“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him: male and female created he them.”1 “And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”2
“Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.”3
God created Adam and Eve to reflect Him in righteousness and true holiness. God formed Adam directly from the “dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life: and man became a living soul.” But for Eve, “And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, this is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” God did not take tissue from Adam’s head to create Eve to be another head in the home, nor did God take tissue from Adam’s feet to create Eve as inferior to Adam. But God took one rib from the side of Adam to create Eve for Adam as a suitable partner and as “being heirs together of the grace of life.”
The Bible describes a wife as the “weaker vessel”. We will examine the characteristics of the “weaker vessel” to understand the reason(s) that husbands must “dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife”, and provide the dimensions of knowledge and honor with which husbands must dwell with them. Here, we present an understanding of “the weaker vessel” that differs from the traditional view of a weaker vessel.
First, God took just one rib from “man, made he a woman”. One rib is naturally weaker than a whole bunch of ribs. Therefore, from that viewpoint, a woman is a weaker vessel. Secondly, God used this one rib, a weaker vessel, to make a suitable partner, or “helper mate,” for the man. Put differently, a woman is a suitable partner, made from just one rib, which is weaker compared to a bunch of ribs. Thirdly, this one rib, which is a weaker vessel but a suitable partner, is an “heir together of the grace of life”. In other words, she is born again, righteous, holy, a partaker of the divine nature, and a joint heir with Jesus Christ, but made from one rib, which is weaker compared to a collection of ribs. And finally, this one rib, which is a weaker vessel, a suitable partner, a joint heir with Christ Jesus, is a virtuous woman, 4 which is rare to find. As a weaker vessel but a virtuous woman, she is a woman of godly character, great wisdom, various skills, and great compassion. She is an industrious woman with integrity and resourcefulness. She is a woman with the fear of God, respect for her husband, foresight, encouragement, care for the poor, wisdom in handling money, and the list goes on. Such a weaker, suitable, and virtuous woman is bound to experience stress from her industriousness and resourcefulness and will need the support, encouragement, protection, and loving care of her husband. There are eight dimensions of knowledge to help husbands dwell with their wives. The following dimensions will be discussed in detail on this website and blog.
Follow us on our website, blog, social media, and at conferences, seminars, workshops, community spiritual well-being events, as we use the truths rooted in the Word of God to empower you to dwell with your wife according to knowledge and honor her. We also use evidence-based health education and health promotion interventions to provide equitable opportunities to acquire the knowledge, attitudes, skills, and insights needed to adopt and sustain healthy lifestyles and lead purpose-driven, transformative lives.