The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Nathan K. during the 2008-2009 League.
Mission: Research - Sanctity of Marriage
We have all heard the sayings about marriage, "and the two shall become one flesh” and “the holy state of matrimony." In studying the Bible for verses about the sanctity of marriage I discovered that marriage is holy simply because God was the one who made it.
Matthew 19:5-6 says: "...for this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh... Consequently they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate." This is one of the classic verses that is used in most wedding ceremonies. Many times I feel we do not truly understand what this verse means to someone who is getting married. Humans grasp the physical aspect, and see it for what it is, but the spiritual realm seems to evade our understanding. I believe this verse is talking more about the spiritual than the physical.
Along the same line it says in Genesis 2:23-24: "And the man said, 'This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man. For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.'"
Interestingly, Scripture does not directly specify how a marriage is to be run. The Bible does say in Ephesians 5:22-25 "Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her..." This verse is saying that in the marriage relationship we are intended to respect and love one another. He did not name ALL the things that you have to do for a good marriage, but the instructions that are listed seem simple and straightforward.
Looking at marriages in today’s world I began to see that most of what we call part of marriage is tradition. I don’t think traditions are bad. But they can be bad if one’s focus is set on them instead of on God. Sadly, that is too often the case.
Marriage can become complex by the people involved in the relationship. The two main causes of a marriage relationship breaking up are bitterness, and anger, both of which are fueled by pride.
The matter of divorce is laid out very clearly in both the Old and New testaments. In Malachi 2:16 it says: "'For I hate divorce,'says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'and him who covers his garment with wrong,' says the LORD of hosts. 'So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.'"
And in Matthew 19:7-9 it says: "They said to Him, 'Why then did Moses command to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away?' He said to them, 'Because of your hardness of heart, Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.'"
These verses state strongly that God hates divorce. He made marriage to be a physical and spiritual bond between a man and a woman that was never meant to be broken. If this bond is broken the ensuing aftermath is horrific! But God can make something beautiful out of tragedy.
At the end of the "Lord of the Rings" it says that there are some wounds time will never heal. How true yet how sad. I add something to this phrase every time I hear it - I add "but God can." How blessed we are to know that no matter what we go through, whether the pain of divorce or the blessings of good fortune, God will be there, guiding us through.
