The Bible and Marriage

Over the past two weeks in my household, we celebrated Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. I, being Christian, learned new traditions which I now have the utmost respect for and a new understanding in my life as we have also been reading a book called “The Book of Why” which explains, in much greater detail, reasons behind these Jewish holidays. The differences between our beliefs are very little indeed.

When I was asked to speak and celebrate the marriage of Alan’s friends this week, these Jewish celebrations brought me back to the beginnings of mankind and gave me the words I sought to deliver as Rosh Hashanah was to celebrate the creation of this world and the birth of Adam and Eve… the first Husband and Wife.

 

From the Beginning

From the very beginning of time, God created woman to be man’s partner. A piece of him that should last forever while our time here on Earth is carried out. It tells us this in…

Genesis 2:18 – “Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

Genesis 2:20-23 – “The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a suitable helper fit for him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”

Honor and Respect

In a world such as we live in, we often forget about respecting one another as God intended it from the beginning. It is so important to remember these words from the Bible in order to keep our marriages long-lasting and above the times.

1 Peter 3:1-2 – “Wives, respect and obey your husbands in the same way. Then the husbands who do not obey the word of God will want to know God. They will want to know God because their wives live good lives, even though they say nothing about God. They will see that you live holy lives and respect your husbands.”

1 Peter 3:7 – “Husbands, also live with your wife the way you know is right. Respect her because she is a woman. She is not as strong as a man. Also respect her because God has given her, as well as you, the blessing of life. In this way, you will not stop God from doing what you ask him to do.”

A Gift from God

God created man first, in his own image. That, in itself is a great gift we have received. We need to remember, that and keep His words in our hearts and minds as long as we exist on Earth.

Proverbs 31:10-12 (read 10-31 to see all the rewards) – “Who can find a capable wife? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will not lack anything good. She rewards him with good, not evil, all the days of her life.”

1 John 4:7 – “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.”

A Marriage Based on Love

What is Love? Is it what they say it is today? How many times do you hear “Love ya” coming from a casual friend, bar-tender and just a co-worker leaving the office for the day?

We need to remember what the Bible taught us about what Love really is…

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 – “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

Ignore the World

Don’t let the ways of this world get involved in your marriage. Don’t forget about the gifts you have been given and remember it for all the days of your lives.

Mark 10:9 – “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

What do Wedding Rings Represent?

A symbol of eternal love, the humble wedding ring has been about for years, older than any of us and still as important as ever.  While the design of weddings rings is becoming more modern in many cases, the tradition and symbolism of the ring is as strong today as it’s ever been.

The wedding ring is an emblem of love through time, a symbol of devotion and an agreement between two parties to love and cherish one another for the rest of their days. Wedding rings are, of course, circular in shape and this in itself carries a symbolic meaning for the couple getting married.

The Importance of the Circle

A circle has no beginning or end and is therefore a symbol of infinity.  It is endless, eternal, just the way love should be. For many the wedding ring is worn on the fourth finger of the left hand. This is because the vein in this finger was believed to lead directly to the wearer’s heart. However, in many European countries it is actually customary for the wedding ring to be worn on the right hand.

While this is simply a token to mankind, I feel it represents the eternal life promised to us by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and is not to be taken lightly.

A marriage based on the lessons from God will stand the test of time… will exist throughout the years and follow us into the Kingdom of Heaven.

May your marriage be blessed by God, be modern enough to stand the times yet old-fashioned enough, and based on God, to surely last forever.

Go with God, be good to one another, always stay humble… always stay kind. God Bless!