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God Prioritises Marriage: Lessons from the Old & New Testaments · Doing Marriage Well

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  Doing marriage well for August 5, 2026 God prioritizes marriage Lessons from
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  the Old and New Testament God is very pro-marriage I want to share a couple
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  of verses that show this Deuteronomy 24, 5,
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  If a man has recently married, he must not be sent to war or have any other
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  due to lay it on him For one year he is to be free to stay at home and bring
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  happiness to the wife he has married,
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  That's from the New International Version This passage is part of the Old Testament
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  law It is remarkable because it was given at a time when Israel was in near-constant war.
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  No other duty meant that he could not be forced to work on roads or carry supplies
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  to the army. Some rabbis said it also meant he was not to pay tax.
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  The man was still expected to earn a living, but the entire community was called
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  to carry a bit more so the new couple could develop a solid marriage.
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  Some suggest bring happiness to his wife, including sex.
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  While not found in the text, it would be logical to assume it's part of the whole.
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  This is not a verse we consider today. If you are a church leader,
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  may I suggest you honor the spirit of this and not ask newlyweds to serve for
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  the first year they are married?
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  If you have any influence with newlyweds, show them this verse and ask them
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  to prayerfully consider what it means for them.
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  The couple who focuses on the marriage and each other for the first year will
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  do far better than those who do not.
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  And now for the New Testament verse. Hold marriages in high esteem,
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  all of you, and keep the marriage bed pure.
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  That's Hebrews 13, 4a in the voice.
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  The King James and New King James versions make this a statement.
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  Marriage is honorable in all and the bed undefiled, rather than a command.
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  We don't have to dissect the original language to know this can't be right.
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  Marriage was not held in honor when Paul wrote the passage.
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  This passage being a command means it requires something of us.
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  In our own marriage, we must keep our sex life pure. We must also honor marriage in general.
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  That doesn't mean we say nice things about it. We should protect marriages.
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  We should pray for those who are married and do everything we can to help those
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  around us have better marriages.
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  The church is supposed to be a community, and we are supposed to take care of
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  each other. Caring for other people's marriages is part of that.
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  A couple of times when Lori and I were newly married, an older man came up to
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  me and gave me a Pentecostal handshake, meaning he passed me some money.
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  And that was always accompanied by, take your wife to dinner.
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  When we got older, Lori and I did our part by occasionally offering free babysitting
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  for a young couple with children.
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  Now, most Sunday evenings, we take the grandkids for a few hours to give mom
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  and dad some couple time.
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  How could you help the marriages of those around you?
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  This is Paul, and doing marriage well goes beyond your own marriage.