Men in the Household

Here’s an excerpt from Men in the Household, Robert W. Carver's contribution to the July issue of Tabletalk:

Let’s skip past lamenting the condition of the culture. I doubt readers need convincing. In reality, the Bible has never stopped cutting across the grain of a fallen world. In every age the church must re-root itself in the Scriptures to understand and apply the truth and continually ask, “What does God require of me?” For married men, that task is simple.

Interestingly, the Bible has surprisingly little to say about what husbands and fathers are supposed to be and do in a household. Yes, there’s a great deal we learn from both Old and New Testaments about God’s design for the family (Gen. 1–3), the blessing of family (Ps. 128), wise or better practices in families (Proverbs) and approved examples (Abraham, Job, Boaz). But many roles are taken for granted as ordinary: disciplining (Heb. 12:7–10), saving up (2 Cor. 12:14), providing food (Matt. 7:9–11), or encouraging (1 Thess. 2:11–12). These verses simply report what any decent father, converted or not, would do.

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