30th Mar 26 | 13:54
Studies by Book
Luke 16 18 The covenantal relationship of marriage 13 God alone is our Husband
📖 Luke 16:18
30Apr2020 - *God alone is our Husband* - _Luke 16:18_ - Bible reading: _II Corinthians 11:2-3_
_Luke 16:18 “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery. Matthew 19:9 And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery."_
We have seen why has God placed such great significance to sexuality within the husband and his wife relationship. God is married to His people, the church, and He is devoted to her. He longs for her, the church, with all of the heart, soul, mind and strength, to be devoted to Him. While over time what we have seen is that His people have not been devoted to God. We have pursued many other gods and we have used God as a means to our end.
Yet, God is saying, _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._
_Ezekiel 16:2 “Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,_ This should have been the message of the prophets, preachers, evangelists and pastors, whereas the tone and substance of our message to the people of God has been, “Go, seek after other gods”.
God was in a passionate love relationship with His people. _Ezekiel 16:8 “When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love; so I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine," says the Lord GOD._
Nevertheless, the response of the people instead of being devoted to God was to chase other gods, using the blessing that God had bestowed on them. Is it not the same today? We have made God as a means to our end and we have chased the gods of materialism, comfort, to be well settled in life, career, children’s future, and the list will go on.
We dare to claim to be spiritual but our pursuit was for ourselves. _Ezekiel 16:14-15 Your fame went out among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through My splendour which I had bestowed on you," says the Lord GOD. (15) "But you trusted in your own beauty, played the harlot because of your fame, and poured out your harlotry on everyone passing by who would have it. Ezekiel 16:29 Moreover you multiplied your acts of harlotry as far as the land of the trader, Chaldea; and even then you were not satisfied._
This is God’s statement of us. _Ezekiel 16:32 You are an adulterous wife, who takes strangers instead of her husband._ Does it shock us? I hope it does. This current crisis has been allowed by God to open the eyes of the church to see that we have not been devoted to Him. If we hear of a marriage today of a wife, who has played the harlot, will it not shake us? Even us, who are used to hearing terrible narratives, but God is showing us, to our face, that our love for Him was casual and superficial.
Where are our other gods today, can they save us? _Jeremiah 2:28 But where are your gods that you have made for yourselves? Let them arise, If they can save you in the time of your trouble; For according to the number of your cities Are your gods, O Judah._
This is why Apostle Paul was fervent to ensure that the church would be devoted to God. _II Corinthians 11:2-3 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. (3) But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ._
*Thought to ponder*
```Will we repent and return to Him?```