The following is a chapter from the book,  The Biblical Wife by Cathy Brown

Chapter 1

The Beginning of Knowledge

 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Knowledge. . . .   Proverbs 1:7a 

. . . . if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;

So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;

Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;

If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;

Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.

Proverbs 2: 1-5

             For a meaningful understanding of a biblical wife, one must first come to the throne of the true and living God and in sincerity request  divine wisdom, recognizing that the Word of God is the only trustworthy source of efficacious instruction.    Let one not sigh in disheartened belief out of weariness of doing this very thing without experiencing success, but  rather give credence to the Bible and agree that all things really do work for the good for God’s people, and “though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:” (2 Corinthians 10:3), and that the “weapons of our warfare are mighty through God . . . casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”  (2 Corinthians 10: 4-5)  Surely then, the experience will give way to victory!

            Upon looking back in retrospect examining one’s life, it is good to reflect upon the original  intents of the heart and the plans made for the future; that is, those things done in ignorance not understanding the sovereignty of God, His Will over the natural will.  What was the greatest desire and what was looked forward to the most?  Have the desires changed?  Was God’s wisdom leading?  Did it matter to become a spiritually mature woman?  Was being a biblical wife and mother a consideration?  Was Jesus all sufficient and His Word sought for instruction?  Perhaps, now one’s desire is to seek the things of the Lord and for the wife to pursue the role of a biblical wife.

            First, it is important to establish what is woman’s relationship to God  in the Bible.  In Genesis 3, in which the fall of man is recorded, God asked Adam if he had eaten of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.  Adam replied, “The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.”  (Genesis 3:12)  It is clear that Adam blamed not only the woman for his sin, but also God.  (N.B.  “. . . whom thou gavest to be with me . . .” v. 12)  Thus, Adam was the head of the fallen race of man.  Little did Adam realize that Satan did not need to tempt him, for his headship was already decided in eternity past.  As the apostle Paul declared, “For as in Adam all die . . . .”

(2 Corinthians 15: 22a)  Likewise, the scriptures herald Eve as “the mother of all living.” Dr. Lawrence Nelson wrote in his book, HELP THOSE WOMEN that “Eve was so named, . . . ‘the mother of all living’ which could well mean that she found grace in the sight of the Lord.”  (Nelson p. 22)  This, too, decided in eternity past. 

Dr. Nelson states another situation in which woman found grace in the eyes of the Lord.  Mary, the sister of Martha, sitting at the knee of Jesus was praised and defended when Martha requested her help.  Jesus answered, “But one thing is needful:  and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken from her.”  (Luke 10:42)  Clearly, woman has her own relationship with God apart from man, though held to no less standard.

In God’s word it is recorded, “And God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness:  and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him;  male and female created he them.”  (Genesis 1: 26-27)  Lockyer in his work ALL THE WOMEN OF THE BIBLE  wrote “woman is the feminine of man.” (Lockyer p. 13)  He also included Matthew Henry’s comment on the creation of Eve:

If man is the head, she [woman] is the crown, a crown to

her husband, the crown of the visible creation.  The man

was dust refined, but the woman was double-refined, one

removed further from the earth . . . .The woman was made

of a rib out of the side of Adam;  not made out of his head

to rule over him, not out of his feet to be trampled upon by

him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm

to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved.  (Lockyer p. 13)

The necessity of understanding  woman’s place in creation is not to establish a higher place than that given to woman in the scriptures.  Adam was formed first to be the headship.  That should be an acceptable truth for woman.  The necessity is rather that woman understand that she, too, has a place before God, her own relationship with Him.  Again, not for a married woman to think less of her partnership in Christ with her husband, but rather her own responsibility to God for the position and relationship that He has defined for her in scripture.  She has the same “advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:”  as the man.  According to the apostle Paul, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female:  for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.  And if ye be Christ’s then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”  (Galatians 3: 28-29) 

The same commands are given to woman as to man.  “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”  (Matthew 6:33)  “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”  (Matthew 22:37)  Just as we are commanded, we also profess our faith.  “I am crucified with Christ:  nevertheless, I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:  and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”  (Galatians 2:20)  Though married woman enjoys an added blessing being able to share her faith with one so close, she cannot  hide behind her husband’s faith and assure herself that his faith is sufficient for her, too.  God’s expectation is that all his children will “draw nigh” to Him and each will  “as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2), and that all will “study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not  to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”  (2 Timothy 2: 15)

Let each, therefore, be diligent in seeking God’s word that they may truly understand their roles, not only as women, but as wives, not only as wives, but as biblical wives.  May each first fear the Lord that they may truly, sincerely gain this knowledge.