'Coincidence', Marriage, Covenants

About a week ago was my first time going to this bible study that a friend of mine had invited me to. It turns out that the man leading/hosting it is actual acquainted with my mom and that we know his father (who had worked with my mom years ago)! He also knew the people whom my parents were visiting while I was at this bible study. I was quite taken aback by this 'coincidence'.

So, now to what we discussed in the study. The subject was on marriage and the difference between a covenant and a contract/promise. First of all, something I had never really realized or thought much of, was that marriage in the Bible is so much different than how it is today. The act of getting married became more and more formal/ceremonious as one looks through the Bible. At first they never really did extravagant ceremonies like we do today. I don't think I would want to go back to how they did it, but it is interesting to note nonetheless...

The modern idea of marriage has become more and more about finances, than about God. Now it is perfectly 'legal' to divorce, even though it may be sinful (most of the time) according to the Bible. When you take God out of the picture, it's way different and kind of out of place. According to the Bible, marriage is a covenant, but according to North American law, it's more like a contract. So what's the difference?

The difference is that in a covenant, you're not only vowing to your spouse, but also to God. That means it's forever. If you break that vow, it means you're not only sinning against your spouse, but against God (but of course, I do believe that there are circumstances where divorce is needed, and God allows it, even though He doesn't like it).

Ha. I am far too young to be married, but I found this all quite interesting.