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In the light of God’s words
in Gen. 2:18, "It
is not good that the man should be alone", it is conclusive that
God’s creative work was not complete until he made woman. God chose not
to make
her by decree like the lower creatures or from the dust of the ground
like
Adam. Rather, He made her from the bone that He removed from the rib of
man.
This implies that man and
woman symbolically become
one flesh as soon as they are joined together in marriage. This is a
mystical
union of the couple’s hearts and lives.
Right from the first
marriage, God treats this
mystical union seriously. Thus, anyone who is proposing to marry should
be
ready to keep the marriage vows which make husband and wife to be one.
Of course, the most important
thing in marriage is
not friendship but oneness of husbands and wives. Without oneness,
marital life
cannot be enjoyed. In fact, this makes marriage relationship different
from all
other relationships. This oneness should be in every aspect of the
couple’s
lives (financial, social, religious etc)
For this oneness to be fully
secured, these three
fundamental principles should be observed:
For this oneness to be fully
secured, these three
fundamental principles should be observed:
- The man must leave his
parents. The woman too must leave her
parents. She was even advised to forget her people and her father’s
house
(Psalm 45:10). This is a commitment that is not negotiable.
- They must be joined together.
This suggests tender affection and
faithful commitment in a permanent relationship.
- They must become one flesh in
the intimacy and commitment of sexual
union. This is the deepest and most exclusive intimacy.
For real commitment in
marriage, the man and the
woman must be willing to lay aside their old loyalties and lifestyles of
separate goals and plans and be committed to common goals. This union is
a
strong, enduring and life bond that keeps the two together by
unconditional and
uncompromising commitment, love and acceptance.
For this union to stand the
test of time, no other
human relationship (with parents, children, friends, boss etc) is to
supersede
the union between husband and wife. There is no room for the second wife
in
marriage as this will break the union between the husband and wife. God
made only
one woman for Adam.
In the light of the above, do
you consider your
marriage as an ideal marriage vis-à-vis oneness? If there is a gap
between you
and your spouse, you need to bridge the gap.
Failure to do so will give
way for many vices to
creep in between you and your spouse. Any of these vices may blow cause
tension
which may blow up your marriage any time.
I therefore counsel you to
come together and
resolve the differences between you today. Tomorrow may be too late!
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