Marriage, Joined Together
Once a couple makes a Biblical separation, the element of "stability" can be applied. The Bible says, "Be joined with his wife." (Genesis 2:24) "Joined" (dabag) means to cling to and stay with. The application is something sticking together and when used in a marriage relationship it is a man clinging to his wife, no matter what life throws at them and she sticks with him, thus bringing stability.
While attending Junior High School, our wood working instructor was making a heavy duty work bench. He did not have large enough pieces of wood to make the legs that would be needed to withstand all the stress that would be applied to the table in the upcoming years. He took several pieces of wood and glued them together with wood glue. He put them in a vice and tightened it down. After the glue dried he took the four legs to the wood lave. It spun with tremendous speed and he took different tools and carved the image he desired, amazingly the wood pieces held together. He then attached the four legs to the bench and for 30+ years this bench has withstood all sorts of pounding, moving, and the different weights laid upon it.
The fact is, it does not matter how long you have been married, there is no such thing as marriage reaching a certain milestone which protects it from the temptation of giving up. The effects of Genesis three does not go away with age or weakens because of years of experience. Satan’s attack on marriage is constant until “Death Do You Part.”
There are Biblical proofs of God keeping marriage together as long as couples choose to stick it out. “Adam an Eve endured the harsh consequences of sin: banishment from home, cursed ground, cursed relationship, cursed offspring. Yet they remained together through nine hundred years of life.” (Marriage. From Surviving to Thriving, Charles Swindoll) Joseph and Mary had to trust God’s revelations to them (Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38), knowing that most people would not believe them about Mary’s virgin conception. Consider the marriage of Hosea and Gomer: It appears in Scripture there was a season Gomar lived as a prostitute – However, Hosea was told to go to her and love her as his wife again and she was told to live a life of repentance (Hosea 3). I like what Mr. Swindoll wrote, “I can think of no greater conflict in marriage than infidelity. So serious is the damage that the Lord considers it a breach of the marital bond [without the fruit of repentance] He permits divorce. However, that’s not to say that divorce is required or even inevitable.” Hosea could have handed her justice according to the law, but instead he dealt Gomar the mercies of God, again Gomar was expected to produce the fruit of repentance.
Let the overwhelming weights of consequences, circumstance, and conflicts cause you to be joined (dabaq) together in these times when people are saying, "I want to know what love is."
A marriage that allows God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit of Christ to join the couple together will withstand all the weight that is laid upon it. Many a Christian couple surrendered to the Lordship of Christ has enjoyed the stability of absolute devotion, absolute loyalty, uncompromising affection, and love.
