The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 19 July 2024 – Marry One Wife
TOPIC: Marry One Wife
READ: Genesis 20:1-18 (NKJV)
- And Abraham journeyed from there to the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed in Gerar.
- Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She [is] my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.
- But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, “Indeed you [are] a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she [is] a man’s wife.”
- But Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “Lord, will You slay a righteous nation also?
- “Did he not say to me, ‘She [is] my sister’? And she, even she herself said, ‘He [is] my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this.”
- And God said to him in a dream, “Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her.
- “Now therefore, restore the man’s wife; for he [is] a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore [her,] know that you shall surely die, you and all who [are] yours.”
- So Abimelech rose early in the morning, called all his servants, and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were very much afraid.
- And Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? How have I offended you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done.”
- Then Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you have in view, that you have done this thing?”
- And Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely the fear of God [is] not in this place; and they will kill me on account of my wife.
- “But indeed [she is] truly my sister. She [is] the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.
- “And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said to her, ‘This [is] your kindness that you should do for me: in every place, wherever we go, say of me, “He [is] my brother.” ‘ “
- Then Abimelech took sheep, oxen, and male and female servants, and gave [them] to Abraham; and he restored Sarah his wife to him.
- And Abimelech said, “See, my land [is] before you; dwell where it pleases you.”
- Then to Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand [pieces] of silver; indeed this vindicates you before all who [are] with you and before everybody.” Thus she was rebuked.
- So Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants. Then they bore [children;]
- for the LORD had closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
THE MESSAGE:
Abimelech, King of Gerar, had a wife when Abraham and his wife Sarah arrived in Gerar.
On hearing that Sarah was Abraham’s sister, Abimelech took her for another wife. It took God’s intervention for Abimelech to restore Abraham’s wife to him. After the king learnt that Abraham was a prophet, he obeyed God by giving Abraham gifts of money, household, animals and female servants, and then restored Sarah. Abraham prayed for Abimelech and God healed him, his wife, as well as male and female servants.
Men should be content with marrying only one wife because a multiplicity of wives brings problems including enmity, quarrels, fighting, gossip, back biting, etc. You need to be content with what you have, including your wife or husband (1 Timothy 6: 6). You should not covet what belongs to another person. Stick to your own wife or your own husband and rejoice with her or him (Proverbs 5: 18). The goal of marriage is that a man and his wife should be one spiritually, financially, and all round. A man must love and respect his wife and the wife must be submissive to her own husband (Ephesians 5: 22-25). Couples must obey God in their marriages.
PRAYER: Lord, help me to be content with my wife or husband in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY’S DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL
DATE: FRIDAY, JULY 19, 2024
TOPIC: MARRY ONE WIFE
- Father in the name of Jesus, thank You for the grace to see this day in good health and sound mind.
- Father, thank You for the special gift of life, many wished to see this day, but they couldn’t.
- Thank You Jesus for being there for us, Your children.
- Thank You Lord for Your plans for me this year. They are plans of good, not of evil, to give me a successful and good end.
- Father, please forgive me all my known and unknown sins, and give me power to overcome sin and its lustful desires, in Jesus’ name
- Father, help me to restitute all I have wrongly taken, in Jesus’ name.
- I receive grace to obey all of God’s instructions, in Jesus’ name
- Help me, Holy Spirit, to be content with the wife/husband God has given me, in Jesus’ name.
- Father, let me and my spouse be one spiritually, financially, and all round, in Jesus’ name.
- LORD, help us to obey You in our marriage, in Jesus’ name.
- LORD, help us to get it right in Nigeria, and let Your perfect will be enforced on us in Jesus’ name.
- Heavenly Father, let Your peace reign in this country,
- Whether the devil likes it or not, I will make heaven and receive my eternal rewards in Jesus’ Name.
- This is the day the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.
- Personal and family prayer requests.
- Confession: God bless the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), God bless the Universal Church, and bless our country Nigeria -1 Chronicles 17:27.
- Thank You Lord for answered prayers, in Jesus’ Mighty Name we pray. Amen.
