Spirit in Their Union

But you say, "Why does he not?" Because the LORD was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth. -Mal 2:14-15

This verse jumped out at me as speaking to the mystery of marriage, of how the two become one. The phrase "a portion of the Spirit in their union" is interesting to me. What exactly does it mean? It's as though the "union" is an entity in itself, which shouldn't be terribly surprising. We use the word "marriage" to describe this frequently, but I think it goes beyond our common use of the term.

I think it is more like the legal aspect of forming a corporation. As far as the government is concerned, a corporation is its own legal entity, almost as though a new person was born under the auspice of that corporation. The corporation pays taxes like a person, can be sued like a person, can even die like a person. But most importantly, the reason the government allows and encourages corporations to form is because they can help society more than individuals can. The teamwork, cooperation, and common goals of the individuals within that corporation achieve much more than those same individuals could possibly do individually.

A marriage is the same way. If both the husband and the wife are working toward the same goal of a productive marriage, it will achieve much more than they could possibly achieve individually. Unfortunately most marriages are based on helping each other seek their individual achievements rather than seeking the achievements of the collective. It's a subtle, yet huge, difference that I'm sure others could elaborate on much more eloquently.

So where was I going with this? God has put a portion of his spirit in our marriages. My marriage is more than just a union between my wife and me. It is that union plus God's Spirit. My marriage is not just a word to describe our relationship. My marriage is a living breathing entity, a creation of God, meant to do his work.