Today  I will finish the lesson on  "The Qualities Of A Good Husband".   I  have used the life of  Elkanah found in  I Samuel  chapter one  as an example of a  good husband.  I  have previously noted that Elkanah is a loving husband, he is talkative, understanding,  possessing leadership,  discernment, and an  attitude of concern for his wife,  Hannah,  and his family.  The final qualities that I see in Elkanah are that he is committed, kind and considerate, and that he is a spiritual husband.  (1) Elka-nah  is  A Committed  Husband.  I Samuel 1:3 states that, "this man went up out of his city yearly to worship".  Verse seven  again stresses  the same thing  when it points out that, "He did  so year by year".  The  thought  I desire to  stress  is  that Elkanah  was committed  for the  long haul.  He  hung in there year after year.  He did  not  run away  when the  going  got  rough.  He  didn't seek  a divorce  simply because things did not turn out like he planned.   Sadly, to many husband  start out well  but lose interest  over time.  They are great during the dating process but they are terrible at marriage.  They take their  wife for granted.  They  ignore her needs. They become argumentative.  They become  more interested in sports,  careers, or other objects of  pursuit.  The important  ingredient  that  they are  missing is com-mitment.  When a husband is committed to his wife,  his family,  and his  God,  he will  continue in the marriage  even when things are difficult and tough.   The  wife needs a husband that will be there through thick and thin.  One who  will honor his marriage  vows.  A husband that can be  counted on in the bad times as well as the good  times.  In fact  a husband should  become  better as the years go  by.  There needs to  be in his  heart a  commitment  to improving  as a husband  as  well  as a father.  (2)  Elkanah is  A Kind And  Considerate  Husband.  In I Samuel 1:8 he expresses  this  important thought  to  Hannah: "Am  I  not better to  thee than  ten sons"?  Having  children was a  cherished dream for  Hannah.  Elkanah  knew  this and he lets her know that she is special,  important,  and that he is  doing all that he can to be  kind and  considerate  to her.  He is not bragging,  but he recognizes that he is doing a good job as a husband.  Like Elkanah, you know when you are doing good and  when you  are failing.  Elkanah works  hard at  being  a  great  husband. Husbands in all generations must make marriage a  top priority  if they  are to  suc-ceed  at  it.  You must express your love  for her often.  You must meet her needs, You  must  be  faithful.  A  good husband  must compliment his wife.  He needs to state often his appreciation for all the wonderful things she is doing for him and  his children.  A simple thank  you is always  appreciated for the  wife's cooking, wash-ing,  cleaning,  taking care of children,  and  for  helping make a living.  A  husband should be such a wonderful man  that the wife can honestly say that he is  better to me  than  my  most  cherished  dream.   (3)   Elkanah   is  A  Spiritual  Husband. I Samuel 1:3 states that, "This  man  went up out of his city yearly to  worship and to sacrifice  unto the Lord".   One  of  the greatest  things  that can  be  said  about Elkanah is that he  both loves and  serves the  Lord.  He is godly man.  God is first in his  life.  His devotion  to  God  is  exemplary. The children,  the  wife,  and  the world  needs to see  a  husband  that  honors  God  above  all  else  in life.  A good husband  is not only  a good  Christian, but he  lives his Christianity both at Church and at  home.  His family knows  that he is  a godly man.  He assumes his  rightful position of spiritual leadership in the home.  He does not fail in this most important task.  He  does  not  delegate  this  awesome  responsibility  to  his wife  or  to  the Church.     Happy  and  blessed  is  the  home  where  the  husband  and  father  is a  spiritual  man.  I must point out that the husband cannot be a good Christian and mistreat  his wife  and family.   He may be a leader in the Church and have the  re-spect of people outside of the home but he is a miserable  failure if he is mean  and cruel  to his wife and kids.  In fact, he is a total hypocrite if he parades around as a Christian  in the  Church and  he  is a  tyrant  at  home.   The  family must  have a spiritual  man  to  lead  the  home.  May  God  help  husbands  to  be and  become spiritual  giants  to their  families.  Remember,  A  Good  Husband  is a  committed husband,  a  kind  and  considerate  husband, and  a spiritual  husband.

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