Why Marriage?

Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery. [Hebrews 13.4] 

Why marriage?

THINK! Why did God, in His Word, make so many different references to the preservation of marriage? Because marriage most clearly represents the relationship He wants to have with His people and, that He wants His people to have with Him! 

In Hebrews 13.4, God says He will judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery - those who do not honor and preserve the marriage relationship even to the point of  jealousy. This should come as no surprise because of the first three of the Ten Commandments:

“I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. “You must not have any other god but me. “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. “You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name. [Exodus 20.2-7]

God's people should have no question about idolatry in their lives. In other words, with the institution of marriage revealing the framework of relationship with God, we can easily discern what is an idol (an immoral, adulterous relationship) versus what is God (our one husband). To remove any doubt about gray areas, God gave His jealousy as the determining factor.

Anyone who has ever dealt with a jealous spouse knows that reason has nothing to do with it. Reasoning doesn't work with a jealous spouse and it doesn't work with God!

We should furthermore understand that God gave us a classic example of what is described above in Abraham's story (Abraham, known unironically as the "father of faith").

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not been able to bear children for him. But she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, “The LORD has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her.” And Abram agreed with Sarai’s proposal. So Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian servant and gave her to Abram as a wife. (This happened ten years after Abram had settled in the land of Canaan.) So Abram had sexual relations with Hagar, and she became pregnant. But when Hagar knew she was pregnant, she began to treat her mistress, Sarai, with contempt. Then Sarai said to Abram, “This is all your fault! I put my servant into your arms, but now that she’s pregnant she treats me with contempt. The LORD will show who’s wrong—you or me!” [Genesis 16.1-5]

Debt, insurance, medicine and technology all offer to do for us what God said He would do for us (wealth, protection, health and even conveniences). We, like Sarai, reason that God must have given these industries to us to accomplish His promises to us, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Notice that Hagar, representing the "idol," treated her mistress Sarai, representing God's way, with contempt. Naturally, Sarai, in jealousy, put the blame on Abram - the "father of faith" - making the whole situation a "faith" problem. God did not tell us to trust Him ALONE for no reason!

...I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. [Exodus 20.5]

The problem today is not that the Word of God is unclear on the subject of idolatry (spiritual adultery). The problem today lies in man's reasoning that justifies his idolatry. And, like Hagar (the "idol"), debt, insurance, medicine and technology, through their advertisements, undermine the right way (trusting God alone; regardless what the situation looks like) and, more often than not, present unholy sexual relationships in so doing. And, what's worse, the Church reasons that God gave these industries and, in so doing, effectively makes them household idols!

The fact that marriage (in the fleshly realm) is so largely damned and under attack today indicates and implicates man's idolatrous reasoning (in the spiritual realm). The overall condition of the suffering institution of marriage today only naturally reveals a larger faith problem at the core. With idolatry so prevalent all around us (debt, insurance, medicine and technology), should we be surprised that the institution that represents relationship with God also suffers so?

Father, may Your people return to the truth of Your Word regarding our relationship with You. May we understand that our "relationship with You" can only be faith (as nothing else pleases You). May we correlate jealousy in marriage to our relationship with You and respond by taking every possible precaution to avoid arousing Your jealousy in any way by our reasoning - our idolatry. May our eyes be opened to the truth Your Word has taught us about idolatry from the very beginning! So be it.