Foundations of Marriage: Part 2

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The Old Testament, containing 39 books, paints an amazing account of creation and for purposes of this discussion shows the relationship of the Israelites to God the creator in terms of covenants.  Throughout the pages, marriage is seen as a permanent relationship, paralleling the relationship God has to his peoples.  “As the history of Israel develops, a new dimension is added to covenant in the prophetic literature, and a new relationship established.  The covenant is still one of fidelity (to God), but it is expressed now in the terms of marriage.”[1]  In times past a covenant was made to show fidelity to one another.  For example, God made a covenant with Noah, that He would not destroy humanity again as he did in the great flood narrative.  A rainbow was a reminder of this covenant and shows God’s love and compassion for humanity.  Just as God created covenants with his people, so did individuals create covenants with each other when entering into marriage; showing the permanence and importance of the institution.
            Very important lessons can be learned from Old Testament marriages as well as better defining the terms of the institution, not necessarily in the positive, but in what it says in the negative aspect.  The marriage of Abraham and Sarah show how God sees the marriage institution as monogamous.  This can be gleaned from the account in Genesis 12:10-20 where the two enter Egypt to obtain food since there is a great famine in Canaan.  Fearful for his life, Abraham tells Sarah to act as his sister so that he will not be killed and so that Sarah will not be taken by Pharaoh as another wife.  This of course is done and God inflicts plagues upon Pharaoh and his kingdom.  Why such drastic measures?   God, the Holy perfect being, detests sin and obviously if Pharaoh were to sleep with Sarah, she would become an adulteress.  God set up marriage to be monogamous and that’s it.  Another lesson from this episode is that women need not follow their husbands into sin, even though they, the husbands, are the head of the marriage.[2]  This sin that Abraham, or Abram as he was still named, committed was reminiscent of the one Adam committed against God in the Garden of Eden, although the former was one of commission and the latter that of omission.  Out of fear, both let their wives down; Abram failed to lead his wife in truth and as a result caused great misfortune for Pharaoh and his people and Adam failed to stop Eve from eating the fruit that was forbidden.  It is clear that God wants men to be leaders and to strive for truth and righteousness, anything less will create undesired results.

[1] Paul F. Palmer, “Christian Marriage: Contract or Covenant?” Theological Studies 33, no. 4 (December 1972): 619.
[2] Andreas, J. Köstenberger, God, Marriage, and Family, 46.


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