MARRIAGE

Genesis 2:24

Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

INSIGHT -In Hebrew, marriage is written as baw-al’ which means matrimony, wedlock, nuptials, betrothal, laureateship. -Moses wrote that a man should leave his parents & be joined to his wife as they become one flesh.
-In James 3:2, those who cannot stumble in word can bridle their whole body. In 1 Cor 6:19, our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit. In John 1:14, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. -Joining to make one flesh means to become of the same purpose/comparable & in one body with Christ, which is lead by the Word of God to make a pure wedlock.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, unite us in one flesh with You. Fill our home/future home with love, respect & peace always. Let us share in Your body, Christ so that our temples may be Holy always. Give us the wisdom to abide by Your word & consequently bridle our bodies. Amen.

Isaiah 34:16

“Search from the book of the Lord, and read: Not one of these shall fail; Not one shall lack her mate. For My mouth has commanded it, and His Spirit has gathered them.

INSIGHT -The Lord has commanded that noone shall fail nor lack her mate & His spirit shall join them. -In Prov 18:22, He who finds a wife finds a good thing & gains favor from the Lord. In Prov 19:14, Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord. -When the Lord commands it, He fulfils it in Faith. God’s gifts add no sorrow. Let’s always ask of Him.

PRAYER: Lord my Father, all good things come from You. You have commanded that I will neither fail nor lack a mate. Give me a prudent wife/husband from You so that Your favor may be abundant in our home. Holy Spirit, join us in holy matrimony & fill our house with your fruit. Amen.

Ephesians 5:33

Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

INSIGHT -Apostle Paul writes that husbands should love their wives as themselves & wives respect their husbands.
-In John 13:34, Jesus says love one another as I have loved you. -Husbands loving their wives & wives respecting their husbands is the perfect recipe for a happy betrothal. Jesus loves us so much & asks us to love Him, love one another so that the marriage may stand.

PRAYER: Jesus my Savior, thank you for loving me. I welcome You into my heart & family to share Your love with us. Fill us with love & respect so that our union/future union may be preserved by You.Teach us the virtues of love & respect for one another as we emulate Your Word. Amen

Hebrews 13:4

Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

INSIGHT -Marriage should be honoured by all. The unmarried should not have sexual relations before marriage & the married should be faithful to their spouses. -In John 4:18, you have five husbands & the one you currently have is not yours. In Philippians 2:3, let nothing be done out of selfish ambition or conceit, but each one esteem the other better than themselves.

PRAYER: Christ my Savior, forgive me from all uncleanness & wash me by Your blood. Give me Your living water so that I never thirst & be satisfied with what I have as I honor Your commandments. Fulfil to me the desires of my heart, Father. Bless my descendants up to the tenth generation & wash us from all curses that run in our family. Amen.

Genesis 24:67

Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

INSIGHT -Abraham sent his servant to Nahor to look for a wife for his son Isaac. His servant prayed to God & was successful for Rebekah became Isaacs wife. A wife brings comfort to the family. -Abraham is likened to God & Isaac to Christ. Abraham wanted to sacrifice Isaac, God sacrificed Jesus. God gave Christ the church, Abraham gave Isaac a bride. -In Eph 5:31-32, man & wife shall become one flesh, a mystery concerning Christ & the church. In John 2:19-22, Jesus said He would destroy the temple & built it in 3 days. He was talking about His body as the temple. This was after changing water to wine at the wedding in Cana. In John 15:5, Christ is the vine & we are branches. Without Him we can do nothing. ‘The vine makes wine.’

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You are the vine and we are Your branches. You died for the church & made the family unity complete, have mercy on us. Let us be guided and comforted by You as we drink from the vine for the forgiveness of our sins. Let us abide in You as You abide in the Father. Give me a Godly spouse as the Father gave You the church. Bless our descendants like You blessed Abrahams family. This I pray to the Lord. Amen

Genesis‬ ‭34:8-11‬ ‭‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

“But Hamor spoke with them, saying, “The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife. And make marriages with us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters to yourselves. So you shall dwell with us, and the land shall be before you. Dwell and trade in it, and acquire possessions for yourselves in it.” Then Shechem said to her father and her brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you say to me I will give.”

INSIGHT

-Marriage in Hebrew is written as bawal & it’s a sacred vow between a man & woman; & a beautiful gift from God. The Bible offers many verses that proffer guidance to married couples, husbands, wives, newlyweds, engaged & those seeking to get married.
-Shechem, son of Hamor the king of the Hivites requested Jacob the father of Dinah for a hand in marriage. This came at a time when Dinah had gone to visit the daughters of the land & Shechem defiled her, & remained with her in his household. They knew the benefits of marrying a good wife & the favor that follow; though they were pagans their approach to marriage was deceptive. King Solomon revealed to us that “He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the LORD” (Pro ‭18:22‬). Shechem was determined to experience favor; though like an avalanche which begins with seismic activity where a little ice melts away & ends up burying the whole town, he was caught up at the heat of the moment with Dinah & caused the death of all the men in his city. ‬This is similar to a marriage where one marries a stranger & their marriage is not founded on Christ. God cautioned the Israelites against intermarrying with the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites & Jebusites for they would draw them away from Him (Deu 7:3-4). Casual Christians who enter into such ungodly unions end up becoming Christian casualties. We are also cautioned against being yoked together with unbeliever, for there is no fellowship between righteousness & lawlessness, & no communion between light & darkness (2 Cor‬ ‭6:14). Further, marriage is an institution that is under attack with cases of divorce & same sex marriages on the rise. May we continue to ask God for mercy & guidance before we are committed to the wrong partners & to always be founded & directed by Him in all these things through His grace. ‬ ‭‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

PRAYER
Thank You Abba Father for the gift of life & giving for us the institution of marriage, we praise You & exult Your holy name. Bless all the single men & women who are yet to get married; guide them in the selection of their life partners & grant them favour in marriages ordained by You alone; according to Your merciful love. Be with all those who are married Jesus & cement their bonds of marriage by Your everlasting love. Many are married but remain childless; answer them all like You answered Sarah & Hannah; & grant them children merciful Father. Bless all the single mothers, grant them direction & favour, & fulfill their hearts desires according to Your divine mercy Lord. Remember also Father those who are involved in same sex relationships & marriages that You may correct them & show them Your precepts. Many of our mothers are widows & fathers widowers; have mercy on them all Jesus & grant them their hearts desires according to Your divine grace. We praise You Jehovah & bless Your name now & forever. Amen

Exodus‬ ‭2:21‬ ‭‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

“Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage.”

INSIGHT

-Having a deep desire for social justice; Moses saved an oppressed Jew from the hands of his Egyptian master. His intentions were good but his actions; ill advised. He became a vagabond in Egypt leaving his majestic life & ran to Midian where he sat by a well probably calling on Gods’ mercy. Through the same desire for social justice; he was able to fight for the seven daughters of Reuel the priest of Midian when the shepherd’s hindered them from accessing water. Just like Isaac’s wife who was found by the well, Moses conveniently found Zipporah by the well, a place of spiritual inclination. Zipporah the daughter of a priest complemented Moses’ priestly purpose in marriage by cultivating godly qualities in her family through deep spiritual truths; which was imperative when leading the Israelites out of Egypt & through the exodus experience. Everything falls in place perfectly according to Gods’ divine purposes even though sometimes we loose hope in waiting for our life partners but God call us to have faith in Him. After his undergraduate lessons in Egypt; Moses graduated & moved to Midian; for a postgraduate course under Reuel/Jethro the priest of God where he learned the laws & precepts of God for forty years (Acts 7:30). We should always remember that God is not slack of ideas, He is working & actively involved in each one of our lives by making sure that His Kingdom purposes come to life in our personal lives, families, societies & nation. Like Moses who went through different experiences in his life; we should also remember that it is not by chance that we are exposed to different situation & environments but God has a purpose for our lives according to His everlasting love as from old; through His Son Jesus Christ our Lord & Savior.

PRAYER
Thank You Lord for Your goodness & mercy upon our lives, we praise Your name forever. Remember, Jesus Your great mercy & love; for they are from of old & grant us Your grace through our walk in You. Your word is true & perfect Lord; teach us Your precepts & guide us through its application. Have mercy Lord on all those who are waiting on You for their spouses; that You may grant them favour according to Your merciful love. Remember also all the school going children; that You give them excellence, wisdom & good health merciful Father. Bless us all Lord & elevate us in our personal lives, relationships, families, businesses, work, gifts, talents, calling, churches, societies, government & nation at large; for Your grace is sufficient for us all & Your mercies endures forever. Amen

Hebrews‬ ‭13:4‬ ‭‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

‭‭‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬“Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge. ‬‬

INSIGHT

-Marriage is a life long union between an imperfect male & female; perfected through Christ. Marriage mirrors the family & acts like a laboratory to incubate, nature & train children in the ways of God so that they may come to maturity through Christ. We are reminded that marriage is honorable & the marriage bed undefiled; but fornicators & adulterous will be judged. Adultery exposes a marriage to divorce & more so those who marry the divorced woman commit adultery (Mat‬ ‭5:32‬); but God calls us to forgiveness seventy times seven times. ‭As human beings; we may never gain satisfaction when we rely on lust, alcohol, positions, materialism etc; since we keep pursuing more & more, but only in Christ can we find complete satisfaction through His unending love. Through illicit relationships; one sets a snare upon his soul & casts a chain around his own necks which leads to a big struggle when he want to withdraw; unless Christ grants him grace. These events may disorient the family setting, leading to the suffering of kids, each couple struggles through the process of divorce & may sometimes ends up being fatal as evidenced all over the media. We are reminded that we are fearfully & wonderfully made. Therefore; we should always be conformed to the image of Christ through living a holy life otherwise we end up rejecting God Who gives us His Holy Spirit (1 Thes 4:7-8). When we are fearful; then we embrace the fear of the Lord which leads to knowledge but fools despise wisdom & understanding (Prov 1:7). ‬‬God is merciful & loves us with an everlasting love displayed through His sacrifice on the cross which brought redemption from all our sins & evil deeds leading to His grace.

PRAYER
You are our King of kings & Lord of lords Father; we thank You for Your graces upon our lives & families. Have mercy Lord on all those who are married & on the whole world. Liberate all those who have cast a snare upon their souls through fornication & adultery by Your precious blood Jesus. Have mercy on us for we have all sinned & fallen short of Your glory Lord, forgive us. Heal all those who are sick, those in prison, those who lack basic needs, those who are homeless, the street urchins, those who have been divorced or separated & us all in our various shortcomings that You may grant us Your grace always. Jesus You are the same yesterday, today & forever, we forever give You praise. Amen