Fighting for a Wife: Lessons from Othniel

Working through the middle of the book of Joshua is challenging. Huge sections of the book are dedicated to the names of the cities given to the tribes of Israel and the boundaries of the allotment of land for each tribe.  But right in the middle of chapter 16 which describes the land Judah received we find an interesting story.

Caleb offers his daughter in marriage to the man that will capture and destroy the city Debir. From this story I see a man willing to ‘Fight for a Wife’ and today I believe that is absolutely missing in our American culture.

And I know the numbers support my premise. More people are waiting to get married and fewer people are getting married period. And I would strongly contend that that isn’t God plan. In fact. long before God gave the church the ‘Great Commission’ God gave the family a ‘mission.’ And that mission is found in Genesis 1:28 where human are told to be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth. Then in Genesis 2 we see God uniting Adam and Eve in a union for life. This union was designed to produce children and this union was between a male and a female especially and specifically designed by God as a helper for Adam.

Yet, today it seems more than ever this very idea and plan is being challenged and the church is walking away from the mission given to the family by God.

In this Sunday morning sermon, I challenge men and women with six lessons from the Word of God concerning marriage and I conclude with four signs of a healthy church.

See if you agree with me about my four signs of a healthy church:

  1. Men are Fighting to Win the Hearts of Future Wives
  2. Serious Sanctified Courtship is Happening
  3. Couples are Frequently Getting Married Under God and Before the Church
  4. Children are being Born and Adopted
Listen or watch the sermon to see what to Fight For and what to Fight Against in Fighting for a Wife: Lessons from Othniel.