The Goal of Marriage Ruth 3:1 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

In the book of Ruth the word rest is used in connection with marriage. Some might be thinking that marriage is anything but rest, especially the women. But it is not necessarily a rest from physical labor or work. The rest here is speaking about a peace. How peaceful is your marriage?

In this lesson we are going to look at some ways that you can have peace with you marriage.

In Ruth 1:9 rest is spoken of as marriage for Ruth. In Ruth 3:18 rest is spoken of as Boaz not being in peace until the matter is taken care of.

In the word of God the word peace is often connected with rest as in the case of Israel being in the promised land and being at rest from their enemies (Deuteronomy 12:1-2).  It is interesting to note here that God said he would put his name in this place. We know he is speaking of Jerusalem which means city of peace. We should ask ourselves if God name could be placed in our marriage or in our home. If the husband will not or cannot lead, and the wife refuses to follow or be in subjection then there is no peace. If there is no real peace then it is not really a place where God’s name is found.

Peace is definitely connected with Salvation (Romans 5:1). When we are saved we are put into the Body of Jesus Christ and espoused to him as his Bride. Once again we see that peace is connected to a marriage.

When it comes to Husbands and Wives having true peace in the marriage can be a difficult process. The reason for this is given in the example of war. In armed conflict between two countries for there to be real peace someone has to lose. In marriage many times no one wants to lose.

In our headlines today the threat of war with North Korea is always there. When we look at the Korean War which took place over fifty years ago there was no clear winner. Instead of a peace treaty they signed an Armistice. Everything went back to the way it was before the war with a Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea. Today many marriages have existed the same way. The husband and wife have their own territory and can coexist happily as long as neither one enters the Demilitarized Zone. But that is not real peace there is always the threat of war anytime someone approaches that Demilitarized Zone.

How to have peace in our Marriage:

1)  Die to self (Genesis 15:15 ; Romans 6:6)

• The first place we see the word death in a King James Bible is in Genesis 15:15 and it is connected with death.
• Remember in marriage that both parties are to be in submission unto the Lord. Therefore before a husband and wife can have true peace in their marriage they will have to have peace between them and God.

2)  Do right (Isaiah 32:17 ; Romans 6:11)

• One of the hardest things in life is to simply do right. When we do right is where all the opposition comes from.
• Whether you are a husband or a wife peace will start by doing right. In marriage each person has their responsibility to do what God says and it is not dependent on the other party necessarily doing their part.

3)  Yield yourselves unto God (Ephesians 5:21 ; Romans 6:13)

• Once you have died to self and started doing right it will be easier to yield to God in all the areas of being a good husband and a good wife.

To have peace in the marriage both parties have to die to self, do right and yield to God. This will not be easy but that is why Jesus said come unto me all that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28-30)