It’s good to remind ourselves how God looks upon marriage, isn’t it? The passage in Malachi 2:13-16 gives powerful words to every marriage: Verse 14 says: “. . . Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt TREACHEROUSLY: yet she is thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant."
The word TREACHEROUS is used five times in this passage about marriage. It’s not a light word. The word is “bagad” and means “pillage, to deal deceitfully, treacherously, unfaithfully, to offend, to transgress.”
God created marriage to be a complete oneness of body, mind, soul, and spirit (Genesis 2;24). Marriage is the strongest metaphor in the Bible to reveal God’s relationship with His people. Firstly, with Himself and His chosen people, Israel. God looked upon Israel as His bride. When the Israelites turned away from Him and served other gods, God said they were like a wife turning away from her husband. He uses the word TREACHEROUS again. Read the following Scripture.
Jeremiah 3:20: “Surely as a wife TREACHEROUSLY departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt TREACHEROUSLY with me, O house Of Israel, saith the LORD.” Therefore, this word, TREACHEROUSLY is used of both the wife and the husband who depart from the marriage.
The Bible also reveals that marriage is a revelation of the relationship between Christ and His bride, the church. This is why marriage is so powerful. God is the originator of marriage. Not us. He designed it. He planned it. It’s the glorious way He wants us to live on this earth.
The Holy Spirit wants to inhabit even the smallest details of our marriage. If we could only be aware that God witnesses every moment of our marriage. He wants to be in EVERY LITTLE DETAIL of our marriage—in our sexual union, our daily living, our attitudes, and our interactions with one another.
What could happen if we allowed the Holy Spirit to come into every detail? Every situation we face together. Every word we say to one another. Every disagreeing moment? Yes, it would certainly make all the difference.
I am challenged to do this. Are you? Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to come into every little detail and moment of our marriages. He will show us how to react to one another. As we yield to Him instead of our ugly flesh, He will make our union more and more beautiful and wonderful.
More about this tomorrow.
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
Painting by William Henry Gore