The Neck of Marriage
Scripture has already defined the husband as the head of the marriage (Eph. 5:23), therefore in an anatomical metaphor the wife would be the neck.
Though smaller and delicate in comparison to the head (1 Pet. 3:7), the neck is essential to the body, just as the wife is to the marriage. Without the neck, the brain would not be able to carry out its missions, just as the husband can not complete his mission (Gen. 1:28) without the wife. The neck has muscles, bones, tissue, and glands that are essential to the health of the body, and serves as a vessel to support and protect it. Components of nearly every organ system are found in the neck.
THE FUNCTIONS OF THE NECK
The neck functions to support and protect the body, and it does so in a number of ways. It is the connection between the head and the torso, the center of the body that contains the organs necessary for life, excluding the brain. As such, the neck helps to keep the body (the family) alive and healthy by aiding in breathing, digestion, and reproduction.
The neck primarily supports the head (the husband) by supporting its weight (his glory). The wife is a reflection of the husband’s glory (1 Cor. 11:7) Both throw back the light of their authoritative heads (The Father for the Holy Spirit, the husband for the wife) without absorbing it, functioning in their submissive roles. This is a delicate balance that is perfect in Wisdom, but something the human wife must learn and master through Wisdom’s teaching due to sin (Gen. 3:16). Because she is so delicate, any attempt to absorb the head’s weight (responsibility or glory) will result in injury that could also impact the body (the family).
The husband’s burdens and responsibilities are found in the command God gave Adam after He blessed him with his wife: be fruitful and multiply (have children), govern the earth (work), and reign over (justly care for) the animals who were already serving as his companions (Gen. 1:28; 2:18-20). The wife assists by carrying and bearing his seed (child/children) and working in the home. The wife, physically modeled after Eve and spiritually modeled after Wisdom (the Holy Spirit) was specifically and intentionally designed by God to fulfill this role (Gen. 2:18, 21-24).
The neck assists the head by helping it move. This is done through the cervical vertebrae and intervertebral discs, which aid the rest of the body by serving as a shock absorber for the spine. These sit beneath the skull. This section of the neck, along with its corresponding nerves and surrounding muscles, allow the head to move, thus allowing different points of perception and aiding in communication. The initiation of such movement, however, is not sparked by the neck, as commonly believed. The head ultimately determines how the neck and the rest of the body will move and the neck responds in agreement with those decisions. The wife provides this flexibility to the husband by presenting Spirit-led thoughts and ideas to help the husband make decisions. Likewise, the wife serves as a shock absorber by providing emotional support and nurturing care to her husband and children during difficult times. A biblical example of this is found in Rebekah, who was a special comfort to her husband, Issac, after his mother died (Gen. 24:67).