The following "Question" was asked by a member of the congregation at Grace Community Church in Panorama City, California, and "Answered" by their pastor, John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed from the tape, GC 1301, titled "Bible Questions and Answers." A copy of the tape can be obtained by writing, Word of Grace, P.O. Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412 or by dialing toll free 1-800-55-GRACE.
Question
In a Christian marriage, should the wife work?
Answer
That’s a good question. I’ll give you a rule of thumb that I always go by: that’s optional. You say, “Huh, that’s profound, MacArthur… I came all the way down here to hear that? What do you mean by that?” I mean that the wives are to submit to their husbands…that comes into play, don’t you think? Maybe her husband says, “Honey, go to work.” Consideration.
On the other hand, Titus 2:3-5, “the aged women.” I know none of you in this audience would include yourself in that category, so let me change the word a little bit. The mature women. “The mature women, likewise that they be in behavior as become with holiness, not false accusers, not lingering long beside their wine, teachers of good things, that they may teach the young women to be sober-minded.” Know your priorities—that’s what it means. Love your children, love your husband, be discreet, pure, take care of the house, be kind, obey your husband that the Word of God be not blasphemed.”
What is a wife to do? One, submit to her husband. Here it says she is to know the priorities, love the husband, love the children, take care of the house. That’s priority number one. Do you have time to love your husband? I mean, do you have time to give yourself totally to your husband, to pour out your affection, to pour out your love on him? That’s important.
Do you have time to pour out your life into your children, to love your children, to invest your life in your children? Do you have time to keep your house, to obey your husband? All of that is good. If you work, are you able to be chaste, pure, godly, and so forth? All those priorities have to come into account. Do you have opportunity like in I Timothy 5 to be hospitable and open your home, to wash the feet of strangers as it were, to take care of those who have needs, etc.?
Now, the priorities then: submit and love your husband. Take care of your husband. You know, let your relationship just lavish love on him. Time to invest in loving your children. Time to invest in keeping your home for the sake of the family’s happiness and so that others might come in and enjoy the hospitality you provide.
Now, you say, “Well, John, you just gave your answer.” Not really…there may be opportunity even within that framework for you to work. Proverbs 31—we’ve answered this question before, but Proverbs 31 talks about a righteous woman, a virtuous woman. And boy, she’s a clever gal! She works. There’s a lot of good things about this gal: gets up before daybreak and makes breakfast—a lot of wonderful, wonderful traits…but, she’s real enterprising. She has her own business, kind of. This is so good, verse 19—well, no, let’s go back a little. We ought to cover more of this. Verse 16, “She considers a field and buys it.” She’s got the bagel jar so full of, of, extra money, you know…for so many years, she’s been saving and saving, that she’s got enough to go out and buy a field. That’s an enterprising lady. “She buys it. With the fruit of her hand, she plants a vineyard.”
She’s earned enough money. She’s a wonderful woman. She takes care of her husband; “she does him good all her days.” She’s just a fantastic—in verse 14, “She’s like the merchant ship: she brings her food from afar.” She’ll go to the market where the sale is, no matter how much gas she wastes, and so forth.
Verse 17, “She girds her loins with strength and strengthens her arms. She works with energy and force. She perceives that her merchandise is good; her lamp goes not out by night.” She doesn’t go to sleep unless she has to—she works. Listen, this is the Word of God! Now, verse 19 tells us what she does: “She lays her hand to the spindle and her hands hold the distaff”—you know what that is? Flax tied to the staff and she spins to make thread. “She stretches her hand to the poor.” You know why she makes these things? For what reason? To give them away. She got a field though, to make a little profit. But she made some things to give to the poor.
“She reaches her hands to the needy. She isn’t afraid of the snow for her household; all her household are clothed with scarlet.” She anticipates the winter and makes clothes for everybody! “She makes herself coverings of tapestry.” Her clothing is white linen, really, the Hebrew—white linen and purple! And “her husband is known in the gates.” He comes in and they all say, “That’s the husband of so-and-so.”
“She makes fine linen and sells it and delivers belts to the merchants.” She’s enterprising! “Strength and honor are her clothing” and so forth. And she’s got wisdom and so forth. All these beautiful virtues… “Her children rise up,” verse 28, “and call her ‘blessed’ and her husband also, and praises her” and so forth.
Here is a woman who is able to care for the family so that the people in the town talk about her, so that her husband blesses her, so that her children rise up and call her blessed. At the same time, she’s enterprising. But notice: she is enterprising, really, for three areas. Number one, for the sake of the family; for the sake of the wise nvestment—to secure the family; and for the sake of those who have needs. So, I submit to you that a woman should work only when she can still lavish love on her husband and her children, keep her home, and that her work has to do with necessity, never luxury. Necessity, never luxury.
Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur’s Questions and
Answers" by:
Tony Capoccia
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