Faithfulness In Married Life - by Oscar Fedder
A man shall leave his father and his mother and shall cleave
unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh. – Genesis 2:24 (KJV)
The condition of
the estate of marriage is truly terrifying. Any city paper, any day records the
breakdown of marriage. It is true, there are thousands upon thousands of
faithful husbands and wives. Their faithfulness is taken for granted. Their
faithfulness is therefore not considered news, whereas unfaithfulness is such
news as the old Adam of man likes to hear. Nevertheless, the condition of
marriage is terrifying. Faithfulness is growing, and in consequence, divorces
are multiplying as a most depressing rate. When parents see their children
growing up and reaching marriageable age, their hearts sink at the thought of
what might be in store for their children. Everyone entering marriage ought
therefore give serious thought to the question of faithfulness in married life.
I
It is really a
most remarkable statement that God makes in our text when He says that a man
shall leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife. I fear
that we have heard this so often that we have lost some of the significance of
these words. God says a man will leave his father and his mother. Certainly,
the tie between parents and children is very close. Children are born of
parents. The blood of the parents flows in the veins of the children. They
therefore belong to one another. And yet, God says that a man shall leave his
parents. By that statement, God shows that the tie, the union between a husband
and a wife, is closer, more intimate, more binding than the tie between parents
and children. Sometimes people ask: To whom does a husband or wife owe more, to
spouse or to the parents? To whom should they cling? God has answered that
question in this text.
The tie between
husband and wife is more binding because, as God says, “they shall be one
flesh.” They shall live together as, according to God’s Law, only husband and
wife shall live, in intimate physical, sexual union. This living together as
one flesh is reserved by God exclusively for husband and wife. When they live
together, it is God’s way; it is good and chaste and pure. When other live
together as only husband and wife should live together, then it is sinful,
impure, and a degradation of marriage. Because of this intimate living
together, this tie between husband and wife is the closest tie on earth and
should according to God’s will last as long as both live. “What God hath joined
together, let not man put asunder.” No husband, no wife, no parents, no in-laws
or friends, no one should interfere with the union of one man and his wife.
“They shall be
one flesh.” And the will of God is that in consequence thereof they shall raise
a family. “Be fruitful and multiply.” But having brought children into the
world, the parents should be all the more determined to remain together to care
for these children. The parents are responsible for the care of the body and
the mind and the soul of their children. It is bad enough if through death the
children their father or their mother, but it is downright mean and
contemptible to bring children, helpless children, into the world and then to
shirk the duty for caring for them. Parents are to remain together in wedded
love and faithfulness that may meet their obligations to their children.
We know what
great love God has shown us for both our body and our soul, we should be glad
to do the will of our Father. As a further encouragement, we should remember
how God blesses wedded faithfulness.
II
Perhaps you say
that our text does not say anything about the blessing of the Lord. It is true
our text does not state it directly, but we gather it from the setting in which
we find our text. When did God speak these words? When man was still in
Paradise, in the state of sinlessness. God had said, “It is not good that man
should be alone; I will make him a helpmeet for him.” And so God made the woman
and brought the woman to the man, for the good of man. Right there God blessed
the marriage estate and indicated His blessing upon wedded faithfulness.
And although man
sinned, God’s blessing still rests upon marriage and married faithfulness. When
because of sin, God had to drive man from the garden, He permitted him to take
nothing out except the marriage estate. That was the little bit of Paradise
that was saved in the general wreckage. In spite of sin, marriage is still
God’s plan for man’s happiness, and His blessings still rest upon wedded
faithfulness. Therefore, also Christ accepted the invitation to the wedding of
Cana and gladly helped that bridal couple in their trouble. Indeed, God’s
blessing rests upon marriage and wedded faithfulness.
Oh, be faithful!
It will not always be easy. Temptations will come, as well as trials and
hardships, which will make it difficult to be true to the end. But pray God to
be faithful and through your faithfulness, under God’s blessing, to find in
good and evil days true happiness.
God grant it.
Amen
This is a 1947 sermon. It is good direction and instruction for us
today.
