2011-08-26
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Last week in this segment of the “Our Covenant” series called “Bonded in Blood,” I took up the question about commitments. Without some meaningful commitments, our lives are empty-devoid of trusted relationships with other people, devoid of a covenant relationship with God. DT 4: 13-14, “He [God] declared to you [the people] His covenant, the Ten Commandments, which He commanded you to follow and then write them on two stone tablets. And the Lord directed me [Moses] at that time to teach you the decrees and laws; you are to follow in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.” From my point of view as a Messianic Jew raised as a traditional Jew, I can see sinful mankind’s efforts to avoid understanding of the true meaning of these Ten Commandments. Over their history, traditional Judaism approached them as lawyers do issues, to be dissected and enlarged upon. Before long, ten commandments became six hundred thirteen! This can be seen in the writings of the Oral Torah [not a God-crafted pursuit]. No one, except for Christ Himself, could keep them all. The content of God’s teaching was lost in the ritual forms taken on by the traditionally Jewish people. That became the subject of the debate between Christ and the Pharisees in the temple during the last week of Christ’s earthly life.
And then there is the commitment of marriage. God meant for it to be marriage between one man and one women for life [GN 2: 24]. He meant it to not be taken lightly, but only to be established after mature consideration and for life. EPH 5: 21-23, 25 makes it crystal clear what God, through Christ, intends for marriage. “Submit to each other out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior…Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her.” If a husband is acting as described here, it means he would never be abusive, demanding beyond reason, or unkind, because Christ would never be unkind, abusive, or demanding beyond reason of the church. A wife would have no trouble submitting to this kind of godly husband and would have no fright in his company. All concerned would be reverent toward the Father, because of the Father’s sacrificial love for us through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son [JN 3: 16; RO 3: 24-25].
Having written this, I am obligated to address myself to the question of Christ’s abhorrence of divorce. A Pharisee asked Christ if it is lawful to get a divorce [MT 19: 3]. His answer in verses (4-6) was, “In the beginning the Creator made them male and female;’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let no man separate.” If we look carefully at what has been said, we notice the phrase “what God has joined together.” That’s one key to whether or not a marriage that is a covenant with God has taken place. I can tell you from having been married twice in my life that one marriage, my marriage to Peter which has lasted 34 years and happily counting was “ordained of God.” My prior marriage, though an entity in the legal sense, was not ordained of God, nor did it last. The Pharisee continued his questioning of the Lord Jesus in MT 19: 7, “Why then did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?” Christ’s answer may come as a surprise. “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.” Such a statement gives no room to come up with excuses for extra-marital affairs and a roving eye for either the wife or the husband. I can tell you that divorcing our mates willy-nilly as it is done in today’s society has led to terrible social problems, such as children out of wedlock and the sometimes terrible issues that arise in blended families. This comes as no surprise except to the blindly apathetic. What we must understand here is that Christ’s teaching is against such practices as marriage between those who are immature, marriages for a host of wrongful reasons, e.g. the grand passion not accompanied by mutual respect/ reverence for the Lord, marriages forged under duress, or those dealing with abandonment.
Other than unfaithfulness, the only other reason God allows divorce is stated in 1 COR 7: 15, “But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace.” From first-hand experience with this circumstance, I can tell you that a marriage between one who is a believer and one who refuses to ever consider having faith in the Lord Jesus is a living hell. Our God is compassionate in not holding us to such a marriage. If we examine why this principle is true, we can see it’s origin in the differences mentioned in 1 COR 2: 14 and GA 5: 16-17. “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not what you want…The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them.” The same conflict between the outer self, the flesh, and the inner self, the Spirit is discussed by Paul in RO 7: 14-25 for further perusal. God wants us not to enter into any commitment lightly, but He does expect us to engage in some important commitments in our lives.
PRAYER: O Lord, as we gather to pray this morning, we are considering the nature of our commitments or the lack of them. You intend for us to engage actively with You. That is why You said to us, through JER 29: 11-13, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you not to bring disaster, plans to give you the future for which you hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek me with all Your heart.” You never intended that we should be Christian “Lone Rangers” or reject You altogether. Instead You gave us Your Son on the cross, so that we could repent of our sins and believe in Him. Once we have faith, You intend for us to grow in that faith, through our life’s experiences, our study of Your word, and prayer. Your intention is for us to look for what You do and Who You are. We are to observe from history’s events and from our own experience that You keep Your promises. PS 138: 8, “The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me, Your love , O Lord, endures forever-do not abandon the works of Your hands.” We don’t have to worry that You will suddenly forget the covenant You have made with us. PS 111: 4-5, “He has caused His wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate. He provides food for those who fear Him; He remembers His covenant forever.” You want us to examine our lives and the commitments we have made. You want us to understand Your will concerning them. All of this, You command of us, because of the love You have for us and Your wish that we will one day be perfected enough to return to You in blissful fellowship for eternity. We thank you and praise You forever, in Christ’s holy/mighty name. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: We will begin a new segment in these “Our Covenant” messages called “In Blood There Is Life.” In the meanwhile, we must understand that the Covenant of Grace is not an equal covenant. It is on God’s terms and not ours. Such a truth doesn’t frighten us, because God is perfect, as is His Son, Jesus Christ. We don’t have to feel intimidated by giving in to His will or by making ours conform to His [RO 12: 2]. This is because of His inherent goodness. After all, He is the source of all that is good on earth. PS 16: 2, “I said to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord; apart from You I have no good thing.’” This is so different than giving in to the will of another human being. The latter can’t be counted on one hundred percent of the time, any time of day or night. But God can be! God has told us that His greatest desire is to have as many as will listen to and believe the truth to come to Him for eternity [JN 6: 39-40; EPH 1: 4-5]. That means that when we enter through the narrow gate and travel with Him along the hard path [MT 7: 13-14], then we will eventually end up in heaven, enjoying eternal life with Him. Considering the alternative, which is unthinkable, it is by light years, the better choice. He has given us the hope of the resurrection [RO 8: 29]. He gives us His love [PS 146: 5], cares for us [1 PET 5: 6-7], gives us His mercy [PS 116: 5], and guides us with His loving hand [PS 37: 23-24]. For what more could we ask? Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15