As I was reading the Bible today, from Numbers specifically, I came across something rather simple yet found myself getting (figuratively) slapped in the face.  The phrase “broken faith” kept coming up in my reading. In my observance of this, I decided to check out ol’ Google and see what it has to say about it. BAM! Slapped in the face…

Broken faith: 
be disloyal, betray, be unfaithful to, untrue to (spouse)

From what I found out Every. Single. Time. the phrase “broken faith” appears in the Bible it is referring to the breaking of a relationship between man and wife OR Man’s relationships to God. There has to be something significant in that statement. In context, this phrase isn’t referring to friendships having problems, bosses having problems with employees, or anything else except for two distinct relationships. It is especially significant that the phrase isn’t ONLY used with Man’s relationship to God or ONLY used with the relationship between husband and wife.

The reality is that there is something powerful, strong, beautiful, and covenantal about those two relationships above all other relationships in someone’s life. The depth and intimacy that come with marriage is absolutely the most communal and important relationship between man and wife. However, many people today don’t value marriage. They don’t value the vow taken at the altar or the commitment to remain true and honest and pure with their spouse… until death do us part. I’m not saying any of this as a bash of those who have marital problems, been divorced, or those that aren’t even married. Heck, I’m not even married. All I am trying to do is show that in God’s word- the Bible- marriage is the most valuable relationship on earth because it mirrors our relationship to God. When we can learn to be honorable, pure, respecting, committed, honest, forgiving, (and the list goes on…) with our spouse we get a glimpse of His love for us. We can see the magnitude of the brokenness that comes with broken vows, betrayal, unfaithfulness, hurt…we get a glimpse of God’s heart for us in our betrayal of him.

Most Christians probably do not look at their lives as a betrayal to God. But the truth is that we all are capable and probably have been unfaithful to God. He hurts for us. He longs for us. He forgives us. The two relationships are to be mirrored. In marriages, we can mirror the love- enduring, passionate, powerful, forgiving love- that God has for us.  Christians and the Church NEED to place marriage on a higher level of importance and beauty because well…many people don’t care as much. The world is fine with divorce, is fine with perversion, is fine with “falling out of love”, and many are even becoming fine with infidelity. God is not. God longs for his love to be revealed in marriages all over. He longs to be exalted and honored through the marriages of Godly people, to where the world can see that there is something significant, beautiful, and powerful such a marriage. He longs to restore broken relationships. He longs to restore broken people.

I know this is nothing profound today, but something that really struck me as I read.  Whenever I get married, I want to believe that it is possible to have a marriage that reflects the heart and love of God. One that forgives. One that has compassion. One of redemption. One that lasts, not because it is perfect but because Grace is central. I want a Gospel-centered, Christ-honoring, love and forgiveness filled marriage. With effort, I believe its possible. I want a man so in love with Jesus that it is undeniable, alluring, breathtaking, and challenging. I want his love for Him to overflow and show throughout all of his life. I believe it is possible to have a marriage that is healthy when it is Christ-centric. This is the marriage that I want.

 

I also believe that the broken faith…the one about your relationship to God, can be absolutely restored. Maybe you’ve never cared about God or relationship with him. Maybe you have grown up in church. Maybe you walked away from having any faith at all. I can promise you this: the love I know I have through relationship in Jesus Christ is one that has changed my life. I am redeemed. I am restored. I am new. I am different. That broken faith is no more.