God’s Nucleus for Covenant
by Erich Jeremiah Rose
In our culture today, covenant relationships have become so taboo. In the 40’s and 50’s people stayed married forty plus years. There wasn’t a lot of divorce, mixed families or stepparent homes. But as we moved further in the decades, the word “divorce” became a lawyer’s golden egg. Today, the mindsets of trust and honor that was once regarded as sacred, are now considered cliché. If someone dishonors us, betrays us, or devalues us, we now feel justified and have even been systematically programmed to completely erase the existence of that person. If God treated us this way, would He be justified in doing so?
The bible suggests that Jesus had every right to do just that. During His arrest, He had access to and authority over twelve legions of angels that He could call on and wipe humanity out (Matthew 26:53).When we read the messianic passage from the prophet Isaiah, we find that not only do we unintentionally and occasionally dishonor Him, but we grieve Him with delayed obedience. It was our sins that were laid upon Him that devalued Him and led Him to His bloody fate.
“I offered my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;
I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.”
Isaiah 50:6 New International Version (biblegateway.com)
This love story was a bloody one indeed; when we read the scriptures, we begin with a marriage in the beginning of Genesis and end with a marriage in Revelation. The main reason Jesus was ripped to shreds on a cross of acacia was to reunite a displaced body of orphans back to their Father. When it comes to covenant between a man and woman biblically, an alliance and death to self is required. Both parties are no longer accountable to themselves but to one another. Their bodies belong to one another as do their hearts. This may be a tough pill to swallow, but Jesus gave us the core reason as to why so many people easily break covenant.
“Jesus replied, ‘Moses permitted divorce only as a concession to your hard hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended.’”
Matthew 19:8 New Living Translation (biblehub.com)
Glen Stanton wrote an article for Focus on the Family destroying the myth that those in the church who are married have a higher divorce rate than those who are not in the church.
He says, “Many people who seriously practice a traditional religious faith – be it Christian or other – have a divorce rate markedly lower than the general population. The factor making the most difference is religious commitment and practice.”
The same should go for our personal commitment to God. When we understand the principle of honor and recognize that the God we serve also honors us, I believe our outlook on relationships will draw more depth and add weight. Consider this closing passage beloved from the prophet Samuel whose words never hit the ground. “Therefore, the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that members of your family would minister before me forever.’ But now the LORD declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained.’”
1 Samuel 2:30 New International Version (biblehub.com)
Edited by Vanessa Hunter