Message Six: The Weaker, Female Vessel and the Hidden Man of the Heart


	Message Six: The Weaker, Female Vessel and the Hidden Man of the Heart The Husbands Dwelling with Their Wives According to Knowledge Now we come to the topic of "the weaker, female vessel." These are the words Peter uses when he tells the husbands how they should care for their wives. However, it is also healthy for the sisters to have this realization about themselves. "Husbands, in like manner dwell together with them according to knowledge, as with the weaker, female vessel, assigning honor to them as also to fellow heirs of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered" (1 Pet. 3:7). All of the husbands have to realize that their wives are much different than they are. A brother must dwell with his wife according to knowledge. He must realize that his wife is a weaker vessel. Every husband desires that his wife would support him and stand with him. But a husband must learn to live with his wife according to knowledge. This verse in the Bible seems to release the wife from all of her responsibilities. 1 Peter. 3:7 says that the husbands should not expect anything from their wives. Instead, they should only love their wives. They should realize that their wives are weaker vessels. Husbands must live with their wives according to knowledge because the wives are a weaker vessel. This means that the husband should not expect so much from the wife, but the wife has the right to expect everything from her husband. A husband has no right to require anything of his wife. He must live with his wife together in the family according to knowledge. This means that he must have the best judgment in how to take care of her. Peter makes it clear that all the females are weaker vessels. Not only are the wives weaker, but every sister is weaker. As long as you are a sister, you are a weaker vessel. The term "weaker vessel" may seem offensive or even insulting. However, if the sisters realize what it really means then they will appreciate the Bible's use of this term. Why does Peter have to stress that the female vessel is weaker? The reason is so that the sisters may be relieved from all the pressures they put upon themselves. We will come back to this understanding later in the message. Peter then goes on to say to the husbands, "Assigning honor to them as also to fellow heirs of the grace of life." All of the husbands must render their wives honor. "Honor" in the Bible is a very specific term. We think that as believers we must honor Christ, but here it tells us that the brothers need to honor their wives. For the husbands to honor their wives means that they respect and pay the proper attention to them. When a husband dishonors his wife he actually dishonors himself. Husbands must learn to honor their wives. Husbands and Wives are Fellow Heirs of the Grace of Life Peter calls the husbands and wives "fellow heirs of the grace of life." The wives are fellow heirs of the grace of life with their husbands. According to this word, all the grace of life that the husband receives must be co-received with his wife. Every husband, when he experiences grace, must realize that the reason he can have the enjoyment of grace is because of the help of his dear wife. And the enjoyment of grace he receives is not for himself alone, but must be brought to his wife for her to share in it together. When a married brother receives some grace of life he should not use it to exalt himself and think that he is more spiritual than his wife. The grace of life he receives must be shared with his wife. She is the fellow heir of the grace of life with her husband. For the same reason, it is not healthy for a sister to be overly prevailing while her husband is weak. It is healthy for the wife to exercise to be in the Lord's presence, but it is not healthy for the wife to be overly prevailing. If she is too prevailing she becomes a "star." If she is caring for a lot of church things, yet her husband has nothing to do, this shows that her life does not come through her husband. Her receiving of the grace of life is not through being a fellow heir, but rather through her individual laboring. According to the Bible, the sisters are the weaker vessel. When they receive the abundance of life, this life should be received through their dear husband. Peter concludes this portion by saying, "that your prayers may not be hindered." If a husband doesn't share the grace of life that he enjoys with his wife, his prayers will be hindered. This word "hindered" is used in Galatians. "You were running well. Who hindered you that you would not believe and obey the truth?" (Gal. 5:7). In this section of Galatians, in the midst of all the positive things, there was one negative element. This negative element spoiled all the positive things. If a husband doesn't know how to be with his wife according to knowledge, how to treat her as the weaker vessel, how to render her honor, and how to receive the grace of life together with her as a joint heir, then his prayers will be hindered. All of the positive things in his pursuit of the Lord will not matter. The Lord will not answer his prayers. Any brother who has a proper understanding of this verse will be blessed, because he knows how to receive more life in the Lord's presence. This will uplift the family life. We must pay our attention to how Peter talked about the sisters. Sisters, according to the Bible, you are the "weaker, female vessel." This means that according to the Bible you are not supposed to be so prevailing, so strong, so high, or so wonderful. The term "weaker female" should completely overturn your concept of being a prevailing sister. Did you ever realize that the Bible has not required you to be prevailing? When you are prevailing it should only be because you have received the grace of life. You are the fellow heir of the grace of life with your husband. The Bible desires that you receive the grace of life with your husband or through your husband, and not by yourself. Your husband must be the source of the life you enjoy. The sisters must have this realization. They are the weaker, female vessel, and they are fellow heirs of the grace of life with their husbands. Sisters are "Weaker" Because They are So Strong What does the Bible really mean when it says that the sisters are "weaker vessels"? The sisters are "weaker" because they are actually more than strong. Sisters can be strong to the point of dryness and deadness, but still think that they are strong. This is why they are "weak." There are other aspects of being weak, but this is the primary one. Sisters are weak because they are actually more than strong. We can see this from many examples in the Bible. The Example of Leah and Rachel One of the best examples of sisters being the weaker vessel is from the book of Genesis, in the portion concerning Jacob and his wives. This is a very interesting portion which we will examine verse by verse. Jacob was the most capable person in the whole Bible, but after he married his two wives, Leah and Rachel, he became incapable and powerless. He couldn't do anything except be "played around" by his two wives. According to the Bible, Jacob planned to marry Rachel, but was tricked by his uncle Laban into marrying her sister Leah first. Eventually he had to work fourteen years for both wives, seven years for Leah and seven years for Rachel. These two sisters were very different from one another. "And Leah's eyes were dull, but Rachel was beautiful in form and beautiful in appearance. And Jacob loved Rachel..." (Gen. 29:17-18a). Some interpret Leah's dull eyes to mean that she was not smart. Because her eyes were dull and did not show any life, it could mean that she did not have much wisdom. Rachel, on the other hand, is described as a beautiful person. In the New Testament there is a verse which says, "A voice in Ramah was heard, weeping and great lamentation: Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be comforted, because they are no more" (Matt. 2:18). This indicates that Rachel was also a tender person in her humanity. If one wife was not so smart, and the other wife was so tender and affectionate, it doesn’t seem like Jacob should have had so many problems. However, as we read through this portion we will see how strong the sisters were. "Now when Jehovah saw that Leah was hated, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. And Leah conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, Because Jehovah has looked upon my affliction, surely now my husband will love me" (Gen. 29:31-32). The name "Reuben" means "See! a son." Here Jacob was fully controlled by Leah, so that he was not even allowed to name his own son. This was due to the fact that Leah was a weaker vessel. She was weak because of her strength. Every time she bore a child, we see how dominating she was. " And she conceived again and bore a son and said, Because Jehovah has heard that I am hated, He has therefore given me this son also; so she called his name Simeon" (v. 33) The name "Simeon" means "hearing." Leah named her son based on her realization that Jacob preferred Rachel to her. With this verse we see the developing competition between Leah and Rachel in producing children. "And she conceived again and bore a son and said, Now this time my husband will be joined to me, because I have borne three sons. Therefore his name was called Levi" (v. 34). "Levi" means "united." "And she conceived again and bore a son and said, This time I will praise Jehovah. Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she ceased bearing" (v. 35). The name "Judah" means "praise." Finally Leah was reminded that the Lord was there with her. She praised the Lord and called her son’s name Judah. After this Leah stopped bearing children. This may have been a discipline from the Lord, to see whether she could still praise Him if she bore no more children. It could also mean that Leah had given up trying to win her husband by bearing children. Leah was brought to just having the Lord alone. Because she ceased her effort and turned to the Lord, this issued in praise. After Leah stopped bearing, Rachel entered into the competition. "And when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister and said to Jacob, Give me children, or else I die" (Gen. 30:1). Now we see what Peter meant when he said that sisters are the weaker vessel. "And Jacob’s anger burned against Rachel, and he said, Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?" (v. 2). In other words, Jacob was saying, "I’m not God. What can I do?" Sisters, consider how many times you have told your husband just about the same thing. How many times have you pushed your husband to the place where he had to tell you, "I am not God. What can I do?" Again, this is why the sisters are weaker. Here with Rachel and Leah, we see how strong they are. We can see their stubbornness, their competitiveness, and their envy. "And she said, Here is my servant Bilhah; go in to her, that she may bear upon my knees and that I also may have children through her. And she gave him Bilhah her female servant as a wife, and Jacob went in to her" (v. 3-4). Rachel basically said to Jacob, "If you don’t have a way, I have a way." Jacob went along with it. What kind of Jacob is this? Wasn’t Jacob so cunning and so capable? He knew how to cheat his brother and his father. He knew how to wrestle with God and prevail. He knew how to do everything, except how to handle his wives. This shows that a sister is the weaker vessel by being so strong. Jacob himself was also strong, yet with his wives, he couldn’t do anything. He didn’t even try to fight. In this case he just did what Rachel said and went to her servant Bilhah. "And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. And Rachel said, God has judged me, and has also heard my voice and given me a son; therefore she called his name Dan" (v. 5-6). The name "Dan" means "judge." Rachel named her son "Dan" as if to say, "The Lord has heard my prayer." "And Bilhah Rachel’s female servant conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. And Rachel said, In wrestling with God, I have wrestled with my sister and have prevailed; so she called his name Naphtali" (v. 7-8). "Naphtali" means "my wrestling." We can see how competitive and complicated these sisters were. Even the names of their children were chosen according to their competition with one another. Eventually Leah came back into the competition. She picked up the idea of using her female servant the way Rachel was using hers. "Now when Leah saw that she ceased bearing, she took Zilpah her female servant and gave her to Jacob as a wife. And Zilpah Leah’s female servant bore Jacob a son" (v. 9-10). Jacob never fought, he never argued, and he never said anything. He never even had the right to name one of his sons. The sisters did everything. "And Leah said, How fortunate! So she called his name Gad [which means ‘fortune’]. And Zilpah Leah’s female servant bore Jacob a second son. And Leah said, Happy am I! For the daughters will call me blessed; so she called his name Asher" (v. 11-13). "Asher" means "happy" or "blessed." Now the story becomes even more peculiar. "And Reuben went out in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes. And she said to her, Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? And would you take away my son’s mandrakes also? So Rachel said, Then he may lie with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes" (v. 14-15). Actually, Rachel was the wife that Jacob had wanted from the beginning. Rachel could have argued that she was Jacob’s legitimate wife. Jacob married Leah only because he was tricked by Laban. Jacob simply took Leah and worked another seven years for Rachel. For Leah to say to Rachel, "Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband?" is not quite accurate. But these two sisters never acknowledged their mistakes. They made many mistakes, but they never confessed because they were so stubborn and competitive. With this story about the mandrakes they were fighting over such small issues. Rachel and Leah took any excuse to fight and compete with one another. What use is it to fight over mandrakes? Yet these sisters made it such an issue. Of course, they didn’t really care so much about mandrakes. They were simply weaker vessels who liked to fight over small issues. "So Rachel said, Then he may lie with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes" (v. 15b). Rachel promised a bribe to Leah. These sisters knew how to do things very skillfully. Rachel was smart. She wanted the mandrakes and knew how to manage the situation. She allowed Leah to be with Jacob that night. "And Jacob came from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him and said, You must come in to me, for I have surely hired you with my son’s mandrakes. So he lay with her that night" (v. 16). Jacob was such an unfortunate husband. He had worked all day, and when he came home he could have no rest. His wives had already decided everything for him. How can a husband be traded for some mandrakes? This was a cheap and peculiar trade. Jacob may have thought, "What are you talking about? If I want to come to you, I will. If I don’t want to come to you, I won’t. What do you mean you have hired me with your son’s mandrakes?" Mandrakes are just a small thing. However, Jacob gave in to his wives. The Characteristics of a Weaker Vessel This story shows us what it is for sisters to be the weaker vessel. What does it mean for a human vessel to be "weaker"? It includes being insistent, stubborn, competitive, dominating, and self-exalting. We can see this with Rachel and Leah. They never consulted their husband. They never prayed before the Lord. They were always declaring, "Now I got it!" Their competitiveness, stubbornness, manipulation, and self-exaltation proved that they were weaker vessels. Up to this point in the story Jacob did not even pick one name for any of his sons. Once they were born, even after they grew up, whenever Jacob would call one of his sons by name it would remind him of the difficulties he went through with his wives. For instance, when Bilhah bore a son, Rachel named him "Naphtali" because she had prevailed over Leah. Every time Jacob would call for Naphtali he would be reminded of how his wives were wrestling with one another. We might ask how could Jacob go through such a thing. Jacob would probably tell us, "I dwelt with my wives according to knowledge. I learned that they were weaker vessels." When we read this portion about Jacob and his wives in Genesis it almost makes us laugh. What kind of story is this? What kind of family life is this? And where was Jacob, the head of the household? All that we know about Jacob is that he was in the field working to support the family. But this portion surely tells us the real situation that all of us are facing. All of the sisters are just like what this story describes. It is hard for them to let go of things. Leah felt that Rachel had taken her husband. Rachel felt that Leah was not legally married to Jacob, because it was a trick from their father Laban. Leah felt that she could win by bearing a lot of sons. Rachel felt, "If I don’t have a son I’m going to die." These two sisters never made peace with each other. They never had a truce. They were always competing, fighting, and struggling, and they never let go. Now we can understand why Peter would say that sisters are weaker vessels. It is because they are so much stronger than all the brothers. Dear sisters, please take this word with grace. A sister may seem to be tender, but only time will tell. Sisters who are not married may behave so tenderly and sweetly. But once they are married they can "swallow up" their husbands. Very few wives are afraid of their husbands as much as their husbands are afraid of them. Why? Because the sisters are the weaker vessel. This means that they have to "make it." If they don’t make it they will still do everything they can to make it. If they do everything they can and still don’t make it then they will force their husbands to be God so they can make it. This shows how weak sisters really are. They are weak to the point of no sensation, no consideration, no proper judgment, except to just do whatever they have in their heart. This is why the husbands need knowledge in dwelling with them. To be weak does not necessarily mean being unable to bear some weight or carry out a certain responsibility. If this were the case, then the brothers are also weak. In many ways a brother is weaker than a sister. For example, a brother usually cannot tolerate cooking three meals a day while simultaneously taking care of the children. It’s too much for him. There are many things a male cannot do which a female can do. Men and women are different according to God’s creation. The weakness of the sister is mainly with the female disposition. A sister has a very special female disposition. That disposition is what causes Peter to say that a sister is the "weaker, female vessel." For example, suppose a sister has a beautiful and expensive diamond ring. This can easily cause other sisters to be jealous. Why would sisters care so much about a piece of diamond? Because of competition and self-exaltation. Sisters often desire to have the very best. This is true of such things as clothes and hairstyles. These things can bring the sisters into a kind of competition. Spiritually, it is also the same. It is much easier for a brother to appreciate the spiritual qualities of other brothers than for a sister to appreciate the spiritual qualities of other sisters. Suppose there is a service meeting with several brothers and sisters, and the meeting begins with some prayer. Then one of the leading brothers compliments a certain sister for her prayer and uses it as an example. It is likely that the other sisters will then have a difficult time for the rest of the meeting. The brothers will have no problem, but the sisters will be frustrated. This is what it means to be "weaker." With this kind of competitive disposition it can be difficult for sisters to grow. Sisters, do you realize that all this is within you? Not only is there the insisting, persisting, competing, self-exalting, and dominating nature. There is also the narrowness, the smallness, and the difficulty in forgiving offenses. Sisters get offended easily, and once they get offended they won’t let it go. They will remember for months, or even years. Being a weaker vessel greatly affects your following of the Lord. To be a weaker vessel means that your growth in life may be limited. Sisters can only care for so much. Generally speaking, they are usually smaller than the brothers. To be small is to be narrow, and to be narrow causes a person to be occupied with many things. If you can only remember all the unpleasant things everyday, then where is the place for Christ? Where is the enjoyment of the Lord? Where is the church life? Where are the riches of the Word? There is little room for them, because your whole person is already occupied with the improper things. This is why being a weaker vessel can be a frustration in your following of the Lord. Too Much Pressure Can Cause the Sisters to Become "Idle" Now we will look at Paul’s words concerning sisters in 1 Timothy. "But younger widows refuse; for when they follow their passions in disregard of Christ, they desire to marry, and thus have condemnation because they have set aside their first pledge. And at the same time they also learn to be idle, going around from house to house; and they are not only idle but also gossips and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not" (1 Tim. 5:11-13). Paul is talking about widows, but the principle of "learning to be idle" can be applied to the sisters in general. Whenever there is competition, people sometimes prefer to be idle. Brothers have more ability to turn competition into something positive. Sisters usually have more difficulty. If brothers compete to read the Bible three times in a year then they will do their best to make it. But for sisters such competition can become a real pressure. When sisters start to think, "Can I make it? Can I do more?" then they become pressured. Once they get pressured, what can they do? They become idle, because the idleness relaxes them. Yet even though sisters can be idle, they can also wander from house to house. This is peculiar. We would think that when sisters are so competitive they wouldn't see each other. But sisters can be so close to each other, yet so competitive at the same time. When sisters become competitive they may even go to each others' homes more often. This is why Paul warns them about being idle. The reason sisters become idle is because they are pressured. By the Lord's mercy the sisters need to realize, "I'm a weaker vessel. I don't need to be so prevailing. Lord, I give up my desire for self-exaltation. I drop my complications." Then the idleness will be gone. We may think that it is when we are competitive that we will follow the Lord, but this is not the case. Being competitive causes us to be pressured, which in turn makes us idle. We have seen that sisters can be saturated with complications, self-exaltation, and a desire to dominate. They can be saturated with the desire to win the victory over things, over persons, and over matters. At the same time they can be so narrow, so small, and so unforgiving. They cannot forget all the wrong things and all the wrong doings, not only from others, but even from themselves. Yet they also desire to be so high and prevailing. In the church life this can cause them to be so pressured and complicated that the only way for them to survive is to become "idle." To be idle isn't necessarily healthy, but at least it relieves the anxiety sisters feel. Otherwise there might be no way to handle all the pressure. Many sisters come to the church life and after a couple of years they don't know how to handle it anymore. It's just too much for them. Every time they hear about another sister bringing someone to the Lord, or giving a good testimony, or getting some light in the Bible, it becomes a pressure to them. Dear sisters, you should realize that it is easy for you to be in anxiety. Brothers are better at handling tension. They can handle many, many things and still sleep well. But with sisters, when yet another thing comes it is easy to get bothered and frustrated. It is also easy to consider how to "win" in the situation, how to do something or say something, or even how to use the situation for self-gain. Then it is difficult to let it go. Your whole person can become consumed. Then will you still have any heart for the Lord, or for the church, or for the real growth in life? It seems almost impossible. Letting Go of the Pressure and Being Occupied with Positive Things Sisters, by the Lord's grace, try to let go of the pressure. Don't be competitive. If someone else brings people to Christ, be happy. If someone else gives a good testimony, then praise the Lord. If another sisters grows, just enjoy it. Then you will not be in danger of what Paul talks about. You will not become idle. You will not become someone wandering from house to house, saying things you ought not to say. Once the pressure is gone your whole person can be occupied with positive things, such as to pray and to serve. In what way can the sisters be so healthy in the church life? Dear sisters, you just need to be before the Lord. Drop all the thoughts about being prevailing, such as, "I can be a certain kind of sister," "I can have a certain kind of usefulness," or "I can do a certain kind of thing for the Lord." On the contrary, just come to the Lord's presence. Simply tell the Lord, "Lord, have mercy on me, because I'm a weaker, female vessel. I realize that I am always trying to exalt myself. I am always competitive, I am always dominating, and I am always trying to gain something for myself. And because I'm a weaker vessel I can be so narrow and so small. I just can’t forget or let go of certain things. Lord, I really need Your mercy. I want to let go of all the unnecessary pressure. I want to be free from all my complications. Lord, cause me to be occupied with only the healthy and positive things." Realizing that you are the weaker vessel will cause you to be guarded. Whenever self-exaltation rises up within you, you should tell yourself, "Be careful." Whenever you begin to be skillful in trying to influence or dominate your husband, your should remind yourself, "I’m a weaker vessel. Be careful." Suppose you often find out that you did something wrong, out of competition, envying, or jealousy. Then just realize, "I’m a weaker vessel." You don’t need to be pressured or feel condemned. Instead, learn to tell the Lord, "Lord, I realize that I’m a weaker vessel. I need Your mercy to know how to exercise myself in the church life." Being the weaker vessel doesn’t legitimatize purposely exercising to be weak. It doesn’t mean to go back to tell your husband, "Praise the Lord, I’m weaker. Don’t you know this? You need the grace of life." You can’t say this. On the contrary, you have to be very careful before the Lord. When you have such a guarding, then you will also have a proper exercise. You will exercise to pray, to serve, to love the Lord, and to care for the church. Husbands Being Gained by the Pure Manner of Life of Their Wives After going through this section of verses from Paul in 1 Timothy, we should still come back to Peter for some encouragement. 1 Peter 3:1-2 says, "In like manner, wives, be subject to your own husbands, that even if any disobey the word, they will be gained without the word through the manner of life of their wives, seeing with their own eyes your pure manner of life in fear." In other words, if you have a husband and your husband doesn’t believe in the Lord or love the Lord, there is no need to worry. You should still learn to be subject to your husband. Of course, that is under the condition that your husband will not frustrate you from loving the Lord. If your husband tells you, "Be subject to me. Let’s go to the gambling place," you have to say "no." This is not the proper headship, so you don’t have to go along with it. Being subject is really a matter of attitude. Here, your attitude is to always respect your husband. Then even if your husband does not have the word, he will be gained by your conduct as his wife. This is a very encouraging verse. Peter would say, "Sisters, I’m telling the husbands that you are weaker vessels, but I’m not telling that to you. Forget about whether you’re a weaker vessel or not. To you, dear sisters, I only tell you, learn to be simple, and be subject to your husbands." The husbands will see with their own eyes the pure conduct of their wives. A husband can witness his wife’s pure manner of life. Notice that Peter pays attention to a sister’s daily life. He uses this illustration to say, "Even if your husband is not saved, don’t worry. He will witness how you live at home. Your conduct, your conversation, and your purity will eventually gain him." The Hidden Man of the Heart: The Incorruptible Adornment of a Meek and Quiet Spirit The next group of verses in this chapter is precious for the sisters. "Let your adorning not be the outward plaiting of hair and putting on of gold or clothing with garments, but the hidden man of the heart in the incorruptible adornment of a meek and quiet spirit, which is very costly in the sight of God" (1 Pet. 3:3-4). Peter says that if you want to have a proper daily life, then don't be preoccupied with your hair, with gold, or with your apparel. Drop your consideration for all these things. Then Peter makes a statement which is just not in our concept. "Let your adorning be the hidden man of the heart." Sisters, do you realize that although you are the weaker, female vessel, yet within you there is a "hidden man"? This hidden man is the incorruptible adornment of a meek and quiet spirit. Just consider, of all the things mentioned earlier concerning Leah and Rachel, what was lacking in them? They had no meekness. Both of them were filled with envying, jealousy, fighting, competition, and self-exaltation, but no meekness. Then also consider, of all the things that Paul mentioned in 1 Timothy about idle sisters wandering from house to house, what was missing? Quietness. The idle sisters were gossips and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not. So here Peter says, "Do you realize, sisters, that although you are limited, within you there is a hidden man? This hidden man is a meek and quiet spirit. Let your adornment be this hidden man." In other words, let people see something come out of you. What should come out of you? A meek and quiet spirit. What is it to be meek? It is to be not offended, and always receiving. What is it to be quiet? It is to have no complaining, no murmuring, and no gossiping. This very spirit is the hidden man of the heart, which is incorruptible. Peter would say to the sisters, "Stop paying your attention to the outward things, like your hair, and gold, and clothes. Stop paying your attention to what fits you, what spoils you, what decorates you, and what exalts you. Drop these things, and just pay your attention to what is inward. Within you there is a hidden man of the heart, a meek and quiet spirit. Let that inward person live out of you. Let that be your adornment, because such an adornment is incorruptible." Peter then concludes this portion by saying that a meek and quiet spirit is "very costly in the sight of God." Such an adornment is of a great price. Sisters should realize that they are so valuable and costly. But which sisters in particular? The sisters who know the hidden man of the heart, the sisters who have a meek and quiet spirit. This kind of sister, says Peter, is very costly in the sight of God. If you know how to exercise yourself according to the hidden man, then in this hidden man there is something incorruptible. There is meekness, and there is quietness. With this hidden man there is something of great price. Living out this hidden man makes you very precious in God’s sight. After speaking to the sisters, Peter can speak to the husbands. We have already read verse seven at the beginning of the message, but now we can come back to it with a different understanding. "Husbands, in like manner dwell together with them according to knowledge, as with the weaker, female vessel, assigning honor to them as also to fellow heirs of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered." As the sisters are exercising to live out the hidden man of the heart, the husbands need knowledge. Verse seven is not for the sisters to read and then say to their husbands, "You see? I’m a weaker vessel. I can do whatever I want. Just use your knowledge." Instead, sisters should pay attention to their hidden man of the heart, which is a meek and quiet spirit. Then Peter can tell the husbands, "You must dwell with your wife according to knowledge. Why? Because your wife is so precious. She is of great value in the sight of God." Concluding Word Just as Peter said, the sisters are very costly. They are of great price. This is one of the highest utterances in the Bible. When sisters are guarded by the realization that they are the weaker vessel, and when they pay attention to the hidden man of the heart by adorning themselves with a meek and quiet spirit, they become very costly and valuable in the sight of God. Sisters, if you see these matters, you will be much more relaxed and less pressured in your Christian life. You will also have much more enjoyment before the Lord, and will know how to walk and exercise properly in the church life. May the Lord have mercy. To purchase the book Sisters' Messages