The Necklace

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  “SHE WAS one of those pretty, charming young ladies, born, as if through an error of destiny, into a family of clerks. She had no dowry, no hopes, no means of becoming known, appreciated, loved, and married by a man either rich or distinguished; and she allowed herself to marry a petty clerk in the office of the Board of Education. . . .  She had neither frocks nor jewels, nothing. And she loved only those things. She felt that she was made for them. She had such a desire to please, to be sought after, to be clever, and courted.” —THE NECKLACE Guy de Maupassant    France, 1884 (pic by Grok) Read this short story here:  https://americanliterature.com/author/guy-de-maupassant/short-story/the-necklace

Is Marriage A Good Thing?

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Question: Why does the Old Testament say that it is not good for man to be alone (Genesis 2:18), and that finding a wife is a good thing (Proverbs 18:22); yet, the New Testament says it is good that a man should not touch a woman (1 Corinthians 7:1)? Is marriage a good thing?

Answer: A wife is such a good find that marriage protects both man and wife. Paul did not say that a man could not touch a woman, thus making marriage bad. The word “touch” used by Paul includes the idea of “fasten to, adhere” and “to set on fire.” What he said was, “Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman. But because of immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband.” In other words, marriage protects from immorality.

Look at it this way: if two people are married, even flirting with someone is not permissible because it misdirects emotions and this can lead to lust, which is adultery. The man is to have his own woman and the woman her own man.