This is a part of the Command blog series where we’re talking about how the Ten Commandments aren’t just a dusty set of tablets with dumb rules . . . by a long shot!
It was absolutely perfect.
As the bride and groom stood underneath the pristine, white tent in the warmth of an ethereal summer evening, butterflies danced on the ceiling.
My friend from camp had randomly invited me to a wedding her dad was officiating. That weekend when we were released from our camp duties, we packed up and hit the road.
And you know what? The picture of what marriage is supposed to symbolize had never really hit me until that wedding. I didn’t know the bride or the groom or 98% of the people there . . . but I know why God had me go there.
As Christina’s dad spoke to the bride and groom, it finally hit me.
Marriage is a picture.
We’re told this all the time, but does it really hit us? I’m a writer, so parallels and “types” (ideas, circumstances or people that represent/parallel another idea, circumstance, or person).
Consider the story of the Bible. We have a fallen human race and a redeemer who can make them whole again by making them princes and princesses by faith in Him.
Jesus is the groom: Self-sacrificial. Provider. Strong. Initiator. (Ephesians 5:25-33)
God’s people—the Church— are the bride: Meek. Obedient. Graceful. Patient. (Ephesians 5:22-24)
The groom isn’t self-sacricial just because. He shows all these characteristics because he’s paralleling who Jesus is.
The bride isn’t obedient to the groom because she’s weak or a woman: it’s because she’s representing the Church, which gracefully obeys the commands of its groom (Jesus).
God does everything for a reason. To further clarify and get us excited about the relationship between His Son and the Church, He used marriage. You think marriage is great? That’s between a sinful man and woman. Just consider how great the same concept is when it is between perfect, holy, loving Jesus and you (empowered by Him to live holy).
That’s why adultery is wrong.
When I was little, I heard adultery and thought that was a word for the adults. And, while it kind of is, God isn’t just talking about the adultery in marriage because the whole concept is linked with the Church and Jesus.
God didn’t make a list of rules just for funsies. The truth behind this “Thou shalt not commit adultery” thing is that God has promised to never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6). So, since marriage is a reflection, it is to be a bond to “never leave nor forsake.”
Yes, times get hard (says the unmarried single person; but hey, I have siblings and friends). We want to leave; we want to disobey; but Jesus will always lead us and protect us and be strong for us as the perfect groom. So we are called to show this unbreakable bond in marriage and our spiritual relationship with God.
I’m so thankful for a God who won’t one day “divorce” me. Amanda has messed up many times; probably 124 times in one minute on a particularly bad day. But He’s promised to never let me go. I’m in his hand forever (I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. John 10:28 ESV).
So then, if I respect that, I must be willing to realize that marriage is a forever commitment. Likewise, we aren’t to cheat the system in any way because God cares about this holy relationship. This ordinance is supposed to show others a bit of Heaven, so we are called to keep it holy and singular.
How it applies to us single pringles
Another reason this never made sense was because I limited it to just married people. While I believe that is the main emphasis of this command, single people can take away a truth too.
When I read though the OT last year, I noticed how often God compares the Israelites worshiping other gods to men going after prostitutes (They have turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, who refused to hear my words. They have gone after other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant that I made with their fathers. Jeremiah 10:11 ESV). Not keeping God first in our lives means we’re having affairs with the world. Committing adultery with it, if you will.
Let’s stay true to our God and stop flirting with things that don’t matter!
PREVIOUS POSTS
- No. 1: I am an idol worshiper
- No. 2: Worshiping what I’ve done
- No. 3: 3 ways we take God’s name in vain
- No. 4: What you need to know about the Sabbath (this one has turned out to be quite controversial . . . we have some good discussion going on!)
- No. 5: Why honoring your parents is more than putting your laundry away
- No. 6: Thou shalt not murder . . . or dislike??
Wow. This article totally changed how I viewed this commandment. Thank you so much for your insights–I’ve never thought of marriage in that way and that will certainly change my life. 🙂
Oh wow, that’s so exciting! I’m so glad my experienced helped you. It really did change everything for me.