Today’s Family
Family is Precious, Save Your Family…Be A Good Husband
By Mr. Chiradeep Patra
Husbands are the head of the family as the Bible says. But when he loses his ability to recognize his roles as husband, loses that status. The Bible has taught us on different occasions and different issues. It gives guidelines for the husbands to follow by an wonderful example, i.e. Elkanah.
As a husband I admired Elkanah, because of the way he led his love life with Hanna. There were sorrows, sadness, jealousy, pride, desperation, and anger in the family. But the head of the family dealt with everything so wonderfully.
Let’s see 1 Samuel 1 and learn the characters of a good husband from Elkanah just reading the Bible verses, which are given below:
He was A God Fearing man (v. 3): Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the LORD Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the LORD. In today’s world husbands are so busy in their workplaces, sometimes they miss fellowship of family and even church.
He showed Love in Action (v. 5): But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the LORD had closed her womb. Showing ‘I love you’ in an action form can really comfort a sad wife and that’s what Elkanah did.
He was Concerned & Caring (v. 8a): Elkanah her husband would say to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted?” I can see the overwhelming concern and care of a husband for his wife, which is almost rare in today’s world.
He was open to express his emotion (v. 8b): ‘Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?’ I became emotional when I read this sentence. This statement indicates that how much Elkanah had loved his wife Hannah despite of her barrenness. He literally poured out his emotion before Hannah.
He was down to earth, Humble (v. 23): ‘Do what seems best to you,’ Elkanah her husband told her. ‘Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the LORD make good his word.’ So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had weaned him. In the whole chapter no where it’s written that ‘Elkanah suggested something’, ‘Elkanah ordered something’, ‘Elkanah asked something’. Rather we see a humble husband who loved his wife from the core of his heart. That’s why he could say to his wife that ‘do what seems best to you’. Wow! Incredible.
He Respected & Valued his wife’s decision (v. 23): “Do what seems best to you,” Elkanah her husband told her. “Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the LORD make good his word.” So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had weaned him. This verse also indicates that he valued his wife’s opinions, thinking. In Indian families it’s a rare phenomena.
Wow! What an amazing love story of a mere man, whose name has not even remembered anywhere in the Bible except this chapter or in comparison to Hannah. But his love for his wife sets a big example before the husbands of today’s busy world.
Chiradeep Patra
