Provide And Protect

Provide and Protect

Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly.

Colossians 3:19

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.

Ephesians 5:28-29

You husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.

1 Peter 3:7

Most of us understand what the word husband means—it’s a man who is married to a woman. But do you know what to husband means as an action—in the verb form of the word? It’s kind of a farm word. To husband is to nurture (as in crops or animals), preserve, protect, and care for. So for a husband (noun) to husband (verb) his wife means that he will nurture her and protect her and care for her.

This is exactly what the Bible tells us about the role of a husband in marriage. As the head of the family, the husband has the responsibility of protecting and providing for his family. God calls the husband to provide for his family physically (giving food and shelter), emotionally (connecting with them in meaningful ways), and spiritually (offering godly guidance and encouragement). God also calls the husband to protect his family physically (by keeping them safe), emotionally (by setting wise relational boundaries), and spiritually (through prayer and guarding against harmful influences).

Husbanding is not about a right to command or control. It is a man’s responsibility to love like Christ—to lay down his life for his family.

DISCUSSION STARTERS

What are some of the qualities that make a great husband?

Who are some husbands you have observed who do an excellent job providing for and protecting their families—physically, emotionally, and spiritually?

How is the biblical understanding of a husband’s role different from how our culture thinks a husband and a wife should interact?