Page 154 - Ephesians

physical head, has to the physical body. And it’s not Lord over the
body. That’s not what He’s talking about. And the word
“Submit”, in this context, means to rest or relax in your place
and position in an intimate relationship. It refers to the
dependency and delicacy of the connection between our body and
our head. Neither one, can live without the other. Later on he’ll
use “Obey”, in chapter 6:1, when He’s talking about children,
and 6:5, when He’s talking about slaves. But He doesn’t use it
here for wives. It’s an amazing thing how this has been
misinterpreted. He’s not talking about the head of a government.
It’s a union of life. It speaks of intimate relationship. The head
supplies life to the body and the body responds by delivering life
back to the head.

In this passage and in the whole Bible, everything the Lord
teaches about the wife’s responsibility to submit to the husband, is
in terms of the husband’s responsibility, to give to the wife.
God is the First, and great Giver, we as His wife, were created to
respond to Him. If the illustration were perfect, that’s what it
would be like in families. Husbands would be loving their wives,
and giving. The wife would be responding to that.

Editor’s Note: Many years ago I was meditating on Ephesians 5
while preparing to officiate a wedding. As I opened myself to His
revelation I began to see that the Lord asks the husband to do
what he can’t do in his own strength. “Love your wife”. He then
asks the wife to do what she can’t do, without His help, “Submit,
respect her husband.” Because of the curse in Genesis 3:16,
“Yet your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule
over you”, the man’s affection and passion is for the land. His
job, and what he can create with his hands.

The woman’s affection is for the man. The woman’s problem is
not, loving her husband. Her adamic nature leaves her prone to
needing his love. The problem is, trusting her husband. Women
are attracted to the “cowboys”, but soon learn that they can’t trust
them. It is her fear that blocks trust. Doubt and apprehension
destroys the atmosphere of safety that would allow the bride to
willingly surrender and open herself fully to one who would take