Scripture:
[6] “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ [7] ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, [8] and the two will become one flesh.’1So they are no longer two, but one flesh. [9] Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
Observation:
As they often tried to do, the Pharisees were trying to trick Jesus into answering in a way that would alienate Him. Instead of answering the question directly, He totally deflects into focusing on what marriage IS, not how or when it should be torn apart:
Marriage is God’s design..
– God made us male and female
– God created marriage
– God said that in marriage, a man and wife should be united as if one flesh
– One flesh is such a strong bond that no earthly power should be able to separate
Application:
This is explicit with no room for confusion – marriage is a God created covenant between a man and woman, with a bond is stronger than any earthly force; even stronger than the bond between a man/woman and his/her parents/kids.
Marriage is not always easy. Men are commanded to love their wives as Christ loves the church and women are commanded to respect their husbands – see Eph 5:25-33. Nowhere in the bible does it say you won’t have issues in marriage. The reality we need to deal with in our flesh is that, this is not always easy and can be downright hard sometimes.
But, if those who get married treat it as the covenant God intends it to be, understanding that there will be issues to overcome and don’t expect it to be trouble free, turning to Him for guidance and not worldly advice about abandoning the relationship when things get tough, not only would they be living more in God’s will, this in turn would lead to far less divorce, further leading to more stability in the family structure of our society.
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for creating marriage as You have, and for making it abundantly clear in Your Word what that really means. I pray I respect that covenant with my wife and that I love her even when times are tough.