"Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." Genesis 2:24

I want you to imagine a high mountain with a beautiful valley at its base. A winding road comes down the mountain side with steep cliffs and sharp precipices on either side. And there are obstacles on the road and few — if any — guard rails. At the top, an automobile starts down the road thinking it will be a wonderful trip down to the happy valley. But all along the road are wrecks and cars careening over the cliffs and running into obstacles. And the people in the cars — including passengers picked up along the way — are broken and maimed.

This is a picture of marriage in America today. So, what should we do?

  • First, we need to have a heart full of love and compassion for those who have wrecked. We need to remember that God loves them and does not hold grudges.
  • Next, we need to construct some guard rails. The devil has leveled all of the artillery of hell against our homes. We need to be building some guard rails and removing some of the obstacles that are causing the disastrous wrecks.
  • But I think the main thing we need to do is teach the driver's how to drive. We have a vicious cycle in America: broken homes produce broken people that have more broken homes that produce more broken people, etc. But it's not an irreversible cycle. We need teach young people how to have godly marriages.

Genesis 2:21-24 tells about the first marriage. It tells about God's plan for the home and for a magnificent marriage. And verse twenty-four sums up all of marriage: "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." This one verse speaks so clearly of the priority, the permanence and the purpose of marriage.


The Priority of Marriage
The highest priority of human relationships is not parent to child or child to parent, but mate to mate. Therefore, as parents we must be preparing our children to leave us. Like the eagle, we must stir the nest, so they can go out and have homes of their own. Now the little eagles may not want to leave the nest, but there comes a time when they must fly. Many moms and dads don't want to have the empty nest, so they keep it feathered and make it easy for the little baby eagles and never really teach them how to fly. What a mistake!


The Permanence of Marriage
This verse further instructs the man to "cleave unto his wife." The Hebrew wording has the idea of welding or gluing. It's not people who put themselves together; it's God. And Mark 10:9 says, "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." Marriage is permanent; it is "till death do us part."

All marriages have problems. People who stay married and those who get divorced have basically the same kinds of problems. The difference is not in the problems but in the commitment. Just get rid of the idea of divorce. Take your scissors and cut that word out of your dictionary.


The Purpose of Marriage
And finally, Genesis 21:24 says that the two will be one flesh. This deals with more than a sexual union — though that is included. It means they will be one flesh physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Marriage is a romance, and in the first chapter both the hero and the die heroine, so they can become one new person. God takes two and makes them one. You may say that's old-fashioned. Yes, it is old-fashioned, but it's still mighty good.

When all else has failed, we need to simply go back and read the directions. But if you've failed, remember God is a God of forgiveness. He's the God of a second chance, a third chance, and a fourth chance. If you have a broken heart or a broken home, bring it to Jesus. He can put it back together if you'll give Him all the pieces.

The first miracle Jesus performed was at a wedding when He turned water into wine (John 2:1-11), and He is still performing miracles. When you get right down to it, every magnificent marriage is a miracle because it is a union of man, a woman, and God. It won't always be easy, but it will always be worth it.