While I am in NO WAY putting down the serious and formal nature of marriage, I do think there is a reasonable burden of proof that has been unexplored by most of the commentators. I say this, as you know, as one who made and participated in a formal marriage covenant, and I certainly believe that if you make such a covenant, you are obligated to it.
A quick word search examination of the word “covenant” using an app offers numerous examples of God discussing His covenants with His people, such as the Noahic, Abrahamic, and Davidic covenants. While the vast majority of references to covenant refer to God's covenants with man, the same word search uncovers passages such as the (not exhaustive) list below which mention covenants between men, and between kings and their subjects:
It is safe to say that there is no shortage of the use of the word covenant, or of examples of covenants even between individuals such as Jacob and Laban, David and Jonathan, or, as Samuel Rutherford pointed out in Lex Rex, of kings covenanting with the people who would be his subjects.
That frequent and obvious familiarity with covenant makes it curious that we get all the way to the last time frame of the Old Testament before there is a reference that can be directly interpreted that marriage in general is a covenant. As far as I can tell, there are three references that infer that marriage is a covenant.
Those three passages are Malachi 2:14, Ezekiel 16:8, and possibly Proverbs 2:17.
That said, exegetically, I'm not sure that that actually means that all marriages are covenants any more than some households being baptized means that all infants should be baptized...
An interesting comment. My response, based on our earlier conversation, is about 3/4 written. Do you wish to post this as a post on your substack and do a letter exchange?
Historically, it was the duty of a man to produce legitimate, Godly seed/progeny. Then, it was his duty to find a legitimate spouse for each of his progeny. Marriage was much too serious a matter to be left in the hands of impetuous youth, thus marriages were arranged. "Consent" of the prospective bride and groom was embodied in honoring their father and mother.
The local society seems to have had a legitimate interest in KNOWING or confirming the origin of every pregnancy - exactly who the father and mother were. So, by extension, society had an interest in each marriage. See Genesis 38, especially verses 24 - 26, for the potentially deadly consequences.
The subject of marriage can be confused by social/religious practices of what God actually designed and set in place.
Von,
While I am in NO WAY putting down the serious and formal nature of marriage, I do think there is a reasonable burden of proof that has been unexplored by most of the commentators. I say this, as you know, as one who made and participated in a formal marriage covenant, and I certainly believe that if you make such a covenant, you are obligated to it.
A quick word search examination of the word “covenant” using an app offers numerous examples of God discussing His covenants with His people, such as the Noahic, Abrahamic, and Davidic covenants. While the vast majority of references to covenant refer to God's covenants with man, the same word search uncovers passages such as the (not exhaustive) list below which mention covenants between men, and between kings and their subjects:
Gen. 21, Gen. 26, Gen. 31, Ex. 23, Ex. 34, Duet. 7, Josh. 24:25, 1 Sam. 11:1, 1 Sam. 18:3, 1 Sam. 20, 1 Sam. 23, 1 Kings 20:34, 2 Kings 11:17...
It is safe to say that there is no shortage of the use of the word covenant, or of examples of covenants even between individuals such as Jacob and Laban, David and Jonathan, or, as Samuel Rutherford pointed out in Lex Rex, of kings covenanting with the people who would be his subjects.
That frequent and obvious familiarity with covenant makes it curious that we get all the way to the last time frame of the Old Testament before there is a reference that can be directly interpreted that marriage in general is a covenant. As far as I can tell, there are three references that infer that marriage is a covenant.
Those three passages are Malachi 2:14, Ezekiel 16:8, and possibly Proverbs 2:17.
That said, exegetically, I'm not sure that that actually means that all marriages are covenants any more than some households being baptized means that all infants should be baptized...
Ryan
An interesting comment. My response, based on our earlier conversation, is about 3/4 written. Do you wish to post this as a post on your substack and do a letter exchange?
I haven’t decided if I really want to use my Substack that way, so you can reply however, you would like even if you want to just quote my reply.
Response written, will appear as post tomorrow morning. Anyone feel free to respond there.
Historically, it was the duty of a man to produce legitimate, Godly seed/progeny. Then, it was his duty to find a legitimate spouse for each of his progeny. Marriage was much too serious a matter to be left in the hands of impetuous youth, thus marriages were arranged. "Consent" of the prospective bride and groom was embodied in honoring their father and mother.
The local society seems to have had a legitimate interest in KNOWING or confirming the origin of every pregnancy - exactly who the father and mother were. So, by extension, society had an interest in each marriage. See Genesis 38, especially verses 24 - 26, for the potentially deadly consequences.
The subject of marriage can be confused by social/religious practices of what God actually designed and set in place.