“Covenant Marriage” (Neh 10:28-30) - Revive Us Again V -

“Covenant Marriage” (Neh 10:28-30)

- Revive Us Again V -

God’s Marriage to Israel

This year President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalyn celebrated their 69^th wedding anniversary. One time they were invited to the university event, and one of the students asked, “What’s your secret to a happy marriage?” The former president answered, “In our marriage, love forms 30 percent, and forgiveness 70% percent.” But then, Rosalyn said, “No, love forms 10 percent, and forgiveness 90% percent!” And the hall was filled with laughter and applause. On the human level, the marriage relationship is seen as the most intimate of all relationships. Throughout the Scriptures God often depicts his relationship with Israel, His people, as a marriage relationship. Through the prophet Ezekiel and Hosea, he describes Israel as an adulterous wife whom he yearns (Ezek 16:8; Hos 1:2).Through the prophet Malachi, God expresses his displeasure with divorce (Mal 2:14-16). In the Book of Revelation the Apostle John describes the wedding of the Lamb Jesus Christ, with His bride, the Church (Rev 19:7-8).   

Godly Sorrow, Repentance, Salvation

For a long time the Israelites were an adulterous wife of God. They were wandering around and looking for happiness in all the wrong places. The result was a mess. They became slaves. But in today’s scripture, by the grace of God they came back to God, their true Husband. And they experienced revival. Revival did come through God’s word. The people came to hear the Word, understand the Word, and live the Word. As they began to apply the Word into their lives, they quickly realized how far they had fallen short of God’s standard and cried out in despair, “What shall we do?” When true revival comes, spiritual repentance comes. In 2 Corinthians 7:10 Paul says, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret.” The people of Israel came to have great sorrow in a godly way, and that resulted in repentance. They saw how they and their fathers had rebelled against God countless times. They also saw how God had been faithfully keeping His covenant throughout the whole history of their lives: In the wildness the Israelites became stubborn and appointed a leader to return to their slavery, but God was forgiving and did not desert them. They made a golden calf and said, “This is our God who brought us up out of Egypt!” But God was compassionate and did not forsake them in the wilderness. He continued to guide them by the Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night. And eventually, the Israelites entered the Promised Land. But there, they were disobedient and rebelled against God again. They killed God’s prophets and committed terrible blasphemies. So God confronted them with love and sent them into exile for the time being. But when they cried out to God, in his great compassion he delivered them again. This went on over and over and over. And now by God’s grace, the Israelites were able to clearly see this pattern, “God is a covenant keeper, and we are covenant breakers.”

Contract vs. Covenant

When revival came, it touched every area of the Israelites’ lives, particularly three major areas – relationship, time, and money. The first area of transformation is that of their relationships. They promised to restore their marriage relationships according to God’s Word. In Deuteronomy 7:3 the Lord said, “Do not intermarry with them [the people of Canaan]. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons.” What’s wrong with intermarriage? Why not? God Himself answered this question in the following verse, “For they will turn your children away from following me, to serve other gods.” When the Israelites married the people of Canaan, not only did they become one with them, but also they became one with their gods for life. The biblical concept of marriage is more than a contract; it is a covenant. Jesus Himself clearly reaffirmed this in Matt 19:6, “So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” So when we marry with somebody, we enter into a lifelong covenantal relationship with that person. In his book Covenant Marriage, Gary Chapman contrasts the differences between contracts and covenants. According to him, contracts are most often made for a limited period of time, whereas covenant relationships view commitments as permanent. Contracts are based on an “If…, then…” mentality, whereas covenant relationships are based on steadfast and unconditional love. For example, many ceremonies include this question: “Wilt thou have this woman to be thy wedded wife? To live together in the holy estate of matrimony; wilt thou love her, comfort her, honor, and keep her, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep thou only unto her so long as you both shall live?” This is the language of covenant relationship.

Covenant Relationship: Dream or Reality?

Whether we are single, married, or widowed, when we become Christians, we enter into two covenantal relationships: First, we become one with Christ. Secondly, we become one with our Christian brothers and sisters. We just learned what the covenant relationships look like: it is permanent, other-centered, forgiving, unconditional, and steadfast. We may have tired this covenant relationship with Christ. But, are we willing to try, or is it possible to have this kind of covenant relationship with other believers, particularly with those who don’t get along with us? We can find the answer in the life of Jesus. He was Teacher and Lord, but he washed his disciples’ feet. Jesus was the Head and Bridegroom of the Church, but he gave himself up for her (Eph 5:25). Christ was not saying, "Grovel, submit, bow down." He was saying, "I love you. I want to show it. I'll die for you." When Jesus’ disciples and early Christians experienced this lavish, forgiving love, they were able to do the same. They willingly laid down their lives for their brothers and sisters and even for their enemies. In today’s scripture, the Israelites did experience God’s steadfast love and renew their covenant with God. In Neh 9:38 they said, “Because of all this we make a firm covenant in writing; on the sealed document are the names of our princes, our Levites, and our priests.” It is interesting to see who signed the covenant first: Nehemiah did first, then the priests, then the Levites, then the leaders of the people, and then the rest of the people followed. While I was mediating on today’s scripture during the week, I heard the inner voice of the Holy Spirit, “Do you want to see revival in your church? Then, give yourself up for the church.” In the life of the church, there are several kinds of the committees and leadership. The hierarchy of the church doesn’t mean the level of prestige; it is the order of martyrdom. The pastor must be ready to serve and die first, then church leaders, and then members in order.

Dream to Reality

Yes, we are all self-centered, and this standard is beyond human ability. But, we can stand on the promise of God, Romans 5:5: “God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” In our marriage, or in our church, God’s ability to love unlovely people is available to us. On my wedding day, my father-in-law said to me, “I am handing my daughter to you, not because I trust you, but because I trust the Holy Spirit within you!” We are weak, but the Holy Spirit in us is able. One time a youth student shared her testimony. She grew up in a broken family and lived with her aunt. She was a Christian, so she went to church every Sunday, but her aunt was a Buddhist and didn’t like her niece to go to church. So they fought every Sunday. One Sunday afternoon, after church service, this youth prayed on the way home, “Father, I don’t want to fight with my aunt, but I can’t. I don’t have power to love her. Lord, I know your Spirit is within me. I will let the Holy Spirit in me meet her and love her, instead of me.” Then, she opened the door, and as expected, her aunt began to swear at her. But strangely enough, that day she was not hurt or angry; instead, she felt compassion and in her eyes her aunt looked lovely, so she hugged her aunt, and cried, and said, “I am sorry. Today you look thin and worn out. It’s because of me. You work so hard to take care of me.” And both of them wept aloud, and her aunt received Christ on that day. So let the Holy Spirit within you love and forgive.

Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom

You might have heard the story of the Samaritan woman. When she came to draw water, Jesus asked her to give him a drink. She was hesitant because Jesus was a Jewish man. Then, Jesus told her about a spring of water welling up to eternal life. The woman asked, “Sir, give me this water.” Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” She answered, “I have no husband.” Jesus said, “You’re right. You have had five husbands, and the one you are with right now is not your husband.” Then, she said, “Sir, I perceive you are a prophet." A little bit of background might help here. At that time the Samaritans didn't believe in the prophets. If you had a copy of the Samaritan Bible, it was much shorter than the Jewish Bible. The Jewish Bible consisted of the Law and the Prophets. The Samaritan Bible consisted of the Law, the five Books of Moses, and that was it. So, the Samaritans didn’t believe in the prophets. But they did believe in the one prophet, the Messiah. In Deut 18:15, Moses said, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him.” This prophet refers to Messiah (cf. Acts 7:37). Here this Samaritan woman is saying, “Sir, I perceive you might be the Messiah.” In 2 Kings 17, when the king of Assyria captured Samaria, he brought five foreign peoples and settled them in Samaria. And the Samaritans were subjected to those five different peoples. The Samaritan woman’s difficult life reflects the history of Samaria. When Jesus said, “And the one you are with now is not your husband,” we normally interpret that as a cohabitant. But this statement can be also interpreted as Jesus’ invitation: “You’ve had five husbands and the one you’re with right now, that is me, I’m not your husband yet” (Scott Hahn, Christ and the Church: A Model for Marriage). The woman accepted this invitation. She received Christ as her Bridegroom. And she was reconciled to God and to people. Is Jesus Christ your Bridegroom? God is calling you where you are. My prayer is that all of us in this room may have Jesus as our Lord and Bridegroom and enjoy a covenant relationship with him and with his people. Amen.