WHAT IS A MARRIAGE COVENANT?

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God's Word makes it very clear that marriage is a covenant: "Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet [still] is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant." (Malachi 2:14) The pattern, rules and regulations for covenant marriage are designed by God and illustrated throughout the Old Testament in His spiritual marriage to Israel.

We can read about this spiritual ceremony between God and Israel in Ezekiel 16:8: "Now when I [God] passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine."

As her husband, God also became her spiritual leader and provider. In verse nine, He tells us He washed Israel with water. This represents the Word that He gave to them. This pattern for husbands is given in Ephesians 5:25-27: "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."

As we study this beautiful passage, we see first, the command: "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it." Following this is the purpose for this agape (unconditional love):

You see, there's so much more to marriage than what we have been taught. It's not just a relationship; it is something much deeper than that. It is our commitment to honor and glorify God through His joining us one to another. It is a covenant made by God that cannot be dissolved by sin, rebellion or disobedience, but by the physical death of the husband or the wife. God's marriage covenant, like that between God and Israel, is not dependent upon the actions of the people for its lifeblood. Once it is entered into, the one-flesh relationship becomes irrevocable to anyone other than God - and that's through the death of one of the spouses. It didn't matter how gross was Israel's sin, she was still married to God; separated yes, because of her choice, but STILL married. A covenant-breaker must return to covenant relationship if he is to have a right relationship with God. To return physically may not seem possible because the mate has chosen another relationship and refuses to abandon it. However, in the heart of a "Standard" (one who stands in the gap for a lost mate), one must continue to love and hope for the mate to return to the terms of the covenant. This is what God commands and that to which we commit in a marriage ceremony. We can refuse to love and cherish and forsake all others, but that in no way dissolves the one-flesh union created through the covenant of marriage. Consider some of the differences between a marriage covenant and a legal contract below:

Marriage is not a contract that man can change, replace, or throw away. It is a supernatural, indissoluble, permanent joining by God. This union is a covenant made at the wedding altar.  Study the article, Covenant Marriage Movement (CMM) Beware???

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