Eckhardt's Homiletisches Reallexikon, 1907–1917

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Essays. Portraits of women from the Old Testament. Can. 1906. Woman. 1. Qualities of a woman, as described in Scripture. a. How she should not be. She should not be quarrelsome. Prov. 19:13: a quarrelsome wife is a continual dropping. 27:15. 25:24: It is better to sit in a corner of the housetop than with a quarrelsome woman in a wide house. 25:19; talkative. Sir. 25:26. A garrulous wife is to a quiet man like a sandy road going uphill is to an old man (one gets nowhere); fond of finery. Women may indeed adorn themselves with modest clothing, 1 Tim. 2:9, but they should avoid all vain love of finery. 1 Pet. 3:3-4: whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, etc.; given to drink. Sir. 26:11. A drunken wife is a great plague; prone to anger. Sir. 25:21. There is no anger so bitter as a woman's anger; jealous. Jealousy is a passion that seeks with zeal what brings suffering; Ma. 5, 335. unwomanly. b. How she should be. She should be diligent. Prov. 12:4: A diligent wife is a crown to her husband. 31:27. The blessing of a diligent wife: food shall not be lacking, 31:11; she is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar, 31:14; her whole household has double garments, 31:21; she considers a field and buys it, 31:16, 15; clean. Her adornment is that she is clean and diligent. Prov. 31:25; kind. A kind wife delights her husband. Sir. 26:16; sensible. Sir. 26:16; wise. Through wise women the house is built. Prov. 14:1; merciful. She stretches out her hands to the poor. Prov. 31:20. By the labor of her hands she can do much good for the poor; well brought up. A well brought-up wife is beyond price. Sir. 25:18; chaste. There is nothing dearer on earth than a chaste wife. Sir. 26:19-20. A woman without discipline is like a sow with a golden ring in her snout. Prov. 11:22; thrifty. She makes a garment and sells it, etc. Prov. 31:24; domestic. A domestic wife is a joy to her husband. Sir. 26:2. Examples: Prov. 31:13. O. 1906, 15. 19. 22. 24. 21. Sarah in the tent. Gen. 18, 42; hospitable. 2 Kings 4:8-17. The Shunammite woman; virtuous. He to whom a virtuous wife is given, she is far nobler than the costliest pearls. Prov. 31:10. Sir. 26:1: Blessed is he that has a virtuous wife, for the number of his days shall be doubled. 26:21. A virtuous wife is an ornament in her house; God-fearing. To be lovely and fair is nothing; a woman that fears the Lord, she shall be praised; godly. A fair wife that remains godly is like the bright lamp upon the holy lampstand. — What good is a clean wife, if she is godless! — A wife should before all things follow after Christ.

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2. Portraits of women. Abigail. W. 86, 50-51. Athaliah. 2 Kings 11:1. Can. 1906, 17. Deborah. Stöckh. A. T. 180-181. Dinah. Can. 1906, 26. Eve. Can. 1906, 8-12. Jezebel. Can. 1906, 16. Peninnah. 1 Sam. 1. Can. 1906, 13. Rahab. Can. 1906, 17. Rebekah. 24. Ruth. 20. Sarah. S. 1906, 12. Can. 1906, 26. Zeresh. Can. 1906, 14. Tabitha. Acts 9:36. Stöckh. N. T. 362. Ma. 6, 12. Potiphar's wife, Jeroboam's wife. Can. 1906, 12. 15. Samson's mother. 22. The widow of Zarephath. Can. 1906, 18. Il. 1903, 29. The Shunammite woman. Jo. 1906, 34-35. Can. 1906, 21. The little Israelite maid in the service of Naaman's wife. Can. 1906, 23. Note a. Evil examples: Athaliah, Delilah, Job's mocking wife, Herodias, Jezebel, Michal. Note b. Good examples: Abigail, 1 Sam. 25:18. The Canaanite woman, Deborah, Judg. 4:4, 9. Elisabeth, Luke 1:6. Esther, Esth. 2:17. Hannah, 1 Sam. 1:11. Lydia, Acts 16:14. Mary, Luke 1:28. Martha and Mary, Luke 10:38. The Samaritan woman, John 4. Note c. Lutheran pastors' wives. Paul Gerhardt's wife. Luth. 63, 89. Gertrud Egede, missionary's wife. Luth. 63, 328. The wife of Johann Mathesius. Luth. 62, 56. Luther's wife.

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3. The wife's position toward her husband. The wife should a. be a helper to her husband. Gen. 2:18-20; b. fear her husband. Eph. 5:33. No servile fear is meant here, but reverence; c. be subject and obedient. Eph. 5:22, 21: Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. Col. 3:18. Sir. 9:2. See Married Couples, § 2b. Note a. This seems hard, but is nothing but love. He who loves, serves. Note b. Even our reason tells us that there must be a head in the family. Note c. There is no equality in practice either. Either the husband rules or the wife rules. Note d. Hence also the custom that women appear in church with covered head. 1 Cor. 11:1-16. Note e. Especially in our country there is great danger for a man to become henpecked. Note f. The word "obey" is more and more being struck from the marriage form. Note g. Objection: this holds only for barbarous times. Note h. Among the Romans, to be sure, the wife was nothing but a slave.

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4. The position of the wife in the congregation. a. Women too occupy an important position in the congregation. They can do much for the congregation, often exercise great influence, and have sometimes furthered the affairs of the kingdom of God better than the men. Note a. In the apostolic congregations many women are mentioned by name. Note b. Women too are spiritual priests and should do everything that belongs to the spiritual priesthood: teach, admonish, comfort, baptize in cases of necessity. b. But in the congregational assembly the women should keep silence. 1 Cor. 14:33-34. The public preaching office too is denied them. They are not to instruct the men, but to be subject. 1 Tim. 2:12: But I suffer not a woman to teach. Note a. The calling of female schoolteachers does not violate this prohibition. They may teach children. Yet here too a congregation should examine whether the person is suited to it, and should not forget that trained men can accomplish more in this. Objection 1. In the Old and New Testament, women too carried on God's work, e.g., Miriam, Deborah, Priscilla. — They were inspired to this by God. Objection 2. 1 Cor. 11:5: But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth. — Praying, including public joining in prayer and singing, was not forbidden to women. And when the Spirit gave them prophecy (Acts 21:9), that was not a teaching of men out of their own wisdom and Christian experience. God can speak through whomever he will. Objection 3. Paul's words are not binding. Objection 4. We now live in another age. If Paul lived today, he would not speak so. Note. Methodists too have already appealed to 1 Tim. 2:8-9: in like manner also, that women. Full stop. Answer. The sects let women speak in church, indeed give them seat and vote in the congregation and at conferences, and even appoint women themselves as pastors. (Universalists and others.)

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5. Emancipation of woman. Today's modern woman wants out of her calling, out of the nursery; she presses toward the speaker's platform, toward the ballot box. Note a. Already the modern daughters do nothing but play the piano, make music, paint, swim, dance, learn Latin, and understand no housework. Note b. Just as little as one can turn all the wild rose-bushes in the land into oak trees, or all cats into dogs, just as little can one turn woman into man. Note c. Thereby family life is destroyed. Note d. Woman's calling is in the home. 1 Tim. 2:15. She has the right to work, to love, to pray, to raise the young, etc. Note e. There is no more precious calling than that of faithful mothers who watch over their children. Isa. 49:15: Can a woman forget her sucking child? Her works and her service are held glorious before God.

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6. Woman suffrage. Woman suffrage in the state is the goal of many women. Note. This goal is promoted by the Pope. 7. The blessing of a Christian wife. A Christian wife brings blessing into the house, is a joy to her husband, and makes him a fine, quiet life, Sir. 26:2, delights her husband, refreshes his heart, 26:16; her husband's heart may safely trust in her, Prov. 31:11, she does him good and not evil, 31:12. Note a. This blessing passes over to husband and children. Her husband is known in the gates. Prov. 31:23. Her sons rise up and call her blessed. 31:28. Note b. Ps. 128:3 compares a godly wife to a fruitful vine. The vine is the ornament of the house. Not wealth, not beautiful household furnishings, but she herself, the wife, is the ornament of the house; 2. clings closely to the house, is grown together with the house. Domesticity; 3. brings glorious fruit. Note c. As a vine, therefore, not as an oak tree, should one treat a wife: cherish her, tend her, protect her, deal with her gently and tenderly. 8. Application. a. for the wife. Every wife should examine herself, how far the praise which Scripture gives to woman applies to her, and should seek to draw ever nearer to this appointed goal. — Even the best wife must be ashamed before this picture of a Christian wife; b. for the husband. A husband should 1. be careful in the choice of a wife. Beauty does not matter. Be not deceived by a woman's beauty. Sir. 25:27. Beautiful women have deceived many. 25:9. Wealth does not matter. If the wife makes the husband rich, there is nothing but strife. 25:28. 2. be thankful when he has found a Christian wife. A godly wife is a gift of God. Sir. 26:3: a noble gift. Prov. 19:14. A sensible wife is from the Lord. 31:10: bestowed. Such a wife one should treasure. Note. The wife God has given us is in every case the best one for us. Homiletics. Ps. 128:3. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine. This is important for the husband. — Ma. 10, 236. The praise God's word gives to a Christian housewife. To what use should this serve both spouses? — Ma. 6, 145. He to whom a virtuous wife is given, she is far nobler than the costliest pearls. Application a. for the woman, b. for the man. — Ma. 1. Luke 8:1-3. The blessed calling of Christian women according to the content of our text. a. They follow Jesus, b. they minister to him of their substance. — Ma. 31.