Marriage was created by God to be a sacred covenant between a man, a woman and God. The institution of marriage has been cheapened and disgraced, though. Not only has this been the case in our time and in our society, but it has been the case for thousands of years.
You also do this: You cover the altar of the Lord with tears as you weep and groan, because He no longer pays any attention to the offering nor accepts it favorably from you. Yet you ask, “Why?” The Lord is testifying against you on behalf of the wife you married when you were young, to whom you have become unfaithful even though she is your companion and wife by law. No one who has even a small portion of the Spirit in him does this. What did our ancestor do when seeking a child from God? Be attentive, then, to your own spirit, for one should not be disloyal to the wife he took in his youth. “I hate divorce,” says the Lord God of Israel, “and the one who is guilty of violence,” says the Lord who rules over all. “Pay attention to your conscience, and do not be unfaithful” (Malachi 2:13-16).
Cultures have been impacted, and societies have crumbled as the biblical practice of marriage in those societies crumbled. For example, study the downfall of the Roman Empire. One day, perhaps, people might look back and say the same thing about the United States of America. I hope not, but time will tell.
THE COMMITMENT OF MARRIAGE
Biblical marriage is a covenant, and a covenant is a commitment. Many of us said, “…until death do us part,” when we were married because we believe divorce is not an option. We realize there will be ups and downs, but we are committed to do whatever we can to sustain our marriage.
Of course, I am not implying that divorce is an unforgivable sin, as the Bible does not teach that. God hates all sin, including divorce, but He also provides a means of restoration. If you have experienced a divorce and had any fault in the failure of your marriage, there is forgiveness in Christ. Turn to Him.
Not only did God clearly explain the commitment of marriage in Malachi and in other places in the Old Testament, beginning in Genesis 2, but Jesus further explained the commitment Himself.
But from the beginning of creation he made them male and female. 7 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother, 8 and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” In the house once again, the disciples asked him about this. 11 So he told them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her” (Mark 10:6-11).
THE CHRIST OVER MARRIAGE
In biblical marriage, we see a picture of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We see God’s relationship with His church in and through His One and Only Son. We see a covenant that cannot and will not be broken as long as life continues.
Marriage is to point us to Jesus and His relationship with those who know Him. Jesus will never leave or forsake His church, and those who are His true followers and thus part of His true church will likewise never leave Him. Check out Ephesians 5:21-33 for a great description of how this is the case.
Jesus often said things like, “The person who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:13).
And, this is why there is a lifelong commitment in marriage – because of the Christ over marriage. He created marriage. He is to be at the center of marriages. He sustains marriages. Genuine followers of Christ endure to the end. Christ-centered marriages also endure to the end – “until death do us part.”
Lord willing, I will be preaching through Malachi 2:10-16 Sunday morning, talking about our “Great God of Expectations”(The Greatness of God sermon series). Just as God expects His followers to endure in their faithfulness to Him, He expects His followers’ marriages to endure in faithfulness to one another (and to Him).
In order to truly know and sincerely desire God’s expectations for us – His expectations for us as individuals, His expectations for us as a church, and His expectations for our marriages – we must have a relationship with Him. This is the important truth of the gospel.
Do you know the Christ who is over marriage (and who is over all things)? Only then can you know and desire the commitment in marriage (and the lasting commitment to God).
DrakeCity 