He is mindful of his covenant for ever… Psalm 105:8

A contract is a mutually beneficial agreement entered into by two parties. The contract can be broken when it is no longer beneficial to one of the parties. In contrast, a marriage covenant is a lifelong agreement entered into by two parties and God that can never be broken. The Hebrew word for covenant is berith, derived from a root which means “to cut.” Entering into a covenant in the Old Testament involved the ritual of cutting or dividing an animal into two parts with the contracting parties passing between them to seal the agreement. Both parties vowed an oath that it be done unto them as was done to this animal if they violated the terms of the agreement.

An example of this covenant ritual is found in the 15th chapter of Genesis: God makes a covenant with Abram, promising to make his descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky. To seal the covenant, God orders Abram to take a heifer, a goat and a ram, split them in two and arrange the halves opposite each other. At nightfall, God passes between the pieces as “a smoking firepot with a blazing torch.”

Note that only God passes through the pieces, taking the oath totally upon Himself. God pledges to have “it be done unto me like this animal” if the covenant is broken. We break the covenant when we sin. God honors His oath and restores the covenant through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross. Jesus paid the price for our unfaithfulness. Let there be no doubt as to the importance of this covenant to God. He gave His only Son as recompense for the sins of humanity. Jesus died personally for you, for YOU. The appropriate response is to give your life totally to Jesus in faithful obedience to all that He commands.

When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come forth from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. Genesis 17:1-7

Twenty four years later Abram was still childless. God reiterated the covenant he made with Abram: “I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations” (Gen 17:7).

God made a covenant with you and your spouse on your wedding day; it is also an everlasting covenant. Even if one of you ignores the covenant God still honors the bond you made on your wedding day. Jesus shed His blood to ensure that the covenant would not be broken. He died for you. He died for your spouse. Your covenant is so important to Jesus that He died to honor the oath the two of you made.

“And now, O Lord God, thou art God, and thy words are true, and thou hast promised this good thing to thy servant; now therefore may it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee; for thou, O Lord God, hast spoken, and with thy blessing shall the house of thy servant be blessed for ever.” 2 Samuel 7:28-29

With this prayer King David asked God, to bless his house. This Scripture passage can be used as a prayer to ask God to bless your marriage in both good times and in bad. God is faithful to the covenant. Jesus died to honor your marital covenant. We pray that you will honor God by keeping your wedding vows “until death separates” especially in times of hardship.

O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure. Isaiah 25:1

Many marriages are struggling today. God wants to be part of your marriage. He will give you the grace you need in your struggles if you persevere in faith and honor your vows. Research shows that couples who persevere through struggles instead of divorcing will have a significant increase in martial satisfaction. The key is persevering through struggles, knowing that God is a partner in your marriage and that He wants your marriage to be blessed. God is the restorer of broken covenants. If you are struggling, have hope because God keeps His covenants, including the covenant He made with you and your spouse on your wedding day. Trust that God will see you through both the good times and the bad.

He is mindful of his covenant for ever, of the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations… Psalm 105:8

May the Lord bless you and your spouse richly now and always as you persevere in faith, hope and love.