The Husband and Wife Team
ICS Daily Devotions

Song of Solomon 2:15 (NKJV) Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes.

The Bible lays out the difference between genders and their roles. For example, the husband is the head of the wife and the spiritual leader of the house. Nonetheless, where undefined, clarifying roles, responsibilities, and expectations in a marriage is necessary because if different expectations are not communicated, they will cause a strain in the marriage, just like the little foxes can spoil the vine.

Failure to clarify the roles in a husband-and-wife relationship has caused significant marital disruptions. With endless activities and responsibilities, a couple should not assume that they know what roles to play. These are decisions that need to be made together, and it is vital to establish how you want them to be made. Sometimes, decisions made unilaterally cause unnecessary quarrels. Therefore, the husband should listen to the wife’s concerns and take time to discuss them. This includes taking time to consecrate your lives to God and to walk in His will.

Each couple should discuss who is more competent to do the task and establish their own working style. Individual abilities, training, and temperament must also be considered. The couple should develop rules and guidelines deliberately and mutually as husband and wife to avoid a chaotic mess. While mutual submission is required, it is the husband who takes the role of spiritual leadership, and if he slacks in this role, the wife needs to call him back to take it up. One should not be over-calculative regarding the roles and responsibilities when the situation calls for the other to step up and help.

Ephesians 5:31 (NKJV) “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”

The couple should also understand that they are “one flesh” when it comes to dealing with the in-laws. If they become intrusive to the marriage, the one to whom the parents belong should take the responsibility to make a stand that the new family will run their household. The couple needs to wisely balance between the two commands of honouring their parents and leaving and cleaving to their spouse.

Marriage is a covenant in which the husband and wife work as a team to ensure the family is well-managed in God’s ways. It is a lifelong commitment where they walk together on this journey towards the same vision—that of a blessed marriage and family filled with laughter, love, and warmth.

Sermon Series：Before You Say I Do