From a blog post by jps at Idle Musings of a Bookseller
I received a catalog from STL Distribution which included Husbands, Wives, God: Introducing the Marriages of the Bible to Your Marriage.
Now, aside from the questionable hermeneutics, think of the marriages in the Bible. Which of those would you want to model your marriage after? Abraham and Sarah? Really? Have your wife call you brother…I don’t think so. Isaac isn’t any better. And, don’t get me started on Jacob, to say nothing of Hosea and Gomer.
He’s got a point. The stories in the Bible tend not to give us shining examples of getting it right. I say this as someone whose marriage has benefited greatly from a study about Biblical principles of marriage. That is, if you’re a Christian then the person you should be most diligent about practicing your Christianity toward is your spouse. But I agree with jps’s closing paragraph:
No, the Bible isn’t about good marriages—or any marriages. It is about a God who became flesh and dwelt among us, died for us, and was resurrected that we might live a new life to his glory and praise through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us. Now, that is a story I can endorse whole-heartedly!