This morning, as I commuted to my job for the day, I was listening to YouVersion read me the book of Job. I’m part of a small group listening through the Chronological Bible plan with some light discussion as we go. (If you care to join us in that plan, drop me an email and we can connect on YouVersion then I’ll add you.)
Anyway, as I’m listening to Scripture, because Jeremy and I are co-authoring a series on Biblical headship and family, I am hearing from a different perspective…. headship!
So, I’m a couple days ahead of schedule right now and was in the last section, beginning at chapter 38, wherein Elohim is dressing Job down for speaking presumptively. God begins,
“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
3 “Now gird up your loins like a man and I will ask you, and you instruct Me!
4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding,
5 Who set its measurements? Since you know.
Or who stretched the line on it?
6 “On what were its bases sunk?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
7 When the morning stars sang together
And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
Job 38:2-7
These verses always make me dance and brig great joy because of the great magnificence of Elohim. While pithy and cutting, they are searing truth manifesting His glory.
As the reader continued into chapter 39, I heard,
“Do you know the time the mountain goats give birth?
Do you observe the calving of the deer?
2 “Can you count the months they fulfill,
Or do you know the time they give birth?
3 “They kneel down, they bring forth their young,
They get rid of their labor pains.
4 “Their offspring become strong, they grow up in the open field;
They leave and do not return to them.
5 “Who sent out the wild donkey free?
And who loosed the bonds of the swift donkey,
6 To whom I gave the wilderness for a home
And the salt land for his dwelling place?
7 “He scorns the tumult of the city,
The shoutings of the driver he does not hear.
8 “He explores the mountains for his pasture
And searches after every green thing.
9 “Will the wild ox consent to serve you,
Or will he spend the night at your manger?
God continues asking these questions along the same lines about the details of provision and protection for many different wild animals and it suddenly dawned on me: He totally delights not only in His creation, but in His role as their protector and provider. It is with glee that He asks about details that Job had no knowledge of.
Because we have been doing this headship and Biblical family study, particularly dealing with patriarchy and the role of the husband, and because we have recently seen this verse,
7 For a man ought not to have his head covered, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man.
I Corinthians 11:7
And this verse,
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.
Ephesians 5:23-24
I immediately ‘saw’ something else pop out of the Job passage.
As we explored the above and related verses, it is apparent that the authority structure in the family is designed so that man can reflect God and Creation. Just as God delights in caring for His creation, so man is to delight in caring for that which is in his authority: his woman and his family. Man was given dominion and woman was given to him as a helper. Part of her ‘help’ is to come under his authority and to work towards accomplishing his purpose. His responsibility is to wash her in the water of the Word, correct, encourage, provide for, etc., all things the father does for His creation and His people.
What struck me so much in Job was the great delight the Father has in doing this – delight that should be mirrored by every man for his own area of responsibility. Instead of golf, tv, ambitious man recliner…. man is to be working, producing, creating and being the image of God in his sphere of influence, and it is to be a delight!!
We’ll cover this more in our series, but I just had to share!
Selah!
natsab 