Restore Rebuild Revive - Week Nine : 23 Mar 2011

Jeff and I have been married almost 24 years. 25 being a time when many renew their vows, I tried to find the originals- couldn’t! Had to watch the video-2 sets, traditional- to love, comfort, honor and keep in both sickness and health, richer or poorer, forsaking all others as long as we both shall live-ones we wrote. As I thought about facing Jeff and repeating these now, knowing what I know now, it would be a different experience. For now I know what it means to keep them in sickness and health (Aubrey, death of family, holding my hair when barfing). What it means to keep them whether rich or poor- stress on marriage of finances. And the battle to choose to forsake all others-to not even give into the temptation of what it would be like to be married to someone else.

After 24 years of marriage, I have a deeper awareness of what it takes to keep these vows and the pain caused by breaking the traditional vows. Knowing what I know now about marriage and myself, I would better know what vows to write as my personal vows.

 I think about this with the people of God and their renewing of their vows. To move forward in their restoration with God, repopulating of God’s holy city, there had to be a deep awareness of what it would take to keep their vows and the pain of breaking them.

 Looking back to Neh 10, it is interesting that although they vowed to keep God’s entire law, to find their life in His Word, they gave special attention to their marriage relationships, their rest and their resources. Facing the Word, it exposed them. Knowing what they know now about their covenant relationship and themselves, they underscore what they must have known was the root of their neglect of the house of God, their idolatry/captivity.

 In the New Covenant that we have entered into in Christ, beautifully taught by Pamela, God no longer dwells in His Holy City, but in each of us that has placed our faith in His son. His Holy Spirit indwells us, making us the house of God-heart body and soul. And if we are honest, like the Israelites, our neglect of this house of God - has its roots in the marriage relationship, rest and resources. In order to move forward in our restored relationship (NEH11, we need to underscore these as well (Neh 10)