If you have not done so already, go read my former posts as they lay the foundation for this post and posts to come.
What is the covenant framework? It’s the framework that holds the old covenant, the new covenant, the salvation covenant and the marriage covenant. God, like every other aspect, only uses one model or framework for His covenants. That is what I will refer to as the marriage covenant because that is the one that is most repeated and easiest to look at.
Now, I am not referring to marriage as what we know, but the Hebrew marriage as what we know from scripture. First there is a betrothal. Sometimes arranged, sometimes not, there really is no defined time frame or source, but at the betrothal the marriage contract/covenant became binding. Normally that was the groom asking the bride’s father or the bride for marriage and offering (a) gift(s) or price or promise(s), if accepted, the contract was set. (sometimes it was families arranging at a young age, but the principle was the same) At that time the groom would prepare a place. Again there is no set time here, sometimes that could be hours, or maybe days or years. A good example of this was with Jacob (Genesis 29). He worked for 7 years to marry Rachel, but ended up with Leah, but then promised to work another 7 years but married Rachel immediately, an example of both ends the spectrum. Even at this point the only way to break the covenant was death. Then when the groom was ready, he would take his bride and throw a huge party, sometimes lasting days. Then take his bride to the home he prepared and they would confirm the marriage and become one. For the first year after the wedding they literally would take that year off, a year long honeymoon to get to know each other well. The groom is exempt from military service and, if possible, any form of work.
After that they lived out their lives devoted to each other as one. Only death, or divorce, (and divorce was only allowed by unfaithfulness, and was only a option, and not required. God hates divorce, Malachi 2:16, you can live with or reconcile unfaithfulness) could fulfill/terminate the covenant. Also with divorce, according to the law in Deuteronomy 24:1, and Jesus confirmed in Matthew 19:9, only the groom could issue a certificate of divorce on the unfaithfulness of the wife. (on a culture standpoint though, it was also common for the wife to ask for the divorce and husband to issue a certificate anyway since she did not want to stay). This is not meant to get into the divorce debate or the modern reasons for divorce and I am not in either way condemning or condoning divorce for any specific reason or making any judgment. I am just pointing out what God outlined in Scripture as it relates to a covenant in general.
So the elements/stages/framework of a covenant are – (in order)
- Betrothal (including a promise/price/gift)
- Preparation (Getting ready to accept the mission)
- Celebration (Celebrating the covenant)
- Confirmation (Beginning the intimacy of the relationship)
- Study (Learning, studying and developing communication and intimacy at all levels in preparation for the mission)
- Mission (Doing what the covenant was setup for, relationship)
- Fulfillment (Upon death, the covenant is fulfilled and released)
Now in the next few posts we will see how this template fits in, not only marriage as its pointed out, but also in the other covenants that God has made with His people.
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