Better to dwell in a corner of a housetop, than in a house shared with a contentious woman. (Proverbs 21:9)

Stay Off The Roof

When God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the Garden of Eden, it was a place of unmeasurable peace and happiness. Sin changed the purpose of the home and would lead to Cain killing his brother Abel and the world falling into a state of wickedness that demanded the wrath of God. The joy and peace of the home designed by God have been challenged by the wiles of the devil since the fall of man. Many homes are not bastions of God’s grace but battlefields of warfare between husbands and wives who yell and scream at one another and parents who berate and scold the children. Contentions in the home do not come from the mind of God. The wise man suggested it would be better for a man to expose himself to the occasional fits of nature like rain or wind than to dwell in a house with a quarrelsome, brawling and nagging wife. God did not design the home to be a place of confusion. There are many things in the world that bring sorrow, heartache, and pain but the home should be a place of safety, security, and peace.

Contentious women who demand from their husbands are not showing the humility of subjection demanded by the Lord. Homes that are characterized by shouting, cursing, arguing and conflict are not homes built upon the rock of Jesus Christ and the love of God. Husbands and wives who contend with one another and then come to worship the Lord together show their children the hypocrisy of godliness that is lacking in their lives. These principles are not new to the covenant with Christ. Moses described the home as a place of gentle rest before sin knocked on the door. Under the Law of Moses, the home was to be a place of truth and righteousness. Jesus taught the sanctity of the home is characterized in the spirit of children. Paul wrote many letters admonishing the early Christians to be models of the gospel of Christ by the examples of husbands, wives, parents, and children. Contention in the home is not the eternal plan of God. It would be better for a man to be exposed to the elements of weather than to live in a house where fussing and arguing characterizes the spirit of the woman. As Dee Bowman said, “It is hard to sin when one is thinking about God.” Quarrelsome homes are not thinking about God. Instead of a man dwelling on the housetop, the family needs to resolve to change their hearts to serve the will of the Lord. Husbands must love their wives as Christ loved the church. He shows his love by nourishing and cherishing his wife giving honor to her. Wives are to be in subjection to the husband in everything showing respect for him and giving him the honor established by the word of God. Husbands are not to be bitter toward their wives and children are to obey their parents in all things and this will please the Lord. Following the Biblical pattern of the home will bring peace, happiness, and joy to the husband and wife and keep the man off the roof.