Marriage is a Covenant

The study of God being a Covenant God and how I am to live in light of covenant has so impacted my life. One of the area’s it’s impacted the most is my marriage.

From the beginning of my marriage I believed it was a lifetime commitment. That love was a choice to stick it out, for better or worse until death do you part. You work through the hard times, you don’t just give up. Over the years I would say “marriage is a covenant, not to be broken” meaning it’s a promise between a man, woman and God and shouldn’t be broken. Once I studied covenant and what it mean in light of God’s word it took on a whole new meaning.

So before we even go on let me TRY to explain in a few words what covenant means. (the Covenant Study took 12 weeks to explain it, I don’t know why I think I can explain it in a few short paragraphs!)

When became a follower of Christ I entered into a Covenant with God. In the Old Testament every time there was a covenant made between two parties it required the sacrifice of animals. The animals would be cut in half, laid opposite of one another, and the two making the covenant would pass through the flesh. Both parties knew that if either of them broke their part of the covenant God would do to them what was done to the animals. God takes the making of a covenant very serious, it’s not something to be entered into lightly.

Just to be sure we get it I want to repeat that when you enter into covenant with someone and break it their blood would spill just as the animals blood did.

When Christ came to earth He was sacrificed for our sins and we symbolically “pass through” the sacrificed body of Christ into a covenant relationship with God. Christ was the blood (symbolized in the Old Testament by the animals) that was poured out for our sins. When we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins we “pass through” His flesh and blood to God and enter into an covenant with God.

(warning: this may be too graphic for some, but I will try to be sensitive in my description.) In marriage you enter a covenant with your mate. A man enters into a woman and do to the passing of flesh the hymen is broken, spilling blood and a covenant is made. This is why in the Bible they often placed a towel on the marriage bed to show proof of the covenant made between them.

Isn’t that just beautiful? When I understood this I cried. It really broke my heart even more that I hadn’t waited for my husband even though he waited for me. I understood in greater depths what Jesus meant when he said to the woman at the well, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” (John 4:17-18) I also understood better why adulterers where stoned. In adultery they broke covenant with their husbands and deserved death. But that was the Old Covenant and we live under the New Covenant.

Under the New Covenant I am forgiven of past sins because of the shedding of Christ blood. I have entered into the New Covenant with Christ and therefore no longer condemned. I can come to my husband pure and forgiven and enter into a covenant with him. Isn’t that beautiful, do you see what I just sat and cried? Our God is such a gracious, forgiving God. Amen?

So what does it mean to be married? To be in a covenant relationship with my husband. IS it more than just “being married” and living life together?

Oh my dear sisters it’s so much more! I am so excited to share it all with you, but it’s going to have to wait until next Monday! I can’t wait to share with you the responsibilities we have when in covenant.
Marriage is truly is a beautiful picture of a covenant and the relationship with Christ and His bride.
Oh I just can’t wait until next week to share with you!!