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MARRIAGE IS GOD’S IDEA

05/02/2019 00:52:00 By Rev J.V Mazibuko

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IMPHILO Yelikhaya Nekhwakhiwa Kwalo is a concept that was born after an observance of an apparent and new phenomenon of a high level of disintegration in quality home life.

As a pastor, both by call and function, I was moved to attempt to bring about a solution to this plight in society using theological means.
Let me hasten to say marriage was and still is God’s idea. Marriage is not an outcome of high-level meetings somewhere in the corner of the globe and as such, no nation can claim knowledge or understanding of it except the pioneer of the institution.

Imphilo Yelikhaya Nekwakhiwa Kwalo, though recognizes the role, importance and significance of other cultures of the world, has resorted to bring the mind of the orchestrator of this important institution. While I cannot claim to know it all, I have seen, heard, read and experienced much to share profound, powerful, fundamental and practical information on how issues of home life can best be addressed.

Apostle Peter in 2 Peter 1: 3-4 teaches us very important truths pertaining to life on earth. God the creator, in His wisdom and power, did not put together marriage and drop it on humanity, leaving us wanting or straining, trying to figure out how it works.

Instead, He provided a manual for running a marriage successfully. We all know that a manual better articulates the mind and intentions of the manufacturer and only the manufacturer has the right to write the manual. The manual for marriage is the Holy Bible which is given by the author of life, God Himself. The Bible contains truths of the origins, intentions and functionality of marriage.

The writer of Hebrews 13:4 (marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral) gives a stern warning about how this sacred institution should be handled. He alludes to the fact that God is watching and those who fail to live up to His standard will be judged and held accountable. Ignorance of the law is no excuse. It is said a word to the wise is enough. It is on this backdrop that I have troubled myself to pen truths on how to handle marriage properly and experience success in our everyday living. I trust you will join me in this journey.

Looking at today’s world, I have no doubt in my mind that humanity has shifted from the origins of marriage as defined by God. Today many institutions have an opinion and a voice in marital issues. So many are the voices that everyone feels they are experts on the subject matter. The legal fraternity has a voice; sociologists, psychologists, human right activists, traditionalists all have a voice.

But I want to assert that marriage is God’s idea and it is Him who orchestrated all that pertains to this sacred union. It is Him who created the feelings within a man to desire a woman, and likewise a woman to desire a man. After creating all inhabitants of earth, Adam found no suitable companion among the living animals and then God declared that “it is not good for man to be alone, I will make him a suitable helper.”

A suitable helper entrenched in God’s idea of marriage is that each man has a suitable helper created for that individual. When a man finds this suitable helper, he is able to declare like Adam did, that this is bone of my bones, flesh of my flesh. Adam found his Eve a suitable helper. God created both male and female and thereafter instituted marriage. Hence in Eve, Adam found a suitable helper, wife and companion. Once the suitable helper is found, man is instructed by the marriage manual to leave his mother and father and be joined with his wife.

The many voices and opinions have distorted this truth as if the instruction means abandoning your parents. Leaving your father and your mother means you leave to start something new, a new family. Your parents will always be your parents and you have a responsibility towards them. I want to draw emphasis that leaving your father and mother does not mean abandoning them or negating your responsibilities over them.

The concept of leaving and cleaving is God instituted, however many voices are poised to distort this truth of cleaving or being joined to your wife. You cleave to your wife and the two become one. When cleaving is done according to what God intended, there is no ‘I’ in marriage but ‘us’.

Cleaving means your posture is towards the needs and wants of your spouse. Cleaving means that you intentionally ignore all others and focus on your spouse. If married people, husbands and wives would learn to cleave to each other, half of the problems married people experience would drastically decrease.
We shall explore more on the concept of leaving and cleaving in our next article. God bless you!