21. Provide in All Seasons

Jadon Kessler
Apr 22, 2024
5 min read

Introduction

As we continue our look at male headship in the home, another important responsibility that must be addressed is the responsibility of provision. Part of headship is caring for the needs of those under our care. Failure to do this is a disgrace.

"But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." - 1 Timothy 5:8

This is a severe statement which means this is a serious responsibility. Brothers, God has entrusted us with our wives and children. He loves them very much, so we must tenderly care for them.

A Gospel Issue

It might seem harsh to us that Paul says that those who do not provide for their households deny the faith and are worse than unbelievers. The reason Paul's response is so stern is that he recognizes that the way we provide for our household reflects how we view God. As husbands, we reflect Christ to our wives, and as fathers, we reflect God the Father to our children. The way we exercise our authority in the home says something about God. We can act selfishly and lie about Him, or we can tell the truth about Him by leading righteously.

So the question is: how do we tell the truth about God in the way we provide for our families? All throughout Scripture, we learn that God provides for His children:

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!" - Matthew 7:7-11

Our God graciously bestows upon us the riches of His mercy. He looks after His sheep and gives us all we need. He washes us clean with the waters of baptism, sustains us with His body and blood, and clothes us with His righteousness. He adopted us, gave us His Son, and will freely give us all things (Rom 8:32). If this is how our heavenly Father provides for us, we need to do the same for those under our care.

As Your Own Body

"Husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body." - Ephesians 5:28-30

Marriage is designed to be a picture of Christ and the Church. The husband's role echoes the role of Christ in marriage and the wife echoes the role of the church. Christ cares for the Church as His body, so husbands we too must care for our wives in the same way we would for our own bodies. Would you stand out in the cold for a long period of time without warm clothing? Would you ignore the rumblings of your stomach for days on end? Of course not! We listen to our bodies and address their needs accordingly. In the same way, we care for our wives because they are our bodies.

We would do well to remember that when we provide for our wives we are equipping them. Women were made to be helpers suitable for men. One of the key ways women aid men is by multiplying their efforts. When a man gives a woman ingredients, she returns it as a meal. When he gives her a house, she turns it into a home.

Your wife is the one who is primarily feeding your household (Prov 31:15) so keep her cupboards full. She is the one who clothes your children (Prov 31:21) so do not let her closets be bare. Bring your income home to her so that she may furnish your house with good things. Let her make your house a home.

Bestow Good Gifts Upon Your Children

As fathers, we should also seek to give our children good gifts. Our Heavenly Father gives us good gifts out of the abundance of His love:

"For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father!' The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ…He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?" - Romans 8:15-17, 32

The Lord adopted us as His children. He gave us His Son and will also freely give us all things. To us who have received all things, we ought to graciously bestow the same upon our own children.

The Larger Household

When we think about providing for our households, we may be tempted to view this as applying only to our wives and children. This understanding of a household is not entirely accurate. A few verses earlier in this same passage where Paul gives the charge to provide he says this:

"But if any widow has children or grandchildren, they must first learn to practice piety in regard to their own family and to make some return to their parents; for this is acceptable in the sight of God." - 1 Timothy 5:4

Here we see that men can be called to provide for their widowed parents, or parents-in-law, or even in some cases, their grandparents. This is an area of obedience relating to the fifth commandment of honoring one's father and mother.

This is something that is woefully lost in our culture. Nursing homes are filled with neglected parents. Even in the church, there are many older congregates who are alone because their children have abandoned them. Brethren, this should not be. We are to show honor to our parents. For some of us that may very well mean moving mom and dad into your home. For others with healthy parents, it might not mean having them move in with you but maybe they need you to buy plane tickets for them to come up to see the grandkids. The point is that we are to honor our parents in their old age by caring and providing for them.

Conclusion

How you provide for those under your care says something about God. We can either lie about Him or we can truthfully proclaim His goodness. Men of God, let us joyfully care for the needs of our household and bestow upon them good gifts.

Works Cited