The first marriage was called “very good,” the only one wearing that label since time began of all the man-made types that have been manufactured since. Genesis 1:31
What are some of the man-made type marriages since then? Let’s take a quick look at three of the man-made marriages on earth: polygamy, homosexuality, and cohabitation.
(1) Polygamy was around in Bible days, so many people have assumed that God approved of it since it is in the Bible. But a closer look shows the flaws of it. For example, Jacob had four wives. One of his sons had an affair with one of his step-mothers. There was jealousy between the siblings.
We once had a neighbor who was an African chief because he was a favorite son of his father’s favorite wife.
The now-famous Auca Indians of Ecuador who speared Nate Saint and Jim Elliott practiced polygamy because they constantly exercised vendettas and killings against each other and dwindled the male population. Sometimes they needed wives and had to kill husbands to capture their bitter wives, whom they had just made widows.
The early Mormon community taught polygamy because its leaders did not look far enough back in time to the creation instead of just the Old Testament. Today many ex-Mormons on YouTube voice their concerns about the polygamy of early Mormons. No doubt the one-wife homes are grateful for the change that has occurred.
(2) What about the homosexual marriages? The Supreme Court has condoned homosexual “marriage,” but Christians everywhere are objecting to the practice, pointing to God’s original design. Previous laws have condemned it. So much has been written that there is no need to reprint it here.
(3) And what about cohabitation? He says that his live-in is his fiancé. Perhaps only the United States elevates her to the “common law” status of wife; in other places she is merely a mistress. Parents must decide if returning adult children can share a bedroom for a visit or to enjoy room-and-board with Mom and Dad or a single parent. It gets more complicated with children, with the accompanying jealousy of a boyfriend and sometimes his abuse, unless he is an angel.
So, why manufacture a marriage? The original (if possible) with its purity and love are excellent. With God’s help in crafting a good marriage, it is so, so worth it.