( see also In those days, it was NOT expected that a wife would follow her husband)
56. Dr. A. C. Dixon, in an article in the London Christian (Nov. 16, 1911) says: “Turn to this civilization which God Himself founded, and you will hear Him say: ‘A man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh.’ Woman is given the pre-eminence. It is not the woman leaving the father and the mother, and cleaving unto her husband; but it is the man leaving his mother and father, and cleaving unto his wife.” At one point we disagree with Dr. Dixon. Civilization founded on this marriage law of God did not make the wife her husband’s superior; but it prevented her becoming his subordinate. ….
63. We have got so far away from God’s law, that today, in British law, the mother is not a parent. …. The English Church is severe against divorce. Yet, read the Lord’s ruling as to divorce, in Matthew 19, and we discover that the conclusion, “Therefore what God hath joined together, let not man put asunder,” rests upon the premises, “A man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they twain shall become [R. V.] one flesh.” The Church will never effectually enforce the conclusion of that statute, while it defies the premises upon which it rests.
156… We have pointed out some of the social wrongs growing out of this violation of God’s marriage law.
157. Christ said: “What God hath joined, let not man put asunder.” Now we inquire, “What did God join, when He gave that marriage law which Christ repeats? First and foremost, he joined a man to his wife’s kindred, by the words, “For this cause shall a man leave father and mother and cleave to his wife.” In the second place, God joined the husband to his wife, as indicated by the words,—“and they shall become one flesh.” The R.V.is correct here, in translating, “shall become,” instead of “shall be.” Both the Hebrew of the O. T., and the Greek of the N. T. say “become,” not “be.”
( see also In those days, it was NOT expected that a wife would follow her husband)
What stood out to me in this little collection of quotes from several lessons is the strength of conditionalality for the fulfillment of the familiar conclusion of many a wedding ceremony “what God hath joined together, let not man put asunder”. In other words, I hear her pointing out that a wedding ceremony followed by sexual consummation is not an automatic, “rubber stamp” fulfillment of “they shall become one flesh” and “what God has joined together” .
The conditions:
“For this cause shall a man leave father and mother and cleave to his wife and they twain shall become [R. V.] one flesh therefore what God hath joined together, let not man put asunder”
100 years later, does the divorce rate in the church prove the truth of Dr. Bushnell’s observation that “The Church will never effectually enforce the conclusion of that statute, while it defies the premises upon which it rests. “?
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog. 🙂 Cheers! Sandra. R.
YWC Sandra, glad you are enjoying the material. 🙂
Charis,
I just came back to this post of yours again.
I have believed, for a long time, and still believe, that unless a man is willing to leave father and mother and cleave to his wife, there cannot be an one-flesh union.
I also still believe that by not leaving father and mother, a man himself is putting asunder that which God joined together. In a way, he is “divorcing” his wife in his heart, although the question would be, did he ever really marry her?
I agree, madame.
And a wife is rather powerless if that is what her “husband” has chosen. Biblically, he is the one upon whom the “leaving and cleaving” rests.
Danni Moss has done some more in depth thinking about “leave and cleave”. Start here: What Does the Bible Really Say? — Don’t Put Asunder
DID CHRIST LEAVE HIS FATHER AND CLEAVE TO HIS WIFE? OR BRIDE ARE WE GETTING READY TO MADE SPOTLESS IN THIS SINFUL WORLD? WE CAN TRY BUT, WE ARE STIL IN THE FLESH AND ARE FIGHTING A SPERITUAL BATTLE. WHY CAN”T WE PATTERN OUR MARRIAGE AFTER THIS PRINCIPLE? I HAVE ENJOYED 49 YEARS WITH MY WIFE GOD PRESENTED TO ME, SHE IS MY PARTNER, BUT MY HOME MANAGER AND TEACHER OF MY CHILDREN, MY HOME DOC. MY NUTRICIONIST, SHE IS MY PEACE IN THE HOME, MY PRAYER PARTNER, NEED I TELL YOU MORE? I GIVRE THANKS TO gOD FOR ALL HIS BENEFITS
I have read your post over and over again, as I am facing a decision to leave my country, and family to be with my husband if he is denied visa. Thank you for posting as it is a faith builder.