Honor your wife
'He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD.'
(Proverbs 18:22)
I won't say that marriage falls under the '101s' of life due to its complexity.However, I think we should understand the meaning behind the passage of Proverbs 18:22 in a much serious context.
The man who finds a wife not only finds a good thing but also obtains favor from God.The wife comes with the favor of God. Favor is one of the key element that have turned the fortune of many for the better.
A man may come with vigor,energy and leadership but a wife comes with the favor of God. Understanding Proverbs 18:22 will more likely shape a man's treatment towards his wife.
Throughout the Bible, one of the 'master key' of unlocking the rewards from God and from each other is contained in 'honor'.
Honor often precedes the unlocking of rewards from God and from humans (this is part of 101s in the Bible). In Proverbs 3:9, the Bible explains how we should honor God.In Matthew 10:40-42, Jesus explains the correlation between rewards and the way we receive prophets, his diciples and the righteous. Following the same reasonning, I analyze Proverbs 18:22 by stating that a wife is a good thing and when a man treats and receives her as a good thing, he also receives and enjoys the favor of God.
Many men can retrace a sudden increase in their fortunes from the moment they met their wives and many other men can retrace the beginning of their misfortunes from the time they started mistreating their wives.
Following the reasonning presented by Jesus in Matthew 10:40-42, we can easily conclude that we will receive our rewards from prophets, the righteous and the disciples through the honor we give them.The opposite is also true:' we cannot receive a reward from someone we dishonor'.
As much as a man is a child of God, so is a woman and God cares for her as well.
In Malachi 2:10-16, God explains that He no longer looks with favor at the offerings of the Israelites men because of their unfaithfullness towards their wives. It is also interesting that God equates 'divorce' initiated by men as a form of violence. And the way God uses the word 'violence' shifts the meaning of the same term... Mistreatment towards a wife does not only include physical violence but is also inclusive of other forms of behavior that suppress the dignity and the honor of a wife.
And This is the verse that tops the cake on my thoughts concerning this subject:
'Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.'
(1 Peter 3:7)
God has already set a mechanism in favor of the wives: 'You honor your wife, you will experience the reward of a good thing. You mistreat your wife, your prayers will be hindered.'
I think enough has been said...
Just honor your wife.