# 40 Where the Buck Stops

The Book of Genesis Day 40 Ge 3:16 To the woman He said: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you." God’s judgment against Eve continues. Even though childbirth will bring great pain, she will have a tremendous attraction to her husband. The word “desire” here is found in the Old Testament three times. It means “stretching out after, a yearning, a longing. The Song of Solomon mentions this desire in Song 7:10, “I am my beloved's, And his desire is toward me.” Perhaps an even greater example of the intensity of this desire is found in Ge 4:7 "If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it." In this passage God warns Cain to rule over the desire that sin had for him. I don’t think I have to tell you how strong that desire is in our own lives, because temptation to sin is an almost constant companion longing to hold us captive. Oh, how it yearns to make us its own. Well, that’s the same kind of desire that God has placed in a woman’s heart for her husband. She will desire to “own” her husband, but God says in His very next breath, “sorry, Eve, but He shall rule over you.” What kind of “rule” are we talking about? The word “rule” here is the same word ascribed to the sun’s “rule” over daytime, and the kind of “rule” that Cain was supposed to exercise over sin. He was supposed to have the last say in the matter, and that’s the way it is for husbands and their role as spiritual heads of the household. The buck stops with them! This whole arrangement was set forth on this day when God judged Eve for her sin and is mentioned again in Eph 5:22,23, “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body”. Yes, the buck stops with men, but how we spend that buck matters to God! He says this: in Eph 5:25 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,” and in 1Pe 3:7, “ Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.” Reflect: Have you ever “yearned” for a glass of lemonade, tea, or soft drink on a hot day? What other kind of yearnings have you experienced? Is it easy or difficult to subdue these yearnings? Wives: How might you work out Eph 5:22 in your marriage? Husbands: How might you work out Eph 5:25? Pray: Father, Help us to overcome any yearnings that are contrary to Your Word, and help us to assume our roles in marriage in accordance with You