Malachi 2:15

Has not the one God made you? You belong to him in body and spirit. And what does the one God seek? Godly offspring. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth.

From Background Notes [BN] for May 19^th & 20^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Marriage is God's idea and the reflection of God's being.


We are, in our marriages, reflections of God, and the union of marriage (the ’eḥād) is part of the image of God within the fabric of humankind. The implication seems to be that divorce is a form of idolatry because it fractures the "one" and makes out of marriage "more than one." Many gods seems to equate with many spouses, seriatum.

This notion of God reflected in marriage gets further reinforcement from the reference to "Spirit" in this same verse (2:15). God's Spirit (ruaḥ) is somehow present in the marriage bond to such an extent that marriage partners share in a "portion" of that Spirit (the Hebrew word is še’ār). However, the same word also means "a remnant" or "survivor," and what Malachi likely has in mind is that Israel in her present state, after the Exile, is a remnant and survivor nation. As such, her national existence is quite fragile, held together by the presence of God's Spirit. Because of this social tenuousness, God warns His people about playing fast and loose with their marriages. In one sense, the future of the human race rests with the integrity of Israel, and since Israel is only a small remnant on the earth, they must strengthen their marriages so that children born to them will multiply and reproduce the covenant people in larger numbers. That is why the writer uses the language "godly seed" and urges the people to "guard themselves" from cultural assimilation. This is a powerful social commentary with implications for us. Christian marriages are reflections of our covenant with God through Jesus Christ. Maintaining flourishing marriages (and families) contributes to the multiplication of godliness in the world and to the presence of greater godly influences within the culture. [BN, 6-7]

Join us this week in Study, Worship, Praise and Celebration at Chicago First Church of the Nazarene –

* Saturday 6:00pm
* Sunday 8:30am & 11:00am, 5:30pm