MARRIAGE THAT WORKS Part 4
“Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.”
(Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)
Notice that the scripture says two are better than one, not two heads are better than one. You cannot have two heads in marriage.
“For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.”
(Ephesians 5:23)
Although the man is the head, the woman is the neck upon which it sits and turns. Just as the head needs the neck to turn it, so does the husband need the wife to make him flexible. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 emphasizes that it’s easier for two people who help each other to solve a problem than one person to solve it alone. This is God’s definition of marriage. A marriage that works is more wonderful than imagined but harder than thought. However, it’s worth the work. Marriage is work, and it is God’s work!
Marriage is God’s Design
“And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found a help meet for him. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made He a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam 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. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.”
(Genesis 2:20-25)
“According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.”
(Exodus 25:9)
Every pattern has pairs of parts: two sleeves, salt and pepper, bread and butter, shoes and socks, a rock and a hard place, etc. Marriage follows a similar design. God has created a master pattern for husbands and wives that, when followed, will create a whole, usable, stable, and beautiful marriage. Every pattern has three essential elements: a context, a problem, and a solution—and marriage is no different.
Every pattern addresses a problem that occurs repeatedly and provides a solution that can be applied repeatedly, without being exactly the same each time. The human covenant of marriage, as revealed in scripture, expresses a deeper spiritual pattern. It is rooted in heaven just as other profound realities in the Bible. Made in heaven, marriage is designed to be applied here on earth. It is God’s solution to many problems that one would struggle to solve alone.
Marriage is an overarching metaphor for God’s relationship with His covenantal people, Israel. In the Old Testament, this is described as marriage. The New Testament elaborates this metaphor, comparing it to the relationship between Christ and His bride—the Church, culminating in the glorious marriage supper celebration in heaven in Revelation 19:7. The New Testament instructs husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her. Marriage is a heavenly phenomenon, manifesting God’s divine plan on earth.
The Mystery of Marriage: Christ and His Church
“For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”
(Ephesians 5:31-32)
While marriages are not perfect, the pattern is perfect, displaying heaven’s reality on earth. The earthly relationship of marriage is a reflection of a divine pattern that encourages unity, fruitfulness, fulfillment, responsibility, and covenant. Marriage is a reflection of God’s redemptive love through Christ, showcasing His plans, purposes, and pursuits woven into the very fabric of marriage. Our God is a Master-Designer and a Masterbuilder!
