- Introduction
- Context
- Commentary
- Crossword Puzzle (✞-word)
- Crossword Puzzle Answers
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
Introduction
Now my wife and I have only been married for a little over five years. So, I can’t even pretend to know everything about marriage.
But I do know what might be the first thing about marriage: fidelity. When you’re married to someone, you are to be faithful to that someone.
A marriage is to be an exclusive covenant. One’s fidelity is to be complete, and one is not to cheat. You vow to be faithful to that one person, forsaking all others.
Now the phrase “forsaking all others” can be found in several traditional wedding vows. But, nowadays, you know many people write their own vows for themselves.
Then, the groom often recites his own vows at the altar, and the bride often recites her own vows at the altar.
But, could you imagine if a husband wrote the vows for his wife? If he wrote her vows?
Could you imagine if a groom told his bride, “I need you to pledge to do all these things before the marriage. And before we enter this covenantal relationship, I need you to sign on the dotted line.”? What do you think she would say?
Well, back in the day, at Mount Sinai, the LORD essentially writes the vows for his wife, Israel. And He tells her to pledge to do all these things before the marriage. And before they enter the covenantal relationship, He tells her to sign on the dotted line – in blood.
And the first thing about this covenantal marriage? Fidelity. When you’re married to someone, you are to be faithful to that someone.
A marriage is to be an exclusive covenant. And the LORD’s covenantal marriage with Israel was to be an exclusive covenant.
Israel’s fidelity is to be complete, and they are not to cheat. At Mount Sinai, they vow to be faithful to the one LORD, forsaking all others. They were to have no other gods before Him.
They were to be devoted to the LORD with absolute loyalty – as should we. And this is no small vow that should be taken lightly. This is a mountain of a Marriage Vow.
And no matter our relationship status, metaphorically, we all must vow to be married to our Master.
Context
(forthcoming)
Commentary
(forthcoming)
Crossword Puzzle (✞-word)
Crossword Puzzle Answers
- Egypt One of the main reasons Israel was not to serve or worship any other gods was because it was the LORD God who brought them out of ____, out of slavery (Ex 20:2).
- Religion Israel was freed to worship the LORD (Ex 7:16, 8:1, 20, 9:1, 13, 10:3) – not anyone else! Israel had no freedom of ____ (Ex 20:3).
- Death For the Israelites, the punishment for following, worshipping, or sacrificing to other gods was ___ (Ex 22:20; Dt 13:1-18; cf. Rom 6:23).
- Gods There is only one God (with a capital G) – the LORD. But, the LORD created many spiritual beings (also called heavenly hosts, angels, demons, etc.) that are gods (with a lowercase g) (cf. Ps 148:2, 5; Neh 9:6).
- Elohim The Hebrew word ___ can refer to God or to gods depending on whether the corresponding verbs are singular (God) or plural (gods) (cf. Ps 82:1). English words like sheep, deer, and goldfish can also be both singular or plural.
- Like Though there are other gods, no one can compare to the LORD (Ex 15:11, 18:11; Dt 3:24, 4:35; 1 Sam 2:2; 1 Ki 22:19; Ps 86:8, 95:3, 96:4, 97:9; cf. Is 47:8; Zep 2:15; Ex 12:12). Who is ___ the LORD? Nobody!
- Wife When the LORD more literally says: “There is not to be to you any other gods before My face” (Ex 20:3 AT II), He uses covenantal language also used to describe the covenantal relationship between a husband and ____(cf. 2 Sam 12:10; Ex 6:7).
- I Do (Two Words) Essentially, at Mount Sinai, Israel comes to the altar (Ex 24:4) and vows to be faithful to the LORD by saying “_ __” (cf. Ex 24:3, 7).
- Husband Using an intimate metaphor, the LORD describes Himself as the ___ of His covenantal people (Is 54:5, Jer 31:31-32; cf. Is 50:1).
- Bride Using an intimate metaphor, God’s people are described as the ____ of the LORD (Is 62:5; Jer 2:2; Rev 21:2, 9, 22:17; cf. Eph 5:25; Mk 2:19-20).
- Masters No one can serve two ___ (Mt 6:24).
- Stomach The god of people who seek to satisfy their sinful, earthly appetites is their ____ (Php 3:19).
Conclusion
(forthcoming
Bibliography
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- Allen, R. Michael. ET101 Law and Gospel: The Basis of Christian Ethics. Logos Mobile Education. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016.
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