A Love That Endures Series

The perfect Biblical presentation of this is found in Exodus 26:6,

“You shall make fifty clasp of gold, and join the curtains to one another with the clasps so that the tabernacle will be a unit.” (Exodus 26:6) Several translations say, “couple the curtains one to the other with clasps, so that the tabernacle may be a single whole one [unit].” (English Standard Version; King James)

Moses used the same Hebrew word for one (eḥāḏ) for the building of the tabernacle and for the bringing into the complex unity of man and woman for marriage. “This unity is diversity brought into harmony.” (Marriage, From Surviving to Thriving, Swindoll)

I especially appreciate an illustration from the book “Love Is A Choice.” What Moses was writing “is the picture that is seen in a figure-skating couple gliding across the ice. The man and woman intertwine their arms and legs, spinning and twirling in perfect synchronized movements with music playing. Their movements are individual, different, yet carefully executed so that you see them as one working unit. Then suddenly they part ways and move in opposite directions, spin in perfect unison, they come together again, creating a beautiful picture of two people living as “one-flesh.” (Marriage, From Surviving to Thriving, Swindoll)

The Christian marriage surrendered to the Lordship of Christ as head of the relationship has individual movements which are different, yet present to an on looking world a picture of unity, a couple working in harmony for the glory of God who created the marriage covenant.

Transitional Sentence: A marriage unified in Christ enjoys true Biblical intimacy. Moses wrote, “…The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.” (Genesis 2:25)

A Biblical marriage destroys thoughts of self-consciousness, they defeat shame, there is no fear of ridicule, no hang-ups, they can choose to avoid embarrassments and with Christ leading the marriage they miss the emotional hurts from abuse or poor choices.

Biblical intimacy avoids the world’s view which is sex driven to being victorious living through shared discussion, shared silence, shared history, yes, shared trials and heartaches, as well as shared joys.

The marriage couple who builds on the essentials in this message has a husband who knows his “responsibility is to love his Lord so deeply and accept his [God given call] so completely that he gives himself to his wife without conditions. A marriage surrendered to the Lordship of Christ has a wife who knows her “responsibility to respect her husband so much that she gives herself to her husband without hesitations [every part of her life].” (Marriage, From Surviving to Thriving, Swindoll)

God’s call for marriage is intimacy not familiarity. Gordon Lester wrote, “Familiarity and intimacy are not the same. Each has a value in life, certainly in married life, but one is no substitute for the other. If one is confused for the other, we have the basis for major human and marital unrest. In marriage, familiarity is inescapable. It happens almost imperceptibly. Intimacy is usually hard to come by. It must be deliberately sought and opened up and responded to. Familiarity brings a degree of ease and comfort. Intimacy excitingly searches for deep understanding and personal appreciation.”