Ketubah
What is the best way to keep things good in a marriage?
On the television show "Big Bang Theory", Sheldon creates relationship agreements for every relationship he is in. He has a roommate agreement for his roommates, friendship agreements for his friends, and a marriage agreement for his wife. Often he has ridiculous clauses in these agreements.
People find the entire concept of a relationship agreement funny. However, Dr. Sheldon Cooper is not the author of relationship agreements. Jews have had a relationship agreement for marriage for thousands of years. It is called a Ketubah.
Although not called by that name, this idea used to be normal in America. That is why when a man asks a woman to marry him, it said that the woman received a marriage proposal. This used to be literal, not figurative. A man would draw up a proposal for marriage with clauses stating what he would do for the woman and what she would do for him. The woman could accept the proposal as written, reject it outright, or negotiate for better terms. The wise woman would negotiate for better terms, if she was willing to marry the man.
Like a Ketubah, this was a legally binding document. Once it was signed by both parties, the terms could only be changed by mutual agreement. Also, like a Ketubah, some terms were mandatory by the nature of the relationship and were not negotiable.
This legally binding document was a marriage contract. The man could not touch the woman until the deal was finalized by a ceremony in front of witnesses. This is where the expression, "No Contract, No Contact" came from.
The first time the man could kiss the woman, was when the wedding ceremony ended with these words, "You may now kiss the bride.". The preacher meant that literally.
Except for my family, this has almost completely faded out in America. This is due to the same subtle influence of later European immigrants with completely different values than people like the Pilgrims, who founded this country under the influence of the Book of Truth (The Bible).
Today, it is not uncommon to see a Ketubah displayed prominently in a Jewish home in America. Sometimes the wife will tap her feet and point at it, when her husband is putting off something that he would rather avoid doing.
The earliest known Ketubah was written around 440 B.C., during the time of the Persian Empire. The word "Ketubah" is not found in the Book of Truth. It appears to have been created as a Jewish adaptation of the Babylonian marriage contract during the Babylonian Exile.
The Babylonian marriage contract had existed since the time when Abraham (Abram) grew up in Ur of the Chaldeans. Many of the aspects of the Babylonian marriage contract, including the bride price (mohar), were present among the descendants of Abraham until the time of the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ).
The Ketubah has since then been adapted in many ways, as Jews have been dispersed in many lands and cultures, since the time of the Man of Truth. It has many forms, and the customs about where to display it, if at all, vary from place to place. Still, some things have remained as universal among all forms of the Ketubah.
However, the Ketubah did not originate with the Jews, or the Babylonians, but with the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD). He laid out His mandatory terms of the Ketubah in the Book of Truth.
UNION
Husband and wife must join their bodies together in sex to produce children. This was the very first commandment that the Father of Truth ever gave to the human race (Genesis 1:26-28). The husband is to know his wife sexually, so that she can become pregnant (Genesis 4:1). This obligation is so serious, that if the husband should die childless, then his brother is to marry his wife, so she can become pregnant by him (Matthew 22:24).
Sex is not optional for husband and wife, but a commandment of the Father of Truth. The wife must not show her husband disrespect by denying him sexual pleasure, so that she does not give him a cause to deal deceitfully with her by divorcing her (Exodus 21:8). [The depth of this is better understood when you read it in Hebrew and Greek (Evil eye / disrespect). This is not the wife doing her best to do what her husband wants, but failing to perform well enough to please her husband, but a disrespectful refusal to perform what her husband wants.] The husband is commanded to be constantly drunk on sex with his wife (Proverbs 5:19). Husband and wives owe sex to each other, and are thieves if they do not engage in sex with each other (1 Corinthians 7:3-5).
Husbands and wives who do not whole-heartedly engage in sex with their spouses to the best of their ability are liars and thieves. It is not fulfilling the commandment of the Father of Truth to husbands and wives to just go through the motions of sex with each other. The wife is supposed to experience pleasure when engaged in sex with her husband (Genesis 18:10-12). A husband is supposed to do things to arouse his wife to desire sex (Genesis 26:7-9). They are supposed to give each other pleasure when they are engaged in sex (Proverbs 5:18-19).
This commandment includes husband and wife only engaging in sex when it is the right time for love. They are not to engage in sex when they are going to come into the presence of the Father of Truth for a special occasion (Exodus 19:14-16). They are not to engage in sex until after the wife has recovered from child birth - 40 days for a boy, but 80 days for a girl (Leviticus 12:2-5). They are not to engage in sex from when the wife starts her monthly issuance of blood until the eighth day after it ends (Leviticus 15:19-28).
The commandment allows for husband and wife to refrain from engaging in sex under certain circumstances. They may refrain when something like fighting a war prevents them from being together so they can engage in sex (2 Samuel 11:11). They may refrain when their health does not allow them to engage in sex (1 Kings 1:1-4). They may refrain in order to seek the Father of Truth with fasting and prayer - if they both agree (1 Corinthians 7:5).
This commandment is to protect husband and wife from harm. It is to keep them from committing any of the sexual sins that the Father of Truth hates (Leviticus 20:10-23). It is to keep them from bringing venereal diseases and other damage to their bodies (1 Corinthians 6:18). When husband and wife whole-heartedly engage in sex with each other, then it helps them to avoid engaging in sex outside of their marriage - similar to how when someone is stuffed, they do not want to eat anything else (1 Corinthians 7:2).
SEPARATION
Husband and wife must leave their parents and cleave to each other. The husband must leave his parents to be with his wife (Genesis 2:24). The wife must leave her parents to be with her husband (Genesis 24:58). Where ever the husband goes, his wife must go there as well (Genesis 31:14-18).
PLEASING
Husbands and wives must seek to please each other in every way possible - even like Esther was living to please the king, her husband. It is so serious, that the husband cannot do anything will take him away from learning what brings joy to his wife during the first year of marriage (Deuteronomy 24:5). The husband is to be concerned with doing things to please his wife (1 Corinthians 7:33). The wife is also to be concerned with doing things to please her husband (1 Corinthians 7:34).
LOVE
Husbands and wives must not just look to do the bare minimum required, but they must choose the path of true love. The husband must choose to love his wife as much as he loves his own body (Ephesians 5:28). The husband must choose to love his wife at all times, and choose not to be bitter towards her, when she has displeased him in some manner (Colossians 3:19). The wife must learn how to choose to love her husband at all times as well (Titus 2:4).
PROVIDE
The husband must provide material things for his wife. The husband must provide his wife food, clothing, and shelter, as well as sex (Exodus 21:10). [The Hebrew word here, "Kesot", is plural and literally means "coverings". It means both a covering of the body, such as clothing, and a covering from the elements, such as a house.] In fact, the husband must provide a place for his wife to live in, before she can live with him as his wife (John 14:3). The husband, who does not provide for his wife, is worse than an idol worshiper (1 Timothy 5:8).
LEAD
The husband must provide leadership for his wife. The husband must not remain silent, when he learns that his wife has made a foolish promise, but must cancel her promise, because his silence is consent, so then he becomes responsible to ensure that her promise is kept (Numbers 30:13-15). The husband must treat his wife as a daughter of the Father of Truth when he leads her (1 Corinthians 9:5). The husband must lead his wife, because the Father of Truth has made him the head of his wife (1 Corinthians 11:3).
PROTECT
The husband must protect his wife. The husband must be willing to give up his own protective covering to cover his wife with protection (Ruth 3:9-13). ("Spread your skirt over me" is an idiom for "protect me as my husband".) The husband must willing to risk his life to protect his wife (1 Samuel 30:18). The husband must be willing to give up his life to protect his wife, like the Man of Truth did for the Called Out Ones (Ephesians 5:25).
VALUE
The husband must do all of these things because he values his wife. The husband is to always desire to see his wife (Ezekiel 24:16). The husband is to always glory in his wife being the most important person on Earth to him (1 Corinthians 11:7). The husband is always treat his wife with honor and handle her gently like a valuable, but fragile, vase, because she is his partner in life (1 Peter 3:7).
HELP
A wife must help her husband succeed in accomplishing the will of the Father of Truth. The Father of Truth has made the wife to be an adequate helper to her husband (Genesis 2:18). The Father of Truth has skillfully crafted the wife and given her to her husband for this purpose (Genesis 2:22). [The Hebrew word translated as "made" literally means "built" with the idea of being skillfully crafted like a fine house.] The Father of Truth has created the wife to meet the needs of her husband (1 Corinthians 11:9).
The wife must never forget, that her husband cannot do everything that the Father of Truth wants him, to do without her help. The wife is not to seek to help her husband disobey the Father of Truth (Genesis 3:17). The wife is to seek to help her husband to do the will of the Father of Truth - even if that means doing something that her husband did not want done (1 Samuel 25:32-35). The wife must seek to help her husband to save up money for their children by spending less than they make (2 Corinthians 12:14).
FOLLOW
The wife must follow the instructions of her husband, not because he is better than her in some aspect, but because it is the commandment of the Father of Truth. The Father of Truth has placed the wife under the rule of her husband (Genesis 3:16). The wife is to be subject to her husband in doing the will of the Father of Truth, in the same way that the Called Out Ones are to be subject to the Man of Truth in doing the will of the Father of Truth (Ephesians 5:22-24). The wife is to submit to following the instructions of her husband to show that she is submitting to the Father of Truth (Colossians 3:18).
The wife must follow the instructions of her husband, because her response to his instructions has eternal consequences. It matters what is on your head, so the wife is to wear the symbol of being under the authority of her husband on her head, as an example to the Angels of Truth and Angels of Lies of submission to authority (1 Corinthians 11:10). The wife can cause those, who have not yet came into the House of Truth, to speak evil of the Word of Truth, if she is not obedient to her husband (Titus 2:5). Her faith in the Father of Truth, which creates an extremely respectful lifestyle of obedience to her husband, who has not yet came into the House of Truth, can cause him to come into the House of Truth and escape suffering in the Chamber of Horrors forever, without her saying a word to him (1 Peter 3:1-6). [The Greek word translated as "conversation" here literally means "lifestyle".]
HONOR
The wife must honor her husband by showing him respect at all times. The wife is to honor her husband with obedience to prevent other people from having contempt for him (Esther 1:16-20). The wife is not to bring dishonor to her husband by praying to the Father of Truth, without the symbol of being under the authority of her husband on her head (1 Corinthians 11:10). The wife is to reverence her husband by showing him the same respect that she shows the Father of Truth (Ephesians 5:33).
HOME
The wife must make the house that her husband provides into a home. The wife is to take care of his house and make it into a home for her husband (Psalm 113:9). The wife shows that her husband has married a wise woman, when she builds his house into a home (Proverbs 14:1). The wife is to work hard at running the affairs of his house, so that her husband does not need to be concerned about them when he comes home (Proverbs 31:27).
While the Father of Truth has written His immutable obligations in the Book of Truth, a Ketubah should also have an addendum of other obligations written out to help make the fulfillment of His obligations easier to do. These are mostly the details of how to fulfill the obligations given by the Father of Truth. These custom obligations are unique to the spouses and their circumstances.
Generally speaking, these custom obligations should follow the pattern of those set by the Father of Truth, where there is a one for one correlation of obligations. That is to say, if one spouse wants the other spouse to agree to give them something, then they must also agree to give something that their spouse desires equally.
These custom agreements should be made in a way that maintains a balance of obligations between husband and wife to keep the Ketubah fair to both spouses. So, these obligations should be negotiated in pairs of equal value.
For example, if it pleases the wife to visit her sister in a far off city once a year, then they might agree to an obligation for the husband to make sure that happens. In exchange, if it pleases the husband to go on a hunting trip with his brother every year, then they would also agree to an obligation for the wife make sure that happens.
The custom obligations should try to be made to prevent as many future disagreements as possible. They should cover things like how to spend the holidays in a manner that is fair to both spouses.
Lastly, this custom obligations addendum is not immutable. It should be thought of as a living document that changes when future situations arise.
Situations might arise, like the birth of a child, that require new obligations to be negotiated and added to the addendum. Situations might arise, like the death of a sister or brother, that make some existing obligations obsolete and deleted from the addendum. Situations might arise, like the parents of one spouse moving, that require existing obligations to be renegotiated and updated in the addendum.
The Ketubah, or a similar marriage contract, is not currently legally enforceable in most countries, other than Israel. So, the spouses must voluntarily do what they agreed to do.
This is not that difficult when both spouses have come into the House of Truth. The Children of Truth (those who obey The Father of Truth because they love Him) will do what the Father of Truth wants and what they have agreed to, because they are committed to obeying the Man of Truth in all things. The Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost) will give them the power to keep the obligations written in their Ketubah. If one of them does fail to keep one of their obligations, then they will find themselves under the conviction of the Spirit of Truth. They will be miserable until they repent. Enforcement comes internally from the Spirit of Truth.
If neither spouse has come into the House of Truth, then it is still possible for them to keep the obligations that they have agreed upon in their Ketubah. However, it will be much harder since neither of them will have the Spirit of Truth living in them to help them keep their agreement. If one spouse slacks on keeping their obligations, then the other spouse probably will also. They may or may not feel any guilt about not keeping their agreement. The Father of Truth may bring judgment upon them in this life for not keeping their agreement, but they may not recognize that they are reaping what they have sown. Enforcement of their agreement may not occur until they stand in judgment before the Father of Truth. Enforcement comes externally from the Father of Truth.
However, if only one spouse has come into the House of Truth, then it is a different matter. That spouse must strive to do what they agreed to in the Ketubah, even if the other spouse does not. The believing spouse is not keeping these obligations based on the actions of their spouse, but out of their love and respect for the Father of Truth. This can be really hard to do, when the other spouse is not keeping their obligations, and feels no remorse over not keeping their agreement. Enforcement on the part of their spouse may not occur until their spouse stands in judgment before the Father of Truth. So, enforcement comes internally from the Spirit of Truth for the believing spouse, but enforcement comes externally from the Father of Truth for the other spouse.
So, the best way to ensure that things to keep things good in a marriage is by creating a Ketubah that is fair and balanced, and both spouses coming into the House of Truth, so that they have the Spirit of Truth helping them to keep their agreement. Both spouses need to be in a love triangle with the Man of Truth, as well as a Ketubah, to keep their marriage good.
Both spouses come into the House of Truth by submitting to the Man of Truth in all things, because they believe that the Father of Truth raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9).
Come into the House of Truth!
On the television show "Big Bang Theory", Sheldon creates relationship agreements for every relationship he is in. He has a roommate agreement for his roommates, friendship agreements for his friends, and a marriage agreement for his wife. Often he has ridiculous clauses in these agreements.
People find the entire concept of a relationship agreement funny. However, Dr. Sheldon Cooper is not the author of relationship agreements. Jews have had a relationship agreement for marriage for thousands of years. It is called a Ketubah.
Although not called by that name, this idea used to be normal in America. That is why when a man asks a woman to marry him, it said that the woman received a marriage proposal. This used to be literal, not figurative. A man would draw up a proposal for marriage with clauses stating what he would do for the woman and what she would do for him. The woman could accept the proposal as written, reject it outright, or negotiate for better terms. The wise woman would negotiate for better terms, if she was willing to marry the man.
Like a Ketubah, this was a legally binding document. Once it was signed by both parties, the terms could only be changed by mutual agreement. Also, like a Ketubah, some terms were mandatory by the nature of the relationship and were not negotiable.
This legally binding document was a marriage contract. The man could not touch the woman until the deal was finalized by a ceremony in front of witnesses. This is where the expression, "No Contract, No Contact" came from.
The first time the man could kiss the woman, was when the wedding ceremony ended with these words, "You may now kiss the bride.". The preacher meant that literally.
Except for my family, this has almost completely faded out in America. This is due to the same subtle influence of later European immigrants with completely different values than people like the Pilgrims, who founded this country under the influence of the Book of Truth (The Bible).
Today, it is not uncommon to see a Ketubah displayed prominently in a Jewish home in America. Sometimes the wife will tap her feet and point at it, when her husband is putting off something that he would rather avoid doing.
The earliest known Ketubah was written around 440 B.C., during the time of the Persian Empire. The word "Ketubah" is not found in the Book of Truth. It appears to have been created as a Jewish adaptation of the Babylonian marriage contract during the Babylonian Exile.
The Babylonian marriage contract had existed since the time when Abraham (Abram) grew up in Ur of the Chaldeans. Many of the aspects of the Babylonian marriage contract, including the bride price (mohar), were present among the descendants of Abraham until the time of the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ).
The Ketubah has since then been adapted in many ways, as Jews have been dispersed in many lands and cultures, since the time of the Man of Truth. It has many forms, and the customs about where to display it, if at all, vary from place to place. Still, some things have remained as universal among all forms of the Ketubah.
However, the Ketubah did not originate with the Jews, or the Babylonians, but with the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD). He laid out His mandatory terms of the Ketubah in the Book of Truth.
MUTUAL OBLIGATIONS
UNION
Husband and wife must join their bodies together in sex to produce children. This was the very first commandment that the Father of Truth ever gave to the human race (Genesis 1:26-28). The husband is to know his wife sexually, so that she can become pregnant (Genesis 4:1). This obligation is so serious, that if the husband should die childless, then his brother is to marry his wife, so she can become pregnant by him (Matthew 22:24).
Sex is not optional for husband and wife, but a commandment of the Father of Truth. The wife must not show her husband disrespect by denying him sexual pleasure, so that she does not give him a cause to deal deceitfully with her by divorcing her (Exodus 21:8). [The depth of this is better understood when you read it in Hebrew and Greek (Evil eye / disrespect). This is not the wife doing her best to do what her husband wants, but failing to perform well enough to please her husband, but a disrespectful refusal to perform what her husband wants.] The husband is commanded to be constantly drunk on sex with his wife (Proverbs 5:19). Husband and wives owe sex to each other, and are thieves if they do not engage in sex with each other (1 Corinthians 7:3-5).
Husbands and wives who do not whole-heartedly engage in sex with their spouses to the best of their ability are liars and thieves. It is not fulfilling the commandment of the Father of Truth to husbands and wives to just go through the motions of sex with each other. The wife is supposed to experience pleasure when engaged in sex with her husband (Genesis 18:10-12). A husband is supposed to do things to arouse his wife to desire sex (Genesis 26:7-9). They are supposed to give each other pleasure when they are engaged in sex (Proverbs 5:18-19).
This commandment includes husband and wife only engaging in sex when it is the right time for love. They are not to engage in sex when they are going to come into the presence of the Father of Truth for a special occasion (Exodus 19:14-16). They are not to engage in sex until after the wife has recovered from child birth - 40 days for a boy, but 80 days for a girl (Leviticus 12:2-5). They are not to engage in sex from when the wife starts her monthly issuance of blood until the eighth day after it ends (Leviticus 15:19-28).
The commandment allows for husband and wife to refrain from engaging in sex under certain circumstances. They may refrain when something like fighting a war prevents them from being together so they can engage in sex (2 Samuel 11:11). They may refrain when their health does not allow them to engage in sex (1 Kings 1:1-4). They may refrain in order to seek the Father of Truth with fasting and prayer - if they both agree (1 Corinthians 7:5).
This commandment is to protect husband and wife from harm. It is to keep them from committing any of the sexual sins that the Father of Truth hates (Leviticus 20:10-23). It is to keep them from bringing venereal diseases and other damage to their bodies (1 Corinthians 6:18). When husband and wife whole-heartedly engage in sex with each other, then it helps them to avoid engaging in sex outside of their marriage - similar to how when someone is stuffed, they do not want to eat anything else (1 Corinthians 7:2).
SEPARATION
Husband and wife must leave their parents and cleave to each other. The husband must leave his parents to be with his wife (Genesis 2:24). The wife must leave her parents to be with her husband (Genesis 24:58). Where ever the husband goes, his wife must go there as well (Genesis 31:14-18).
PLEASING
Husbands and wives must seek to please each other in every way possible - even like Esther was living to please the king, her husband. It is so serious, that the husband cannot do anything will take him away from learning what brings joy to his wife during the first year of marriage (Deuteronomy 24:5). The husband is to be concerned with doing things to please his wife (1 Corinthians 7:33). The wife is also to be concerned with doing things to please her husband (1 Corinthians 7:34).
LOVE
Husbands and wives must not just look to do the bare minimum required, but they must choose the path of true love. The husband must choose to love his wife as much as he loves his own body (Ephesians 5:28). The husband must choose to love his wife at all times, and choose not to be bitter towards her, when she has displeased him in some manner (Colossians 3:19). The wife must learn how to choose to love her husband at all times as well (Titus 2:4).
HUSBAND OBLIGATIONS
PROVIDE
The husband must provide material things for his wife. The husband must provide his wife food, clothing, and shelter, as well as sex (Exodus 21:10). [The Hebrew word here, "Kesot", is plural and literally means "coverings". It means both a covering of the body, such as clothing, and a covering from the elements, such as a house.] In fact, the husband must provide a place for his wife to live in, before she can live with him as his wife (John 14:3). The husband, who does not provide for his wife, is worse than an idol worshiper (1 Timothy 5:8).
LEAD
The husband must provide leadership for his wife. The husband must not remain silent, when he learns that his wife has made a foolish promise, but must cancel her promise, because his silence is consent, so then he becomes responsible to ensure that her promise is kept (Numbers 30:13-15). The husband must treat his wife as a daughter of the Father of Truth when he leads her (1 Corinthians 9:5). The husband must lead his wife, because the Father of Truth has made him the head of his wife (1 Corinthians 11:3).
PROTECT
The husband must protect his wife. The husband must be willing to give up his own protective covering to cover his wife with protection (Ruth 3:9-13). ("Spread your skirt over me" is an idiom for "protect me as my husband".) The husband must willing to risk his life to protect his wife (1 Samuel 30:18). The husband must be willing to give up his life to protect his wife, like the Man of Truth did for the Called Out Ones (Ephesians 5:25).
VALUE
The husband must do all of these things because he values his wife. The husband is to always desire to see his wife (Ezekiel 24:16). The husband is to always glory in his wife being the most important person on Earth to him (1 Corinthians 11:7). The husband is always treat his wife with honor and handle her gently like a valuable, but fragile, vase, because she is his partner in life (1 Peter 3:7).
WIFE OBLIGATIONS
HELP
A wife must help her husband succeed in accomplishing the will of the Father of Truth. The Father of Truth has made the wife to be an adequate helper to her husband (Genesis 2:18). The Father of Truth has skillfully crafted the wife and given her to her husband for this purpose (Genesis 2:22). [The Hebrew word translated as "made" literally means "built" with the idea of being skillfully crafted like a fine house.] The Father of Truth has created the wife to meet the needs of her husband (1 Corinthians 11:9).
The wife must never forget, that her husband cannot do everything that the Father of Truth wants him, to do without her help. The wife is not to seek to help her husband disobey the Father of Truth (Genesis 3:17). The wife is to seek to help her husband to do the will of the Father of Truth - even if that means doing something that her husband did not want done (1 Samuel 25:32-35). The wife must seek to help her husband to save up money for their children by spending less than they make (2 Corinthians 12:14).
FOLLOW
The wife must follow the instructions of her husband, not because he is better than her in some aspect, but because it is the commandment of the Father of Truth. The Father of Truth has placed the wife under the rule of her husband (Genesis 3:16). The wife is to be subject to her husband in doing the will of the Father of Truth, in the same way that the Called Out Ones are to be subject to the Man of Truth in doing the will of the Father of Truth (Ephesians 5:22-24). The wife is to submit to following the instructions of her husband to show that she is submitting to the Father of Truth (Colossians 3:18).
The wife must follow the instructions of her husband, because her response to his instructions has eternal consequences. It matters what is on your head, so the wife is to wear the symbol of being under the authority of her husband on her head, as an example to the Angels of Truth and Angels of Lies of submission to authority (1 Corinthians 11:10). The wife can cause those, who have not yet came into the House of Truth, to speak evil of the Word of Truth, if she is not obedient to her husband (Titus 2:5). Her faith in the Father of Truth, which creates an extremely respectful lifestyle of obedience to her husband, who has not yet came into the House of Truth, can cause him to come into the House of Truth and escape suffering in the Chamber of Horrors forever, without her saying a word to him (1 Peter 3:1-6). [The Greek word translated as "conversation" here literally means "lifestyle".]
HONOR
The wife must honor her husband by showing him respect at all times. The wife is to honor her husband with obedience to prevent other people from having contempt for him (Esther 1:16-20). The wife is not to bring dishonor to her husband by praying to the Father of Truth, without the symbol of being under the authority of her husband on her head (1 Corinthians 11:10). The wife is to reverence her husband by showing him the same respect that she shows the Father of Truth (Ephesians 5:33).
HOME
The wife must make the house that her husband provides into a home. The wife is to take care of his house and make it into a home for her husband (Psalm 113:9). The wife shows that her husband has married a wise woman, when she builds his house into a home (Proverbs 14:1). The wife is to work hard at running the affairs of his house, so that her husband does not need to be concerned about them when he comes home (Proverbs 31:27).
CUSTOM OBLIGATIONS ADDENDUM
While the Father of Truth has written His immutable obligations in the Book of Truth, a Ketubah should also have an addendum of other obligations written out to help make the fulfillment of His obligations easier to do. These are mostly the details of how to fulfill the obligations given by the Father of Truth. These custom obligations are unique to the spouses and their circumstances.
Generally speaking, these custom obligations should follow the pattern of those set by the Father of Truth, where there is a one for one correlation of obligations. That is to say, if one spouse wants the other spouse to agree to give them something, then they must also agree to give something that their spouse desires equally.
These custom agreements should be made in a way that maintains a balance of obligations between husband and wife to keep the Ketubah fair to both spouses. So, these obligations should be negotiated in pairs of equal value.
For example, if it pleases the wife to visit her sister in a far off city once a year, then they might agree to an obligation for the husband to make sure that happens. In exchange, if it pleases the husband to go on a hunting trip with his brother every year, then they would also agree to an obligation for the wife make sure that happens.
The custom obligations should try to be made to prevent as many future disagreements as possible. They should cover things like how to spend the holidays in a manner that is fair to both spouses.
Lastly, this custom obligations addendum is not immutable. It should be thought of as a living document that changes when future situations arise.
Situations might arise, like the birth of a child, that require new obligations to be negotiated and added to the addendum. Situations might arise, like the death of a sister or brother, that make some existing obligations obsolete and deleted from the addendum. Situations might arise, like the parents of one spouse moving, that require existing obligations to be renegotiated and updated in the addendum.
ENFORCEMENT
The Ketubah, or a similar marriage contract, is not currently legally enforceable in most countries, other than Israel. So, the spouses must voluntarily do what they agreed to do.
This is not that difficult when both spouses have come into the House of Truth. The Children of Truth (those who obey The Father of Truth because they love Him) will do what the Father of Truth wants and what they have agreed to, because they are committed to obeying the Man of Truth in all things. The Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost) will give them the power to keep the obligations written in their Ketubah. If one of them does fail to keep one of their obligations, then they will find themselves under the conviction of the Spirit of Truth. They will be miserable until they repent. Enforcement comes internally from the Spirit of Truth.
If neither spouse has come into the House of Truth, then it is still possible for them to keep the obligations that they have agreed upon in their Ketubah. However, it will be much harder since neither of them will have the Spirit of Truth living in them to help them keep their agreement. If one spouse slacks on keeping their obligations, then the other spouse probably will also. They may or may not feel any guilt about not keeping their agreement. The Father of Truth may bring judgment upon them in this life for not keeping their agreement, but they may not recognize that they are reaping what they have sown. Enforcement of their agreement may not occur until they stand in judgment before the Father of Truth. Enforcement comes externally from the Father of Truth.
However, if only one spouse has come into the House of Truth, then it is a different matter. That spouse must strive to do what they agreed to in the Ketubah, even if the other spouse does not. The believing spouse is not keeping these obligations based on the actions of their spouse, but out of their love and respect for the Father of Truth. This can be really hard to do, when the other spouse is not keeping their obligations, and feels no remorse over not keeping their agreement. Enforcement on the part of their spouse may not occur until their spouse stands in judgment before the Father of Truth. So, enforcement comes internally from the Spirit of Truth for the believing spouse, but enforcement comes externally from the Father of Truth for the other spouse.
So, the best way to ensure that things to keep things good in a marriage is by creating a Ketubah that is fair and balanced, and both spouses coming into the House of Truth, so that they have the Spirit of Truth helping them to keep their agreement. Both spouses need to be in a love triangle with the Man of Truth, as well as a Ketubah, to keep their marriage good.
Both spouses come into the House of Truth by submitting to the Man of Truth in all things, because they believe that the Father of Truth raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9).
Come into the House of Truth!
posted by The House Of Truth @ February 10, 2019
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