Marriage

Genesis 2:24 therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Matthew 19:5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?

Mark 10:7-8 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; 8 And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.

Ephesians 5:31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

These are the only words you will find on the subject of getting married in the Bible.

We know the first couple was created by God and the ability to reproduce was built into them.

God gave Eve to Adam and the two became one flesh.

Notice that God made it the way it works. One man one woman.

He did not make two women nor did He create two men because if He did, there would be no human race.

Notice He did not create multiple women or multiple men. It has been God's intention since day one to have married couples consist of one man and one woman.

Some people argue that there is no law against polygamy but look here:Mat 19:8  He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.

Mat 19:9  And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.

If divorcing your wife and marrying another is adultery than having more than one wife is adultery.

Many things were allowed in the old testament which were not right.

So the Bible teaches us to be married to one wife or husband.

We are told also to leave our mother and father.

Why do you think God would want us to leave our parents?

So we no longer are dependent on them. We support our own family. We raise our own children in the way of the Lord.

When a married couple has their parents too involved with their lives it brings trouble to the marriage. Many times a mother who can't let go of her son or a father who can't let go of his daughter causes conflict between man and wife and causes confusion as to who is the head of the family.

There is a reason the Father leads the bride down the aisle at the wedding ceremony. A woman is subject to her parents as long as she /they shall live. When a man marries her the father turns her over to the husband as if by saying she is in your hands now, your responsibility and the husband takes his wife.

Then the man is told to cleave unto his wife.

Not only is this the part where the marriage is consummated but it also represents the man taking what is now his woman and no longer the fathers. When you cleave, nothing can come between you.

The man cleaves his wife and protects her, provides for her and loves her while the woman receives that love.

They become one flesh. They think alike and stand together and build a life that they will envision.

Anything short of that is a bad marriage.

As the leader in the family the man has traditionally had to approach the father to ask for the daughter to be his bride. Nowhere do you see the lady approaching his parents.

It is genuinely expected that if the man is approaching the father he already is knowledgeable about marriage. He has the means to feed, clothe and shelter her. He has already demonstrated love to his mothers and sisters and has respect for his own father.

Now the father of the intended bride will evaluate the young man based on a variety of things not just if he is good looking or has money.

I am afraid marriage today is many times just a bad decision. People marry to get away from their families and think all will be well with the next.

One thing must be sure is that no one should be unequally yoked with another. Not only does that apply to marrying an unsaved person but forbids dating one also. You can not enter into marriage hoping to convert your spouse.

We have spoken about the duties of marriage concerning both the husband and wife but quickly it is like this:

The man will be the bread winner, the head of the family, oversees the discipline if needed, be the protector of the family as well as the protector of their spirituality. He will lead the example of Godliness in the home.

The woman will take care of the duties of the house as well as raising the children and providing for the needs of her husband. She is to obey her husband.

When one or both of the couple cease to follow the principles of marriage the marriage ceases to be a viable marriage. It can not work.

Marriage God�s way will definitely reduce the approximately 50% divorce rate in the U.S. and keep people from leaving each other in the Philippines.