Get ready to discover answers in the Bible
with Bayless Conley.
A good marriage has to be built on more than passion.
It also has to be built on principles.
And in the Scriptures we find the absolute best guidelines, the best principles for healthy
relationships, healthy marriages in any generation.
God’s words, God’s principles are never outdated.
And today we’re going to go back three and a half thousand years and take a look at some
wedding vows that are extremely relevant today.
I don’t know if you realized it or not, but God looked at Israel as His bride.
In Jeremiah God says, “You’ve been an unfaithful wife,” even to the degree that
He put them away and gave them a bill of divorce.
Yes, God is a divorcee.
Some of you need to think about that because there are some people that have been through
a divorce, and you’ve just written them off.
Friend, God had a divorce.
In Ezekiel and Hosea the Lord uses the same analogy that He is married to His people.
The metaphor is carried on into the New Testament.
The church is referred to as the bride of Christ.
And God is saying, “The closest relationship that you could understand, husband and wife,
that’s what I want to be to you.
That’s how close I want to be with you.”
Now after God brings His people out of Egypt, He gives Moses the Decalogue or the Ten Commandments.
And it’s not just a list of do’s and don’ts.
It’s not some stairway to heaven that if you do these things, you can eventually make
it to heaven.
As much as anything, they were wedding vows for God’s people.
God was saying, “If you want a long-term relationship with Me that is healthy and growing,
here’s what needs to happen.
This is what you need to imbibe.”
In fact, look at the previous context with me in chapter 19 of Exodus, verse 4.
God said,
“You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and
brought you to Myself.
Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall
be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.”
God is saying, “I had the whole earth to choose from, and I chose you.
You are My special treasure.
I brought you to Myself.”
It’s actually quite intimate language.
It’s very romantic language.
And then directly following God saying these things to His people that “I’ve chosen
you above everyone, that you are to be Mine,” then God gives them these wedding vows, the
Ten Commandments, In Exodus, chapter 20 and verse 3, “Have no other gods before Me.”
Verse 4 and 5, no graven images; verse 7, don’t take the Lord’s name in vain; verse
8, keep the Sabbath; verse 12, honor your parents; verse 13, don’t murder; verse 14,
don’t commit adultery; verse 15, don’t steal; verse 16, don’t bear false witness;
and verse 17, don’t covet.
Now we want to look at them, and I’m going to speak briefly about their relevance vertically,
you know, between us and God.
But we want to concentrate on how they just might be applicable horizontally when it comes
to a marriage relationship or, in some cases, any relationship for that matter.
So let’s look at the first one in verse 3:
“You shall have no other gods before Me.
God is saying, “I want an exclusive relationship.
I want to be your one and only.
I won’t be satisfied being flavor of the month.”
St. Augustine said, “If Christ is not valued above all, He’s not valued at all.”
How appropriate in marriage, as well, that there is a devotion to that one person.
Henry Ford on his fiftieth wedding anniversary said, “The reason I’ve had a successful
marriage is the same reason I’ve been successful in business.
I stick to the same model.”
You know, in traditional wedding vows the couple pledges their devotion until death
do us part.
They should go into a thing that, “Okay, there’s not going to be any competition.
I’m not going to be shopping.”
You know, my wife doesn’t have to worry about me shopping around.
She’s it.
I’m sticking to one model; and, by the grace of God, she’s sticking to one model.
The model seems to be changing a little bit.
I look in the mirror and, yeah, you know what I’m talking about.
But it’s not, you know, this one and this one.
There’s just not that option.
It’s not open.
If you are going to have a solid relationship, you have to have that mindset.
You know, when Adam slept in the garden and God took a rib, He fashioned the woman out
of the rib and brought her to the man.
You know, He didn’t...
God didn’t reach back in and say, “Okay, there’s Eve, and there’s Samantha, and
there’s Lois, and you know, here’s...”
He just took one rib.