For your Maker is your husband—
the Lord Almighty is his name—
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
he is called the God of all the earth (Isaiah 54:5).
The attribute of God we are studying today is husband. I’ll admit, my husband of 25 1/2 years is generally pretty great. But to think of God as my husband is a little weird (A little weird from my perspective at least…B.J. and my kids like to think he is the “boss of me” most of the time, so it probably isn’t so weird for them). To really get what the Bible means when it refers to God as a husband, I found it insightful to review a few attributes of a godly husband, then consider how they reflect the character of God.
As I was preparing for today’s post, I came across an article from Charisma magazine that described attributes of a godly husband, with accompanying scripture references, in a catchy acrostic format. Let’s dig into these a little more:
H – Honesty
The righteous hates falsehood, but the wicked brings shame and disgrace (Proverbs 13:5).
Honesty is foundational for a trust relationship. Without it, no marriage can survive. But when I think about attributes of God, honesty doesn’t really come to mind. Not because God wasn’t honest, but because describing God in this way just doesn’t seem adequate. God is greater than just honest or truthful actions, he is truth itself.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6).
U – Understanding
…so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:10).
Growing in the knowledge of God leads to understanding. When we put our trust in God, he will direct our paths.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6).
S – Security
Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever (1 Timothy 5:8).
In 1 Timothy, husbands are called upon to provide for their family’s needs. In the same way, God provides for the needs of his followers.
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).
B – Blameless
Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation” (Philippians 2:14-15).
The only way for humans to be blameless is to be covered by Jesus’ blood. Though he was without sin (blameless), he took our sins upon himself so that through his death/burial/resurrection, they could be washed away presenting us worthy in God’s sight.
A – Authority
For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior (Ephesians 5:23).
This verse isn’t really about “being the boss”, it is more about protection. Husbands are to protect their wives as Jesus protects the church, those for whom he died.
N – Nourish (to cherish and to tend to)
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her (Ephesians 5:25).
Husbands are to love and invest in their wives’ well-being. Jesus not only invested in our well-being, he gave his life as a sacrifice so we could have eternal life.
D – Devoted
…and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:2).
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends (John15:15).
After considering the character of God through the lens of a godly husband, I see how it fits. As great as my husband is, God is better. He can be by my side 100% of the time – he never sleeps, is never traveling, and is never pre-occupied with something else. I can always count on him to be there.
“I will never leave you or forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).