Marriage: Gods Design for man & woman
When couples get married, a lot of effort goes into the wedding. Right from invitations, flowers, music, photographs, wedding cakes, clothes to the reception, and enormous amount of money is spent. The guests are invited to be witnesses and to get their blessing to the newly wedded couple.
Much of this pomp and hype, however, are only at the periphery of a real understanding of marriage and its purpose. The essence of a marriage is in the pledge made on the wedding day. The pledge to be faithful, to take care of each other, to support one another during good and bad times. The pledge expresses the vows the couple are making… an irrevocable commitment to each other with God as their witness.
But contrary to this there is a metaphoric saying that people flaunt around the community regarding marriage: Shaadi (marriage) in the carnal sense overlooks responsibility and is viewed instead only as a means of an instinct driven lifestyle. With this in mind, it is no wonder that marriages these days are fragile, terminate rapidly and reduce the concept of family to shreds. The biblical view of marriage, on the other hand, does not endorse or recommend this mind set.
Marriage in the biblical sense is God’s design, because God created them male and female to be companions and help mates. They are special because God used his hand to create them in his own image (Genesis 1:26ff).
Therefore, marriage is unique within the creation plan of God. It is also a covenant established with God by the couple. Regardless of problems, disagreements or fights, couples need to resolve their differences individually before God and then with each other, because of their commitment to God.
Stumbling over the verses several times, I realize that God spoke the design of marriage into existence. He did this in Gen.2:24: “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and they will become one flesh.”(NIV) Who is talking in verse 24? The writer of Genesis is talking. Moses, the author was inspired by God, so what Moses said, God said. (Luke 24:44) Therefore, marriage is God’s doing because he spikes the earliest design of it into existence - “A man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”
Solomon R John
The writer is the AIM Managing Editor and works with EFI in Delhi.
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