“If the foundations be destroyed, What can the righteous do?” (Psalms 11:3). Foundations consist of those things that give support. Houses are placed upon foundations to give them strength and stability. Relationships must have a good foundation in order to meet hard times. It matters not what the topic is: if the matter under discussion is worthy, it must be built upon something solid for it to last. When thinking about our society, our homes, our government, what can the righteous do if the foundations are destroyed? When you move into a new home, you assume the foundation is secure. You begin with a preconceived idea that the foundation that supports the house will always remain the same, and take little thought to the fact that shifts in the earth can change the stability of the foundation. What would you do, if the foundations be destroyed? Now, let’s apply that question to the home.

            When God created man, He said, “It is not good that the man should be alone: I will make him a help meet for him…And Jehovah God…made he a woman, and brought her unto the man…Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh” (Genesis 2:18, 22, 24). Marriage was God’s answer to the question of man’s loneliness. The marriage relationship was second only to man’s relationship to God, and the home was the first institution God established between mankind. This relationship was included in the statement, “And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).

            The perfection God saw with the husband/wife relationship was tainted by the work of Satan. When Eve yielded to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the vain glory of life, and subsequently Adam did also, the devastation of sin began to affect every relationship of man. Every sin of man is a result of selfishness: Eve “saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise” (Genesis 3:6). It was because of what Eve wanted that ultimately resulted in all the heartache, death, and spiritual separation that exist in the world today. In regard to the marriage relationship, the scriptures reveal a potential for problems: Paul warned husbands to “love you wives, and be not bitter against them” (Colossians 3:19). This indicates a potential for bitterness: a tendency to treat the wife in an inappropriate manner. Peter warned husbands to “dwell with your wives according to knowledge, giving honor unto the woman, as unto the weaker vessel, as being also joint-heirs of the grace of life; to the end that your prayers be not hindered” (1 Peter 3:7). When these factors are not adhered to, then problems arise in the marriage. The reasons marriages fail cannot be limited to one factor: there are usually an array of reasons. A lack of communication; incompatibility in social and religious convictions; wrong expectations; a lack of commitment or a conflict in spiritual goals and values. When all of these factors are taken into consideration, selfishness will raise its ugly head and destroy what could have otherwise been “very good.”

            What can we do to achieve a godly home? Respect and fulfill our God-given role in the marriage relationship: “Wives be in subjection unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord…in everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself up for it.” (Ephesians 5:22, 24-25). When confronted with problems and difficulties, utilize God’s word to know which way to turn: “Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness: that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

            God created the man and the woman. He knows what we need and has given us laws to govern our lives. When we stay within the boundaries prescribed, apply the scriptures in a proper manner, and build upon God’s foundation, then we will have a home that is a haven of rest and peace.

What would you do if the biblical foundation of a God-authorized marriage was destroyed? What would you do if the godly foundation was destroyed and what remained were unions spawned by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the vainglory of life? “If the foundations be destroyed, What can the righteous do?”