Deuteronomy 24:1-5: a reflection

1When a man takes a wife and marries her, then it shall be, if she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some unseemly thing in her, that he shall write her a certificate of divorce, put it in her hand, and send her out of his house. 2When she has departed out of his house, she may go and be another man’s wife. 3If the latter husband hates her, and writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house; or if the latter husband dies, who took her to be his wife; 4her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife after she is defiled; for that would be an abomination to the LORD. You shall not cause the land to sin, which the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance. 5When a man takes a new wife, he shall not go out in the army, neither shall he be assigned any business. He shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer his wife whom he has taken.

Among the laws given to Israel, tucked in with regulations about marriage and divorce, is a tender provision for the beginning of a marriage. When a man takes a new wife, God says, he shall not go out in the army, neither shall he be assigned any business. He shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer his wife whom he has taken. A newly married man was to be freed from military duty and other business for a full year, so that he could be at home and bring joy to his wife, and they could build their life together. This shows God's care for the flourishing of a marriage at its start, giving the new couple time and freedom to establish their bond, to be together, to bring each other joy. God did not treat the beginning of a marriage as a small thing to be hurried past; he made provision for it to flourish, giving the couple a protected time to build their life together. God cares for the flourishing of marriage, and made room for a new marriage to begin well. The beginning of a marriage was to be protected and given time to flourish.

Notice God's care in this provision: a new husband freed for a year to be at home and cheer his wife. God did not treat the start of a marriage as an afterthought, something to be squeezed in around other duties; he made a deliberate provision for it, freeing the newly married man from military service and business for a full year, so that he could be at home, be with his wife, and bring her joy. This reveals God's care for the flourishing of marriage, especially at its vulnerable beginning. He valued the bond between husband and wife enough to protect its early formation, to give the couple time to establish their life together and to bring each other joy. The beginning of a marriage matters to God; he made room for it to begin well, unhurried, with the couple free to be together. This care for marriage's flourishing reminds us to value and tend our own marriages, giving them the time and attention they need to flourish, especially at the start. God values the joy and bond of marriage. He made provision for it to begin and flourish well.

That is worth taking to heart, for God cares for the flourishing of marriage, and we do well to value and tend the marriage bond. We can treat marriage, especially its beginning, as a small thing to be hurried past, squeezed in around other duties; but God made deliberate provision for a new marriage to flourish, freeing the husband for a year to be at home and bring his wife joy. God values the bond of marriage and made room for it to begin well. This reminds us to value and tend our own marriages, giving them the time and care they need. Do not treat marriage as a small thing to be hurried past; value and tend it, as God made provision for a new marriage to flourish. Value and tend the marriage bond, giving it the time and care it needs to flourish, as God cared for the flourishing of marriage by freeing a newly married man for a year to be at home and cheer his wife; for God does not treat the beginning of a marriage as a small thing to be hurried past but made deliberate provision for it to flourish, valuing the joy and bond between husband and wife, and this care reminds us to value and tend our own marriages, giving them the time and attention they need to flourish rather than hurrying past them.

Lord, among the laws given to Israel, tucked in with regulations about marriage, is a tender provision for the beginning of a marriage. When a man takes a new wife, you say, he shall not go out in the army, neither shall he be assigned any business. He shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer his wife whom he has taken. A newly married man was to be freed from military duty and other business for a full year, so that he could be at home and bring joy to his wife, and they could build their life together. This shows your care for the flourishing of a marriage at its start. Show me your care in this provision: a new husband freed for a year to be at home and cheer his wife. You did not treat the start of a marriage as an afterthought; you made a deliberate provision for it, freeing the newly married man from service and business for a full year, so that he could be with his wife and bring her joy. This reveals your care for the flourishing of marriage, especially at its vulnerable beginning. You valued the bond between husband and wife enough to protect its early formation. The beginning of a marriage matters to you; you made room for it to begin well, unhurried. Take that to my heart, for you care for the flourishing of marriage, and I do well to value and tend the marriage bond. I can treat marriage, especially its beginning, as a small thing to be hurried past, squeezed in around other duties; but you made deliberate provision for a new marriage to flourish. You value the bond of marriage. Keep me from treating marriage as a small thing to be hurried past; help me value and tend it, Lord, giving it the time and care it needs to flourish, as you cared for the flourishing of marriage by freeing a newly married man to be at home and cheer his wife.