The Bible often refers to the exclusivity of the marriage relationship with the exclusivity of His own relationship with His people. The Old Testament often refers to God’s marriage with His people, Israel. The whole book of Hosea is about the infidelity (adultery) of God’s people by picturing the unfaithfulness of a wife named Gomer. In all His dealings with His people, as He led them out of Egypt and into the Promised Land, he promised blessings for faithfulness and cursing for spiritual adultery. In Moses’ song in Chapter 32 of Deuteronomy, he teaches the people about how great God’s blessings are when we are faithful to him. God is the eagle that protects His young. God is the one who brings blessings upon His people for their faithfulness. Verses 11 through 14 present those blessings as they are identified because His people resisted the allure of foreign gods. It says, “Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions, the LORD alone guided him. No foreign god was with him. He made him ride on the high places of the land, and he ate the produce of the field, and he suckled him with honey out of the rock and oil out of the flinty rock. Curds from the herd, and milk from the flock, with the fat of lambs, rams of Bashan and goats, with the very finest of the wheat…”
The author of the book of Hebrews (13:4) tells us to “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the immoral and adulterous.” God must always be number one in our lives. We don’t need to find the one; God is the one! Whether married or single, it’s an exclusive relationship. When we enter into the biblical marriage relationship, we don’t put our spouses in the number one place. They automatically become number two. God is always involved in a marriage and always has an interest in its success. The second half of this verse expresses judgment on God for immorality and unfaithfulness. God directs us to remain loyal and faithful to our spouses regardless of our feelings. Being faithful mates is being faithful to God. Being unfaithful mates is being unfaithful to God.
The passage from Deuteronomy above is from a part of the book known as The Blessings and the cursings. Judgment on unfaithfulness is the reversal of fortune in life. Everyone involved in dishonoring a marriage, whether their own or someone else’s, has placed themselves under God’s judgment. M. J. Evans says, “This verse takes for granted the fact that marriage is ordained by God and that it is a unique and exclusive relationship. The marriage covenant is never to be treated lightly, either by the partners involved or by those outside; God himself will act against those who break such a covenant.” But along the same lines, God will act favorably towards those who keep Him number one in our marriage relationships.