Back in the 1970’s, divorce was rare, something that happened only as a result of extreme circumstances. In fact, to the best of my recollection, the Roman Catholic Church threatened couples with excommunication if this option ever crossed their mind. The King James Version of the Bible does not use the term reputation as our culture does today. Instead, King Solomon encouraged people make a good name for themselves, Proverbs 22:1, to develop a good repute in their community.
In a typical wedding ceremony, there is a portion devoted to vows. Some creative couples write their own, others follow the traditions of their denomination and most simply repeat vows first spoken by a pastor or priest. Ecclesiastes 5:4-7 warn individuals to take their vows serious, especially ones which include “for better or for worse.” Yet, mere words don’t hold a marriage together. Rather, one of the missing ingredients in modern marriages is a will to love once feelings fade.
With this in mind, one of the commands Solomon gave his son is detailed in Proverbs 3:3. Let love and faithfulness never leave you is a joint command, not to be separated. In the New Testament, 1 Corinthians 13 is one of most popular passages read out loud during marriage ceremonies. The original translation uses the term charity in place of love. Thus, Solomon is introducing a concept to demonstrate charity faithfully.
The last portion of Proverbs 3:3 explains how one must carry out this command. The term bind means to knit together, joining two pieces into one. When a person fastens love and faithfulness to their neck, its always in their peripheral vision. However, this still isn’t enough to save marriage. Therefore, Solomon adds one further instruction to insure love and faithfulness endures. If you enter, engrave or mark something mentally to remain in your heart, a will to love is born. Follow the words of Proverbs 3:5-6 to complete these essential ingredients for a life long relationship.
by Jay Mankus
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