Opening Question
What use is there for “marriage” outside of a Judeo-Christian worldview? Why would anyone want such a commitment in our western world?

Introduction
Genesis 1-2 introduces God making humankind according to His own image. Reading Genesis 1:26-31 we find that image is contained in a male-female relationship with the possibility of producing offspring to fulfill God’s command to “be fruitful and multiply. Thus, the image of God is found in this special bond. Not surprisingly, it is also one of the most parodied, mocked and attacked social institutions of our society. But just what is being attacked? It’s not just humanity…

Marriage as Covenant
Hook-up culture is prevalent in western society (with some irony, some argue it is a “developed” or “advanced” society) where casual sexual relationships rarely lead to lasting covenantal commitment. And the Hebrew and Christian scriptures are replete with examples of people wanting the same—sexual experience or gratification outside of a “man leaving his father and mother and being joined to his wife.”

Our modern culture assigns marriage legality or legitimacy to the state. This creates the awkward condition for Christians in that their bond is now defined, recognized, and given certain privileges by the secular governing bodies rather than by God who originate it. No-fault divorce has not always been possible but is now more the rule than the exception.

Read Mark 10:1-12 and compare it with Matthew 19:1-12.

How are these passages similar and where are they different? How does Matthew provide a caveat to “no divorce”? How do the disciples feel about Jesus’ teaching on marriage being a life-long covenant?

God’s Marriage and Divorce
Throughout the Bible, the very visible and experiential marriage relationship is used as a metaphor or symbol for a spiritual relationship—hard to see physically—between God and His people. We see pictures of God’s own “marriage experience” with Israel in Ezekiel 16. Because of Israel’s spiritual idolatry (see also the book of Hosea), God describes His pain as would a jealous lover whose bride sleeps around. We also see, graphically portrayed, the sexual harlotry of Israel and Judah, both Samaria in the North and Jerusalem in the South, in Ezekiel 23:1.

Read Malachi 2:13-17 further describes God’s feelings about faithless marriages and divorce.

Why does God portray His relationship with His people using covenant, marriage and sexual terms? What do Ezekiel and Malachi tell us about God’s own pain and experience with a broken marriage? How does God’s story bring comfort to those who have experienced a divorce because of an unfaithful spouse or just rejection?

Christ and His Church
The imagery of marriage and sexual immorality is applied in Revelation to the churches of Pergamum and Thyatira (Rev. 2), to “those who dwell on the earth” (Rev. 9:21), and to Babylon the Great (Rev. 14:8, 17:1-4, 18:1-9 and 19:1-2). The idea of sexual immorality (Greek: porneia) throughout the Biblical texts always means sexual acts outside of marriage. Revelation uses the word adultery in 2:22 for the church of Thyatira as well. Throughout ch. 17, the woman (God’s people, typically) and the beast (like the sea-beast in ch. 13, like the apostate church-state power of Rom) have an illicit relationship. The Kings of the earth are also involved.

It is in this context that the New Testament people of God are also to be considered Christ’s bride. Ephesians 5 is clear that husband-wife relationships in Christian homes are to exemplify Christ and His church.

Read Revelation 19:6-9. There are two suppers in Revelation 19: the first is the marriage supper of the Lamb, who is a symbol for Christ in Revelation; the second is the great supper of God where the wicked are pictured as being destroyed and fed as carrion to the birds of heaven.

Throughout Revelation, God’s people reminded to have faith and trust in God’s goodness and justice, even when they cannot always see evidence for it. How does Revelation 19-21 picture their relationship being “consummated”? How do the best earthly marriages give us a glimpse of what awaits us when Jesus returns?

Though controversial in some circles, it is important to also discuss sexuality and marriage. God made love-making a beautiful, bonding and life-creating experience. What can we learn about the unity God wants to have with us from sexual, emotional, physical, and mental unity between loving marriage partners? How much better could our unity with God be than the best marital intimacy?

Closing Comments
Marriage today is often seen in society as outdated, and fewer and fewer people are covenanting themselves to one another, and thus the very image of God is broken. God’s people have a tremendous opportunity to restore the beauty of marriage, and to show how the 2nd coming of Jesus as a groom to get His beloved has been symbolized in the daily lives of married couples, and even portrayed in the endings of the best types of books and novels where the hero saves his bride-to-be from the clutches of the evil dragon, and they live happily ever after!