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This article is from Today's
Native Father, issue #134, July/August, 2004. Related articles from this issue: |
The Creator's Plan for Marriage |
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Marriage is found everywhere. Some marriages are good, some are not so good and others are just plain bad. Marriage is a plan whereby a man and a woman are joined together for the purpose of founding and maintaining a family. God created marriage and knows best how it works. Couples need to find out from God what He had in mind when He created marriage. God put His plan into action when He created man from the dust of the ground. Then He created woman from a bone taken from the man. He brought her to the man as a helper. God said, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24 NIV). This was the first marriage and a model for all marriages. “Leaving father and mother” is a big first step. Newlyweds need space to develop their own marriage and parenting skills. With a house of their own, they can express their own homemaking styles. A job and income of their own can give them the financial freedom they need to make good family decisions. Most important, leaving means making peace with emotional issues between children and parents. All children get hurt at times by their families. If they do not forgive and make peace, they can carry anger into their own marriages. This “negative bond” with their parents limits the couple’s ability to share their hearts with each other and their children. The next step is “uniting” or “joining.” Most cultures have a wedding ceremony to publicly officiate, recognize and celebrate this union. Jesus, the Son of God, graced a wedding with his presence and blessed the celebration. A wedding is one way in which the new couple can receive support from their families and community. It helps the couple stick together later when the going gets rough. The last step is “one flesh.” This is not only a sexual union. It is also a growing oneness of soul and spirit. Oneness grows through praying and worshiping together; through talking and laughing and crying together; through working and playing together; and certainly through mutual enjoyment of the marriage bed after the wedding. God planned that marriage be for life. Jesus said, “Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate” (Matthew 19:6 NIV). Death frees the remaining partner to marry again. Marriage is the best setting for raising children. The prophet Malachi told his people that God made husband and wife one in flesh and spirit “because he was seeking godly off-spring” (Malachi 2:15). The best gift and training that parents can give their children is their love and respect for each other as husband and wife. Marriage according to God’s plan provides a strong foundation for nations and churches. Communities that violate God’s plan become weak and in danger of collapse from within. God’s plan for marriage, revealed in God’s Word the Bible, shows God’s love and care for the entire human race. This article and other material in this special issue on marriage is adapted from Family Studies, ©1989, 2004, by NYM Ministries and used by permission. |
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