Lucky Sevens?

by Bryan Gibson

7/7/07.  That sounds like a lucky date, with all those sevens in it.  Add the three sevens together for a total of 21, and it seems even more special.  ABCNews.com ran a story about this date entitled, “Luckiest Date of the Decade?” Evidently, a lot of people thought so, because on July 7, 2007, a record number of people decided to get married, thinking, of course, that getting married on this special day would bring luck and happiness to their marriage.  We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but a combination of “lucky sevens” has nothing to do with a successful marriage.  A successful marriage begins with an understanding of what marriage is all about, specifically, what happens when two people get married.

You are leaving father and mother to CLEAVE (or be joined) to your spouse (Matthew 19:5).  That’s the way God designed it from the beginning (Genesis 2:21-24).  Think in terms of being glued together, two pieces becoming one—“no longer two, but one flesh” (Matthew 19:6).  Marriage involves two people surrendering themselves to each other, making an absolute commitment to each other.  You’ve been joined or glued together, so “stick together.”

You are making a COVENANT with each other and with God.  When you get married, you make promises to each other; you exchange vows with one another—with God as your witness! (Malachi 2:13-14).  Proverbs 2:17 speaks of one who “forsakes the companion of her youth, and forgets the covenant of her God.” “In sickness and in health, for better or worse, tell death do us part”—these promises are all part of the covenant you make with each other and with God.  You may forget this covenant, but God doesn’t, and He will hold you accountable.

In recognition of this covenant, GOD JOINS YOU TOGETHER, and so you are now BOUND to each other.  The Pharisees asked Jesus, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason? (Matthew 19:3).  In His reply, Jesus said, “What God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matthew 19:6).  His answer was NO! He does grant one exception in v. 9—“except for sexual immorality”—but that is the lone exception.  Read carefully the following passage: “For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives...So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress (Romans 7:2-3).  Why is she an adulteress if she marries again? Because she is still bound to her first husband.  Of course, if her husband dies, she is free to marry another man.  The bond of marriage is put there by God; only He can release you from it.  People sometimes refer to marriage as “tying the knot.” That’s a good way to view it; just remember that God is the one who ties it.  Don’t make the mistake of trying to untie God’s knot—you just can’t do it.