Ephesians 5.22-33 (4)
Pray Psalm 103.1-4.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies…
Sing Psalm 103.1-4.
(Old 100th: All Creatures That on Earth Do Dwell)
O my soul, bless the LORD’s great Name!
His many benefits proclaim:
He pardons sins and heals disease,
and from the pit grants us release.
Read Ephesians 5.22-33; meditate on verses 28, 29.
How do the words “nourish” and “cherish” function here?
Preparation
1. How does a husband love himself by loving his wife?
2. How does Paul bring in the example of the Lord here?
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Meditation
We husbands can sometimes be a little thick-skulled. Tell me, then tell me again from a different angle.
That’s what Paul is doing here. Having said that a husband must love his wife as Christ loves the Church, he now says he should love his wife as he loves his own body. If he does, he’ll really be loving himself, because in her sanctification and happiness his will be increased as well.
Do husbands hate their own flesh? No, of course not. Not typically, anyway. But a man is one flesh with his wife, as God intended from the beginning (Gen. 2.24). As he would treat his own body, nourishing and keeping it healthy and safe, so he must treat his wife. A husband must be concerned for all the needs of his wife, both spiritual and physical or material. Christ does as much for His Church every day, providing for our physical needs by the workings of His grace. Husbands must work to surround and sustain their wives by whatever will nourish their souls and bodies.
I think I’m beginning to get it: I should love my wife like I love myself. No, wait, that’s not quite it. When I love my wife, encouraging her sanctification, nurturing her physical wellbeing, and providing for her material safety and sustenance, then, then I am loving myself as I should. Because then my wife will be able to realize her full potential in the Lord, and the blessings of that will redound upon me.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
To understand fully nourish and cherish one needs look no further than a parent’s love for their child.
To our heavenly Father, we can say with the psalmist:
“Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with his mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me” (Ps. 131.2).
Because that child felt nourished he was totally secure in that relationship.
He had been provided necessary food for life and growth and proper development.
He was kept alive and maintained by the love of his parent.
And then enters the cherishing. Another transitive verb meaning:
To treat with affection and tenderness; to hold dear to one’s heart.
To keep fondly in mind, to treasure and appreciate, and to nurture with care.
To protect and aid always. To care for as someone who is important to you.
What child does not respond well to that kind of nourishing and cherishing?
Furthermore, what woman in her right mind, would not love to be loved like that?
Nourished and cherished, just as Christ loved the Church and died for her.
To be loved as Mary loved Jesus.
“But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.
…but His mother Mary kept all these things in her heart” (Lk. 2.19, 51).
She kept all the words spoken about Him, and she kept Him in her heart.
To cherish and nourish Him for the work He had been called to do.
“For no one ever hated his own flesh,
but nourishes and cherishes it, just as
the Lord does the church” (Eph. 5.29).
This kind of love fosters security.
This kind of love fosters mutual love.
This kind of love benefits both participants.
This kind of love is what both are commanded to give and live:
“Love suffers long and is kind;
love does not envy;
love does not parade itself,
is not puffed up;
does not behave rudely,
does not seek its own,
is not provoked,
thinks no evil;
does not rejoice in iniquity,
but rejoices in the truth;
bears all things,
believes all things,
hopes all things,
endures all things.
Love never fails” (1 Cor. 13.4-8).
Truly, what marriage would ever fail if that kind of love prevailed?
Reflection
1. What are some keys to learning to love others as we love ourselves?
2. What are some things that can keep us from fulfilling that commandment?
3. What would you suggest as ways of improving our ability to love others as we love ourselves?
Marriage was appointed by God on the condition that the two should be one flesh; and that this unity may be the more sacred, he again recommends it to our notice by the consideration of Christ and his church. John Calvin (1509-1564) Commentary on Ephesians 5.28
Pray Psalm 103.19-22.
Pray that God will lead you to delight in His Word and to serve Him this day, whatever He requires of you.
Sing Psalm 103.19-22.
(Old 100th:Â All Creatures That on Earth Do Dwell)
He rules upon His throne in heav’n;Â
His sovereign rule o’er all is giv’n.
You angels, bless the LORD, rejoice,Â
who live in strength to heed His voice.
All you who serve Him, bless the LORD,
all you who heed His righteous Word!
Let all throughout the cosmos whole
unite to praise Him, with my soul!
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest: In our ReVision series on “The Kingdom Economy” we are looking at the role of culture in the Kingdom economy. Our Read Moore podcast is working through The Gospel of the Kingdom to learn what the Kingdom is and what it means. Our Crosfigell teaching letter begins a brief study of Coemgen of Glendalough. Check out our other excellent writers. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
