Marriages in Ancient Israel

Stuart Miller has a fascinating article here on celebrating marriages in ancient Israel. Miller looks at the topic both biblically and in Jewish tradition.

Polygamy

The issue of polygamy in the Bible is complicated. Mitch Chase discusses here why he does not believe that the Bible supports it.

Most Embarrassing Pastoral Wedding Mistakes

Ed Stetzer asked pastors to share their most embarrassing wedding mistakes and this article shares some of the responses.

Levirate Marriage and Deuteronomy

Although I do not agree with the author's ultimate conclusion, Sara Milstein has a nice discussion here of the practice of levirate marriage which is referenced in Deuteronomy 25:5-10 and perhaps exemplified in Ruth 4.

Infographic: Singleness, Dating, and Marriage

Crossway has a helpful infographic on singleness, dating, and marriage here.

HT: David Murray

Advice for Pastors Who are Getting Married

  
Here is some good advice for pastors who are getting married. It is also good advice for pastors who are already married.
 

Polygamy in the Old Testament

See here for V. Philips Long's thoughts on polygamy in the Old Testament.

Ten Questions for Pastor's Wives

See Catriona Anderson's interesting post/interview entitled"10 Questions for Pastor's Wives."

HT: Colin Adams

The Top 15 Biblical Ways to Get a Wife

Maybe you'll get a good chuckle from this:

The Top 15 Biblical Ways to Get a Wife

(Don’t try this at home…)

1. Find an attractive prisoner of war, bring her home, shave her head, trim her nails, and give her new clothes. Then she’s yours. - (Deuteronomy 21:11-13)

2. Find a prostitute and marry her. - (Hosea 1:1-3)

3. Find a man with seven daughters, and impress him by watering his flock. - Moses (Ex 2:16-21)

4. Purchase a piece of property, and get a woman as part of the deal. - Boaz (Ruth 4:5-10)

5. Go to a party and hide. When the women come out to dance, grab one and carry her off to be your wife. - Benjaminites (Judges 21:19-25)

6. Have God create a wife for you while you sleep. Note: this will cost you. - Adam (Gen 2:19-24)

7. Agree to work seven years in exchange for a woman’s hand in marriage. Get tricked into marrying the wrong woman. Then work another seven years for the woman you wanted to marry in the first place. That’s right. Fourteen years of toil for a wife. - Jacob (Genesis 29:15-30)

8. Cut 200 foreskins off of your future father-in-law’s enemies and get his daughter for a wife - David (I Samuel 18:27)

9. Even if no one is out there, just wander around a bit and you’ll definitely find someone. (It’s all relative, of course.) - Cain (Genesis 4:16-17)

10. Become the emperor of a huge nation and hold a beauty contest. - Xerxes or Ahasuerus (Esther 2:3-4)

11. When you see someone you like, go home and tell your parents, “I have seen a … woman; now get her for me.” If your parents question your decision, simply say, “Get her for me. She’s the one for me.” - Samson (Judges 14:1-3)

12. Kill any husband and take HIS wife (Prepare to lose four sons, though). - David (2 Samuel 11)

13. Wait for your brother to die. Take his widow. (It’s not just a good idea; it’s the law.) - Onana and Boaz (Deuteronomy or Leviticus, example in Ruth)

14. Don’t be so picky. Make up for quality with quantity. - Solomon (1 Kings 11:1-3)

15. A wife?…NOT? - Paul (1 Corinthians 7:32-35)

You can find the original list here.

Marital Fidelity and Church Attendance

According to the Church Leaders Intelligence Report,

A study published in the June 2008 Journal of Marriage and Family found that strong faith in God by itself won’t protect against marital infidelity. But a study by Fuller Seminary researchers David Atkins and Deborah Kessel found that regular church attendance does make a difference. People who rarely attend services are four times more likely to have an affair than those who attend more often. Frequent churchgoers hear sermons about the moral aspect of marital infidelity and are likely to practice what is preached. Other activities such as prayer do not make a statistical difference in marital faithfulness.
www.foxnews.com 4/15/08