Marriage as a Sacred Institution: Paul and Malachi 2:10-15

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Every hour in America, about 86 couples divorce. That’s more than 2,000 divorces every day, over 14,000 each week, and nearly 750,000 every year.

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Well, despite those staggering numbers, our teacher, Dr. J. Vernon McGee, reminds us that divorce itself is not the problem. It’s only a symptom. I’m Steve Schwetz, welcoming you to Through the Bible, where we’ll hear Dr. McGee get to the heart of the matter. So grab your seat on the Bible bus and get ready for a message Dr. McGee called The Best Love. Let’s pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for your unconditional love and the patience that you model for us each day. Lord, as we open your word together, would you show us the building blocks of strong and lasting relationships? We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen. We’re off to Malachi chapter 2 on Through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.

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Now, friends, we’re down in this section where the Lord is rebuking the people because of their social sins. He’ll be rebuking them a little later because of their religious sins. But here, it’s the social sins that has to do with the home and with the family. And specifically, he had said in verse 11, Judah hath dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and Jerusalem. For Judah hath profaned the holiness of the Lord, which he loved. Well, what did they do? Well, he makes it very clear. He spells it out. And hath married the daughter of a foreign god. That is, they’d married heathen women. Well, what about their own wives? Well, the Lord says to him in verse 13, “…and this have ye done again, covering the altar with tears and weeping, with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, nor receiveth it with good will at your hand.” Now, they had put aside their wives. They had divorced them. They had married these heathen girls that they had met. But they continued to go to the altar, the temple worship, bring the offerings. God says, I’m not accepting it, nor will I receive it. Verse 14, yet ye say, why? Now, again, with hurt feelings. And with a note of surprise, they say, well, why? We’re such nice people. We’re going to the temple worship. He spells it out, because the Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth. That’s your first wife, you see. Against whom thou hast dealt treacherously, yet is she thy companion and the wife of thy covenant. And then verse 15 that follows, some of the expositors considered this the most difficult verse in the entire book of Malachi. Well, frankly, a poor simple preacher like I am, why to me it can only mean one thing because that’s what it says. And I’m reading, “…and did not he make one?” That is, a man and a woman. Yet had he the residue of the Spirit, and why one that he might seek a godly seed? Therefore take heed to your spirit, let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. Now, God says that he has rejected all their offering because of the fact they were wrong in the family. They had put aside the wife of their youth in order that they might marry these heathen women, and that was the purpose of it. Last time, I followed through by seeing that the Lord Jesus put down one very definite, specific reason for divorce. And that reason, as well as any others, because of the hardness of the hearts of men and women, because of sin that’s entered the world. And then Paul makes it clear that when a believer and unbeliever, now you see the Lord Jesus was not speaking into that situation. He’s speaking to a people who were all of the same race, all supposed to be worshiping the same God. But now, Paul said, for the benefit of the Corinthians, because some of you over there got converted and you were already married, what should you do? Well, if the unbeliever will stay with you and you can make a home where there’ll be peace, and happiness continue. But if that’s impossible and the unbeliever walks out on you, then you’re not bound. And for that reason, divorce would be permitted. Now, this passage in Malachi is the longest passage that you have in the Old Testament on the subject of divorce. God made not a broad basis for it under the law as we looked at that yesterday in Deuteronomy 24. Actually, what He was doing there was making a basis that if a man found uncleanness, and I actually believe that when you say man, it’s generic. It could be the man or woman with the wife would find uncleanness in the husband. Now, You have here something that I think today has been neglected. And the important thing is, the thing that’s wrong is not the getting of a divorce. So much today as it’s the fact that they’re getting married. That is, those that are getting married who ought not to be married at all. Now, in this connection, I have a letter that came from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. And I want you to hear this because it’s marriage that has to be made right or the divorce is naturally, is the thing that’s in the future. They ought not to get married. It’s not that they ought not to get a divorce. I’m reading. I was able to listen to your broadcast for the first time in months today. What a tremendous blessing. I never thought I’d miss that southern rasp. until the station you were on was canceled. And I want you to know that that’s not a southern rasp. I ought to correct that immediately. That is that pure language that Zechariah talks about that in the millennium they’re going to speak. So you’re hearing that accent. All right. Then she tells about one station went off. That is, it was canceled, even the station. But we went on another station. And first, she didn’t know that. I’m reading. Now I owe you an apology for my stupid behavior. Your broadcasts in media or media, I’m not sure how it’s pronounced. Pennsylvania was canceled like a nitwit. I wrote to the FCC. and told them they were dummies for canceling the station. I wrote to you complaining and asked that other listeners write to the FCC. How very foolish! The Lord has shown me something I never would have learned without being deprived of His Word through the broadcast. I was given a hunger, a deep, deep hunger for the knowledge only found in the Word of the living God. One night at 2 a.m., I woke up my husband, shared with him my hunger for Christ. You see, I only thought I knew Christ, but I hadn’t let him take control. After we prayed, I was flooded with a peace beyond description. Our marriage is so very dear now, all because of Christ. My husband accepted Christ when he was seven years old. I can’t begin to tell you all the blessings we’ve received together since that night. When the Lord gives to his children, he does it bountifully. Jesus is so very precious. My heart is filled with thanksgiving for your broadcast. Now, let me say this. You see that it’s the marriage that is the important thing. And you can’t correct certain situations when it starts out wrong. The Lord Jesus went back to it, and Paul refers to it. And here in verse 15, Malachi goes back to it. And did not he make one? That is, he made one. Adam and Eve were one. And that’s important for us to see. Now we saw there was no help that was meet for Adam. He had no help from the underworld, that is, the animal world beneath him. And certainly, he could not find a companion among angels. Now, God took from Adam, as we saw, a rib. And this is not some foolish story. But why didn’t he make woman out of the ground as he made man? Because of the fact he wants to impress upon man that woman is part of man. Man is only half a man without a woman, if you please. And that is the picture that you have. And as we said, she wasn’t taken from his head to be his mental superior. She’s not taken from his feet in order to be a servant. She’s taken from his side. She’s to be a companion. She’s to help him. They together are going to become one. Now, how will one plus one equal one? And that’s God’s arithmetic, by the way, and it’s accurate. Verse 23 now of chapter 2 of Genesis. And Adam said, this is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman. What’s woman? Well, Adam was ish. She is Isha, just the other side. We call a male and female, but it’s just the other half of it, the other part of it. This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman because she was taken out a man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife. This, may I say, excommunicates mother-in-laws and father-in-laws. This removes them from the new family. And I’m not going into that today, but I’m afraid that a great many folk are getting some very wrong instruction. Because there’s one thing about marriage is it establishes a new creation. And it has nothing to do with Papa and Mama. You’ve left them. And they shall be one flesh. Now, how are they going to be one flesh? Here’s man and woman. Woman was taken out of man. Well, they’re going to be one flesh in the child that is born. They’re going to be one. And actually, what you’ve got here, one plus one plus one equals one. This is really a mathematical problem. Now, we’re told here they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. Now, this was before sin happened. had entered into the world, and neither one would look upon the other in lust. Because at that time, they are innocent, but they see each other, and they know each other. And externally, they certainly knew each other. They did not look upon each other in a lustful manner. But here is a man and a woman, and he looked upon her with tenderness and love. That’s exactly what Paul says in Ephesians. And she looked upon him in respect and love. In other words, she could truly say, this is the man for me. And the important thing is, the creation of Eve made Adam a man. And the presence of Adam made Eve a woman, all woman, all man. That’s exactly what Paul over in Ephesians has a great deal to say about. And I want to turn to that passage also, because here’s something else that is greatly misunderstood. And this has to do with not only a Christian home, but with believers who are spirit-filled. Because he begins all of this, be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the Holy Spirit, giving thanks and so on, speaking to yourselves in psalms and submitting yourselves one to another. Now he says, wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands as unto the Lord. And that does not mean obey. He’s not talking about obedience here at all. He’s talking about she’s to respond to man. She’s the other part of man. But for the sake of headship, the husband is the head of the wife. Why? Well, because you have to have a head. This is not a monstrosity with two heads. Even as Christ is the head of the church, and he’s the savior of the body. Therefore, as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their husbands in everything. And this is based on this. Husbands, love your wives. No wife is asked to become obedient to an alcoholic and to follow him to the bar room. If you think that’s what Paul means, you’re just entirely wrong. You ought to read it all. Husbands, love your wives. This is the kind of husband that she is to respond to. And it’s my belief that a man is the one to say to the woman first, I love you. And when he says that, then she’s to respond, I love you. And that leads me to say this. There’s no such thing as frigidity in women. That is certainly misunderstood because if she has the right husband, she’ll respond to the right man that gives her the right treatment. and is her husband in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself to it. I believe young people today need lots more instruction than they’re getting, and they don’t need it in the public schools, because the only thing that is glorified there is sex. Now, will you note, I’m going to begin today Looking at this from a little different viewpoint than probably you’ve heard before because this does need to be emphasized in our day. There is today an obsession with sex that’s positively frightening and absolutely alarming. You need only to consult contemporary literature to recognize this. In a leading British paper not long ago, this statement was made. Popular morality is now a wasteland littered with the debris of broken convictions. And it was Judge Barron of the Superior Court of Massachusetts who said, at too many colleges today, promiscuity among students is a dangerous and growing evil. And then the Billy Graham paper decision had an editorial way back in 64, I guess it was. And by the way, these quotations go back that far. But here it is. So our young people go riding down the high road to hell in an atmosphere that would make any self-respecting animal sick to his stomach. And no one thinks that matters are as bad as they seem. And that is a tremendous statement and a good one, by the way. And an outstanding Christian writer in America says, but where are the compelling external cries to match the inner voices of the soul, which at times murmur darkly and other times clamorously that all is not well, that wayward feet are treading the way of wrath, the path of judgment. Then he goes on to say, the answer is not simply in passing more laws. It’s to be found in regeneration by the Spirit, who alone can set men’s souls on fire with a divinely sent thirst for greater purity, both for the individual and for the body politic. Apart from such spiritual burning and purging, men sink beneath the weight and corruption of their own sins. Now, this goes back to about 1965, these quotations, but there are other voices being lifted in alarm. But all about us are the advocates of this erotic cult that falsely claim that all of this emphasis on sex is a signal of a new, broad-minded, and enlightened era. The facts are that there’s nothing new about it. Furthermore, it does not mark the entrance upon abundant living. On the contrary, it’s characterized the demise of all decadent and decaying civilizations. Egypt, Babylon, Greece, and Rome. to name but a few. The sex symbol marks the decline and fall of many a great and noble people. It’s part of the death rattle of a fading nation. The French Revolution marked the departure of the glory of France, and it was during that time that a prostitute was placed on an altar in worship. The excuse For paying this abnormal attention to the subject given by these purveyors of filth and licentiousness is that a blue-nosed generation of the past put the lid down on it. The false charge is made that the Bible and the church have frowned upon the subject of sex until it’s taboo today and can only be whispered in secret. They go on to place the blame of present-day marriage failures and the increase in divorce on the gross ignorance of young people. If they only knew more about this fascinating subject, this crowd counsels, there would be success in marriage. And may I add that this is the tragedy of it. It’s true that our Pilgrims and Puritans were blue-nosed. They were probably a little extreme. I’d certainly agree to that, and I wouldn’t want to go back to that period. But this present generation hasn’t found a solution to this at all. And after all, the Bible doesn’t go with either crowd. I do not think that the Puritans had a Bible basis for it. As I said last time, who was it that thought of that? It wasn’t Hollywood and it wasn’t this crowd. They think they’ve originated it. God is the one that started all of this, my friend. And he wanted to put it on a holy basis. And this crowd, they play upon the fact that we Americans do not like censorship. And therefore, they should be free to say and publish what they choose. Well, these modern Pied Pipers of Hamelin are leading the younger generation into a moral morass of debauchery. with dirty sex books and pornographic literature. They give the impression that you must be knowledgeable of this lasciviousness and salacious propaganda to be sophisticated and suave and sharp. You ought to know about Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman and the Tropic of Cancer and Fanny Hill. The Bible of this group is Playboy magazine. These filthy dreamers have flooded the marketplace in the schoolroom today with this smut and depravity, so much so that a modern father said recently, it’s not how much shall I tell my son, but how much does he know that I don’t know? In spite of all this new emphasis on sex, The divorce courts continue to grind out their monotonous story of the tragedy of modern marriage in ever-increasing number. Now, a knowledge of the physical may have its place in preparation for a happy marriage, but it is inadequate per se to make a happy home, and it gives a perverted and abnormal emphasis which does not belong there. Dan Bennett in a column recently said, one of the troubles with the world is that people mistake sex for love, money for brains, and transistor radios for civilization. Well, that’s the problem of the hour. Now, the Word of God treats the subject of sex with boldness and frankness and directness as we have seen. It’s not handled as a dirty subject. And it’s not taboo nor theoretical, but it’s plain and theological, if you please. The Bible is straightforward, and it deals with it in high and lofty language. And that’s the reason we’re spending time here with Malachi, because God lays it on the line for these people. And that’s part of the reason they’ve gone into captivity, and it’s part of the reason they’ve been scattered. I think it’s time, therefore, that God’s heard. I feel that the pulpit is long overdue in presenting what God has to say on this subject, but to keep it on the right plane. In the very beginning, it was God who created them male and female. It was God who brought the woman to the man. And I’d like to add this. He did not need to give Adam a lecture on the birds and bees. God blessed them, and marriage became sacred and holy and pure. And my friend, it’s the only relationship among men and women that God does bless down here. He promises to bless no other. He says that if marriage is made according to his plan, he’ll bless it down here and there will be happiness. God wants his children to be happily married. He has a plan and purpose for every one of us if we’d only listen to him. And I want to refer to our verse of scripture here. And we’ll talk about it next time. And we’ll close on this note. Nevertheless, I have against thee that thou hast left thy first love. That’s Revelation 2.4. Until next time, may God richly bless you, my beloved.

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What a great study. We’ll hear more about real love as Dr. McGee’s instruction continues next time. I hope that you’ll be here. To share this message with a family member or friend, or maybe to spend a little more time considering what we’ve learned yourself, you’ll find it in our app or at ttb.org. Now, as you make your seasonal plans, don’t miss one of Dr. McGee’s most popular digital booklets, The Christmas Story. It takes you on a journey through scripture from the Garden of Eden to the manger in Bethlehem, and finally to the cross. reminding us of the true meaning of Christmas and God’s great love for each of us. So if you’re maybe a little weary of the hustle and you want to refocus your heart on what really matters, why don’t you download your free copy at ttb.org and share it with someone else. You can also call 1-800-65-BIBLE if we can help. And to be in touch by mail, write to Box 7100, Pasadena, California, 91109. In Canada, Box 25325, London, Ontario, N6C, 6B1. Now, as we go, I want to remind you to catch the Bible bus for Dr. McGee’s never-before-aired Sunday sermon, The Word Became Flesh. So as we gather around God’s Word together this weekend, we’ll be reminded that Christmas is more than shepherds, angels, and a baby in a manger. It’s about the most profound truth in history. God became man. Join us as we discover why the Incarnation changes everything. Download our app to listen anytime or call 1-800-65-BIBLE if we can help you find a local radio station that carries the Sunday Sermon. I’m Steve Schwetz with everyone at Through the Bible wishing you the true joy of the season, a close relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

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Jesus made it all All to Him I owe Sin had left the prince unsaved. He washed it white as snow.

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Our story on the Bible Bus today is just one step in a five-year journey through the entire Word of God. Come along for the ride, and you’ll study both the Old Testament and New Testament, discovering God’s great redemption story. Is this your story too?