Musing –Why are Marriages and Our Society Both Crumbling?

 Hebraic Musing –Why are Marriages and Our Society Both Crumbling?

I have recently heard young people say, more than once – “Why get married?”  While I was shocked to hear it, why would we be surprised considering the influence of today’s media?  Our world’s anti-Judeo/Christian viewpoints prevail. There are broken homes, a lack of instruction in morality and confusion over the role of sex.

Covenantal Marriage was the basis for OT culture.  The patriarchs and those who followed them live by Godly principles based on marriages and families.  This was all part of God’s original plan in Genesis Chapter 2:24 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”   “Therefore” refers to what Adam said in verse 23 “This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.”  BTW, in the NT, Jesus’s first miracle was at a wedding!

Today’s society has moved to Contractual marriage, rather than the Convent marriage that God planned for us. What’s the difference?  Contracts are temporary, have a time limit and are based on terms to be met by each of the parties; and can be broken if either party defaults.  In contrast, a Covenant is permanent, “until death do us part”, with no conditions!   BTW, the word “Covenant” appears over 300 times in our Bible! 

The beginning of no-fault divorce has opened floodgates for divorce in our culture making marriage Contractual instead of Covenantal.  The State can get you out of a contract, but not out of a covenant!  Other cultures don’t require marriage licenses; family, community and honor keep the couple together.  After WWII there were a rash of divorces when men came home and marriages fell apart; remember “Dear John letters”?  I remember my uncle divorcing his wife after the war; our family was surprised he did not move to Los Angeles, the haven for divorcees back then (late 40”s/early’50’s).

What are the problems and/or results of today’s crumbling marriages?

·      God’s plan was for children to be raised by two loving parents (“go forth and multiply”) with one parent to nurture and the other providing support & leadership?  “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” Eph.6:4 NKJV  Is that happening?  What happens to children after multiple generations of broken families, and missing fathers?

·      God scolded them/us in Malachi, last OT book - “You weep and wail because he no longer pays attention to your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands.  You ask, ‘Why?’  It is because the LORD is acting as the witness between you and the wife of your youth, because you have broken faith with her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant.” Malachi 2:13-14 NIV 

·      God considers marriage to be an agreement between a husband and a wife as well as a covenant between the couple and Him.  The wedding vows were also vows to the Lord, or should have been!

I have authored books but my favorite that I consider to be most important, is “Biblical Marriage – His plan for Courtship, Engagement, Wedding and Marriage” – Available at Amazon (search “Biblical Marriage Yosef”). 

BTW – Why do we renew Marriage vows?   They don’t expire.  (>:

In closing, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” Eph.5:25 “Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives” 1 Peter 3:1    BTW, that is how I came to Christ!

Point(s) to Ponder

What impact do “broken homes” have on the next generation?
(Have you noticed that the bulk of dysfunctional people are from “broken homes”?)

Do children’s TV, media, Hollywood, etc. support Biblical Marriage?
(Too many examples to list of programs, etc. with ungodly content!) 

If you have had a divorce in your past, please remember that
 God is more concerned about your future than your past.

We are the “Bride of Christ” by covenant!    Hallelujah!

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                January 14, 2025     (Originally published - April 12, 2022)

Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith”
“Biblical Marriage (by Yosef)”   Weekly “Hebraic Musings”  at  InsightsByYosef.blogspot.com

 

Following is a little more to say and ponder on this critical topic:

“Marriage in 2022” by Johanna Hocker & The Epoch Times - March 30, 2022

The marriage rate in the United States is 6.1 per 1,000 - the lowest ever. Marriage is one of the worst prospects imaginable for men. Society has moved from a convent marriage to a contractual marriage. It is the worst legal contractual liability a man can enter into.  A contractual marriage is based on mutual support and insurance and assurance that this support will continue even if the marriage itself dissolves.  This began with no-fault divorce, that opened the flood-gates for divorce in our culture.

Women are demanding more; they claim that 80% of men are unattractive.  A man must also be economically attractive.  Women want a 6 - 6 - 6, which means he is 6 feet tall, has a 6 figure income and sports a 6 pack.  

70% of divorces are initiated by women.  Educated women have a 90% divorce rate.  Women are now 60% of all college students.  These college women are even pickier with higher standards that one might say makes a slave of the sucker who might marry her.

Statistics show that people who are married tend to live longer, are healthier, have lower stress levels, and are less prone to suffer from depression, but there is little to no incentive to marry, which is seen as a no-win situation.

For those who are truly committed to each other, marriage still works and is the best and only way to raise healthy children.

 

More stats from Google search   (2021):

Also, 70 years ago a large majority of U.S. households, approximately 80 percent, were made up of married couples.  In 2020, the proportion of households consisting of married couples fell to 49 percent.

Some of the major factors behind the long-term decline in the marriage rate have been female education and labor force participation, women’s economic independence and gender equality. America is also experiencing growing numbers of women and men living alone as well as increasing unmarried cohabitation. In addition to the 15 percent of U.S. adults living alone, no less than one-quarter of those aged 25 to 34 years are living with an unmarried partner.

American attitudes about childbearing and marriage have also changed markedly.  For example, whereas in 2006 about half of U.S. adults said it was very important for couples having children together to legally marry, by 2020 that proportion had fallen to 29 percent.  Today, the proportion of U.S. births to unmarried mothers is about 40 percent, double the percentage in 1980.

“Biblical Marriage” cover (Published 2012; available @ Amazon - “Biblical Marriage Yosef”)