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Excerpt 4:
Submission vs. Obedience Pt.2
The Submissive Wife's Accountability to
God
Another major difference
between submission and obedience can be found in the level of
responsibility that God places on a subordinate for his or her
own actions and attitudes. In Acts 5:29 we are told that
obedience to God takes precedence, if there is a conflict
between God's command and man's decree. A biblically
submissive wife is willing to comply, but, realizing that she
still remains accountable to God for personal sin, she may
choose to disobey if her husband's request or command
is a known violation of one of God's direct commands. If
noncompliance is necessary, however, the biblically submissive
wife continues to maintain the proper attitude of respect for
her husband's leadership position and for his overall right to
lead. This action might be called, "submissive noncompliance."
Submissive Noncompliance
A biblical example of
submissive noncompliance is found in the sixth chapter of
Daniel. In this passage the king made a law that "...whosoever
shall ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days, except
of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions"
(Daniel 6:7b).
Obedience to the king's
decree would have caused Daniel to sin against a direct
command of God: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me"
(Exodus 20:3). Therefore, it was necessary for Daniel to
disobey the king's law. However, was his disobedience an act
of self-righteous rebellion, or was it submissive
noncompliance? It is imperative that we examine Daniel's
attitude toward his king for the answer to this question.
In the first place, Daniel
maintained a close personal relationship with God, even though
it meant that he had to disobey his king.
"Now when Daniel knew
that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his
windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled
upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks
before his God, as he did previously." Daniel 6:10
Secondly, there is no
indication that Daniel had a rebellious or defensive attitude
toward his subordinate role as a subject under a king. He
previously submitted to the king's authority in all things,
and he did not disobey until the king passed a new law that
directly opposed God's expressed will: that believers worship
Him alone, praying and giving thanks. Although Daniel knew the
dire consequences of choosing to disobey in this instance, he
did not do so defiantly, nor did he run away from those
consequences. Daniel continued to recognize the king's right
as a duly appointed authority to execute punishment.
"Then the king
commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den
of lions ..." Daniel 6:16a
Thirdly, Daniel, remained
respectful of his king's position of authority. He was free
from all rebellious or self-righteous attitudes before,
during, and after his disobedience. Daniel's speech after God
delivered him from the lions is a perfect example of willing
submission to an authority in a situation requiring submissive
noncompliance.
"Then said Daniel unto
the king, O king, live forever. My God hath sent His angel,
and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me,
forasmuch as before Him innocence was found in me; and also
before thee, O king, have I done no hurt." Daniel 6:21-22
Keep in mind that Daniel
said, "O king, live forever," to an authority who had
just ordered his death.
Daniel's example of
submission is a far cry from the defiant "I'll never let a man
tell me what to do," that we hear many women say today. Such
outcries usually come from women who try to justify their
refusal to obey God's command to submit to their husbands by
claiming that he "might" ask them to do something that would
violate their personal rights. Such women lie in wait,
expecting their husbands to err, so that their before-the-fact
attitude of non-submission will be vindicated. They often
fabricate "what if's" and treat the rare misuses of their
husbands' authority as if they were common, everyday events.
(I believe, the percentage of husbands who actually ask their
godly wives to sin is very, very small. Therefore, for most
women this is a moot point, born more from a desire to escape
submission entirely, than a true concern over wronging God.)
The attitude of women who attempt to pre-justify
non-submission is a continuation of the garden-variety
rebelliousness that has existed since the fall of mankind. By
contrast, Daniel's example is a testimony of what is possible
when a believer obeys God by submitting to human authorities
who actually do act unrighteously.
No, obedience and
submission are not synonymous. The difference, however, is not
necessarily seen in one's overt actions. Obedience is an
external act of compliance, while submission toward any
authority is a respectful attitude that comes before, during,
and after all actions. Where a list of rules and commands must
precede obedience, submission precedes rules and supersedes
law. Submission includes a woman's freedom of choice -- her
choice to obey God by freely yielding herself to the authority
He has placed over her. It involves trust -- her absolute
trust in the integrity of the God who designed her role and
included submission to authority within His plan. Submission
is the natural result of a biblical woman's abiding trust in
God, and it is the fruit of her desire to do His Will.
This excerpt was
from The Other Side of the Garden, and is in
continuation of October's lesson on "Submission vs.
Obedience".
It is available at your favorite Christian book store, or from
the author.
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