For follow-up discussion and general commentary on the topic. Comments are sorted chronologically.
Jennifer Rothnie
Just as a quick point on Jewish culture, most marriages in the Bible were arranged. Sometimes the bride and groom would not even meet until the wedding day, or would have been betrothed since they were children. Romantic love was something that was to grow after a marriage, vs. be the basis for a marriage.
Danny Hickman
Whatever is written in scripture about marriage, is written about ANY and ALL marriages; the marriage where the participants are head over heels, and the one where they wish they had never met. There is no "get out free" caveat for the couple who comes to an agreement that they don't love each other, or for the person who feels trapped by their mate who doesn't want to split up.
There's an unwritten warning at the peak of every high place. All you have to do to see the warning, is go to the edge and look down. When you do that, you've obeyed the warning to "look before you leap." It comes natural to the conscientious.
Besides a relationship with God, marriage is the highest form of relationship known to man. A man is to leave his mom and dad and be joined to his wife (Gn 2:24, Mark 10:7). I think that says it all about how marriage is the pinnacle of human to human association.
God arranged one marriage; he brought the woman to Adam that he wanted Adam to be with. Adam was totally elated. He didn't arrange for anyone to marry anyone else. (Rebekah was asked if she wanted to go with Abraham's servant and marry Isaac, whom she had not met. She agreed to go. (Gn 24)
God didn't instruct Israel or any other people to arrange marriages. It being a way of life in biblical times doesn't make it right for people anymore then than it does now. There's nothing in scripture that pronounces it to be wrong either.
There's much in life that is more important than being "in love."