The House that Faith Builds
This is part 3 of 4 in a series entitled: The House that Faith Builds.
In Part three I talked about wisdom and understanding, two primary tools that are necessary for building a Godly home. King Solomon shares this wisdom in Proverbs 24:3-4. Today we will discover how knowledge can turn our homes into castles for the King!
“Through knowledge its rooms are filled with all sorts of precious riches and valuables.” (Prov. 24:4)
Da`ath is the Hebrew word for knowledge and means discernment or skill. The word for rooms is cheder and means inner rooms, chambers or parlors. It takes skill to know where to place the décor and how to properly “stage” the home. This makes all the difference to a prospective buyer. The curb appeal may be great, but it is what is on the “inside” that really matters. Knowledge fills the Godly home with things money cannot buy. Things such as lasting and deep relationships, intimacy, support and fond memories. These things fill a home with peace. The Word of God provides the truth in how knowledge can help us make our house a “home” as we relate and interact righteously with those we love. Knowledge is power, and a lack thereof can lead to chaos within the family.
Hosea 4:6 (ESV) – “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.…” I guess what you don’t know can actually hurt you!
Once Christ has been established as the foundation of the home, we can begin to build upon principles. Everything has a beginning. The only thing that does not have a beginning is God!
Revelation 1:8 – “I am the Alpha and the Omega―the beginning and the end, says the Lord God. I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come―the Almighty One.”
Since everything has a beginning, where did marriage originate?
Marriage Principle #1: Marriage is a Divine Covenant
During the creation, God created mankind by creating them male and female. Consider the following passage from Genesis 1:26-28 that describes the work of the sixth day:
26Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish of the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals that scurry along the ground. 27 So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 Then God blessed them and said, Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”
The design of marriage comes from God. Something is considered Divine when it is “of God, relating to God, or proceeding directly from God.” Everything God created was good. In fact, according to Genesis 1:31 it was declared, very good! “Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good.” And yet, God declares (for the first time) in Genesis 2:18 that “…it is not good for the man to be alone.” So, God created a woman (Genesis 2:23) to be a suitable helper for him. “At last! the man exclaimed. This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called woman because she was taken from man.” Woman was indeed created for fellowship. Her worth and value go beyond mere fellowship. She is integral, and she is also necessary! If her value was strictly limited to fellowship, God could have created another man (a buddy for comradery). Woman was created for more; she was created for intimacy through fellowship. Something another man was not designed for and cannot fulfill.
The design of marriage is part of God’s plan for mankind. The book of Genesis (book of beginnings) opens with the account of creation and culminates with the crowning event of God presenting Eve to Adam (the first marriage), while the book of Revelation closes with the account of the new Heaven and new Earth in which God presents the Church (His bride) to His Son (the last marriage). What a wonderful picture of the family of God!
God planned the first marriage before He created Adam and Eve, and it all began at creation in the Garden! Marriage is a reflection of the intimacy that Christ shares with His Bride, the Church and this is the House That Faith Builds!
For part 1 of The House that Faith Builds, click here.
For part 2 of The House that Faith Builds, click here.