The last of April I had the privilege to officiate our youngest son’s wedding ceremony and what a joyful time it was! He gained a beautiful young lady for a wife and we a precious new family member. I could not help but think about the seriousness of our Lord’s words in Matthew 19:6, stating God’s intended purpose of marriage to be a lifetime commitment. The nation of Israel in our Lord’s day had marriage and divorce down to what America does today, divorce for any cause. We are looking nowadays for a partner in good times rather than a mate for life; much as teams trade players in order to win; and businesses trade business partners because profits are down, we trade spouses to suit our need at the time. However; marriage was chosen to picture Christ’s commitment to His church and His eternal, unfailing love for it. Each individual believer who puts their trust in Him as Saviour is given His assurance that they will never be forsaken, no matter their shortcomings. We are promised nothing can or will come between us and the Lover of our Souls, for which I say, “Hallelujah!”
Now to the seriousness of the matter. God has said, “Let not man put asunder”! He did not say it could not be put asunder, but that it was not to be so done. Let this serve as a warning from God that anyone who takes lightly the vows made by themselves or another, and takes it upon themselves to break or entice others to break their vows are swimming up current against the wrath of God. God warned Israel of old that He hated “putting away”, speaking of divorce. We want to focus on same sex marriages, which God calls an abomination (from which He has not backed away), and we should, but we need to stress God’s hatred of this sin of putting away as well. America and its churches have lost the favor and blessing of God. We boast of being big hearted and forgiving, and surely those who have been through divorce certainly need both, but we have forgotten that the same God who forgives all our trespasses demands repentance first. Without repentance there is no forgiveness! May we as ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ be diligent to drive this point home in marriage counseling and ceremonies, that the couple as well as the witnesses at the ceremony know that God expects us to do everything possible to help couples keep their vows.