30th Mar 26 | 13:54
Studies by Book
Luke 16 18 The covenantal relationship of marriage 05 Response of the church to her Husband
📖 Luke 16:18
22Apr2020 - *Response of the church to her Husband* - _Luke 16:18_ - Bible reading: _Isaiah 62:3-5_
Luke 16:18 “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery._
We have been considering the covenantal relationship of marriage.
As God demonstrates His covenantal love to the church, He desires that the same love be experienced between husband and his wife. As a husband and his wife give, receive and reciprocate the covenantal love to each other, their love will surely grow in richness, intensity and commitment. This is the same fervent love that the Lord longs for the church to show to Him. We see how both the marriage relationships of Christ with the church and the husband with his wife, feed into each other.
_Isaiah 62:3-5 You shall also be a crown of glory In the hand of the LORD, And a royal diadem In the hand of your God._ This is how a husband ought to consider his wife, as a crown of glory and as a royal diadem. Would it be possible to experience this level of relationship in our marriages? We may look at this with sarcasm and cynicism. We may look at all of our experiences and put this idea aside and simply say, “not possible”. But I wish to place my trust in His word and step out in faith. _(4) You shall no longer be termed Forsaken, Nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate; But you shall be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; For the LORD delights in you, And your land shall be married._
What an awesome experience it is for a wife to know that she is a delight to her husband and the same be experienced by a husband, that his wife considers him as precious and dear. _(5) For as a young man marries a virgin, So shall your sons marry you; And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, So shall your God rejoice over you._ God rejoices over us, His church and how He longs for us to rejoice over Him, continuously.
_Isaiah 54:5 For your Maker is your husband, The LORD of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth._ When we see that our Maker is our husband, think of the confidence and assurance that gives us. This is the same security and confidence that a wife enjoys from her husband and the husband from his wife.
_Jeremiah 3:14-15 “Return, O backsliding children," says the LORD; "for I am married to you. I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. (15) And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding._ After He has bestowed all His love upon us, what He receives from us is a superficial, half-hearted, lukewarm and a transactional relationship. What if the husband or the wife were to pour out love on the other but the other was to respond the way the church is responding to Jesus, how would the husband or the wife feel?... We can now understand the pain of the heart of God over His bride, the church
_Romans 7:4 Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God._ We were once trying in our own strength to please God but now we are married to Christ and one flesh with Him. His flesh now empowers us to bear fruit.
_II Corinthians 11:2 For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ._ We belong to Christ and we are His, no more to be deceived by the world or to take our eyes away from our Husband.
Imagine, if the husband or his wife, were to take his or her eyes away from their spouse and start looking at another. Would it not shake the very foundation of the marriage relationship? Yet, look at how easily we as the church forsake our Husband and run after other gods. Then we come back to Him so very casually, pretending to repent, only to very soon seek yet another god. This is the account of the church. Yet, He remains the faithful Husband to us.
*Thought to ponder*
```Will we build both of our marriage relationships, one with our spouse and the other with Jesus?```