The Difference a Wife Makes

Being an Americana man, steeped in the worthless vanities of a feministic culture, I looked at Michal and thought, “God, that just doesn’t seem fair!” Consider these things which the Bible tells us about Michal:

She was in love with David. King Saul was her father. Saul gave Michal to David to be his wife. (1 Samuel 18.20, 27-28).

Her father despised David and chased him away. Once David was out of the picture, Saul gave Michal to another man to be his wife (1 Samuel 25.44).

After she had been with her new husband, Palti, David took her back as his wife (2 Samuel 3.13-16). Paltiel (Palti) followed along behind, weeping. He could not stand the thought of giving his new wife back to David. Whether Michal liked the thought of going back to David, or not, I do not know. One thing is for sure… they weren’t asking her.

Michal saw David dancing before the Lord and “despised” him. David said it was because God chose him and not her father as king (meaning she was jealous, or bitter). (2 Samuel 6.16-23). She was cursed by God (v. 23 she remained childless… that is a curse – Deuteronomy 28.11, 18).

The American "Christian" feminist looks at this and is disgusted at the “injustices” done to Michal. A father “gives” her to a man? Her father “gives” her to another man? Her ex-husband takes her away from her current husband? She is bitter over her current husband taking the throne from her daddy, and God curses her? What is she, cattle? Is that all her life amounts to? God… that just does not seem fair. Are women created to be the property of men?

The difference between my wife and Michal is faith and obedience. It takes faith to believe that a sovereign God has a sovereign plan. People do not like that. Feminists do not like that. Spineless men do not like that. Autonomous man does not want to be told that someone created him, and has authority over him. God created us for His glory. Were you there when He created woman, and created her for the specific purpose of helping a man? Did He ask you how He should go about creating her? Did you get a choice in what her purpose would be? I did not get a choice either. God does not bother consulting with me to find out the justice of His movements… nor should He. In short, who are we to tell God He messed up?

My wife is the quintessential woman. God said it, and she does it. That is enough for her. She is not perfect. She does not always get it right. She has things to learn like the rest of us. But if she sees it in the Word, she obeys it. Many women would claim to have such faith. They do not. They are husband-cripplers. They would never trust God to work through their husband. They will not obey their husbands (1 Peter 3.6). They do not believe God will use their husbands to accomplish His own glory. They believe God is big enough to create heaven and earth, but not big enough to use their stupid, no good husband. They step in and take over. They become the man of the house. They criticize him just like Michal. They are bitter because they do not like the role of being relegated to the “back seat” of “helping a man.” Small faith says, “God made heaven and earth.” Living faith says, “God is in charge of my circumstance… even when my husband treats me like property.”

To bad Michal did not have my wife to mentor her. If so, my wife would have reminded her that God was the one shifting her from place to place. She would have reminded her that God took the throne away from her dad. She would have asked her, “If your husband dances before the Lord, and you are not happy about it… why not?” She would have helped her see, by God’s grace, bitter roots. She would point her to a God who is behind the scenes and sovereign over the affairs of man. Faith in God to “be your personal Savior” is one thing. Faith that God can save you (and has designed it for His glory) when you are receiving the fallout of weak men is another. One faith is weak, individualistic, and probably selfish. The other faith is life changing (1 Peter 3.1).

Michal’s name means “Who is like God?” In other words, “I see a Big God,” instead of “I see a weak man.” Unfortunately for Michal, she did not live up to her name. If you are a lady who finds herself bitter about her lot in life, remember Michal. Pray that God will send you a mentor that has faith that descends well beneath the surface. Pray for a mentor like my wife, who looks toward God… even as she waits upon a weak man like me!

As for my house, I will lead our children to honor such a woman. I will make memorials for all of our future generations to “rise up and call her blessed.” May they too, follow their matriarch in her example. If they do… what a dynasty my wife will have left behind!