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“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease."
Marriage.
Marriage according to Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary:
"MAR'RIAGE, n. [L.mas, maris.] The act of uniting a man and woman for life; wedlock; the legal union of a man and woman for life. Marriage is a contract both civil and religious, by which the parties engage to live together in mutual affection and fidelity, till death shall separate them. Marriage was instituted by God himself for the purpose of preventing the promiscuous intercourse of the sexes, for promoting domestic felicity,and for securing the maintenance and education of children.
Marriage is honorable in all and the bed undefiled. Heb.13.
1. A feast made on the occasion of a marriage.
The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king, who made a marriage for his son. Matt.22.
2. In a scriptural sense, the union between Christ and his church by the covenant of grace. Rev.19."
Dear Saints,
Marriage is a promise we make to God about another person, the person that becomes our spouse. When we break the marriage, in essence, we are breaking the promise to God, not simply a promise to the spouse.
But,... Why?
Why is it so easy to break this promise to God these days?
One theologian suggests that it is a "perennial temptation of Christians who seek to come to terms with the surrounding culture to bend the Gospel to fit the preconceptions of the culture." ---Bloesch, Faith and Its Counterfeits
How did we get here?
Well, even the philosopher/theologian, Paul Tillich futuristically warned of our current state. [Just a point of clarification before you read the quote that follows. Tillich frequently uses the term "horizontal plane." He is making reference to focus on activity of humanity without any reference to the "vertical" which would be focus on God.]
Tillich maintained,
"If the symbol of creation which points to the divine ground of everything is transferred to the horizontal plane, it becomes a story of events in a removed past for which there is no evidence, but which contradicts every piece of scientific evidence. If the symbol of the Fall of Man, which points to the tragic estrangement of man and his world from their true being is transferred to the horizontal plane, it becomes a story of a human couple a few thousand years ago inwhat is now present-day Iraq. One of the most profound psychological descriptions of the general human predicament becomes an absurdity on the horizontal plane. If the symbols of th Savior and the salvation through Him which point to the healing power in history and personal life are tranferred to the horizontal plane, they become stories of a half-divine being coming form a heavenly place and returning to it....
"If the idea of God (and the symbols applied to Him) which expresses man's ultimate concern is transferred to the horizontal plane, God becomes a being among others whose existence or nonexistence is a matter of inquiry. Nothing perhaps, is more symptomatic of the loss of the dimension of depth than the permanent discussion about the existence or nonexistence of God---a discussion in which both sides are equally wrong, because the discussion itself is wrong and possible only after the loss of the dimension of depth.
[And, Saints, here is the crux of Tillich's argument.]
"When in this way man has deprived himself of the dimension of depth and the symbols expressing it, he then becomes a part of the horizontal plane. He loses his self and becomes a thing among things. He becomes an element in the process of manpulated production and manipulated consumption. This is now the pattern of public knowledge. We have become aware of the degree to which everyone in our social structure is managed, even if one knows it and if one belongs himself to the managing group. The influence of the gang mentality on adolescents, or the corporation's demands on the executive, of the conditioning of everyone by public communication, by propaganda and advertising under the guidance of motivation research, et cetera, have all been described in many books and articles." --Tillich
My summary is this.
"Things" are disposable.
Man as a "thing" is disposable.
It then follows that "Promises" generated by that which is disposable, are also disposable.
Saints, it is distance from God that has led us here[to heights of irrationality], in a diabolically spun place of mind where even the current Webster dictionary now redefines marriage.
According to Merriam-Webster:
Definition of MARRIAGE:
1a (1) : the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law
(2) : the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage
b : the mutual relation of married persons : wedlock
c : the institution whereby individuals are joined in a marriage
2: an act of marrying or the rite by which the married status is effected; especially : the wedding ceremony and attendant festivities or formalities
3: an intimate or close union
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Saints,
I contend that there is not only a loss of depth, a superficiality associated with our God-given lives, but there is also a rejection of the idea that there is absolute truth. Without Truth as absolute, anything goes. And, the absence of Absolute Truth is the darkness of Egypt.
The "darkness" of Egypt---when it slithers into the Church--- leads the Church to speak of the gospel as "a good way to get to God" rather than as the only way to God.
I agree with those that say that the Church is tempted to draw on the truth claims of other religions and philosophies in order to build the case of the gospel. The consequence then becomes that the "point of departure of the church is no longer divine revelation but religious and moral humanity."--Bloesch
In God's mercy, He has given us the Holy Bible to Light our path so that we will know the good Way and can walk in it! Amen!
The Bible says that Christ Jesus holds the whole universe together.
He (Christ Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the first born over all Creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. ---Colossians 1:15-17, the Holy Bible
If allowed, Christ Jesus through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, can [and is the only one Who can] empower us to keep our marriages together, to keep the promise we have made to God.
We must follow God's instructions in our choice of spouse, our role as spouse, our fidelity to Christ, our love of Christ shed abroad to cover others, including our spouse. We must ask for Wisdom from God, [James 1:5]if we are to bless our households, Saints.
I so love the lyrics of Sabbath Prayer from Fiddler on the Roof.
[The Words are on point.]
Here they are:
[Parents sing to the children...]
May the Lord protect and defend you.
May He always shield you from shame.
May you come to be
In Israel a shining name.
May you be like Ruth and like Esther.
May you be deserving of praise.
Strengthen them, Oh Lord,
And keep them from the strangers' ways.
May God bless you and grant you long lives.
(May the Lord fulfill our Sabbath prayer for you.)
May God make you good mothers and wives.
(May He send you husbands who will care for you.)
May the Lord protect and defend you.
May the Lord preserve you from pain.
Favor them, Oh Lord, with happiness and peace.
Oh, hear our Sabbath prayer. Amen.
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