Marriage Matters: Lessons from Biblical Couples 7Sunday Selah Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the…
Marriage Matters: Lessons from Biblical Couples 6 Lessons from Biblical Couples Review This week, we have taken a look at five Old Testament couples who have important lessons to teach us about God’s design for healthy marriages. We have learned that building a solid marriage relationship is much more about developing our character than it is about controlling our circumstances. From the lives of David and Abigail, Hosea and Gomer, Adam and…
Marriage Matters: Lessons from Biblical Couples 5Boaz and Ruth - Cherishing Matters Ruth 2:1 – 4:15 Gary Thomas writes in his book, Cherish: “Cherish means to go out of our way to notice someone, appreciate someone, honor someone, and hold someone dear. When we cherish someone, we take pleasure in thinking about them and we want to showcase their excellence to others.” Based on this definition, Boaz and Ruth knew what it…
Marriage Matters: Lessons from Biblical Couples 4Jacob and Rachel - Commitment Matters Genesis 29–35 I am sure we have all heard some cynical comments about the costs of marriage at some point in our lives. We hear people talk about giving up their freedom to settle down; we listen to soundbytes of supposed scholars lecturing about how monogamy is actually an unnatural state and marriage is nothing but enslavement; we watch coworkers…
Marriage Matters: Lessons from Biblical Couples 3 Adam and Eve - Companionship Matters Genesis 2:18-25; 3–4 When we think of Adam and Eve, perhaps we still see them as tiny figures on a flannelgraph in Sunday school. She sits beneath a tree while the serpent hangs from a branch, tempting her to eat the forbidden fruit. He stands beside her with hand outstretched to eat it, and then rushes with her behind…
Marriage Matters: Lessons from Biblical Couples 2Hosea and Gomer - Constancy Matters Hosea 1:1-9; 3:1-3 When the prophet Hosea was instructed by God to marry a prostitute named Gomer, surely this was not what he had in mind. But God had a purpose. He needed to clearly demonstrate to Israel exactly how He loved them. Even while they worshipped other gods and were unfaithful to Him, God would pursue them and be…
Marriage Matters: Lessons from Biblical Couples 1 David and Abigail - Character Matters 1 Samuel 25:2-42 While anyone familiar with the Old Testament knows of King David and his lasting legacy of strength and honor in Israel, it is easy to forget the many lessons we can learn from his marriages—both from his wicked choices and his wise choices. David’s marriage to Abigail the Carmelite was certainly the latter. The way David first…