#786 1689 Confession Marriage

25:1 Marriage is to be between one man and one woman. A man must not have more than one wife nor a woman more then one husband at the same time.

…23 And the man said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of man she was taken.” 24 For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.25 And the man and his wife were both naked, and they were not ashamed.… Genesis 2: 23-25

…14 Yet you ask, “Why?” It is because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have broken faith, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. 15 Has not the LORD made them one, having a portion of the Spirit? And why one? Because He seeks godly offspring. Therefore guard yourselves in your spirit and do not break faith with the wife of your youth. 16“I hate divorce,” says the LORD, the God of Israel. “For he who divorces his wife covers his garment with violence,” says the LORD of Hosts. Therefore guard yourselves in your spirit and do not break faith.… Malachi 2: 14-16

…5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” 7“Why then,” they asked, “did Moses order a man to give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”… Matthew 19: 5-7

25:2 Marriage was ordained for the mutual help of husband and wife, for the increase of humanity with legitimate offspring, and for the prevention of immorality. 

…17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.” 18 The LORD God also said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make for him a suitable helper.” 19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and He brought them to the man to see what he would name each one. And whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.… Genesis 2: 17-19

…27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.” 29 Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours for food.… Genesis 1: 27-29

1 Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good to abstain from sexual relations. 2 But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. 3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband.… 1 Corinthians 7: 1-3

…8 Now to the unmarried and widows I say this: It is good for them to remain unmarried, as I am. 9 But if they cannot control themselves, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion. 10 To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband.… 1 Corinthians 7: 8-10

25:3 Everyone who is able to give rational consent may marry. Yet Christians are to marry in the Lord. Therefore, those who profess the true religion should not marry unbelievers or idolaters. Nor should the godly be unequally yoked by marrying those who lead evil lives or hold damnable heresy. 

…3 Remember those in prison as if you were bound with them, and those who are mistreated as if you were suffering with them. 4 Marriage should be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”… Hebrews 13: 3-5

…2 influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron. 3 They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from certain foods that God has created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For every creation of God is good, and nothing that is received with thanksgiving should be rejected,… 1 Timothy 4: 2-4

…38 So then, he who marries the virgin does well, but he who does not marry her does even better. 39 A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, as long as he belongs to the Lord. 40 In my judgment, however, she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think that I too have the Spirit of God.… 1 Corinthians 7: 38-40

…25 I rebuked them and called down curses on them. I beat some of these men and pulled out their hair. Then I made them take an oath before God and said: “You must not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters as wives for your sons or for yourselves! 26 Did not King Solomon of Israel sin in matters like this? There was not a king like him among many nations. He was loved by his God, and God made him king overall Israel, yet foreign women drew him into sin. 27 Why should we now hear that you too are doing all this terrible evil and acting unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign women?”… Nehemiah 13: 25-27

25:4 Marriage should not occur within the degrees of blood relationship or kinship that are forbidden in the Word. These incestuous marriages can never be made lawful, so that the individuals may live together as husband and wife, by any human law or consents of the parties involved. 

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘I am the Lord your God. 3 According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances. 4 You shall observe My judgments and keep My ordinances, to walk in them: I am the Lord your God. 5 You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.

6 ‘None of you shall approach anyone who is near of kin to him, to uncover his nakedness: I am the Lord. 7 The nakedness of your father or the nakedness of your mother you shall not uncover. She is your mother; you shall not uncover her nakedness. 8 The nakedness of your father’s wife you shall not uncover; it is your father’s nakedness. 9 The nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father, or the daughter of your mother, whether born at home or elsewhere, their nakedness you shall not uncover. 10 The nakedness of your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, their nakedness you shall not uncover; for theirs is your own nakedness. 11 The nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, begotten by your father—she is your sister—you shall not uncover her nakedness. 12 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s sister; she is near of kin to your father. 13 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, for she is near of kin to your mother. 14 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother. You shall not approach his wife; she is your aunt. 15 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law—she is your son’s wife—you shall not uncover her nakedness. 16 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness. 17 You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, nor shall you take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness. They are near of kin to her. It is wickedness. 18 Nor shall you take a woman as a rival to her sister, to uncover her nakedness while the other is alive.

19 ‘Also you shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness as long as she is in her customary impurity. 20 Moreover you shall not lie carnally with your neighbor’s wife, to defile yourself with her. 21 And you shall not let any of your descendants pass through the fire to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the Lord. 22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination. 23 Nor shall you mate with any animal, to defile yourself with it. Nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it. It is perversion.

24 ‘Do not defile yourselves with any of these things; for by all these the nations are defiled, which I am casting out before you. 25 For the land is defiled; therefore I visit the punishment of its iniquity upon it, and the land vomits out its inhabitants. 26 You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations, either any of your own nation or any stranger who dwells among you 27 (for all these abominations the men of the land have done, who were before you, and thus the land is defiled), 28 lest the land vomit you out also when you defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you. 29 For whoever commits any of these abominations, the persons who commit them shall be cut off from among their people.

30 ‘Therefore you shall keep My ordinance, so that you do not commit any of these abominable customs which were committed before you, and that you do not defile yourselves by them: I am the Lord your God.’ ” Leviticus 18

…17 For Herod himself had ordered that John be arrested and bound and imprisoned, on account of his brother Philip’s wife Herodias, whom Herod had married. 18 For John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife!” 19 So Herodias held a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she had been unable,… Mark 6: 17-19

1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you,and of a kind that is intolerable even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife. 2 And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been stricken with grief and removed from your fellowship the man who did this?… 1 Corinthians 5: 1-2

Marriage 1

Marriage 2

Marriage 3

Marriage 4

Marriage 5

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#602 Deeper

While Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, a very great assembly of men, women, and children, gathered to him out of Israel, for the people wept bitterly. 2 And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, addressed Ezra: “We have broken faith with our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land, but even now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. 3 Therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord[a] and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God, and let it be done according to the Law. 4 Arise, for it is your task, and we are with you; be strong and do it.” 5 Then Ezra arose and made the leading priests and Levites and all Israel take an oath that they would do as had been said. So they took the oath.

6 Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and went to the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib, where he spent the night,[b]neither eating bread nor drinking water, for he was mourning over the faithlessness of the exiles. 7 And a proclamation was made throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the returned exiles that they should assemble at Jerusalem, 8 and that if anyone did not come within three days, by order of the officials and the elders all his property should be forfeited, and he himself banned from the congregation of the exiles.

9 Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled at Jerusalem within the three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month. And all the people sat in the open square before the house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of the heavy rain.10 And Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have broken faith and married foreign women, and so increased the guilt of Israel. 11 Now then make confession to the Lord, the God of your fathers and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.” 12 Then all the assembly answered with a loud voice, “It is so; we must do as you have said. 13 But the people are many, and it is a time of heavy rain; we cannot stand in the open. Nor is this a task for one day or for two, for we have greatly transgressed in this matter. 14 Let our officials stand for the whole assembly. Let all in our cities who have taken foreign wives come at appointed times, and with them the elders and judges of every city, until the fierce wrath of our God over this matter is turned away from us.” 15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah opposed this, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supported them.

16 Then the returned exiles did so. Ezra the priest selected men,[c] heads of fathers' houses, according to their fathers' houses, each of them designated by name. On the first day of the tenth month they sat down to examine the matter; 17 and by the first day of the first month they had come to the end of all the men who had married foreign women.

Those Guilty of Intermarriage

18 Now there were found some of the sons of the priests who had married foreign women: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah, some of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brothers. 19 They pledged themselves to put away their wives, and their guilt offering was a ram of the flock for their guilt.[d] 20 Of the sons of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah.21 Of the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah.22 Of the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.

23 Of the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer. 24 Of the singers: Eliashib. Of the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.

25 And of Israel: of the sons of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Hashabiah,[e] and Benaiah. 26 Of the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah. 27 Of the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza. 28 Of the sons of Bebai were Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai. 29 Of the sons of Bani were Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth. 30 Of the sons of Pahath-moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh. 31 Of the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, 32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah. 33 Of the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei. 34 Of the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel, 35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi, 36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasu. 38 Of the sons of Binnui:[f] Shimei,39 Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, 40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41 Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42 Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph. 43 Of the sons of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah.44 All these had married foreign women, and some of the women had even borne children. Ezra 10

We have broken faith, not interracial codes like the Egyptians had against the Jews, and not for sins of neglect and ignorance, no, the Chronicler had read to them and their parents the law. They saw the damage that David and Solomon's house, all of Israel had incurred forsaking a Godly yoke. Our leaders do not set the absolute, and we err if we let them set the pace. What they permit is not the bar, and though look, while we may try to persuade men, it is not in our might nor power, but only God's spirit. The people wept bitterly, aware of their sin and in fear of God's wrath, but also recognizing that this hurt, this shame, is so much more hopeful than disdain. Having all these lamps about, they did not do this accidentally, remember the story of Balaam below. Those men hardened themselves towards God in their pursuit of the women of Moab.

Link to Numbers and Moab

This is where some would start to apologize for what is here, but I think God need not apologize for anything. Israel had long gone after it's leaders to allow for divorce, but God said that it was only because of the hardness of our hearts. The men who traveled all that long way from Babylon probably found their wives weathered and the local women exotic, young. Sure, that is how we are, it is not a stretch for us at all, but no matter. What did God say? What did their history in this tell them? Was this across the board or exclusive? No and yes, Boaz married Ruth in a blessed union and she was a Moabite. The harlot Rahab is part of the lineage of David, go figure, so no, it was not across the board. Yes, it was exclusive, it excluded those who broke away from the faith and those who would keep to the gods of their land. This here was a slow process though, for you had to hear out each case, discern who made a profession of the true God and denounced their idols. God doesn't care about cultural or geographical forms of worship and ideologies. God pulled Abram from a place and a culture, having him leave his home and go to a different land, following the Word of One God. He owns creation, so there is nothing off limits, no statute of limitations, but He is truly kind to us in our ignorance and gives grace to those who humble themselves. The local women were ignorant of this covenant, and they themselves were probably polytheist, not excused from original sin, but without teaching. The Jewish men sinned against knowledge, they knew and walked in against what was written, against history, against reason, against God. 

Through the centuries, one mark of a powerful movement of the Holy Spirit among the people of God is that they are convicted of their sin and feel compelled to confess it and to put it away. The old Puritan John Trapp thought of confession as a purging of sin. “This is the soul’s vomit, which is the hardest kind of physic [medicine], but healthsomest. This the devil knows… and, therefore, he holds the lips close, that the heart may not disburden itself by so wholesome evacuation” (Trapp).

There are a lot of people standing here, willing to be evaluated, confessing their sin. This is a revival, repent and be saved, not come and feel good, be excused, rather come and die, let Abram now be Abraham, let Saul be Paul and Simon be Peter. It is a sad list, even if it is relatively small in comparison to a nation, the end of the chapter, the falling away of relationships. God does not recognize unions because men do. Now before you jump out of your chair and cry foul, this is less than the flood, and it is still against God to this day to be unequally yoked, but that may well reveal your true place of worship, your idols. If you are still desperate for God to change, then it is not God you want. Now also, if you think you have come to Christ, this does not provide an easy out, but don't try to hold onto the wind, let it go, let them stay as long as they will and everyday be a light before them, but don't worship their gods, don't bow to their idols. 

To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. 13 If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. 15 But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you[b] to peace. 16 For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife? 1 Corinthians 7: 12-16

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