Do you know that marriage was designed by God in a specific way? There is an absolute truth to the way a marriage should operate (the roles of a husband and a wife).
Let's take a look at two scriptures that are loaded with wisdom about the design of marriage. Actually, there's so much to these passages, we will only look at part of them today and then continue to break them down over the next couple of weeks. If you are engaged, having marital problems, or just wanting to enrich your marriage then this is a great foundational scripture to begin meditating on.
Genesis 24 says, "Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and they shall become one flesh..."
Paul actually quotes this same scripture in Ephesians 5:31,
"Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and they shall become one flesh..."
First off, I want to highlight the importance of the truth contained in these passages. Paul thought this truth was worth repeating word-for-word. This, I think, should catch our attention. Think about it: the truth is written in Genesis (the first book of the Old Testament) right after Eve was formed from Adam's rib, and then included in Paul's letter to the Ephesians (which is in the New Testament) thousands of years later. God's Word is unchanging! This is good news for many reasons; including that the keys to having a successful, life-giving marriage are unchanging and are not SUPPOSED to be a mystery to us.
The remainder of our focus will go to the first segment of this scripture: "Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother...."
While we do literally leave our parents home, this isn't talking about a place... its referring to the responsibility the husband assumes once he becomes mature and enters into marriage. A man steps out from under his parents and assumes the position as the leader of his own family. We will go into depth about the roles of the husbands and wives at a later date, but one clear role for the husband is to assume this position as the leader. So husbands, whether you knew that or not when you got married, biblically you are the leader in every aspect (especially spiritually). Realize that the direction of your marriage and family, and the way your marriage and home exists now, is shaped by your leadership. And you can't NOT lead. God's design is for the man to lead. So, if you think you're not leading, you are deceived. You just aren't leading well.
Husbands, YOU are going to have to ensure that your marriage starts off on a successful path, or changes into what you've always thought it should be! So take an honest look at your vision for your marriage... Now, ask yourself these two questions:
1) Where am I taking my family?...
2) Why am I going that way?...
