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. Verse 11 through 14 presents 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 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! It’s an exclusive relationship. The second half of this verse expresses judgment on God for immorality and unfaithfulness. 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 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.”

As I perform weddings I often insist on questions of intent, which are answered by each partner, one at a time, with the phrase “I will.” I always explain the questions in my meeting with the couple in advance to be sure they understand what they are saying. I begin with the groom and ask, “will you (I state their whole legal name) have (I state the brides whole legal name) to be your wedded wife, to live with her according to God’s plan of matrimony? Will you love her, comfort her, honor her and keep her in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her, so long as you both shall live.” I then reverse the question for the bride regarding the husband.