The Head Of The Wife
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Ephesians 5:23 says that "the husband is the head of the wife." One meaning of the word "head" is "source," as in, "the source of a flowing stream or river." Indeed, the first use of the word "head" in the Bible is in Genesis 2:10, which says:

And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads [that is, the headwaters of four other rivers].

When defined as "source", being head of one's wife is not about a role that has to be obtained or achieved. Nor does it speak of being "head of household"–that's an entirely different word in scripture. And it's not about ownership, power, or control. Rather, it is a recognition of the fact that something always flows in real time from the husband to his wife, supplying her, filling her, washing her.

The question then becomes, "What is flowing?" Is the husband a channel for the life and grace of God flowing from above? Or is he a source unto himself, a backwater of self-life from which flow selfishness, foolishness, and hurt.

Answering this question often becomes a focus in counseling couples whose marriages are in trouble. Once a husband realizes that whatever is going on in him affects his wife, he is able to become accountable to the Lord and to her for that flow.

Through understanding, conviction, and repentance, he can cleanse himself of any pollution of flesh and spirit that has defiled his wife and hindered their relationship. And through humility and faith, he can open the floodgates of the love of God into their marriage.

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