The Purpose of
Marriage
Where do we go from here?
I have to confess looking at the world around us
I am confused at what
is the purpose of marriage.
I am as confused by those who don’t
support marriage as I am by those who do.
I recognize that marriage is an agreement between
two people, but the agreement seems to vary.
If not in the vows, it varies in
the expectations of the couple.
It seems more are embracing co-
habitation rather than marriage.
Or, at least many co-habit before they get married.
It seems the purpose of marriage
is for the social benefits.
And if the social benefits don’t
matter co-habitation is the answer.
I have learned in life that when I get
confused to go back to the beginning.
Because confusion comes when things do not fit
together, when there are things in the picture
that don’t belong, when vision is cluttered.
I think one thing is clear…
The world view on marriage is disoriented and you
can’t get to the real purpose of marriage from here.
So where do we go to find the purpose of marriage?
Let me suggest creation, where it all started.
God on the 5th day of creation looked
at all He had made and said it is good.
On the 6th day, God created man (Adam) and put
him to work
in the garden and had him name all the creatures God had
made.
It was at this point God said something was not good.
Adam (the man) needed a helper.
God met Adam’s need by taking something from Adam.
This is a lost principle in our world of
entitlement “you must give in order to receive”.
Adam recognized God made him
one with Eve and called her “wife”.
Now pay attention to what God does and says…
“God blessed them and
said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number;
fill the earth and
subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the
air and over every living creature that moves
on the ground." Genesis 1:28
The purpose of Marriage according to creation…
1.
The
world was “Good”
a. Marriage
was designed in a perfect environment
2.
The
earth is the Lord’s and the fullness there of
a. The
purpose of man is to care for God’s earth
3.
Help
and comfort
a. The
husband is to work and the
wife gives comfort to her husband
4.
Blessed
a. Marriage
is to have God’s blessing on it
5.
Fruitful
and multiply
a. God
filled the earth with potential for prosperity
b. God
filled the husband and wife with potential for family
6.
They
felt no shame
a. Intimacy
of sexual pleasure
7.
Live
on the top
a. The
husband and wife were to rule over everything on the earth
b. This
was to be done in a way that pleased the Creator
c. Divine
order keeps Divine blessing and Divine prosperity
Scripture Reading
NIV
Genesis 2:15-25
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of
Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man,
"You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat
from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you
will surely die."
18 The Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be
alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."
19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the
beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to
see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature,
that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of
the air and all the beasts of the field.
But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the Lord
God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he
took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord
God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her
to the man.
23 The man said,
"This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called 'woman, 'for she was taken out of
man."
24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother
and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.
25 The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no
shame.
Genesis 1:28-31
28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and
increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea
and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the
ground."
29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant
on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it.
They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the
birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground — everything
that has the breath of life in it — I give every green plant for food."
And it was so.
31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And
there was evening, and there was morning — the sixth day.
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