What Does the Bible Say About Marriage?

Today’s Daily Devotional finds us in Jeremiah 2 where we encounter a vivid portrayal of God’s relationship with Israel—a bond akin to that of a devoted spouse. Initially, Israel’s love for God burned bright, like a bride’s affection for her groom. Yet, as the narrative unfolds, we witness a heartbreaking betrayal—a turning away from their first love, a forsaking of the sacred covenant they shared. You can read more about God’s love for you in Jeremiah 1.

The themes within Jeremiah’s lament strike a chord in our own lives. How often do we see the passion wane in our marriages? How readily do we allow the distractions of life to erode the foundation of love we’ve built with our spouses? But amidst the brokenness, there’s a call to return, to reignite the flames of love, and to nurture the bonds that bind us together.

So, let’s pause and reflect on the state of our marriages. Are we tending to the fire of love, or allowing it to dwindle? Let’s heed Jeremiah’s call to invest in our relationships, to cultivate love, trust, and fidelity as the bedrock of our unions. And may we seek guidance and renewal through prayer and the wisdom found in shared fellowship.

Allen was at a marriage retreat one year, when reading the second chapter of Jeremiah. Have you ever attended a marriage retreat? Should you? Please read or listen to the thirty-seven verses of Jeremiah 2.

Today, we will go backwards in my journals, starting with 2016, going to 2004, then to 1991. Let’s begin with my journal from 2016. I read Jeremiah 2 and 3 on the same day. Concerning Jeremiah 2, I wrote, “After his calling in chapter 1, Jeremiah gets right after it. And does he ever! At first, Israel followed the Lord like a new bride with her husband. But quickly, they ‘defiled my land . . . transgressed against me’ (vv. 7-8). Israel changed its god, according to verse 11. Things go from blessing to curse. ‘Have you not brought this upon yourself by forsaking the Lord your God’ (v. 17). ‘The fear of me is not in you’ (v. 19). 

Jeremiah uses prostitution as his example of Israel. They have left their husband and went whoring after idols, false gods. Yet when trouble comes, they cry out to God for help, but God says, ‘Are you kidding me? Go get help from your self-made gods in your time of trouble.’” That ends my journal entry for 2016, where Jeremiah uses marriage and prostitution to make his point about God’s relationship with Israel.

In 2004, I read Jeremiah 1-3 on the same day, and did not have any notes concerning this chapter.

In 1991, I read Jeremiah 1 and 2 on the same day and only made notes concerning chapter 1. I also noted I was at a marriage retreat. Terry and I were thirty-six years old at the time. I made a bunch of notes in my Bible reading journal about the marriage retreat. I think you will find them interesting. So from Jeremiah 2, we will talk about marriage a little bit today.

From the marriage retreat, I wrote, “Three kinds of marriage: 1) am I happy? 2) are we happy? 3) is God pleased with our marriage?” What kind of marriage do you have? Are you happy? Are we happy? Is God pleased with your marriage?

The next section of my notes has to do with problems of marriages, “First of all, isolation. We will not talk about our marriage. We’ll talk about jobs, kids, but ‘How is your marriage?’ No way. The second problem is our models of marriage. We seem to bring into marriage the behaviors we watched in the marriages of our parents. And often, whether we like that behavior or not, we seem to be repeating the same things in our own marriages.” One point from the marriage retreat was, “Get to know God so well your behavior becomes like Him rather than the marriages of your parents.”

Another answer to this issue was, “See life as an adventure, not a struggle.” Is your marriage an adventure or a struggle? The next point I wrote down was: “How to build distinctively Christian marriages.” An idea here was, “Self-ism. How to overcome our natural state of selfishness? Jesus says, ‘Be different.’”

The next point was, “Don’t follow a cultural version of marriage. Follow a biblical perspective of marriage. Marriage was created not for our own lives and happiness, but that God can perform and be glorified in relationships. While we love one another, we can be discipled through marriage.” Is that how you look at your marriage? Is it a place where God can perform His work between you and your spouse?

Another point of how to build a distinctively Christian marriage was, “Love in such a way the world will know.” And we got to the issue of communication. “Communicating too directly with each other can cause problems. So temper your communication with each other based on biblical principles.”

The last issue covered was conflict. Woah! Do you have any conflict in your marriage? What I wrote down from the marriage retreat was: “Two different people can resolve conflict by communicating. There is room for differences. Two distinctively different people need to be whole together, not halves.” I do not profess to be a marriage counselor, but you can see at thirty-six years old Terry and I were investing in our marriage by going to a marriage retreat, a Christian marriage retreat.

Jeremiah 2 is about a marriage relationship, God, the husband and His people, His bride. In verses 2 and 3, He says, “I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride. Israel was holy to the Lord”.  But then God asks, “What wrong did your fathers find in me that they went far from me?” (v. 5).

Israel broke its marriage relationship with God. Do not do that in your own marriage. If you are married and you are in love, hug your husband or your wife today, give your spouse a kiss on the cheek and say, “I love you.” If you are not happily married today, but still married, think about attending a Christian marriage retreat. Invest in your marriage. God is certainly going to invest in Israel throughout the Book of Jeremiah. I encourage you to do the same. Invest in your marriage.

Father, throughout the Bible You use the marriage relationship as an illustration. You always remain faithful. We often do not. So let’s transfer this illustration in Jeremiah 2 to our marriages today. May we remain faithful in our marriages, as You remain faithful to us.

Thank You for allowing us to be the bride of Christ. Someday, we will enjoy the marriage supper of the Lamb. But until then, Lord, intervene in our own marriages. Bless our marriages. Help us remain faithful to one another in a loving relationship as You have always done with us. Thank You for loving us. In Your precious name, we pray. Amen.