God, in his wisdom, said it is not good for a man to be alone. He created Eve for Adam and joined them as husband and wife, thereby making marriage the first ever institution on earth. Thereafter, it became the sole responsibility of Adam and Eve to make their marriage successful or otherwise. There are stories of marriages that ended no sooner than they started, some within one month or earlier, while there are others that ended after many years.

According to Austin Yokley, the Global Divorce Statistics show that the following 10 countries have the highest divorce rate per 1,000 population: Maldives – 10.97; Kazakhstan – 4.6; Russia – 3.9; Belgium – 3.7; Cuba – 3.6; Belarus – 3.4; United States – 2.5; Denmark – 2.6; Ukraine – 3.1; Lithuania – 3.1. On the other hand, the following countries rank low in divorce rate: Guatemala – 0.4; Vietnam – 0.4; Peru – 0.5; Chile – 0.5; Mexico – 0.7; Bosnia and Herzegovina – 0.7; Sri Lanka – 0.8; Brazil – 1.4; Italy – 1.5; Turkey – 1.6.

The truth is that divorce is not peculiar or limited to any race, colour, or geographical location, and the rate varies from country to country. Reasons for divorce also vary, ranging from infidelity, financial problems, violence or domestic abuse, lack of commitment, to irreconcilable differences, among several others.

God says in Malachi 2:16, “I hate divorce…I hate the violent dismembering of the ‘one flesh’ of marriage….” (The Message Bible). Note that some marriages have not resulted in divorce but are unsuccessful. Marriages characterised by constant and persistent fights and quarrels cannot be said to be peaceful. It is the desire of God for couples to stay happily married till death does them part.

The Bible Society of Nigeria (BSN) does not only care for the spiritual wellbeing of the people she serves, but also, for their physical wellbeing. To contribute to achieving peaceful homes and marriages, BSN has introduced a special Marriage Study Bible, which couples and potential couples can glean from and lean on to have blissful marriages.

The organisation carefully assembled 20 anointed men and women with proven testimonies in their marriages to put together a 100-page inspired article titled, “Marriage Toolkit”, tucked between the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. The articles are designed to guide couples and potential couples to stay united happily in love throughout their marital lives. Some of the articles are: Help for the Newly Married; Marital Intimacy; Biblical Pregnancy and Parenting;  Dealing with Infertility and Barrenness; Managing Finances in Marriage; Starting, Growing and Sustaining a Family Business Profitably; the Challenges of Same-Sex in Children; In-law Relationship Management; the Secrets of a Happy Marriage and Family Life; Dating and Courtship, among  many other interesting and educative articles.

The Marriage Study Bible, King James Version, comes with read-along cross references, with words of Christ in red, bold print, book introduction, topical headings, and enough white space, adding to the aesthetics and attractiveness of the Bible. It also has a three-year Bible reading plan, a word list, all-year-round Bible quotations, and helps for daily application. Its colour is white, representing purity, innocence, and a new beginning.

The Bible is highly recommended to all couples, bachelors, and spinsters. It will make a perfect gift for intending couple in courtship, wedding couple, and of course, couples in marriages already. It is available in our bookshops and depots across the country, as well as the online store at: https://store.bsnproject.org/  Go grab your copy now!