Husbands: A Hedge Of Protection For Their Wives

MARCH 3, 2014 / MANOAH'S WIFE

Ecclesiasticus 36:24-25 (Apocrypha)… “He that getteth a wife, beginneth a possession [inheritance], a help like unto himself, and a pillar of rest. Where no hedge is, there the possession is spoiled.”

What a great verse… The wife is the beginning of a man’s inheritance and wealth. The husband is to be a hedge around his wife. Paul teaches this same truth about Christ and the church in Ephesians 5:22-33. Christ’s inheritance is the church and He is the hedge around the church and the supplier of all her needs. No couple can successfully handle their marriage roles until they have a good understanding of the role of Christ and the Church. No man can expect submission (cooperation) from his wife if he is not to her what Christ is to the church. We have to look at a few Biblical marriages…

Adam and Eve… Genesis 2:18-25… When God brought Eve to Adam it was the beginning of an inheritance. Eve was both a helpmeet and a pillar of rest. However, Adam failed to be the hedge, and the serpent came in and spoiled Eve. This couple lived in an ideal environment (Eden) but they lost their home because a person outside the household influenced one spouse. Adam failed to protect his wife, a problem arose, and trouble began.

Abram and Sarah… Genesis 11:29… Marriages were meant to be fruitful. Abraham broke the hedge of sanctity and trust by going into Hagar. It brought an Ishmael into their home. Adultery is a breaking down of the hedge. Later, God came and changed their names to Abraham and Sarah. The Lord came into their marriage and Isaac was born. Sarah said to Abraham after Isaac was born, “My wrong be upon thee” (Genesis 16:5, KJV). Abraham was strong in faith and righteousness, yet he went outside of the marriage covenant to find fulfillment, and it backfired on him. It will backfire on you also.

Isaac and Rebekah… Genesis 24:15-67… “Rebekah” means “tying and binding.” It’s the Holy Spirit that binds the marriage together. The marriage is to be the strongest bond in the natural life. Genesis 2:24 says, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh” (KJV). The word “cleave” means “to bond as glue, to take a hold as glue.” Genesis 24:67 says, “And he [Isaac] loved her.” He was the hedge. Later in their marriage the hedge was broken. Problems came into the family because they played favorites with their children. Isaac loved Esau and Rebekah loved Jacob. Unrest came into the home. Deceitful practices were done in secret. The “bond” in their marriage came apart. Isaac became blind and Rebekah became bored.

Jacob and Rachel… Genesis 29:1-6… The name Rachel means “an ewe, a sheep.” A wife becomes the sheep of the husband’s pasture. There as a husband he puts a hedge about her, a hedge of protection to care for her, to love her, to provide for her (like a sheepfold; see John 10:1). Many wives today are not at rest because their needs are not met. When a wife comes into a man’s life, the hedge is the husband’s responsibility. Paul teaches this in 1 Peter 3:1-7. No man can expect his wife to “submit” if he himself is not to his wife what Christ is to the church (Ephesians 5:21-33).

Moses and Zipporah… Exodus 2:15-21… The name Zipporah means “a sparrow.” Jesus said in Matthew 10:29-31, “Not one sparrow (What do they cost? Two for a penny?) can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it” (TLB). Many wives are “fallen” in their spirit because of the failure of the hedge. Their lives are unfulfilled because of the husband. Zipporah called her husband “a bloody man” because Moses had failed in his responsibility towards his children. The man as the head of the house must be strong in the Lord and strong in obedience to the Lord. God wasn’t going to let Moses rule the nation until he first learned to be a spiritual leader in his home.

The marriage in Cana… John 2:1-11… They had run out of wine. Wine is the symbol of joy, of happiness, of gladness. When joy is gone, the marriage becomes sour. Jesus is the joy of marriage. It is important to have Jesus in your marriage. Mary said, “Whatsoever he says to do… do it.” Where Jesus is and where he is obeyed, the best wine will come. Jesus can renew the lost joy. Where love is, peace and joy are.

In all of the above marriages, water is involved. The river for Adam and Eve… Abraham dug wells… Rebekah was found at the well… Jacob met Rachel at the well… Moses met Zipporah at the well… In Cana, water came from the well… The man who wants a good wife will find her drawing water from the well. And if a man wants to find a good wife, he had better be at the well. The well speaks of life, spiritual life, salvation life. The depths that come from God mean life. The water of life makes the hedges grow. A hedge protects from the enemy. Ecclesiastes 10:8 says, “Whoso breaketh a hedge, a serpent shall bite him” (KJV). Job 1:10 reads, “Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.”

Pastor George Belobaba