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The November 17, 2009 CBMW blog post<\/a><\/strong> by John Starke that we started to evaluate last post<\/a><\/strong>, is an amazing \u201cpiece of work\u201d that exalts the 17th century writings of a Puritan named Richard Baxter who attempts to put women in their place. \u00a0Starke continues to summarize Baxter\u2019s writings:<\/p>\n 2. Discontentment. There is something about the sinful heart that is always wanting something other than the place in which God has placed him or he<\/em><\/strong>r. When something other than God is the desire of the heart, it begins to desire more than the portion granted<\/em><\/strong>. The sinful cravings of the heart are deceitful and can justify sin<\/em><\/strong> or can explain away divine instruction. Baxter\u2019s appeal to wives is to find your contentment and treasure in Christ and you will recognize the joy in resting in his purposes. (emphasis is mine).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Here Baxter concludes that there is a \u201cportion granted\u201d to women by God Himself. \u00a0As seen in the last post, this \u201cportion\u201d is not an equal hearing of wisdom from God, but a \u201cportion granted\u201d as a follower of the man who follows Christ. \u00a0Yet in the very nature of giving the woman the \u201cplace\u201d of being the follower of a man, CBMW along with Baxter, perhaps unwittingly, identifies the husband in essence as the mediator between God and the woman as she follows God only through following under the leadership of the man. \u00a0The \u201csinful cravings of the heart\u201d are identified not as the man\u2019s fleshly need to be the boss and have the woman subjugated under his will, but the sinful cravings are identified as the nature of a woman outside of her \u201cplace\u201d.<\/p>\n According to the CBMW blog article, outside of the \u201cleadership\u201d of a man, the wife finds a \u201cdeceitful\u201d way of serving God directly and her actions of serving God without going through the authority of the man is said to be the \u201csinful cravings of the heart\u201d of a woman who apparently cannot know divine instruction properly without her place under the authority of a mere human. \u00a0Starke\u2019s summary rings hollow by saying \u201cBaxter\u2019s appeal to wives is to find your contentment and treasure in Christ\u2026\u201d \u00a0While this may sound right, what is really being said is for women to find their contentment and treasure under the man<\/strong><\/em> while giving him full access on their behalf to Christ\u2019s wisdom and instruction. \u00a0This smacks of an OT priesthood arrangement where only a select few had access to the Holy of Holies.<\/p>\n In the last point, John Starke summarizes the need to \u201ctrust\u201d in the leadership of the husband even if he is a \u201cfailure\u201d because there is no provision by God for a woman to step outside of her \u201cplace\u201d no matter what a husband does with his leadership:<\/p>\n 3. Distrust in the leadership of your husband<\/em>. Following the leadership your husband is not first and foremost based upon his merits, but upon the design of God\u2019s intentions<\/em><\/strong>. Baxter recognizes the failures of husbands, since he was one himself, and there is no biblical expectations for women to follow their husbands in sin or submit to abuse. Yet, many may see the husband\u2019s imperfections as an opportunity to exchange roles, as if he has lost his chance to lead. Baxter encourages wives to put away their fears of following their husbands, for it is not in him that you place your trust, but in the Lord who has given you good and perfect instruction<\/em><\/strong> for your joy<\/em><\/strong>. Rebelling against God\u2019s instruction for the home will never bring peace or contentment<\/em><\/strong>. (emphasis is mine).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n While CBMW\u2019s John Starke (and Baxter) make it clear that there is no \u201cexpectation\u201d for women to follow their husbands into sin, it is also very clear that any distrust of the husband\u2019s \u201cleadership\u201d even if he is demanding her to sin, would be going against the design of God\u2019s intentions for the woman. \u00a0The message is clear \u2013 even an imperfect rule of the man is protected by God as the husband\u2019s right to rule is kept for him alone and the \u201cplace\u201d that God has designed for women is under the rulership of the husband.<\/p>\n The hidden message is that even godly women cannot be trusted to lead in righteousness<\/em><\/strong> because God has decided that a husband who is acting in an ungodly manner and who is \u00a0enmeshed\u00a0in sin is still entrusted to \u201clead\u201d his wife<\/em><\/strong>. \u00a0He has not lost his \u201cchance\u201d to lead and women are to set aside their fears of following a sinful husband<\/em><\/strong> as it is still God\u2019s way to work in her. \u00a0 Apparently God still instructs her through the sinful man. \u00a0It is also clear from Starke\u2019s conclusions that a woman who rebells against following the leadership of a sinful man is actually rebelling against God Himself<\/em><\/strong> and she will lack peace and contentment if she fails to be led in whatever direction the man choses to go.<\/p>\n Is this really what God has said? \u00a0Are women instructed to obey any \u201cleading\u201d of the husband even if she senses danger and her wisdom convicts her that his way is folly and a less-than-perfect lead? \u00a0Is it true that the wife is given no ability to follow God directly but must follow Him through her husband? \u00a0Let\u2019s test this by God\u2019s word concerning a godly woman\u2019s rebellion against her husband\u2019s \u201cfolly\u201d. The husband\u2019s name was Nabal and his wife\u2019s name was Abigail.<\/p>\n In 1 Samuel 25 the story is told of the kindness that David\u2019s men had shown to Nabal\u2019s shepherds by protecting them and acting as a \u201cwall\u201d of protection both day and night while the shepherds were looking after Nabal\u2019s \u00a0sheep. \u00a0When David turned to Nabal to get a favor, David\u2019s men were turned away and instead of receiving good back from Nabal, David\u2019s men were met with insults to David. David\u2019s anger was aroused and David decided to kill Nabal. \u00a0When Abigail, Nabel\u2019s wife was told about what Nabal had done and the trouble that was on its way to her house because of Nabal\u2019s insults, she made a decision to act independently of her husband<\/em><\/strong>. \u00a0The young man who informed Abigail had come to her for action since he knew that Nabal would not listen. \u00a0The young man said to Abigail:<\/p>\n 1 Samuel 25:17-19 \u00a0\u201cNow therefore, know and consider what you should do, for evil is plotted against our master and against all his household; and he is such a worthless man that no one can speak to him.\u201d\u00a0Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves of bread and two jugs of wine and five sheep already prepared and five measures of roasted grain and a hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them on donkeys.\u00a0\u00a0She said to her young men, \u201cGo on before me; behold, I am coming after you.\u201d But she did not tell her husband Nabal.<\/em><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Notice that Nabal was being bypassed by his wife and she did not take a position of staying under his \u201cleadership\u201d. \u00a0Instead of trusting in a sinful man as God\u2019s design of rulership over her, she acted in wisdom to avert disaster.\u00a0Was Abigail in sin for stepping outside of the \u201cleadership\u201d of Nabal? The account shows that she was not in sin. Yet we should notice that she was not asked by Nabal to sin, so according to CBMW, John Starke and the Puritan Richard Baxter\u2019s rules of marriage, she was not to \u201cexchange roles, as if he has lost his chance to lead.<\/em><\/strong>\u201d Let\u2019s continue to follow the account to see what God has to say that may be in direct contradiction to the \u201cwisdom\u201d of CBMW.<\/p>\n Abagail boldy took the lead and went out to meet David and his men:<\/p>\n 1 Samuel\u00a025:20-28 \u00a0 It came about as she was riding on her donkey and coming down by the hidden part of the mountain, that behold, David and his men were coming down toward her; so she met them.<\/p>\n Now David had said, \u201cSurely in vain I have guarded all that this man has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him; and he has returned me evil for good.\u00a0May God do so to the enemies of David, and more also, if by morning I leave as much as one male of any who belong to him.\u201d<\/p>\n When Abigail saw David, she hurried and dismounted from her donkey, and fell on her face before David and bowed herself to the ground.\u00a0She fell at his feet and said, \u201cOn me alone, my lord, be the blame. And please let your maidservant speak to you, and listen to the words of your maidservant.\u00a0Please do not let my lord pay attention to this worthless man, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name and folly is with him; but I your maidservant did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent.\u00a0Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, since the LORD has restrained you from shedding blood, and from avenging yourself by your own hand, now then let your enemies and those who seek evil against my lord, be as Nabal.\u00a0Now let this gift which your maidservant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who accompany my lord.\u00a0Please forgive the transgression of your maidservant; for the LORD will certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord is fighting the battles of the LORD, and evil will not be found in you all your days.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Abigail was willing to take the blame for her husband upon herself and she spoke in faith to David telling him that she believed God would appoint him ruler over Israel and she wisely appealed to him to not to avenge himself with the blood of a fool along with the blood of others without cause. Abigail said:<\/p>\n 1 Samuel\u00a025:30-31\u00a0\u201cAnd when the LORD does for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and appoints you ruler over Israel,\u00a0this will not cause grief or a troubled heart to my lord, both by having shed blood without cause and by my lord having avenged himself. When the LORD deals well with my lord, then remember your maidservant.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n In complete opposition to CBMW\u2019s position, David acknowledges that Abigail\u2019s actions (which were stepping outside of her husband\u2019s will) was an act of the leading of God Himself<\/em><\/strong>:<\/p>\n 1 Samuel 25:32-35 \u00a0Then David said to Abigail, \u201cBlessed be the LORD God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me,\u00a0and blessed be your discernment<\/em><\/strong>, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodshed and from avenging myself by my own hand.\u00a0Nevertheless, as the LORD God of Israel lives, who has restrained me from harming you, unless you had come quickly to meet me, surely there would not have been left to Nabal until the morning light as much as one male.\u201d\u00a0So David received from her hand<\/em><\/strong> what she had brought him and said to her, \u201cGo up to your house in peace. See, I have listened to you<\/em><\/strong> and granted your request.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Abigail\u2019s discernment in acting of her own accord and in opposition to her husband\u2019s revealed will<\/em><\/strong> was an act worthy of praise. Her wisdom commanded the respect of David and he acknowledges that God used her<\/em><\/strong> to bless David and to keep him from taking revenge into his own hand. \u00a0God blessed Abigail with further wisdom as she kept her actions as a secret from her own husband when she returned home and found out that he was drunk. According to CBMW\u2019s outline of putting women in their place, the pattern would show that it was wrong for Abigail to have distrusted the leadership of her husband and chosen from her own will to act as a leader. How did Nabal, Abigail\u2019s \u201cappointed leader\u201d act when he found out that his own wife had saved him from certain death?<\/p>\n 1 Samuel 25:37-38 \u00a0But in the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him so that he became as a stone<\/em><\/strong>. \u00a0About ten days later, the LORD struck Nabal and he died.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The fool Nabal had no leadership gift for his wife. It is folly to think that Abigail should have done anything other than the courageous actions that she took outside of her husband\u2019s control. According to CBMW, the only right a woman has to disobey a husband\u2019s leadership is if he is telling her to sin, but Nabal did not instruct Abigail to sin so her actions would be listed as \u201csinful\u00a0cravings of the heart\u201d which are \u201cdeceitful and can justify sin or can explain away divine instruction\u201d. According to the hierarchists \u201crole\u201d distinctions, she was to find her \u201cjoyful place of submission\u201d even to a sinful male because failing to keep under his leadership is \u201crebelling against God\u2019s instruction for the home\u201d and such an action \u201cwill never bring peace or contentment\u201d<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n Did Abigail have peace and contentment in acting from her own God-given wisdom? Yes, absolutely as she was given a place of honor as David\u2019s wife.<\/p>\n 1 Samuel 25:40-42 \u00a0When the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her, saying, \u201cDavid has sent us to you to take you as his wife.\u201d\u00a0She arose and bowed with her face to the ground and said, \u201cBehold, your maidservant is a maid to wash the feet of my lord\u2019s servants.\u201d\u00a0Then Abigail quickly arose, and rode on a donkey, with her five maidens who attended her; and she followed the messengers of David and became his wife.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Remember that CBMW is affirming that\u00a0the woman is to be under the authority of her husband even if the husband has \u201cimperfections\u201d. \u00a0The woman is never to take the lead even though her husband may be acting with his \u201cimperfections\u201d. \u00a0She is not to distrust him but must follow him in his leadership because according to CBMW the man\u2019s leadership of his wife is not based on his merits, but upon the specific design that comes from the very intention of God<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n Are we being told the Biblical truth by these hierarchists? Or is this divine leadership of the man over the woman a deception happening in the name of God?\u00a0No Biblical passage says that the husband has been given a leadership role over his wife.\u00a0God\u2019s blessing comes to us when we obey God rather than men. \u00a0Jesus words ring true when He said that the tradition of men sets aside the commandments of God.<\/p>\n Mark 7:7-9 \u00a0\u2018BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.\u2019\u00a0\u00a0\u201cNeglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.\u201d\u00a0He was also saying to them, \u201cYou are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n As wives, we are to honor our husbands by doing good for them, but it is a tradition of men, not a command of God that says women are to be under the leadership of the husband. \u00a0We have one Lord and one Master. That one Master is the Lord Jesus and not our fleshly husband.<\/p>\n\n