Marriage… Commitment is Essential (Part 2)
Genesis 24:58-60 (New International Version)
58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?”
“I will go,” she said.
59 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,
“Our sister, may you increase
to thousands upon thousands;
may your offspring possess
the gates of their enemies.”
I am sure you are asking; “How do you get commitment in marriage from those verses?” You know the account; Eliezer, Abraham’s servant is sent to find a wife for Isaac. When both Eliezer and Rebekah realize the earlier events had been orchestrated by God they both moved quickly. Now her response to being married to a man she has never even laid eyes on yet was: “I will go.” Now THAT is commitment! The modern day equivalent is standing at the altar and saying “I do”.
Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary describes commitment as: To give in trust, to put into the hands or power of another, to join or put together, a decision that cannot be recalled.
Look at that last one: A decision that cannot be recalled. Isn’t that powerful?
“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24) This decision is presented as a once-and-for-all experience. Jesus said, “Therefore, what God has joined together, let man not separate.” (Matthew 19:6)
Married people have to spend a minimum amount of time together, occupying the same space, doing things together. The flow of communication should be such that they are seldom guessing what is going on inside the other. When the flow is blocked, commitment means recognizing this, deciding it is unacceptable, and taking action to dislodge the impediment.
Commitment to marriage implies that a person accept the problems brought into the marriage by their spouse as mutual problems. Just as your spouse’s physical problems become yours to share, so do their habits, quirks, and psychological faults. We usually find it less difficult to share dental bills and offer condolences when our spouse’s head aches, than to deal with chronic lateness or explosive anger. Commitment calls us to find our role in coping with every problem that arises in marriage, whether the problem is generated within our spouse or ourselves.
by Don Callander
