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Many will be angered over what they read in this article. I can give you statistics to show why. I do not intend to give my views on this matter but to give you what the Bible says about it which is all that matters. What I think, or you think, changes nothing from right to wrong, or wrong to right. The title shown above comes from scripture found in Hebrews 13:4 which says: “Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” Now, don’t come back at me on that one. I know what it means and I feel sure that you do also.
Marriage is an institution ordained of God. After He had created Adam and Eve, here is what the inspired writer, speaking for God, said. “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24)
It was quite obvious in the beginning, that a man was to have but one wife, however, it was not long before some began to have multiple wives. Cain, the first born of Adam and Eve, fathered several children, one of which was named Lamech. Here is what the Bible says about him: “And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.” (Genesis 4:19)
We learn later under that law, King David, who the scriptures say was a man after God’s own heart, married several wives and his son, King Solomon, had the outrageous number of 700 wives and 300 concubines!
God gave Moses a law for the Israelites and He also allowed Moses the discretion to permit various things, some of which was not intended to be, such as multiple wives and divorce, etc. Here is what Jesus himself, said: “They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.” (Matthew 19:7-8)
This law was given to the Jewish nation to furnish them a ”schoolmaster” to bring them to Christ. Or furnish the lineage to Christ:: “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” (Galatians 3:24) Which law was taken out of the way and nailed to the cross with our saviour. “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;” (Colossians 2:13-14)
Christians are no longer under the Old Testament Law but under the “perfect law of liberty“, in Jesus Christ: “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” (James 1:25)
Now, with that understood, we have to go to Jesus for our instructions and guidance. To confirm this statement read this: “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;” (Hebrews 1:1-2)
Now back to our subject and allowing Jesus to guide us answering our questions. Marriage of man and woman is compared to Jesus and His church (church meaning His called out, His spiritual kingdom) in Ephesians 5:35 “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;”
And now we get to the really controversial part of our subject and the one which causes more strife and problems than any other. Read this portion where the Pharisees were tempting Jesus and hoping to ask Him questions He could not answer:
“The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery. His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it” (Matthew 19:3-12)
There are other scriptures that will reinforce the above but are simply the same, worded slightly different. So, now you have that which the Bible says in reference to marriage. I will not argue with anyone about this because my thoughts are no better than your own. But now, let me give you some U. S. (2000 Census) statistics as to how these scriptures are observed or ignored.
(1) One fifth (20%) of marriages end in divorce within 5 years
(2) One third (33%) end in divorce in 10 years.
(3) About 43% end in separation or divorce within 15 years.
(4) about 11 million people live together without marriage including same-sex and opposite-sex.
Since these statistics are almost 8 years old, these numbers, perhaps in each category, may be much higher. I give thanks to the Almighty God daily that, should we live until the 23rd of December, I’ll be married to the same girl for 52 years and I love her more now than I did in 1955. Let us all study and meditate upon the Holy Scriptures while there is still time.
Footnote: All scripture references are taken from the King James Version
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