Mark 10:7-8 (NKJV) “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh.”
God views marriage as a covenant. Scripture says that a man shall leave his father and mother and stick like glue to his wife (nothing but death should be allowed to separate them), and they shall (become one flesh as they) enter into a covenant relationship. It is a decision that no matter what happens in life, nobody quits or walks away from each other.
Covenant partners lay down their lives for each other. Jesus came as the promised Messiah to save us. Through the Abrahamic covenant, He took upon mankind’s problems despite men’s rebellion. He loves us so much that He laid down his life for us. Therefore, we should also lay down our lives, rights, and privileges for our spouse, and let them know that besides God, they matter most to us; they are more important than any material thing or our jobs.
Joshua 9:6,19 (NKJV) And they went to Joshua, to the camp at Gilgal, and said to him and to the men of Israel, “We have come from a far country; now therefore, make a covenant with us. “…Then all the rulers said to all the congregation, “We have sworn to them by the Lord God of Israel; now, therefore, we may not touch them.
Marriage covenant partners will not hurt each other. Despite God’s instruction to His people to destroy the inhabitants of the land, Joshua did not destroy the Gibeonites because even though the Gibeonites had deceived him, he had to honour his covenant commitment to them. Similarly, we must never hurt our spouse verbally, emotionally, physically, or by betraying their trust in us. Though they are imperfect and may have even brought us wrong, we must honour our words of protecting and nourishing them.
1 Samuel 17:37(NKJV) ” Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
Finally, covenant partners look out for and protect each other. King David knew and understood the power of being in a covenant with God and that protecting a covenant partner is part of the covenant promise. He testified of how God honoured His covenant with him when his flocks were attacked by the bear and lion. Because God helped him destroy the lion and the bear, God will also help him destroy Goliath.
As marriage covenant partners, our spouse might encounter insurmountable challenges such as sicknesses, lack, or even physical threats. Nonetheless, we will honour the covenant by standing with them in good and bad times. It is a commitment—a conscious decision to stay and stick to each other despite the challenges to make the marriage work. It is reflected in the marriage vow uttered at the altar with God as the witness.
Sermon Series：Before You Say I Do (Lesson 1 & 2 )
配偶是你的盟约伙伴
马可福音10:7-8 因此，人要离开父母，与妻子连合，二人成为一体。既然如此，夫妻不再是两个人，乃是一体的了。
神视婚姻为一个盟约。圣经说人要离开父母，像胶水一样粘着他的妻子。（除了死亡，不允许任何事物把他们分开）。他们二人成为一体进入盟约关系。这是一个决定，无论生活中发生什么，没有人会放弃或离开彼此。
盟约伙伴为彼此舍命。耶稣作为所应许的弥赛亚来拯救我们。通过亚伯拉罕之约，祂承担了人类的问题，尽管人类悖逆。祂如此爱我们，以至于为我们舍命。因此，我们也应该为我们的配偶放下我们的生命、权利和特权，并让他们知道除了神之外，他们是最重要的，比起任何物质或我们的工作都重要。
约书亚记9:6，19 他们到吉甲营中见约书亚，对他和以色列人说：“我们是从远方来的，现在求你与我们立约。”… 众首领对全会众说：“我们已经指着耶和华以色列的神向他们起誓，现在我们不能害他们。
婚姻盟约伙伴不会彼此伤害。尽管神吩咐约书亚要灭绝那地的居民，他却没有灭绝基遍人。因为尽管基遍人欺骗了约书亚，约书亚还是遵守了他的约。
同样，我们绝不能伤害我们的伴侣，无论是口头上，情感上，还是身体上，也不能辜负他们对我们的信任。尽管他们不完美，甚至给我们带来了不幸，我们仍必须尊荣我们的话语，保护他们，滋养他们。
撒母耳记上17:37 大卫又说：“耶和华救我脱离狮子和熊的爪，也必救我脱离这非利士人的手。”
最后，盟约伙伴互相守望，彼此保护。大卫王知道并明白与神立约的大能。他明白保护盟约伙伴是圣约应许的一部分。当他的羊群被熊和狮子攻击时，他见证了神如何遵守与他所立的约。因为神曾经帮助他杀死过狮子和熊，因此神也将帮助他杀死歌利亚。
作为婚姻盟约的伴侣，我们的配偶可能会遭遇难以克服的挑战，诸如疾病、缺乏，甚至可能是身体威胁。尽管如此，我们仍将遵守盟约，同甘共苦，患难与共。这是一种委身是一个刻意的决定，执子之手，与子偕老，无论遭遇什么挑战都努力经营使婚姻美满。这是我们结婚誓言的投影，那在祭坛上，于上帝的见证之下所发的誓言。
讲章系列：步上红毯之前 （第一和第二课）
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