The following is a message I wrote several years back as part of a class in Genesis.  It is a look at the Biblical pattern and design for marriage as God intended.  In our day and age of disposable relationships, throw-away marriages, and do what you want when you want behaviors,  we desperately need to be reminded of how this wonderful gift began and what it was meant to be.  Over the next few posts we’ll look at reminders that Marriage is Divine by Design.  -Blessings!

“MARRIAGE IS SIMPLY DIVINE” – Genesis 2.18-25

Capitalizing on a Crisis.

I went to the bookstore this past week and glanced at the magazine rack. As I looked at the covers I noticed a recurring theme in the titles of feature articles. Titles like: “What Makes a Marriage Last?”; “Finding the Love You Want”; “Inspiring Passion in Your Lover”; “Falling in Love Again”; and “Saving Your Marriage” were only a few of the smorgasbord of those available. The theme is that of finding love and intimacy, the problem is that so few had any real substance to them, or anything that would have lasting benefit to the couples. Tragically there was an encouragement to find a new lover, and even consider involving another partner in sexual relations in one particular article on “Spicing up Your Sex Life with Your Mate”.

Magazines aren’t the only culprit however, there were several shelves filled with numerous books on improving your marriage. If you turn your television on most days you will find at least one “Talk Show” discussing marriages gone bad, or how to make a bad marriage better.

The attraction to these articles and other materials is evident. At the root of the crisis is our inner desire to find love and intimacy. The problem is that we are seeking to find intimacy in areas where we were never intended to have intimacy, and consequently we are neglecting the area we are supposed to experience that intimacy–the bond of marriage–in order to acquire it elsewhere.

It is saddening for me to think about how much the media has taken this crisis and exploited it, in essence capitalizing on a crisis that threatens to destroy our families, our communities, and perhaps even the entire country from the inside out. There was no thread of accountability or responsibility behind most of the articles I skimmed, just an obvious desire to take a critical issue and turn it into an opportunity for profit with no regard for the lonely soul who would read what they said and might even try their suggestions.

Before I give you the impression that every article on marriage is bad I did manage to find some good ones as I sifted through the trash to find that allusive jewel. One particular article that I found to be well written was in the current issue of Readers Digest entitled “What Makes a Marriage Last?”^[1] The writer, Catherine Houck, points out several aspects of the relationship that are found in lasting marriages. Of those she lists are:

1. Shared values
2. Friendship
3. Intimacy
4. Fighting fair
5. Tolerance
6. Passion
7. Equality
8. Trust
9. Commitment

A pretty impressive list, and very well defined. These are all essential parts to successful and lasting marriages.

But, we haven’t come here to talk about what magazine says about marriage, we could do that all day and not accomplish anything of lasting value. What really matters to us, and what is really vital for the families today to understand is: What does God have to say about Marriage? What is His plan? How can He help us today? Let’s take a look at several things God teaches us concerning marriage from the Bible.

(to be continued)

^[1] Reader’s Digest, March 1996 pp. 71-74