(…continues from part 4…)

5)            “In the Woman,” Reverend Chris Okotie observed, as he explained, from his theological studies, “Is a Divine investment much more than the Man.” When I heard that, I could not help exasperating, “Wow!” This theological revelation, according to my understanding, is Scriptural! Was it not after the creation of the female Adam that God scored His creation, “Very good”? The Woman is the icing on the cake of the Adamic creation, epitomizing the Christological quiddity, and from whose matrix comes the Incarnation. This divine investment accounts for the facticity of Proverbs 18:22 “Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.” The Woman scored Adamic creation, “Very Good!” God found a good companion the Woman, i.e. the Church otherwise known as Christians. The first time we read ‘wife’ from Scripture it came from the inspired lips of Adam the male, “And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man” (Genesis 2:23). ‘Woman’ is the Hebraic ‘ishshâh (ish-shaw’): ‘specifically wife (woman married to a man)’.

                Every name of ‘man’ from Genesis 1:26 through to chapter two verse twenty-two (eleven whole times) is the Hebraic ‘âdâm (aw-dawm’): ‘mankind, human being.’ But when it comes to the twelfth ‘Man,’ in Genesis 2:23, it is ‘ı̂ysh (eesh): ‘male (in contrast to woman, female); specifically, husband.’ Adam the male holds the office of Jesus – Whose number is 12 – the Head of the Church: for the Church came into being for the first time in the Garden of Eden. “Where two or three are gathered in my name,” Jesus Christ makes it known, “there am I in the midst of them,” the LORD concludes in Matthew 18:20.

Virtuous wife submits

                Is there any doubt, at all, that the woman of Proverbs 18:22 is not a submissive wife? She must certainly be: for it is the marriage to her that the husband obtains favour from the LORD. The word ‘obtaineth’ is pûq (pook): ‘furnish, promote, issue, elicit, obtain, cause to come out from, the idea of dropping out; causatively, to secure; figuratively, to succeed.’ If it does take two to tango, the man must have to be an agapé compliant ‘ı̂ysh to receive the favourable droppings of the LORD’s beneficence. Imagine a situation where one of the tango couple continues to miss his or her steps; indeed, the dance will end up a disaster: deserving no applause. Therefore, any marriage that is devoid of love and or submission will end up a disaster. Each one of Divine compliant couples stands to be glorified, in heaven, with crowns of marital éclat. 

                God has no eternal interest in people who are not of His. It is the very reason why Jesus said to the Syro-Phoenician woman, “It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs” (Matthew 15:26). The woman from Canaan used wisdom of a virtuous one. Matthew 15:25 “Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.” What is ‘worshipped’? Proskuneō (pros-koo-neh’-o) is the Greek word with the definition of: ‘to kiss, like a dog licking his master’s hand); to fawn or crouch to, that is, (literally or figuratively) prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore).’ Her kneeling submission before the Lord must still be tested; and when the words of her trial came in the twenty-sixth verse, the honesty of her submission is captured in Matthew 15:27 “And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” It takes faith in God’s word to love or submit in marriage. Her faith in Jesus opened the doors of God’s beneficence and she obtained favour for the healing of her daughter.

Failure of the Eden Couple

                Our marital love and submission will be tested. The woman of Eden did not submit herself to the revealed words of, Genesis 2:17 “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” In order to save the marriage from another death, submission is the antidote. The Man would rather offend God; Adam forgot Deuteronomy 6:5 “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” To bring God into a perfect picture of the marriage, the man must take on the responsibility of the definition of God: love.Let the man ever treat his wife with the love of agapé, and let the LORD’s submission commandment from the wife be a continuous exercise. Marriage is a theological exclusivity for Christianity.

                Why would God tell Israel never to marry outside the community of Jewry? The investment is strictly for those who are close to Him. The first woman was created from an existing congruity of the male Adam. The woman must have her ears close to the man, agreeing with him in all things according to the Word of God. Knowing quite well that she comes from this Adam, the good LORD knows that the woman should not find it difficult to bring her submission to her husband. Marriage is definitely not about sex and child bearing. It is about strict commitment and submission to the will of the Institutor of marriage: JESUS. Selah!

                Spiritual acquittal and discharge takes place only when one is born again. To be born again, say, with all your heart, this simple prayer:

“Dear heavenly Father, I come to You now in the name of Jesus Christ. I believe in my heart that Jesus is the Son of God. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sin. I believe that You raised Him from the dead. I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and I receive Him now as my Lord and my Saviour. I give God all the glory. Amen!”   

(Concluded)

Read part 4 here

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