54. Scriptural Marriage

SERMON 54

SCRIPTURAL MARRIAGE

In the morning of time, when God created man, and saw that it was not good for man to be alone, he put him to sleep and from his side took a rib, and made a woman to be his companion, and thus ordained that man should not live alone. God says a man should forsake father and mother and should cleave to his wife, and they, too, should be one flesh (Genesis 2:24).

Not only did God recognize their relationship should be so close that they should be called one flesh, but he also called them both by one name, or "Adam", in the day he created them (Genesis 6:2).

As God was the Creator of man, he also became the originator of marriage, or of the family relationship. This marriage relationship, coming from God, has been a blessing in all ages, when contracted according to the law of God, but has brought sorrow and woe when God's law has been disregarded. In the course of time, people began to call on God, or worship him (Genesis 4:26), and while the Bible does not state in exact words that it was a violation of God's law for God's children to marry unbelievers, or children of men, yet we find God being displeased in their so doing, and God's sons marrying the daughters of men was among the things which corrupted the earth (Genesis , 6 th chapter), and brought the flood which destroyed everybody except Noah and his family. Just what God's specific law was on this we are not told, yet it seemed to have such a power over the childrenof God in the days of Lot that his own daughters living in the city of Zoar refused to have children by the men of that country, and made their father drunk, and became mothers by him (Genesis 19).

In subsequent years God selected the Jews as a special people through which the Son of God should come. He gave them a law that when they entered the land of Canaan saying, "And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee, thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them. Thou shalt, make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them, neither shalt thou make marriages with them. Thy daughter thou shalt not give unto their sons, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son; for they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods. So will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you and destroy thee suddenly" (Deuteronomy 7:2-6). This law of God was sacredly observed for many years, and God's people prospered before him. But the time came when God's people became dissatisfied with divine rule, and wanted a king like the nations around them. They got their king, wandered from God, and were carried into Babylon as captives. While there, with other transgressions they began to marry among those who were not God's children. When Nehemiah brought them back into their own country God refused to accept them until all of those who had married strange wives had sent them and all their children back to Babylon, and turn from such transgressions. Then God would accept them. To impress the sacredness of this law of God, Nehemiah reminded the people that even Solomon sinned in marrying strange women (Nehemiah 13:23-30).

Finding such to be the law of God in the Old Bible, the question might come up; do we not have greater liberty under the New Testament than people had under the old law ? To this I would say, Christ referred to the loosenessof the marriage law on divorce under Moses, and plainly stated that such was not true in the beginning. He argued that Moses only gave them certain precepts on account of the hardness of their hearts (Mark 10:2-9). Then if the Son of God would indorse the law on marriage from the beginning as being above the practice of the time under Moses, we are forced to the conclusion that God's law on marriage is of universal application coming to all alike.

So the apostle Paul in writing to church members along the law of life, tells them plainly not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers, and shows that the children of God must keep themselves separate from any alliances with the world. My observation has been, after forty years as a preacher, that three out of every four who marry outsiders, or sectarians, lose their interest in the church of Christ. Paul, in writing to widows and giving specific instructions on the marriage relationship in 1 Corinthians 7:39, says the widow can marry only in the Lord.

We are taught that they who know to do good and do it not to them it is sin. Also whatsoever we sow that shall we also reap.

As it has been a violation of God's law in all ages to marry outof God's family, it is unsafe to take the risk. Often does it cost the soul of the violator, but of children who are brought into this world by an unbelieving parent, and are led from God instead of to Him.

It is always safe to follow the only safe way and marry only in the Lord.