MARRIAGE
1. There is an interesting expression in Num. 18:19; there God spoke about a “covenant of salt.”
2. In the Bible we find the word covenant in many different contexts.
3. In the New Testament we find this term in places like Gal. 3:15—an agreement among men.
4. A covenant is a binding agreement between two or more parties.
5. It is like a contract, and Paul said between human beings such an agreement is binding.
TODAY WE WANT TO LOOK AT THE WORD COVENANT FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF AN OLD TESTAMENT BOOK—THE LAST BOOK IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.
a) In the second chapter of Malachi God spoke to the Hebrew priests.
b) He told them to listen to His word or they would pay a heavy price for being disobedient.
c) God promised to send “curses” if the people did not follow heaven’s will.
2) The Old Testament priests needed to change because they had left the ways of God (verse 8).
3) They had profaned the Old Testament covenant (verse 10).
4) The verse we want is found in Mal. 2:14 – READ.
a) At the end of this verse we find the word “covenant.”
b) Here this term is associated with marriage.
c) God said men in previous times dealt “treacherously” with their wives.
5) What were these men doing? What was their sin?
6) We can answer these questions by considering another question.
7) What happens when two people marry?
8) Vows are taken. People promise to love, cherish, and honor their mate for life.
9) Many who make and take these vows later break them.
10) One partner says, “I don’t love you any more. I am not going to care for you any more.”
11) “I am filing for divorce.”
12) From the Old Testament we learn that God views marriage as a covenant.
13) It is a type of contract.
14) God implied this all the way back at the creation.
15) Back in Gen. 2:24 the Bible says “man shall leave his father and mother.”
16) He is supposed to “cleave to his wife,” and the “two become one flesh.”
17) When a man and woman sign on the dotted line, God offers no “return policy.”
18) Yet, in our world, this is exactly how many treat the act of marriage.
a) If love fades or dies, many in our day and time want to make an exchange.
b) Trade in the current mate for another just like people trade cars.
19) A study of the Scriptures reveals that God does not approve of this behavior.
20) We have offered two passages to make this point; other passages also discuss this topic.
21) When marriage and its duration are discussed, almost no one turns to the book of Proverbs.
22) There is a passage in Prov. 2, however, that deals with marriage and how long it should last.
23) This text actually compliments the information in Mal. 2 and Gen. 2.
a) If you are taking notes, the Proverbs reference is Prov. 2:16-17.
b) In the context the writer speaks about wisdom (making good choices).
c)
Here are the verses – Prov. 2:16-17 — READ.
24)
I understand
Solomon to describe a woman commits adultery.
25)
She “forsakes
her friend” (her husband, verse 17).
26)
By her actions
she “forgets” (neglects) her covenant—her marriage covenant as well as the OT
law.
27)
Both her
marriage vows as well as the law of God are pictured as being spurned.
28)
Given the
information already cited, marriage is a covenant.
EVEN THOUGH
THIS IS HEAVEN’S VIEW OF MARRIAGE, WE LIVE IN A TIME WHEN MARRIAGES ARE NOT
TREATED IN THIS WAY.
a)
Instead of a lasting covenant, marriages are often little more than a
temporary agreement.
b)
Instead of seeing marriage as a contract between two people and God, it
is treated casually.
c)
People who file for divorce hardly ever stop to consider God’s will.
d)
Other things are on the mind of those who divorce.
e)
People often
ask “how much they are going to get” in the divorce settlement.
f)
There are
custody questions over the children.
g)
Visitation
rights may be a big issue.
h)
Who keeps the
house, boat, and jewelry?
2)
Breaking a
marriage covenant causes people to put a huge emphasis on themselves.
3)
God says He is
still in the picture because He is the one who joins people together.
4)
For our next
passage I want to turn our attention to Mt. 19.
a)
In this
chapter we read about Pharisees coming to Jesus; they tried to trap Him.
b)
These men had
questions about dissolving marriages.
c)
They asked
(verse 3) if a divorce could occur for any reason.
5)
Jesus (verse
4) went back to the passage that has already been read from Gen. 2.
6)
In His
response He said something that is especially important – verse 6 – READ.
a)
In a marriage
Jesus said there are actually three parties.
b)
There is the
husband, the wife, and God.
c)
Jesus said
“God joins people together.”
7)
We can take
this fact and relate it to what has already been said.
8)
Marriage is a
covenant. Now we find that God is
involved in creating this covenant.
9)
Because
marriage is like a legal agreement and God is involved, there are rules.
10)
Some of the
rules involve who can be married.
a)
If two people
are single, like Gen. 2 describes, God will join them together.
b)
What happens
if after two people marry there is a divorce?
c)
Can a new
covenant be formed with another partner?
d)
Romans 7:1-4
says that death breaks a marriage bond.
e)
Death unseals
our marriage covenant, and the surviving partner may remarry.
11)
What if both
partners are still living?
12)
Jesus said
this in Mt. 19:9 – READ.
13)If a divorced person wants to create a
covenant with someone else, there is only one way to do that:
14)
A divorced
mate can marry again if their marriage was destroyed by sexual sin.
15)
In such an
event just one of the ex-mates has a right to marry again.
16)
The partner
who kept the covenant by being sexually pure (innocent party) can again marry.
17)
The partner
who violated the covenant has no right to marry as long as his/her mate is
living.
18)
Jesus offered
clear instructions on this matter, but people often say His words sound harsh.
19)
In our day and
time these instructions are just not practical.
20)
Most who make
these claims have not considered what a marriage really is.
21)
We need to
remind people of how the Bible describes marriage.
22)
Marriage is a covenant. It is like a legally binding contract with two exceptions: death and fornication.
23)
This is an
undeniable fact, but it is a fact that many do not want to accept.
24)
Throughout
time men have been tempted to make and break agreements.
25)
Jeremiah 31:32
is an example of this; people have repeatedly broken God’s covenants.
26)
Such also
applies to marriage.
27)
People want to
be married for as long as it is convenient or best benefits them.
AS GOD’S
CREATION AND PEOPLE, PART OF OUR JOB IS TO TELL PEOPLE THAT GOD HAS A COVENANT,
PART OF WHICH INVOLVES MARRIAGE, AND PEOPLE NEED TO OBEY THE TERMS OF GOD’S
AGREEMENT WITH MAN OR BE LOST.
a)
In our day and
time saying such a thing is not a pleasant task.
b)
It will
certainly not make us popular.
c)
Divorce is
common. Now other problems are on the
horizon.
d)
At least some
in this room have heard of GLAD.
e)
These four
letters do not describe plastic bags or kitchen products.
f)
GLAD stands for the Gay and Lesbian Advocates
and Defenders.
g)
Just over a
week ago this organization filed a lawsuit.
h)
The suit is on
behalf of 16 homosexual couples who want to get married.
2)
These people
live outside of Massachusetts but want to be married in that state.
3)
13 clerks in
Massachusetts filed a similar suit saying they should be able to perform the
ceremonies.
4)
Like divorce,
people have turned to homosexuality and tried to justify it.
5)
Bible passages
condemning this activity are often “explained away.”
6)
Other means
are being used week after week.
7)
Part of our
job is to tell people God created marriage.
8)
His creation
has some rules on who is entitled to marry.
9)
When it comes
to gender, He permits one man and one woman.
10)
Multiple
partners are not okay.
11)
Same sex
partners are not okay.
12)
Living
together outside of marriage is not okay.
13)
God has
explicit instructions, and they are part of a divine agreement (covenant).
14)
We know from
Mal. 2 that God is not pleased with divorce.
15)
When this
happens, people trample upon God’s marriage covenant.
16)
Our nation has
done that for years, but God has been patient.
17)
Now God’s
covenant regarding marriage is being degraded even more.
18)
When God’s
covenant is violated in the way now being proposed, societies have collapsed.
19)
God has a
covenant and we must be obedient to it.
20)
Based upon
this, we ask if each one here has come to a knowledge of the New Testament
(covenant).