- [Narrator] The marriage covenant.
Marriage is more than just a relationship
or a very important union.
Marriage is a covenant relationship.
Welcome to a Grace Digital presentation.
In this video, we will cover the true meaning of a covenant.
The covenant of marriage.
In today's age,
we do not realize the spiritual aspects of covenants.
People today have failed to understand
the true nature of covenants.
Some individuals may think that marriage
is mainly cohabiting with someone.
Again, this is a very false perception,
as marriage goes way beyond that.
The God we serve is a God of convenance.
All through scriptures, we see God
in covenant relationships with different people.
For example, in Genesis 17,
God cut a covenant with Abraham.
"And I'll make my covenant between me and thee
"and will multiply thee exceedingly,"
Genesis 17:2.
Although this covenant was made a long time ago,
and Abraham died thousands of years ago,
the covenant that God made with him then
is still in effect today.
It is interesting that we, as the redeemed,
are still proud beneficiaries of the Abrahamic covenant,
even though we never met him physically.
When God entered into the covenant with Abraham,
there were several notable events that took place.
Among those events are the changing
of Abram and Sarai's names
to Abraham, which means a prince of God,
and Sarah, which means a princess of God.
In other words, God introduced Abraham
into the royal family before he cut the covenant with him.
The Abrahamic covenant remains
the most astounding record in existence
and remains the basis of Judaism and Christianity.
This covenant God cut with Abraham was sealed in blood
and the sign was a circumcision of every male child.
God again cut a covenant with Noah in Genesis 8.
"And Noah built an altar unto the Lord
"and took off every clean beast and every clean fowl
"and offered burnt offerings on the altar
"and the Lord smelled the sweet savor
"and the Lord said in his heart,
"'I will not again curse the ground anymore
"'for man's sake,'"
verses 20 to 21 of chapter eight.
And in chapter nine, God establishes the covenant.
"'And I, behold, I established my covenant with you
"'and with your seed after you,'
"after which God put the rainbow in the sky
"as a sign of the immutability of the covenant."
God also kept cutting covenants with his people
until Jesus, the only begotten Son of the Father
who came to enact a new covenant testament in his blood.
The silence of the disciples
when Jesus introduced the covenant
also reveals that they understood the meaning of a covenant
unlike the people today.
Jesus said, "This is my blood of the new covenant
"which is poured out for many unto the remission of sins.
"And then told them to eat the bread
"which is his body, and to drink the wine,
"which he declared his blood,"
as we see in Luke 22:20.
In the Bible, covenants are agreements
or accords between God and Man.
So what is a covenant?
A covenant is a bond.
It is also a form of sealed agreement
or contract with witnesses.
Blood covenants were the basis
of all primitive religions,
although most of these were corrupt and vile
but have the marks of an original revelation from God.
A covenant is very different from a promise.
While a promise is a declaration
assuring that one will or will not do something,
there are no conditions attached to promises,
unlike the covenant.
The covenant of marriage is two sided.
The covenant is both horizontal and vertical.
The marriage covenant is horizontal
because the covenant is between man and his wife.
Both of them must understand
and obey the terms of the covenant.
The marriage covenant is also vertical
because it is between God and man.
God's side of the covenant is abiding and settled.
God is not more faithful
in one marriage than another marriage.
Acts 10:34 says,
"He's no respect of persons.
"What he does for one, he'll do for another."
Many individuals get into marriage
without understanding that it is a covenant.
The marriage covenant is only valid
when you are legally joined.
And because it is a covenant,
you're expected to keep it and not break it.
We are made in the image of God,
and God is faithful to his covenants.
He never breaks them.
In Psalm 89:34, God says,
"My covenant will I not break,
nor alter the thing that has gone out of my lips."
So now let's talk about the characteristics
of the marriage covenant.
Number one, it is written.
A marriage covenant is a formal declaration
or commitment usually written having witnesses.
There is the need for you
to put your commitment down in writing
by having a marriage certificate,
which makes it legally binding.
You do not have to yield to pressures from anyone
unless your union is finally written.
Having a boyfriend or courtship
is no exchange for the marriage covenant.
Number two.
It should not be broken.
The marriage covenant should not be broken.
Our God is a covenant keeper, not a covenant breaker.
"My covenant will I not break
"nor alter the thing that has gone out of my lips,"
Psalm 89:24.
Therefore, as his children,
a husband and wife should abide by the covenant
and not break the covenant.
A significant characteristic of the marriage covenant
is that is meant to be for life.
1 Corinthians 7:39 says,
"The wife is bound by the law
"as long as her husband liveth.
"But if her husband be dead,
"she's at liberty to be married to whom she will
"only in the Lord."
Divorce is not a pleasant experience,
and only those that have gone through it
can tell the experience.
It is like a marital amputation.
You have to do all within your power to avoid it.
Even though our God is a God of second chances,
it is better to avoid divorce than to experience it.
It is like two pieces of glued paper
that are forcefully detached.
The glue may remain excellent,
but both partners become casualties.
You must agree within yourself
that there are no alternatives or options.
By entering into the covenant of marriage,
you have burnt all the bridges behind you.
This elementary understanding
will help you settle down
and make your home an exciting place.
The Bible also warns us,
"Therefore, take heed to your spirit
"and let none deal treacherously
"against the wife of his youth,"
Malachi 2:15.
Treacherous here means to be deceptive or deceitful.
Therefore, God is saying don't deal deceptively
with your wife or husband.
In some marriages,
the man plans perversity against the woman,
and she in turn looks for ways
of robbing and cheating him.
But this is not right,
because whatever you do against your spouse
indirectly affects you.
Some people betray their partners
to their friends and extended families.
A traitor is the same as a treacherous.
Number three.
Exchange of gifts.
Another feature in a marriage is exchange of gifts.
We see an example of this in the covenant
between God and Abraham.
God asked Abraham for Isaac,
and Abraham did not think twice about it.
He was ready to give God his all.
Abraham knew he was in a covenant relationship
with the Almighty God
and as such, didn't want to break it.
And because the covenant involves the exchange of gifts,
he was willing to offer Isaac as a sacrifice
as seen in Genesis 22.
When two people are in a covenant of marriage,
they ought to be committed to one another.
It is, however, unfortunate to see couples
hiding money away from each other.
Some hide how much money they earn
and the property they have from their partner.
These acts reveal that they do not understand
this essential characteristic of a marriage covenant.
Once married, what a couple has
now jointly belongs to them.
Don't allow earthly things
to come between you and your spouse.
If you don't want shame,
you must share your secrets with your spouse.
Sharing in a marriage is so important.
Number four, it has a seal.
A covenant is usually sealed with blood as a sign.
Noah made a covenant with God in Genesis 8:20,
"And offered burnt offerings unto him."
God on his part also sent a bow as a token of the covenant.
Genesis 9:13.
In Genesis 17, we see the seal
of Abraham's covenant with God
was a circumcision of everyone that was a male child.
"And ye shall circumcise the flesh off your foreskin
"and it shall be a token of the covenant
"between me and you,"
Genesis 17:11.
Jesus also shared his blood on the cross of Calvary
as a sign of the covenant of salvation.
Hebrews 8:6 says,
"But now hath you obtained a more excellent ministry
"but how much also he is a mediator of a better covenant
"which was established upon better promises."
Just as every covenant has a seal,
the marriage covenant has a seal.
The seal of a marriage covenant is sexual intercourse.
During the first meeting
between the husband and wife in the marriage
involves the shedding of blood
and no matter how little.
After this, subsequent sexual relationships
between the wife and husband is a token
of a marriage covenant.
So in order not to break the covenant,
never get involved in a sexual relationship
with anyone apart from your spouse.
Sexual immorality is dangerous.
Men and women in a marriage covenant
are expected to apply the above characteristics
in order to have a home that will last
and be the haven it was created to be.
We're beginning a new, in-depth series on marriage
to ensure that you all have successful marriages
even if you haven't been raised in one
or surrounded by one.
If you'd like us to continue the series,
put it down in the comments.