Drawing on Proverbs 31, here are some goals to “think upon”. Few marriages can attain ALL of the following and most marriages will take years to pursue these. Certainly, they are NOT all pursued all at once:

1.A business profitable enough to grow with and toward the goals of their lives. Christian divorce in our culture is caused most often by financial concerns, not necessarily from “sex” issues.

2.Christian divorce as a phenomenon occurs very often because couples weary of endless labors to “get ahead” but don’t seem to do so. So, one of them usually “pulls the plug” on the relationship. Invested profits to expand their reach as a couple (“with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard”). Investments are God’s REPLACEMENT for slaves. Instead of mankind enslaving people to work and exploiting their labor and controlling their substance and future, investments go to work, putting capital in place of human servitude so as to build up wealth. Investments work 24/7, they never tire, and they continue building over time.

3.The husband of the woman of Proverbs 31 is in position in the gates to maintain justice is expressly placed WITHIN and surrounded by her economic activities. (That is deliberate Hebrew syntax and usage. When a Hebrew writer wants to tie in another subject and relate it to the one he is writing about, he artfully embeds the new subject into the framework of the older subject matter he is developing. Everyone then knows they are related.). The point is simple: Christian divorce – or divorce in general – is a phenomenon associated with injustice in the laws and courts of the land.

4.The family is known for its charitable attitude toward employees (servants here). Nothing gives a better reputation to an employer than kindness and fairness toward employees. Christian divorce would be much lower in our culture if a churches were far more charitable biblically while understanding divorce precursors specifically. Why? Support is often needed to help those beginning their marital distresses. Charity in the Bible includes many issues (monetary and non-monetary).

5.The family raises and educates the children with purpose and vision. Else they wouldn’t praise her. The opposite attitude is spelled out in Proverbs as the scorner or mocker. There is none in Proverbs 31. So, they have provided a trained generation to carry on their legacy and provide an inheritance. That training can be one of the most powerful preventatives to the Christian divorce problem in our churches.

6.They are involved in charity toward the poor of the land. Undoubtedly, they approached charity as Boaz and Ruth did in the Book of Ruth. Presumably, if there were aged parents involved (none mentioned), they too would be under the care of this family. Note, in the case of Ruth and Boaz, Christian charity done biblically, provided for reciprocity in a growing relationship that eventually became a Christian marriage … as opposed to the plague of the so-called Christian divorce spirals escalating daily.

7.They left a legacy of Christ like character and invested that character in the community which is really the most powerful means for preventing the kind of Christian divorce epidemic we have today among Christians.

8.Her Christ like character elevated the position of women – and marriage – in the eyes of society.

9.Honor, truth and honesty prevailed in society, which encourages everyone and replaces graft, dishonesty and malice – all of which are at the heart of Christian divorces today.

10.All they accomplished was done for the Lord’s kingdom and glory.

Oh, yes, and there was no divorce here because there WAS NO PLAGUE…MARRIAGE PLAGUE was replaced with righteousness to the glory of the King of Righteousness. Their marriage had and fulfilled that purpose.

- Submitted ICHR

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