Mothers And Wives

Mothers And Wives

A nagging wife is as annoying as the constant dripping on a rainy day. Trying to stop her complaints is like trying to stop the wind or hold something with greased hands.

Proverbs 27:15-16

We’ve all seen sitcoms or comic strips about dominating mothers or wives, and we’ve probably known a few in real life. Not surprisingly, the Bible includes some accounts of dominating and difficult-to-live-with women that we can learn from.

We read in Genesis 27 that Rebekah played manipulative games with her husband, Isaac, and encouraged her son Jacob to deceive his father into giving him a blessing that was intended for Jacob’s brother. Later on in the book of Genesis, when Potiphar’s wife unsuccessfully tried to seduce Joseph and Joseph fled, Mrs. Potiphar screamed and made up a story that blamed the “Hebrew slave” for attempting to harm her.

Another woman of evil influence was Delilah, who connived to deceive Sampson so that he could be robbed of his strength and delivered over to her partners in crime (Judges 16). And then there’s Jezebel, who pushed her husband towards pagan religious practices (1 Kings 16).

In terms of numbers, Solomon’s wives stand out to us as obvious examples of women who brought harm—not help—to their husbands; 1 Kings 11:4 records that Solomon’s one thousand wives and concubines “turned his heart to worship their gods.”

A woman who has used her influence over men for deception, evil, or destruction is not a pretty picture, and yet it is not difficult for us to repeat those behaviors in our own families. Only the wisdom and strength of God will help us avoid falling into these negative patterns ourselves. May we humbly ask for his help each day!

Father,

“May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14). Amen.