5 Minutes Bible Study – Marry In Haste; Repent In Leisure
MARRY IN HASTE; REPENT IN LEISURE by Dr. Harold Sala
For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. Genesis 2:24
The oldest church in Amsterdam, De Oude Kerk, which in Dutch means, The Old Church dates back to the early sixteenth century. Over one of the doors where the commissars of marriage of the city assembled, there is an inscription which reads, Marry in haste; repent in leisure. Perhaps the saying written in Dutch is reflective of the conservative natures of these wise old men, but I think instead it reflected the wisdom of Solomon. If he never said it, he well could have because Solomon married more than a few women out of political convenience, a practice which he lived to regret.
Marry in haste; repent in leisure! — good advice for any generation. No other relationship so involves the totality of our lives as does marriage. If more people took more time before they came to the altar, a great many would never take the trip.
Those who marry in haste are usually guilty of flawed thinking. Like what? Consider the following illusions they are guilty of believing.
Illusion #1: Things will be better after we are married. To the contrary, personality traits usually tend to amplify no matter which direction the pendulum swings. A man who is kind and considerate becomes more so when you have taken time for a relationship to develop. An individual who is inconsiderate and rude doesnt change into a gentleman or a lady after marriage.
Illusion #2: Thinking, It doesnt really matter! Nothing could be more self-deceptive. Are both of you Christians? I sometimes ask couples who want to marry. They look at each other and say, Weve never talked about religion! Or when there are major social or cultural differences and those issues have never been addressed, you may have plenty of time to repent in leisure.
When a couple marries, they bring to the altar a large sack or baggage containing elements of heredity, habits, culture, idiosyncrasies of temperament and attitudes such as Momma did it this way. Better know whats in the baggage your mate brings to the altar, and that takes time.
Illusion #3: What you dont know, shouldnt bother you. Wrong. The better you know each other, and the more able you are to communicate your emotions and feelings, the greater chance of happiness you have. Its a fact: there is a definite correlation between your happiness in marriage and your ability to communicate at a deep and intimate level. What you dont know about that other person should bother you a great deal. What you find out–too late to do anything about it–may give you a great deal to regret later on.
Illusion #4: If I dont get him or her now, I may never have another chance to marry. Wrong again. The fact is that not marrying that particular person may be Gods greatest gift to you, sparing you from a great deal of heartache and pain later on.
Illusion #5: Those who marry in haste usually think that love is enough! We love each other, I hear people say. Thinking of love as a warm emotion which gets the adrenaline flowing, they have never learned that love is a decision, a commitment to care regardless of the temperature of the heart. Real love only grows when the fading beauty writes creases in the forehead and turns the hair gray.
Marry in haste; repent in leisure–a lot of people do just that. Taking time to work through relationships, making sure that a couple bring to a marriage the ingredients that complement each other and build for the future can well prevent your repenting in leisure—which these days causes many to divorce in haste.
Take time. It may be the most importance advice you will ever get.
Resource reading: Genesis 2:15-25.
Duration : 0:4:59
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