DATE: – 11TH JULY, 2021
TOPIC: – GOD’S KIND OF MARRIAGE (Part 2)
BIBLE PASSAGE: – Genesis 2: 18 – 25
MEMORY VERSE: – “And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee; for wither thou goest, I will go, and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people and thy God my God” (Ruth 1:16)
INTRODUCTION: – Marriage requires that each of the couple willingly and cheerfully separate (leave) from his or her past relationship and be devoted and committed to each other so as to foster oneness, union, unity and togetherness in the bond of peace. For marriage to actually be enjoyed as God intended, the two must leave to cleave becoming one flesh.
LESSON OUTLINES
1) Becoming One Flesh
God showing how important marriage institution is to Him, commanded the children of Israel that a newly wedded man should be exempted from participating in warfare or perform any national duty for a whole year. He is expected to stay glued freely to his new wedded wife without any distractions (Deut.24:5).
The very Author and Founder of the institution called marriage gave out this very instruction. But what do we have today? Many couples few days after their wedding begin to live apart. They are separated by business, education, job etc. Some others leave their wives with their parents. And before you know, it becomes marriage by correspondence or social media. Why marry then in the first place?
Whenever or wherever this is the case, it will be difficult to really come to the level of the type of relationships God intends for His children. God knows us and has set a pattern on how we can achieve this kind of marriage relationship. Emotional intimacy begins when two people deliberately share the same world, time, interest, feelings, thoughts, goal and ideas.
Becoming one flesh describes sexual union between husband and his own wife (not wives). Sexual union is a mystery because no rational explanation can fully account for its powerful pervasion influence in marriage. To become one flesh means more than physical union, it implies that two persons share everything not only their bodies but also their material and financial possessions, pains and sufferings, joys and sorrows, hopes and fears; successes and failures etc. in summary, they share their everything.
Gen.2:25 “the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed”. They were both naked and were not ashamed”. They were both naked, openness to each other in thoughts, movements, business, finances, friendships, relationships, journeys etc. in everything. No secret or hidden agenda. They were not ashamed of their past and present.
They were not ashamed of their strengths and weaknesses. There is absolute openness between the man and his wife. The husband does not have a secret the wife does not know and the wife does not have a secret that the husband does not know.
This is what it takes to become one flesh. One flesh is oneness in everything!
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
Marriage is an institution for man created by God and thus it is of God. No wonder the first miracle God the Son performed in his earthly ministry was at a marriage ceremony at Cana (Jh.2:1-11).
When a marriage is not working as God intended, it grieves His hearts.
QUESTIONS
- What does it to become one flesh?
- What are the hindrances to oneness in marriage?
Next Week in page 3