Sword & Trowel 2020: Issue 1
four hours every day. No wives do that today in the West.
Not only did she have to make the
bread, but there were no shops to the degree of later ages, so she went round all the farmsteads and small- holdings and bartered. She grew a little more than was needed for her family and bartered the remainder to buy items she could not grow herself. She also grew enough to provide for the poor and needy, for that was in the law of God.
And then the wife had to be good with a spindle and weaving because she had to make the cloth and be a needlewoman, making all the fam- ily clothes, summer and winter, including all fancy things and soft furnishings. The tapestries of the home were invariably made by the housewife. All this was very time- consuming without machines, such as dishwashers and washing machines. The laundry had to be done the hard way, with a board and stone. We do not have to do any of those things now. There is still much to do in the home, but things have changed radically. The idea that you must be only a homemaker or you are defy- ing the law of God is way off the mark. Today the cost of living and the price of a roof over one’s head, demands that we all, husbands and wives, earn money, and we have to honour the Lord in those circum- stances. We return to the question – may
a woman be a CEO of a large com- pany in secular society? If she is gifted and able, we cannot see any reason why not. There are, however, some practical considerations. Can
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she accomplish this task and at the same time look after her family and also engage in Christian service? Of course, this equally applies to men and women. There are many men who have been offered top jobs in their field, and many have shared this very situation with me over the years. ‘Should I take this on?’ they have asked. I think of some who have been offered the very highest im- aginable positions, but they recoiled because they felt that in their case their Christian service and the needs of their families would not permit it. They have decided to go no higher than a certain point.
Pursuing the arts There are many things in life like
this. People say, ‘My whole bent is towards the arts; can I pursue that?’ But they see that while this is a noble and God-honouring realm, it has been severely corrupted, so that prin- cipal performances are held on the Lord’s Day, and so much has been introduced that is depraved. This is a matter of Christian ethical steward- ship. The answer is often – Yes, in principle, but what are the practical implications? Is the price too high for spiritual obedience? And for women it can be particularly acute, because they may have the high call- ing of a family. Nevertheless, if the circumstances are right, we give our prayerful support to all Christian women with the special responsibility of high appointment in the working world.
Based on a Bible study preached at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, 13th November 2019
Biblical Roles of Men and Women
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