Waiting for Marriage
This post comes from the April 24th entry of Faith Alone: A Daily Devotional by Martin Luther (James C. Galvin, General Editor).
Genesis 25:2020 and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife.
Isaac was forty years old before he got married. In those forty years, he undoubtedly experienced periods of frustration and fiery passion because of his physical desires. A person’s physical desires are at war with the spiritual nature. Yet Isaac was obedient to his father, Abraham, who taught him how to meditate on God’s commands and promises in the battle against his sinful nature. Later on, God gave Rebekah to Isaac as his wife, and they lived together in harmony.
There is a lesson buried in this passage: Isaac is a great example to young people of a person who abstains from sex before marriage. This is an important subject, because all young people have to face this battle. Isaac’s purity and moral integrity are clear indications of the way he was raised. His father taught him to avoid bad friends. Isaac meditated on God’s promises, prayed, and did useful work. Though not specifically state in the text, it’s safe to assume that he diligently dedicated himself to mediation and prayer during the first forty years of his life when he wasn’t yet married.
But some might say, “Waiting for marriage is unbearable and aggravating!” They’re right. it’s very similar to other difficulties requiring patience that believers must face, such as fasting, imprisonment, cold, sickness, and persecution. Lust is a serious burden. You must resist it and fight against it. But after you have overcome it through prayer, lust will have caused you to pray more and grow in faith.