Making Marriage Work

In studying the word "work" in the Bible, I came first across the LORD's work in Creation, Adam's family work after the fall and of course Noah's work building the ark. After the Tower of Babel we come to the First Family of Israel- Abraham and Sarah. They are a great examples in "Making a Marriage Work" or "Making Marriage WORK !"
It seems for the first 50 years or so of Abraham and Sarah's marriage they really made it work. They followed the Lord's leading and Sarah obeyed her husband. They started to do a work on their marriage, however, when they went down to Egypt and lied to Pharaoh about their relationship. They took on some extra weights down in Egypt, a certain handmaid to be exact, and made work for all generations to follow.

Genesis 16:1 ¶ Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. 3 And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. 4 ¶ And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. 5 And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee. 6 But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.

Abraham and Sarah worked together in the previous story but their work was out of God's will and it had a messed up chain of command with Sarah giving out orders. It is good to see their work in the next passage. It shows that the Lord can make even messed up marriages to work again.

Genesis 18:1 ¶ And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; 2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, 3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: 4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: 5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said. 6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. 7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat. 9 ¶ And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. 10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son...

I love the way this old couple made their marriage work in the end. Abraham was giving the orders and Sarah laughing. There was joy in the home again, and the son God gave them, TOGETHER, had a name that meant laughter. See, work can be fun!

God blessed this Abraham and Sarah's son, Isaac, with a "working" marriage much like their own. Rebekah was discovered as an answer to an old man's prayer because she was busy working.


Genesis 24:15 And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. 16 And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up. 17 And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher. 18 And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.
19 And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking. 20And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.

God knew exactly the kind of wife Isaac would need to be his help meet. Rebekah's main chore growing up was drawing water from the well and who did she marry but the president of Canaan's Well-Diggers, Inc., Isaac! I imagine they had a lot of fun working together digging all those wells. Of course, we know that Rebekah kind of dug herself into some trouble but that is a "hole" other story.

'Lord, please help our marriage to work and not be extra work on our family. Help me to help my working man in every way I can. Amen"