So, we see here, in this third chapter of Genesis, that when God began to bring the consequences of this sin to light and the judgment that was coming from it, He spoke unto the woman, in verse 16, and He said, “I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.”  Now, we’ll get into the aspects of the woman’s position a little bit later.  But the reality is spoken here to you and me, men, that it’s our responsibility to rule our homes; amen?  In this union, in this marriage, in this covenant that we’ve put together.  Let’s remind ourselves again, what God has joined together let no man put asunder.  Let’s look at it from another perspective, what God has joined together has biblical order, each of you fulfill your role and it will not come asunder.  Because the only thing that can cause division in our marriages, that can cause strife in our marriages, that can cause that seditious spirit, that can cause us to begin to be suspicious of one another, comes from that realm of broken order.

We begin to doubt that God’s purpose is being fulfilled perfectly through the order that He established.  We think God made a mistake; we think we are now independent creatures.  In fact, tragically, some of it’s done through a misunderstanding of Scriptures, where many times it becomes a “me and Jesus” relationship, “I want to hear from the Lord.”  Men, when you speak in your home, your wife and your children have heard from the Lord; you’re fulfilling that role.  Both children and wife submit to that divine authority in the Lord; amen?  Obey your parents, say it, in the Lord.  Wives, you are submissive to everything that your husband sets forth that’s in the Lord, and you don’t come up with better ideas and try to implement them.  The wise husband does not have to have your perspective imposed upon them; they should be seeking it.  And all the men said, “Amen!” 

Men, it is not weakness, it’s strength to go to your wives and tell them, “I need you and I need you in many different areas.  I need your emotional support, I need your love, I need your affirmation of my role.  I need your feminine perspective to help me in the decisions that I’m making for this community, for our household.”  The pride, the ego that’s within man that thinks we can stand alone, that we can do it ourselves, that I am self-sufficient, tragically, keeps God from working effectively in our lives.  So, men, we are to rule in our homes; but we are not to lord over, whether it be our wives or our children, in our homes because Jesus is Lord; amen?  He’s the ultimate authority—we’re representatives of His lordship.  Then He says in the seventeenth verse, “And unto Adam He said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife…”  That’s powerful.

This is not saying that we’re not to listen to our wives, because there’s too much Scripture as we go on, especially to the New Covenant, that instructs us to receive that ministry, that wisdom from our helpmeets.  What it’s saying here, and as you look at it in Hebrews, it’s very important to understand this, it means to obey or to consent to an authority.  When we go on and look further, as we go into the role of the ladies, your role is advisory, it is not usurping; it comes by invitation.  Men, initiate.  We sit around dumb, and I’m not just talking about stupid.  Men, you’ve got to introduce the issues that are at hand.  You need to go and let your wives know you’re looking for input, “I need your help in this.”