The Wisdom of “Two Will Be One”

The Road of the Wise

Yrgovku Meg Ullalov Imasdov;ivnu

Imasdovnin Jampan

Proverbs 5:15-23

Last year some couples celebrated the 65^th anniversary of their marriages. Others celebrated their 50^th. Recently Ardson and Gladys celebrated their 60^th. As a person married for almost 24 years, I am humbled by looking at these couples. What was the secret of living together happily for long years?

It also makes me think what will happen after 50 years. This year in 2010 many couples will be wed. How many couples will celebrate their 50^th wedding anniversaries in 2060? Will they be sharing all the great things God did in their marriage?

I am hopeful about the future. I believe the Word of God will continue teaching us how to keep our marriage vows healthy. The title, “The Wisdom of ‘Two will be one’” indicates that. What is God’s wisdom for us? Married or single, widowed or divorced, God’s Word has a message for each one of us.

Today we move on in our journey on The Road of the Wise. We reach a place where we will talk about our family life, our married life.

The sermon has two parts:

1. What is the advice of the Book of Wisdom for married couples? “Two will be one” (Two people facing inward).

2. How does the married couple face the community? (Two people facing outward).

1. “Two will be one”

In the book of Genesis we read that God created us male and female. He created us so we can be in a relationship with Him, our Creator, and with each other as intimate partners in life.

Adam and Eve were naked and were not ashamed (Gen 2:25). The concept of naked is more than physical. The couple was “naked”, nothing was hidden from each other, the veil was removed. I have been married for 24 years and I see how important is the removal of all barriers between two people for smooth communication.

Our first passage today, Proverbs 5 is about the couple who are in love, intoxicated with their love towards each other.

Verses 15- 19 are written as poetry, describing how a couple should remain in love.

“Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, a lovely deer, a graceful doe.” (18-19a)

“Cistern,” “well,” “springs,” “streams,” and “fountain.” These words are used to describe each other. Some scholars say this does not describe a partner; this is most likely about love of Torah, love of God’s commandments. Maybe so, but I believe this is specifically intended to advise married couples in their dedicated relationship to each other. Embracing each other and staying in love has nothing to do with age!

Remember this was written 3000 years ago. Most of the time marriages were arranged. The groom saw the bride on the wedding night. The groom should choose to love her! This book of wisdom is advising him to see his wife as his lover and develop an intimate relationship with her. Now that we choose our marriage partners, we still need to choose to love them for the rest of our lives.

Please notice that the beginning of the chapter five, the father warns his son from those women outside a marital relationship.

 “For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.” (5:3-4)

We will continue in English.