1. Find an attractive prisoner of war, bring her home, shave her head, trim her nails, and give her new clothes. Then she is yours (Deuteronomy 21:10-13).
2. Find a prostitute and marry her (Hosea 1:1-3).
3. Find a man with seven daughters and impress him by watering his flock (Moses – Exodus 2:16-21).
4. Purchase a piece of property and get a woman as part of the deal (Boaz – Ruth 4:5-10).
5. Go to a party and hide. When the women come out to dance, grab one and carry her off to be your wife (Judges 21:19-25).
6. Have God create a wife for you while you sleep. But be careful; it’ll cost you a rib (Adam – Genesis 2:19-24).
7. Agree to work seven years in exchange for a woman’s hand in marriage. Get tricked into marrying the wrong woman, then work another seven years for the woman you wanted to marry in the first place (Jacob – Genesis 29:15-30).
8. Become the emperor of a huge nation and hold a beauty contest (Xerxes – Esther 2:3,4).
9. When you see someone you like, go home and tell your parents, “I have seen a woman I like. Now get her for me.” If your parents question your decision, simply say, “Get her for me. She’s the one for me” (Samson – Judges 14:1-3).
10. Don’t be so picky. Make up for quality with quantity (Solomon – 1 Kings 11:1-3).
Okay, Okay, so you don’t think these are good options. You are probably thinking, “Denny is crazy.” Well, that may be true, but the suggestions above are not to be seriously followed. In fact, I would not recommend these as good examples of ways in which a Christian would choose a bride.
How can the Christian choose a wife or a husband? How can we choose a mate that will help us to have a productive and joyful life on earth and who will help us to go to heaven?
1. What are some of the things the Christian should look for in a mate?
2. We want to find someone who understands that God designed the home (Genesis 2:18-25).
3. We want to find someone that understands that marriage is to last until “death do us part” (1 Corinthians 7).
4. We want to find someone who understands that God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16) and who understands that God allows divorce only in the event of fornication (Matthew 19:3-9).
5. We want to find someone who understands that the husband and wife are joint-heirs of the grace of life (1 Peter 3:7).
Where are we going to find such a person? I suggest that we start by looking at the life of the person we choose to date:
Look for a person who loves God. The lawyer asked, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus asked the man what the law said. The response was, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind” (Luke 10:25-27). This person will want to do what is right in Gods eyes in everything they do. They will understand that if they truly love God, they must keep His commands (1 John 5:3). This person will want to train his or her children according to God’s will. This person will be the best employee or employer, neighbor, friend, and member of the community that he or she can be, knowing that his or her influence could bring others to Christ. This person will want to please God in all that he or she does.
Look for a person who loves his or her fellow man. The lawyer continued the above quotation by saying that one should love “thy neighbor as thyself” (verse 27). Jesus said, “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; even as I have loved you, that ye also love one another” (John 13:34). In what has been called the “Golden Rule” Jesus said, “All things therefore whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye also unto them” (Matthew 7:12). This person would not ask another to do something that would cause harm or hurt. This person would consider the virtue of another more important than fulfilling his or her own lusts. This person would be respectful and humble, treating others with honor. This person would understand that the value of a soul is the price of blood, Jesus’ blood, and would treat each person they come in contact with accordingly.
There are many other characteristics, which should be considered in choosing a mate, but these two are the best place to start: one who loves God and who loves his or her fellow man.
2 comments:
Great article! Few kids today know those first illustrations and probably would be grossed out by them. That's OK; they need to read.
After the death of her husband, Ruth deliberately chose a position as servant to her mother-in-law rather than stay with her own people and serve a false god (Ruth 1:15-17). God rewarded her for her sacrifice and courage by sending Christ through her lineage (Ruth 4:17, 22; Luke 3:32).
Serve the Lord and let Him choose your mate.
absolutely, Ruth is a great example of faithfulness, trust and the results of doing the right thing. Great book and one that all of us should study more.
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