What is Marriage #7B
Marriage is a Blessing
So, Andrew has proposed that ‘Marriage is a Dance’. Interesting metaphor, but it does seem to have wrapped up the early part of our discussion. We disagree on many aspects of marriage, which I state rather bluntly, and he dances around (pun intended) with grace. But they are there in black and white, or bits and bites in our earlier posts, and might well be again.
But our overall goal was to present our views on ‘What is Marriage’. And when thinking about it I realised that there is a part of the definition of marriage that seems rather dramatically under attack nowadays in the church and the world. I think defending marriage as a blessing makes a good post all by itself. So here it is: Marriage is a Blessing.
Definitions have two radically different aspects. They need to include, first of all, what group this ‘thing’ is part of; then they need to include what sets this ‘thing’ apart from other ‘things’ that are also in that group. When I was a child, there was some game that began with the question ‘animal, vegetable or mineral’. Now, I don’t remember the rest of the game, but you get the point. We were obviously trying to guess some ‘thing’, and the ‘thing’ wasn’t an abstract ‘thing’, like ‘justice’ or ‘the American way’, but was a concrete ‘thing’. And we assumed that among concrete things, there were three classes: animal, vegetable, and mineral.
Then, the rest of the game consisted (I am sure) of trying to figure out what separated this ‘thing’ from all other things in the same class. Indeed, there might have been a variety of sub-classes involved: not just an animal but a mammal, not just a mammal but a mammal with four legs, etc.
So when I say that today’s post is ‘Marriage is a Blessing’, I am not, in the slightest, saying that the state of being a blessing sets marriage apart from every other blessing. It is a large class, and marriage is but one member of the group.
But I am saying that marriage is NOT a member of the class ‘neutral things’. Or the class ‘things we can take or leave equally’. Or, worse, ‘bad things’. Marriage is a good thing, a blessing, and it was designed that way.
I am also shamelessly using this post as a vehicle to, once again, post in a whole lot of Scripture and pictures of women, children, and husbands. Often both at once. Sue me.
So I had a format for this post in mind, but when I started working on it it changed utterly. Instead of the sort of topic-by-topic format, I had thought of, I am instead going to post the results of what happened when I searched on the words ‘blessed’ and ‘blessing’ and ‘bless’ in Scripture, the ones that had something to do with marriage, and organised them together.
The first thing you will probably notice is that while a wife is seen as a blessing, as is a husband, the feature of marriage that God lists by far the most frequently is the blessing of children, a blessing which comes from a Godly marriage. And I list here only those where the word ‘bless’ in some form is literally in the text, not the dozens of other places where it is implied or stated with different words.
Adam and Eve
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Noah and his sons
And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
Gen 9:1
Abraham, Sarah and Ishmael
And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.
…And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.
Gen 17:16, 20
That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
Gen 22:17
Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.
And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed.
Rebekah and Isaac
And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.
Gen 24:60
Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
Gen 26:3-4
And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people; And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham.
Gen 28:3-4
Leah
And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher.
Gen 30:13
Joseph
Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
Gen 49:25
The Nation of Israel
(The LORD God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as he hath promised you!)
Deu 1:11
Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle.
Deu 7:14
Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
Deu 28:4
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
Deu 30:19
Asher
And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil.
Deu 33:24
Joseph
And the children of Joseph spake unto Joshua, saying, Why hast thou given me but one lot and one portion to inherit, seeing I am a great people, forasmuch as the LORD hath blessed me hitherto?
Jos 17:14
Naomi
And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel.
Rth 4:14
Elkanah and his wife
And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, The LORD give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the LORD. And they went unto their own home.
1Sa 2:20
David
And it came to pass, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed be the LORD this day, which hath given unto David a wise son over this great people.
1Ki 5:7
Obededom
Moreover the sons of Obededom were, Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, and Sacar the fourth, and Nethaneel the fifth, Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, Peulthai the eighth: for God blessed him.
Ch 26:4-5
Job
So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses. He had also seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of the second, Kezia; and the name of the third, Kerenhappuch. And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren.
The man who fears the Lord
Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.
A Song of degrees. Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways.
For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.
Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.
Psa 128:1-3
Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.
Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.
Pro 5:18-19
The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.
Pro 20:7
The virtuous woman
Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.
She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.
She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.
She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.
She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.
She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.
She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.
Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.
She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.
Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.
Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.
Pro 31:10-31
My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.
Son 6:9
Mary
And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
Luk 1:28
And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
Conclusion
Marriage is a member of the group of things ‘blessings from the LORD’. Although it's not included in the short definition, it's crucial to remember. It is a blessing not only to the individuals involved but also to the church and the world. Being unmarried is the very first thing that God said wasn’t good.
For this series of posts, I have been using the definition:
Marriage is a permanent covenant to exclusive sexual[3] union between a man[1] and a woman[2] that has been and is being consummated. It was ordained by God for the purpose of producing a Godly seed, in order that man should take dominion; to which end the woman is his helpmeet, and their children are arrows.
And here we add, ‘A blessing of God’. Indeed, a blessing of God upon the individuals involved, the couple involved, their children, their family, their church, their nation, and the world and all that is in it. Thus:
Marriage is a permanent covenant to exclusive sexual[3] union between a man[1] and a woman[2] that has been and is being consummated. It was ordained by God for the purpose of producing a Godly seed, in order that man should take dominion; to which end the woman is his helpmeet, and their children are arrows. It is a blessing of God upon the individuals involved, the couple involved, their children, their family, their church, their nation, and the world and all that is in it.
Our world has been attacking marriage from the right and the left, from the church, the state, and the world. Our job as Christians, along with anyone with any sanity left, must be to not only defend marriage but promote it. To not only idealise marriage but to participate in it. We need to realise, recognise, and act on the truth that… marriage is a blessing.
Links
This set of threads is getting long and complex. It consists of two sets of letters, one with
and the other with . They are all about marriage, and cover a wide range of subtopics, and will, hopefully, cover more.What Is Marriage #1A (Dad Explains) Questions on what marriage is / How marriage has changed / Legal vs. Religious Questions
What Is Marriage #1B (Von) Asked and answered “Is Marriage Real?”
What Is Marriage #2A (Dad Explains) Expands on marriage being real within the framework of “names” or nomenclature.
What Is Marriage #2B (Von) Marriage is a sexual union. That’s not all it is (by a long chalk), but that is its core.
What is Marriage #3A (Dad Explains) Asks the question, “Is marriage solely about children or are children a critical part of marriage itself?” and raises the spectre of infertile couples.
What is Marriage #3B (Von) “Marriage is… ordained by God for the purpose of producing a Godly seed…”
What is Marriage #4A (Dad Explains) Andrew summarises a bunch of his thoughts and adds several aspects
What is Marriage #4B (Von) Marriage is a covenant. Also, post more scripture!
What is Marriage #5A (Dad Explains) All about commitment.
What is Marriage #R1B (Von) A bit of a discursion deeper into covenant
What is Marriage #5B (Von) Marriage is Obedience.
What is Marriage #6A (Dad Explains) Artistic Compromise
What is Marriage #6b (Von) Marriage is Leadership, Marriage is Jurisdictions
What is Marriage #7A (Dad Explains) Marriage is a Dance