In
the very first part of the book of Joshua the Lord gave this capable
leader of Israel counsel on how he could have "good success" in his work
in bringing the Israelites into their promised land. The Lord promised
that He would not fail or forsake him, but He would see to it that
Joshua would divide the land unto the people. That was the divine side
of the plan. Joshua was to be strong and of good courage; he was to obey
the law of God, turning not to the right hand or to the left; and he was
to meditate on the law constantly. Joshua did his part, and God kept His
promise. There was "good success"
(Josh. 1:8, 21:45; 23:14).
That kind of reverence for God and respect for His law
today will make it possible for a happy young couple to have "good
success" in the task of home making. Happiness is a by-product of humble
obedience to the "law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus"
(Rom. 8:2).
Open violation of this law brings failure in all precious spiritual
endeavors.
Finding a good wife who is faithful and worthy, and
having a family of well-trained children, is the greatest find a man can
make. This is "good success"
(Prov. 18:22; 31:10-31; Psa. 127:3-5).
If he has a wonderful home so do his wife and children. If his home is a
failure for him, it is a sad experience for his family also. The success
or failure of the home affects every member of the family and many more.
Does any one know of anything worse in this life than an
ungodly home and the divorce which marks the final crash of the failure?
Each day of life after that brings some of the bitter taste of the
failure to keep God's laws that relate to family life. The aftermath of
this spectacle comes to the guilty parties and to the innocent. None
escapes the horror. Relatives, the church, and the community suffer also
in many such cases. Even the welfare of the nation is harmed many ways
by the instability of so many families.
A Divorce To Think About
My telephone rang one day a few decades ago. A woman to
whom I sometimes preached called to tell me that her husband had asked
for a divorce. There were five young children each only a little younger
than the brother or sister just older. They had been living on a very
limited budget. It was heart rending just to hear of that husband and
father's request.
I went to the man to try to learn his viewpoint. He did
talk. He told about a day when at lunch time he happened to eat at the
same table with one of the women who worked at the plant where he
worked. They talked and laughed and found it pleasant together. They
soon sat down together again, and then it became a habit. One day she
asked if he were happily married. He thought about that question and
"realized" that he was not. I got in on the story when he was ready to
desert his family and live with that woman who ate lunch at his table.
You may use your imagination to tell the story of the
future. Was he very happy with the woman that was willing to take him
away from his wife and children? Would she be a worthy wife like the
woman of
Proverbs 31?
What would the future be for the wife who was left with
the children? We may suppose that she, too, had at first been a pleasant
companion to the one who became her husband and the father of her
children. But now things have changed! He would find bills to pay, noise
at his house when he came home, and a tired wife to talk with. He
decided that he was not happily married. I wonder if he would have
recognized happiness if he met it in the road?
That family of nominal church members were not faithful
Christians. I could not list her faults and his, but they were, at
least, guilty of not being all they should have been. Repenting and
removing the faults would have been the way for them to find a happier
situation. Violating the marriage law and deserting the wife he had
married and deserting his children is not the way to go looking for
happiness or heaven. A man who will not provide for the physical and
spiritual needs of his own family has denied the faith and is worse than
an infidel
(1 Tim. 5:8).
He and his own wife could have made a much better home.
Think of what may have happened to the children. They
would grow up without a father. Each and every child needs a father to
bring him up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Children cannot
provide for themselves things that cost money. A mother of five young
children is in no position to be a bread winner. Those five children, if
they still live, are now adults. They were not in those early days
taught to be Christians. Do you suppose they are now walking in the
steps of Jesus? They did not ask to be born, but their very existence
presented a crying need for tender love and care. Each had a soul worth
more than the world.
Think of the woman who talked and laughed at the lunch
table. Do you think her life has been worth living? She is now old
enough for social security if she still lives. Death will soon come to
her if it has not already. What then?
Who wins when there are such divorces? Circumstances vary
from one divorce to another, but each brings something other than the
best. Each is a giant step down toward disappointment for some. A
divorce is a legal document obtained by paying court costs, and a copy
may be kept as a badge of failure in life's most important undertaking.
Some have trophies for outstanding athletic accomplishment, plaques for
special honor for faithful work over a period of years, or for some very
heroic deed. Divorce papers are not framed and placed with such
trophies.
Are you working at the challenge of being a good marriage
companion and a good parent? If not, why not? Will the divorce rate ever
come down in a wonderful way in America? The influence of Christ is in
that direction, so a great religious awakening would bless our country
that is now so much under the influence of immoral atheists. "Awake thou
that sleepest"
(Eph. 5:14-17; Rom. 13:10-14).
Think of how rewarding "good success" in the family would be to all and
how serious failure and divorce would be. See that you walk
circumspectly.
Other Articles
by Irven Lee
The Next Generation
The Lord Looks on the Heart
The Profitable Word
Attitudes Leading to Apostasy
Discipline in the Home
Terms of Membership