BIBLE DIGEST -
Number 44
June 1994
DIVORCE AND THE MARRIAGE COVENANT
By Allon Maxwell
"When
you vow a vow to God do not delay in paying it; for he has no pleasure in
fools. Pay what you vow.
It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not
pay. Do not let your mouth lead you
into sin, and do not say before the angel that it was a mistake."
(Ecclesiastes 5:4-6)
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THE IMPORTANCE
OF KEEPING A VOW In the verse
quoted above the wise man says that to fail to keep a vow is to be a fool. This places covenant
breakers in the same category as those other fools who say that there is no
God! (Psalm 14:1) The importance
of keeping covenant is reinforced in Psalm 15.
There it is one of the qualifications for life in the presence of God. For the
Psalmist, keeping covenant is so important that it must be done even if it
hurts! It is better to
honour a vow at great personal cost, than to break covenant and then be
denied entry to the dwelling place of God. This attitude
to covenant keeping is amongst the character attributes which guarantee that
life will be built on an unmovable (and therefore eternal) foundation. GOD HATES LIES To swear
falsely is to tell a lie. A covenant
breaker has turned his promise into a falsehood. While he continues to be
unfaithful to his covenant, without repentance, he makes himself a perpetual
liar. In Proverbs 6:16-19, the wise man compiled a list of
seven things that God hates. Untruthfulness appears TWICE! Liars share the
nature of the Devil who is the father of lies ..... and of liars. (John 8:44) Those who love
and practise falsehood, are classed with the homosexuals and sorcerers and
fornicators and murderers. (Revelation 22:15) They can never
enter the eternal City of God. Liars of every
kind will find their eternal place in the lake of fire which is the second
death. (Revelation 21:8) GOD HATES
DIVORCE God also hates
divorce. (Malachi 2:16) Divorce is not
only the product of the lie which is inherent in the breaking of a marriage
covenant. It is also
surrounded by all the wrong human emotions; jealousy, anger, dissension,
bitterness, resentment, hatred, unforgiveness, revenge, lust, selfishness,
cruelty, etc., etc. Jesus also says
that remarriage after divorce, involves the parties in adultery. These things
figure prominently amongst the "Works of the Flesh" listed in Galatians 5:19-21. Those who do
such things cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. THE MARRIAGE
COVENANT The marriage
covenant is a solemn vow before God and other witnesses. It contains
irrevocable promises made for life. These are
promises of love, faithfulness, care, and life TOGETHER, in every conceivable
circumstance, good or bad. Even in the
worst possible case of unfaithfulness by one party, the other is still
obligated by the words of their own covenant, to remain faithful, "until
death do us part". In such a case,
this lifelong faithfulness will leave nothing less than a lifelong open door
for repentance and reconciliation and a renewal of the shared life under God,
which is inherent in the marriage covenant. Followers of
Jesus who find that they have "sworn to their own hurt", WILL NOT
CHANGE. (Psalm 15:4). They have
made a promise to the partner they love, before the God they love, making God
a witness to their pledge of lifelong faithfulness, (Malachi 2:14) Their
commitment to their marriage covenant is as binding as their commitment to
all other obedience, which is the mark of their love for Jesus. DIVORCE AND
REMARRIAGE A husband and
wife have promised faithfulness to each other for life. The one who breaks
this promise becomes a betrayer. If both break the promise, they betray each
other. This betrayal
sets a barrier between God and the guilty party. (Malachi 2:13-14) However if they
are reconciled, the broken promise is restored, the broken marriage is
healed, and any barriers to relationship with God are removed. That is why the
promise must be kept for life. That is why
Jesus forbids any remarriage for either partner, while the other is still
alive. (Luke 16:18). That is why
He calls such marriages adulterous. That is why
those who do separate must remain unmarried or else be reconciled. (1 Corinthians 7:11) There must be
no closing of the door, no barrier to reconciliation, which makes it
impossible for a guilty party to repent and set things right by returning to
faithfulness to their promise. How do you
know, husband, or wife, whether perhaps your own continued faithfulness, will
lead one day to repentance for your marriage partner, and then to
reconciliation, and healing for your marriage? How do you know whether
perhaps you may become the instrument of salvation for the one you promised
to love for life? (1 Corinthians 7:16) CONCLUSION It has become a
great evil in the church to reckon that a marriage to which God is witness,
(including that of unbelievers) can be made null and void by men; and that
the partners can be free to be separated and married again, to suit the whim
or lust of either partner. We must
determine not to commit this evil ourselves. We must refuse
to condone it in others. When we do meet
those who have already fallen prey to the evil, then, even in the face of
rejection, we must find the grace to speak the words which will call them
back to God. If they will
listen we have gained them for God and saved their souls from death. (Matthew 18:15 & James 5:19-20) "How shall
they hear without a preacher?"(Romans 10:14) |