THEREFORE…AND LIKEWISE     

You’ve heard the admonition, “In the Bible, when you see a “therefore,” find out what it’s “there for.” Good advice.

Along that same line, I was surprised during one of my devotional times to find a “Likewise” at the beginning of the chapter. As was true other times, the passage was familiar to me, but I had never checked out what the word “likewise” was referring to.

So I went back a couple of verses. Then I went back a couple more. It was one of those moments that some people call, “Ah ha!” moments. It turned out to an “Ah ha!” that was so bright and clear that it absolutely changed my way of thinking.

Here is how the first verse of II Peter 3 reads: “Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands that if any obey not the word, they may without the word be won by the conversation (behavior) of the wife.” The passage does not need further explanation or clarification. A wife could take that verse and do quite well both in obeying it and in seeing results. Yet, God is in His goodness, gave the recipe for getting the job done.

“Christ also hath left us an example that we should follow in His steps, Who when He was reviled, reviled not again. When He suffered, He threatened not, but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously.”

Now, the first two statements in those verses are enough, if followed, to eliminate all conflict. Plain and simple, if someone yells at you, don’t yell back. When you suffer real suffering, do not threaten or retaliate. Sounds okay? Sounds doable? Yes, it can be done, but in my book, what God tells us next is the wisdom of the issue.

Yes, you can get to where you don’t yell back, and yes, you can be silent when you suffer wrongly, but it is foolish to do it without going to the great God, the Heavenly Father and saying, “Lord, you see what is happening here and I from my heart commit the whole thing to You because I will botch it up if I try to make it right.” Just stop and think. God knows every detail of each skirmish. He knows your heart and He knows your spouse’s heart. He hears the voice inflections. The facial expressions He does not miss. The previous history is known to Him. He absolutely and unequivocally knows what needs to be done, for your sake, for the sake of the other person, and for His sake.

Jesus knew that He could commit His dreadful situation to God because He knew that God judges in absolute righteousness and justice. Isaiah says that “He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, yet He opened not His mouth,” and thanks to Peter, we know why. He didn’t just “take it.” He committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously!”

Likewise, ye wives…you can be in subjection to your husbands much more easily when you are daily and in reality committing the hard spots to Him! My 93-year-old mom told me recently that she prayed every day for hours on her knees after my siblings and I were off to school. She prayed for us, but mostly she prayed for my unsaved dad. And I have in memory the story of a dad who came to know the Lord when I was about 15, greatly due to those prayers.

Thanks, Mom, for the example!