Ox In The Stall

Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crop come by the strength of the ox.  (Proverbs 14:4, ESV)

I really like this verse. Not only can it be applied to many different situations, It fits really well with marriage. I like to break the verse down like this:

no oxen / no dung

have oxen / have benefit - along with dung

What is necessary is to realize that while a relationship brings problems we wouldn’t have to deal with as singles, there is much benefit that comes from being in relationship with someone.

Without an ox, the stall stays clean. It does not get dirty. The dung does not have to be cleaned out because there is no ox in it making a mess.  But there are some things that the strength of the ox can bring that would be of great benefit. It does make plowing a lot easier, and a much larger area can be worked. The harvest is more plentiful.

In our analogy here, the husband is the ox. And most husbands do make messes.  They are not much help around the house, and even make the house more messy than it would be if they were not in it. Hopefully though, they do bring benefit to the marriage and household that outweighs the disadvantage of the messes they also make.

What the wife needs to focus on, is the benefit of the husband (ox), the strength he brings to the relationship and household.The harvest should be more plentiful because of what the husband supplies. 

What the husband needs to remember is that he does make the wife’s life a bit more difficult, and he better make sure he is using his strength and abilities to bring benefit and abundance to the home.

What the wife needs to remember is that dung is not all there is to her husband.  He brings good to the life they have together, supplying things she can’t, and overall, making her life better.

Of course, my wife sometimes gets me confused with the dung!