Yesterday we talked about the opposite attitudes of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and His enemy the devil. Satan was the anointed cherub. You can read the full description of his origin in Ezekiel 28:12-15.
Jude 1:6 tells us that God gave him a realm of authority. The word is “arche” and means principality, dignity, power, and rule. He had his own sphere of rulership, but was not content. Instead, he grasped at that which didn’t belong to him.
We see a warning to us in this Scripture. God has given to women a sphere where we have the privilege to rule and to reign. We admit that we love to rule over something, don’t we? Yes, it is inherent. I believe it comes from the very beginning where God told Adam and Eve to “be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth,” but also to “subdue and take dominion.”
We go to the New Testament 1 Timothy 5:14 and read that God’s plan for the younger women is to “marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.” The words “guide the house” literally mean to manage (to rule and reign in the home). The Greek word is “oikodespoteo.”
Now that doesn’t mean we rule our husbands. It means that we have a sphere to manage and rule well. It is in this realm that we live in the glory God intends for us. We also must keep the right attitude and embrace the realm God has given to us. It is not significant. It is not subservient. It is a place of managership and productivity. It is our glory.
Satan comes to tempt us with the same attitude that resulted in his downfall. He makes us discontent. He wants us to grasp after other areas of rulership that God does not intend for us.
Let’s read some different translations to get more understanding.
GOODSPEED: “the angels who NEGLECTED THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES and ABANDONED THEIR HOMES.”
ESV: “the angels who did not stay within their OWN POSITION OF AUTHORITY, but left their proper dwelling.”
Berean: “the angels who did not STAY WITHIN THEIR OWN DOMAIN, but ABANDONED their proper dwelling.”
HCSB: “the angels who did not KEEP THEIR OWN POSITION but DESERTED their proper dwelling.”
KNOX: “The angels, too, who LEFT THE PLACE ASSIGNED TO THEM, instead of keeping their due order.”
Embrace your God-anointed sphere. It is your queendom.
Blessings to you today,
Nancy Campbell
Painting by Robert Coombs. Isn’t this the most beautiful painting?