COVENANT OF MARRIAGE

Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh – Genesis 2:24

Today marks the 29^th anniversary of a lifetime Journey with my beloved wife, lover, friend, and partner. What better way to celebrate, than to meditate on the Covenant of Marriage? Marriage was God’s Intention, not Adam’s idea: “And the LORD God said, It is NOT GOOD that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him” (Gen.2:18). God instituted marriage for our GOOD! Adam never requested for a wife. God saw his need and met it with the Gift of a beautiful and wonderful woman! God is the ‘Manufacturer’ of Man and Marriage, and He provides the Manual (His Word) to maximize His products. Marriage is a Covenant that is founded on key guiding principles. God places such a high premium on the marital relationship He acts as Witness (Mal.2:13-16). He gives meticulous instructions on it. We’ll get the best from marriage when we follow His manual!

In Genesis 2:23, Adam said: “This is now bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman.” This depicts the principles of absolute acceptance, total identification, and complete commitment. It is vital for every man to see his wife as bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh in order for marriage to function effectively. Mathew 19:4-5 reinforces the Genesis testimony: “And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female'? and said, 'FOR THIS REASON a man shall LEAVE his father and mother, and BE JOINED to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?" God, not Adam, gave this instruction “at the beginning”, even before there was any father or mother!

These scriptures reveal the principles of LEAVING, CLEAVING (Being Joined), and ONENESS: the man leaves his parents and is joined (cleaves) to his wife (vs.24). ONENESS is the REASON or the CAUSE for leaving and cleaving! Becoming one flesh – where destinies and pursuits are no longer two but one – is the goal of Marriage! The Mystery of Marriage is for two individuals of opposite sexes and varying background and experiences, to become One, to complement and multiply each other’s value.

The Marriage covenant mirrors Christ and His Church: “For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning CHRIST and the CHURCH” (Eph.5:29-32). What Adam and Eve lost in their marriage due to the fall, God is restoring in the Union of Christ (the second Adam) with the Church (the bride). Marriages come in three broad kinds: miserable, mediocre, and maximized. Oh, that every of our marriages would be Maximized Marriages - the closest to heaven on earth!