. From Abraham and Sarah came Isaac, and from Isaac came Israel.
A few pages later, we find ourselves gazing at the apex of human history. (I am not including Jesus in this assessment.) Solomon, son of David and Bathsheba, is the king of Israel. 1 Kings 10:23 says, “King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth.” I am fairly certain that Solomon’s kingdom, adjusted for inflation, would still take the cake as the apex of human achievement even today. Unfortunately, Solomon had a weakness.
Scripture goes on to tell us that Solomon loved women. LOTS of women. He took Hebrew women as his wives but also took foreign women, even those forbidden by God. The Bible says he had seven hundred wives and another three hundred concubines. God was not pleased with this.
Generations later, Israel had degraded into a third rate political and military power. It had decayed morally, too. Sin was running rampant. Regarding the behavior of men towards women, Ezekiel voiced this complaint of God’s: “In you [Jerusalem] one man commits a detestable offense with his neighbor’s wife, another shamefully defiles his daughter-in-law, and another violates his sister, his own father’s daughter.” (Ezekiel 22:11)
Let’s face it, finding a man who is faithful is a challenge. God knows this better than any woman. God desires that we love him above all else (Matthew 22:37). A man who is faithful to God will be faithful to his wife. Knowing this, Paul provides this simple rule for discerning someone who meets another minimum qualification for being a church leader: He must be faithful to his wife.
Application: Practice being faithful in every aspect of life.
Food for Thought: What is required for a person to be considered faithful?
Good word. We often state the demand, “be faithful”, but how often do we ask, why are we unfaithful and how do we return to faithful living when we fail?
Ben,
It is a blessing to hear from you! Returning to faithful living is, I believe, turning to God and away from our self. It seems like that is the eternal conundrum we are faced with in this life.
As the bride of Christ, we need to have heart that continually longs and turns to God.
And when we fail, we trust in the work Jesus did for forgiveness.
Happy Friday!
Rob,
Thanks for point us to our role as the bride of Christ. That is the frosting on the devotional cake today.
According to Webster’s Dictionary, the word faithful means: “Loyal, constant, staunch, steadfast, resolute mean firm in adherence to whatever one owes allegiance. Faithful implies unswerving adherence to a person or thing or to the oath or promise by which a tie was contracted.” Nowhere in the world’s dictionary is God mentioned in the definition of faithfulness.
In the Bible, I believe faithfulness is being steadfast in Him. Walking humbly with God, serving Him as He calls us to serve. Doing His will even when its uncomfortable (and even more when we don’t want to). It’s being God fearing and Christ-like in behavior. Having integrity (that is being the same person both in and out of the public eye) is faithfulness.
As we all know, humans fall short of being faithful to one another. We have all done it. We have let someone down at one time or another. In today’s society, I feel like people are actually more faithful to their phones, their social media, and other material things than they are to family and friends. None of us are perfect, nor will we ever be this side of heaven, but we can make a conscious effort each and every day to live a faithful life in Him.
Darla,
Thank you! You have hit on some very significant points this morning. Your definition of integrity is especially appropriate. The faithful person is faithful both in and out of the public eye.
Thank you for another great devotional. Also – some great comments.
With the life of Jesus as our standard, we see His example of faithfulness and we also can see where we fall short. I think of faithfulness as single minded devotion. Jesus had a single minded devotion to the will of His Father. I often fail because my devotion is too often to myself and my selfish pursuits. This reinforces that I am a man in need of a Savior. A Savior who is faithful to me and demonstrated that at the cross. He has also demonstrated His faithfulness again and again in my life – including through His forgiveness.
1 John 1: 9 reminds me that when I confess my sin – He is faithful and righteous and forgives my sin and cleanses me. I have noticed that when I focus on His love and faithfulness it motivates me to be faithful and to love Him in return. 1 John 4: 19.
Thank you, Rich, for the encouragement. And yes, the comments are much appreciated! I find many gems of insight in the thoughts that are shared here.
I appreciate how you bring us back to restoration (1 John 1:9). If we fail to be faithful, but we want to be faithful, we need a way back. Thank God for God, who provides a path to restoration through his Son, Jesus! (Romans 7:25)
What is required for a person to be considered faithful?
BE FAITHFUL IN SMALL THINGS, Jesus tells us, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much”, and “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. “You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities.” In His Great Commission, Christ tells us to go to all the world and make disciples of all nations.
At the same time, in His sovereignty God has placed people and resources in our lives right here. Our friends, spouse, families, neighbors and unbelieving co-workers, strangers he brings into our lives, have all come from God. We live in a mission field and it seems we need to focus on allowing God to work through us here before we move to another country.
Luke 16:10-12, Matthew 25:21, Matthew 28:16-20
GIVE THANKS AND PRAISE TO GOD IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES,
In Philippians Paul writes, In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me and the Psalmist writes, Sing the praises of the LORD, you his faithful people; praise his holy name. All believers remain on earth to be trained and minister. We learn from God just as our children learn from us. We love them and want only the best for them. It would be so very wonderful if all we had to do was hug, kiss and love on our children as they eagerly obeyed everything we told them. However, this is not reality. There are times when we must allow them to experience the consequences of their actions, or maybe simply withhold something they really, really want. Like maybe a car when they are 14. Everything we do for our children is done out of our love for them and our strong desire for their success in whatever they choose to do. Our Father God is a far better parent and we need to honor, thank and praise Him in all He is doing in our lives each day. “LET US HOLD TIGHTLY WITHOUT WAVERING TO THE HOPE WE AFFIRM, FOR GOD CAN BE TRUSTED TO KEEP HIS PROMISE.
Philippians 4:11-13, Psalm 30:4, Hebrews 10:23
ALLOW GOD TO BE OUR STRENGTH. James wrote, Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. What a wonderful verse, which like all God has commanded be written, is impossible to live in our own strength. WE MUST SHED THIS HUMAN FLESH, LIVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD, ALLOWING HIS WILL TO BECOME THE FOOD WE EAT. The love of God drove Christ to keep going and in the same way the love of God drives us to continually obey when it gets tough. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
James 1:12, Galatians 5:22-23
If we will choose to get out of the way, allow God full access full authority over our lives, we will grow into the person considered faithful by God.
Wow, Ron.
That is a powerful description of faithfulness. I especially like the beginning; be faithful in small things. What a great way to start the journey!