One Thing All Old Testament Families Have In Common- Dysfunction
Dysfunction is when a family malfunctions. It is caused by sin. We all have a little dysfunction in our families because we are all sinners – just some have a little and some have lot.
One thing all Old Testament families have in common – dysfunction.
Don’t believe me? Just look at Adam and Eve – they got kicked out of the house (well the garden) and then their son Cain killed Abel. So if your kids bicker and fight – be encouraged. Since the beginning of time, families have struggled with this. That does not make it okay. But it does help us to see why there are so many battlefields right inside our homes.
Today we are going to look at the royal mess in King David’s home as he failed as a King, as a husband and as a father. If you are feeling like a failure today – I hope this will encourage you.
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David was “a man after God’s own heart” but the sin in David’s life did not reflect the heart of God.
David humbled himself and repented and his writings in Psalms show how deeply he understood his need for God.
All of these failings, in the Old Testament families, point to one thing – our need for a Savior – Jesus.
Jesus is the only one who is perfect!
And there is always hope, always healing and always wholeness through Jesus.
Jesus is the only answer to all of our sin, the only answer to all of our pain and the only answer to all of our dysfunction and brokenness.
Give God time to work in your life and let God use your story for his glory – even if it’s a royal mess!
Walk with the King,
Courtney I love your honesty girl. I hate being divorced as well. It was so humiliating for me. I would have celebrated 20 years of marriage last year. What the most embarrassing thing for me is that he is remarried for years now and I haven’t gone on one date yet. They have been together now longer than him and I were married. I’m trying to embrace singleness but sometimes it’s hard. I do look forward to someday being married again but until then it’s one day at a time with Jesus trusting my life and future in Him. He will always be my first and last husband. God bless you!
God bless you Courtney! You are such an encouragement! You are truly shining forth the light of Christ in this world!
Dear Courtney,
So sorry to hear of your divorce. Im glad you recognize the wisdom of Older Christian women to help younger women. I am one such woman for you. I am 61 yr old born again Christian evangelist and twice divorced.
First, you are a woman after God’s own heart. Jesus is THE ANSWER all the time. As our Lord says, “You have answered well.”
The next question is “How is Jesus the answer?” Through submission. If we submit more to a husband than to our first love and only true husband, it can become the sin of idolatry as it was for me. Like you, I strived, and failed, to be the Perfect Wife.
Submission is unilateral with Christ because He is the perfect Lord, Lover and husband, but submission to all others is not unilateral. Christian submission is mutual among believers, including husbands.
Marriage was made for the man who is ultimately responsible for its success or demise. ALL divorces are failures by the husband to be a Godly head and leader, regardless of the woman’s contributing sin. Why? Because when a just and Holy God makes man the head, then He is responsible party which is why men need so much help in the area of accountability, especially the kind of help God designed women to give.
For example, in the Garden, Adam’s job was to protect Eve from the seduction by keeping her by his side and by physically throwing himself beyween her, the Serpent and that apple before she ever took a bite. If he failed in both of those jobs, then he was to refuse the apple and be obedient and submit to the Lord. If he failed on that one also, then he was to take RESPONSIBILITY as the Head of the woman for all of his failures as a husband and repent before God, not blame his wife and worse, blame his Creator, God himself. Eve was deceived as a Helper while Adam was full on DISOBEDIENT because the instruction was given to him by God as the head and therefore he was ultimately responsible before God as the Head. Eve was respinsible ONLY as the Helper, not the Head.
And the consequences: Eve’s desire would now be for her husband, not God as designed, and in return for idolizing her husband and giving him what was due to God alone, he would steal power not belonging to him from God and make himself a god and rule over her (Genesis) The sharing and caring headship/helper relationship of marriage intended by God was replaced by the power and control model of Satan, the battle of the sexes, the women’s liberation movement and the Christian female only submission movement, all idolatry.
The only way back is through complete individual submission to Christ, mutual accountable submission to believers in Christ, including husbands and zero submission to the wicked. Sinful submission always leads to bondage and death and Christ came to set the captives free and commands us not to return to the yoke of bondage whether from wicked parents, husbands, pastors and/or governments. I learned every bit of this the hard way to the point of physical death by involuntarysubmission to abusive parents, then voluntary submizsion to an abusive husband using the submission verse against me, all deep spiritual warfare by Satan using parents first, then a husband to destroy me and keep me from evangelizing the precious name of Christ. Now, I am more than ever, through obedience to Christ first and no other, including and especially SELF. I will not be totally free until I am with Jesus in my new spiritual body.
I’m praying for you Courtney. I love you for persevering in your faith in Jesus. No matter ours or our husband’s or any others in authority’s failures Jesus is still the answer if we persevere and are patient. I have Bible quotes for what I have said, but am out of time this morning. God Bless!
Katherine, The Bible, not our opinions, should be our sole authority. Adam was not the Head of the family until after they sinned against GOD. Genesis 2:22 & 23 says that GOD took one of Adam’s ribs to create Eve and that she was bone of his bones, and flesh of his flesh, but it doesn’t said he was the Head. GOD was the “Head”, the one they were both to submit to. Because of sin, Adam, Eve & the serpent were each chastised by GOD. Part of Eve’s chastisement was that her husband would rule over her. Genesis 3:16. GOD tells us what HE wants of us in Ephesians 5:22-24 “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the LORD. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as CHRIST is the head of the church: and HE is the savior of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto CHRIST, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.” Also, Colossians 3:18 “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as is fit in the LORD.”
Katherine, You have made your own decisions about submission as we all do. But, the Bible clearly says something different than what you have posted. Please be careful about counseling ladies contrary to Scripture because Revelation 22:18-19 is still in the Bible.
Thank you for this refresher…sometimes we do forget that in the Old Times there were some serious dysfunction..it seems more prevalent now in part to all the showing and telling on social media and tv..and sadly the world makes it seems like its a good thing.. Great approach..
Thank You. If it weren’t for your videos, I wouldn’t fully appreciate and understand so much of what I read. I’m so ‘tuned in’ to your videos that I anxiously look forward to them and I don’t want them to end.
It wouldn’t surprise me to one day see you with a huge following on a Religious TV Channel like Joel Osteen!
Thank You. You have a Gift that Blesses me and my Life and I’m Very Grateful. Have a Wonderful Weekend!
Thank you for your post on Old Testiment dysfunctional families. It is comforting. I find myself feeling like my family is so dysfunctional and it makes me feel like God can’t use me. But you’ve reminded us that Jesus is our hope and He will use our story for His glory!
I cringe when I hear the buzzword dysfunctional because it’s quite overused- but coupling it with the thought that it is sin- plain and simple- is eye opening.
Thanks so much for sharing this Courtney!
Thank you for what you share. Can you please pray for my marrige. My husband has been unfaitful and his heart is not 100% for me. He and I want to work for our marrige. Can you pray for healing for both of us? And that he find his way/heart back to me. Thank you
Good Morning Louise,
I am saying a prayer for you and your husband this morning.
Lots of Love,
Courtney <3
Thank you so much????????❤️