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| Volume 25 Number 1 January 2023 |
Page 13 |
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| Volume 25 Number 1 January 2023 |
Page 13 |
The Obedient Wife
Martha Lynn Rushmore
I have some questions, ladies. What kind of woman was Sarah? Was she a devoted wife? Did she obey her husband, Abraham? Did she obey God? Are we following Sarah’s example of being an obedient wife as God would have us to be toward our husbands?
In Genesis 12:1, God told Abram to take Sarai (and his nephew, Lot) and go to a land away from his family; God would show him the way to go. Now, let us suppose that Abram came home and told Sarai to pack up their belongings so they can move. Sarai might have asked, “Where are we going?” His answer might have been, “I do not know.” Then, maybe, Sarai asked, “How long will we be gone?” Again, he may have answered, “I do not know.” Her next question could have been, “Well, who told you for us to move?” Abram may have replied, “God did.” Then, she may have said something like this, “Well, okay, then!” She immediately went to prepare for their journey. What would we have done?
Would we have been as willing wives to go on a journey, not knowing where we were going and how long we would be gone? I really doubt this would happen today without many more questions and answers. It seems to me that Sarai was more obedient and submissive than most of us today would have been. What do you think?
Later in life Abram and his family lived in Palestine. Genesis 12:10-20 records that at some time afterward, there was a severe famine in the land. That prompted Abram to proceed to Egypt, whereupon he asked Sarai to tell the Egyptians she was his sister. This was a half-truth, and so it was a lie. Sarai did as he asked. Many years in the future, Abraham and Sarah’s (God changed their names from Abram and Sarai, Genesis 17:5, 17) son Isaac told the same lie, with similar results relative to the Philistines. King Abimelech saw Isaac sporting with his wife Rebekah (Genesis 26:8) and realized that they lied to him. The sins of one generation can encourage following generations to do the same sins.
Resuming references to Abram and Sarai in Egypt, Sarai telling Pharoah she was Abram’s sister led him to think things that though it was not totally a lie were still deceptive. Sarai did as asked by Abram, although that was not right with God. Do we knowingly do things today that God disapproves?
Do we disobey God, for instance, to do what our husbands’ ask of us? I understand that our love for our husbands is great, but our love for God should be greater. Acts 5:29 says, “…We ought to obey God rather than men” (NKJV). I understand the situations into which we sometimes get ourselves by marrying non-Christians or sometimes because a husband has fallen away from the church, but no matter what, God should and must come first (Matthew 6:33; 22:37-38). By putting God as a priority in our lives, we may win our husbands to the Lord. “Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives” (1 Peter 3:1). Remember, actions speak louder than words.
I know I wrote this lesson for us – married ladies. Yet, those of you – young ladies – that have boyfriends or fiancés need to practice this principle also. It is time to put Christ first in your lives, and if you do this at the beginning of any relationship, your boyfriend will know what to expect if your love for one another grows to the point of marriage. If your boyfriend is not a Christian, you may also win him to the Lord by your actions.
[Editor’s Note: Obedience of wives to their respective husbands is to be tempered with a primary love for God. Remember the downfall of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-11; a lie proved deadly in this instance, both spiritually and physically. ~ Louis Rushmore, Editor]
From a City in Thailand
to Collierville, Tennessee
Rebecca Rushmore
What does a city in Thailand have in common with Collierville, Tennessee? At first glance, most would say, “Very little, if anything.” However, a man visiting the Collierville church of Christ proved the two cities have a great deal in common.
The Voice of Truth International (VOTI) is a magazine of religious articles published quarterly. It is distributed in many countries around the world. The magazine is also translated into several languages for use in non-English speaking countries. Recently, a visitor arrived for Sunday services with a copy of VOTI in his hand. The gentleman retired several years ago and moved to the country of his wife’s birth, Thailand. When he attended a local church of Christ there, he discovered that no one in the congregation spoke or read English. However, when members realized he spoke English, a brother retrieved a couple copies of VOTI to give him.
Later, this Christian man read through the magazine and recognized something from home. At the end of one of the articles, he noted the biographical information indicated the writer of the article resided in Collierville, Tennessee, a city near his hometown. Collierville also happens to be next door to the town where a congregation of the Lord’s church produces a radio broadcast this man is able to hear in Thailand. The gentlemen determined to visit Collierville the next time he travelled home to visit his grandchildren. He did just that this past Sunday. With a copy of The Voice of Truth International in hand, brought all the way from Thailand, this brother in Christ worshipped with the Collierville church of Christ Sunday morning, and he wanted to see if the author of the article still attended there.
The value of literature to teach non-Christians and to edify the saved is not always evident, but it is not in vain (Deuteronomy 32:2; Isaiah 55:11). This event demonstrates two great points. First, distributors of Christian literature may never know all the impacts made by their efforts (Luke 8:11-15; 1 Corinthians 3:6-9). In this case, a Christian on foreign soil found edification (2 Corinthians 12:19) from literature in his own language (1 Corinthians 1:18; 1 Thessalonians 2:13), even though he was unable to easily communicate with fellow Christians in Thailand (1 Corinthians 14:6-19). Thai Christians had the resources and the interest to reach out with the Word to visitors to their congregation (1 Thessalonians 1:8). Second, two seemingly unrelated cities across the world from each other have a great deal in common – Christians. God’s people can find a home and a Christian family no matter where they travel when they find the Lord’s church (Romans 16:16; 2 Corinthians 13:13).
[Editor’s Note: The article that led a Christian living in Thailand to Collierville, Tennessee was written by my daughter, Rebecca Rushmore, and published several years ago. She was present when the brother from Thailand visited, but had he come a couple of weeks earlier or a couple of weeks later, Rebecca would not have been present that Sunday morning in Collierville, Tennessee. It appears that God’s providence may have been involved in the background to facilitate spiritual uplifting of a brother in a foreign land surrounded by unknown tongues (to him) through copies of VOTI and further encouragement upon meeting the author of one of the articles halfway around the world from where he lives. Truly, it’s a small, small world! ~ Louis Rushmore, Editor]
