“His wife Jezebel said to him, “You are the king of Israel! Get up, eat some food, and have a good time. I will get the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite for you.”” (1 Kings 21:7)
It’s a common perception that wives have begun to dominate their husbands only in modern times. While in the ancient past, women took on the submissive role and were often looked at as the “weaker” half. Not Jezebel. Jezebel lived nearly three thousand years ago, and she was a far cry from such a stereotype. Her husband, King Ahab, had once failed to negotiate a deal with his neighbor to acquire a piece of land. While he pouted and moped around the palace, his wife set out for revenge.
A wife will relentlessly defend her husband at all costs.
We live in a culture where it’s easy and widely accepted to make fun of men. Most of the time, people don’t mean any harm and it’s just for good laughs. What we don’t see is that the men we make fun of might have a wife that is simmering right next to him. A wife may criticize her own husband – that’s her right, privilege, and joy. But, it’s not our right, privilege, nor joy, to chime in and agree, nor add a few criticisms of our own.
Within my close circle of friends (whom I’ve known since we were in our 20s), we often tease and joke around since familiarity breeds contempt! However, when these same remarks are directed at my own husband, I find myself chuckling politely, but wincing in pain on the inside. I don’t defend my husband in an outspoken manner. It is not my nature to speak up that way. But I have girlfriends who do just that – and I love it!
“What do you mean by that?” a friend once asked after we thoughtlessly, in jest, made fun of the man she married. That question silenced us all.
See, we wives know exactly what is meant by that. We know our men very, very well, but it is not anyone’s business to point out their flaws. Why? These criticisms only mean one thing to us: we have chosen our mate poorly and that is one very difficult thing for us to undo. We might be defending our husbands – but in fact, we are defending our own honor, our own choice.
Happy Belated Valentine’s Day to those that are still hopelessly devoted to their mate!