1 Chronicles 25-27
John 9:1-23
“A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” —Ecclesiastes 4:12
In Matthew 19, the Pharisees wanted to test Jesus by asking Him whether or not it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife. But before Jesus addressed the Pharisees’ question, He reminded them of God’s intention for marriage. Jesus said, “Haven’t you read, that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate” (Matthew 19:4-6).
Jesus traced marriage right to the original intent at creation. In the beginning, God created male and female, equal but
different—equal in status and importance, but distinct in form and function from one another. Jesus reminded us that God is the actual Creator of the marriage union. He is also the Creator of intimacy and sexuality, and it is important to recognize that these appetites are designed by God and a natural part of the created order.
Yet, there is a deeper aspect of marriage that we may not be aware of, and that is there are actually three parties involved in a marriage commitment—a husband, a wife and God Himself. In a wedding ceremony, when the bride and groom say, “I do,” they are joined together in a mystical union by God. He joined the newlyweds together not just bodily and emotionally, but also spiritually. For those of us who are married, this is good news, because too often, we enter into marriage thinking there are only two parties trying to work it out. But Jesus taught that God is involved in our marriage union and, by extension, He has a vested interest in that relationship and is committed to see it become a very good union. If we are currently struggling in our marriage, God is there in the midst of the valley, the difficulty and the adversity. He is an active member in the relationship and available to help us in our marriages.
What we see throughout Scripture is that as both parties nurture their relationship with God and put His desires first and foremost, the marriage will flourish. The opposite, however, is if both parties are straying away from God, the marriage will become exponentially harder. While God is committed to our marriages, it is also clear that we live in a fallen world and some marriages do not work out.
As Jesus answered the Pharisees’ question about divorce, it is important not to forget God’s intention for marriage from the beginning. May we trust in God’s plan for our life whether we are single, married or divorced.
Lord God, thank You for creating the beautiful institution of marriage. Help me trust, even in our fallen world, that You can redeem broken relationships.
John 9:1-23
“A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” —Ecclesiastes 4:12
In Matthew 19, the Pharisees wanted to test Jesus by asking Him whether or not it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife. But before Jesus addressed the Pharisees’ question, He reminded them of God’s intention for marriage. Jesus said, “Haven’t you read, that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate” (Matthew 19:4-6).
Jesus traced marriage right to the original intent at creation. In the beginning, God created male and female, equal but
different—equal in status and importance, but distinct in form and function from one another. Jesus reminded us that God is the actual Creator of the marriage union. He is also the Creator of intimacy and sexuality, and it is important to recognize that these appetites are designed by God and a natural part of the created order.
Yet, there is a deeper aspect of marriage that we may not be aware of, and that is there are actually three parties involved in a marriage commitment—a husband, a wife and God Himself. In a wedding ceremony, when the bride and groom say, “I do,” they are joined together in a mystical union by God. He joined the newlyweds together not just bodily and emotionally, but also spiritually. For those of us who are married, this is good news, because too often, we enter into marriage thinking there are only two parties trying to work it out. But Jesus taught that God is involved in our marriage union and, by extension, He has a vested interest in that relationship and is committed to see it become a very good union. If we are currently struggling in our marriage, God is there in the midst of the valley, the difficulty and the adversity. He is an active member in the relationship and available to help us in our marriages.
What we see throughout Scripture is that as both parties nurture their relationship with God and put His desires first and foremost, the marriage will flourish. The opposite, however, is if both parties are straying away from God, the marriage will become exponentially harder. While God is committed to our marriages, it is also clear that we live in a fallen world and some marriages do not work out.
As Jesus answered the Pharisees’ question about divorce, it is important not to forget God’s intention for marriage from the beginning. May we trust in God’s plan for our life whether we are single, married or divorced.
Lord God, thank You for creating the beautiful institution of marriage. Help me trust, even in our fallen world, that You can redeem broken relationships.
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