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      A Covenant is a sacred, binding agreement by two parties in which each party has a responsibility within the covenant agreement to perform. In Hebrew, the word for covenant is “Beriyth” and the ancient hieroglyphic word picture is “the Sealing of the work of the family of the Most High (YHWH)”.

      Yahweh is a family and the core of how He has arranged the judicial order structure of the family within humanity is through the marriage covenant. The marriage covenant goes back to the very first human beings created and is the very
backbone of civilization. It is the longest ritualistic ceremony on record going back nearly six thousand years to the creation of the world. No other covenant performing ceremony in the history of man is still recorded and enacted by all human beings no matter what faith or continent that they belong to.

      There is a reason for this! It is because the marriage covenant is the oldest and most sacred covenant, which two human beings can enter into, and it is a miracle that Yahweh, the Creator, performs by joining a man and a woman
together till the death of one of the covenant partners. The world would not survive even one generation if the marriage covenant was dissolved.

      In this lesson we are going to study exactly what the marriage covenant entails from scripture, and how can one fulfill their requirements within this covenant once entered into.

During the marriage covenant agreement in almost all religious services, the man and the woman vow to Elohim before witnesses to honor the marriage covenant vow that they are committing to until one of the marriage covenant partners dies. Does Yahweh hold human beings accountable to fulfill our vows once we commit to them?

Deut 23:21 When you shall vow a vow to YAHWEH your Elohim, you shall not delay to perform it; for YAHWEH your Elohim will certainly require it of you, and it shall be sin to you.

Deut 23:23 That which has gone out of your lips, you shall keep, and shall do it. According as you have vowed as a freewill offering to YAHWEH your Elohim, do even that which you have spoken with your mouth.

Num 30:1 And Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the sons of Israel, saying, This is the thing which YAHWEH has commanded:

Num 30:2 When a man vows a vow to YAHWEH, or has sworn an oath to bind his soul with a bond, he shall not break his word; he shall do all that has gone out of his mouth.

Mat 12:34 Generation of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

Mat 12:35 The good man out of the good treasure of the heart puts forth good things. And the evil man out of the evil treasure puts forth evil things.

Mat 12:36 But I say to you, that every vain word, whatever men may speak, they shall give an account of it in Judgment Day.

Mat 12:37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.

COMMENT: 2nd Timothy 3:3 tells us that in the end time, people will be without natural affection, and also trucebreakers. There is no greater example of this than in the marriage covenant. In 1901 the divorce rate was between 1 and 2 percent, and now it has skyrocketed to almost 60%, and would be much higher except that many people today do not even actually wed anymore, but simply cohabitate together against scripture.

Vows mean nothing to most people, as even the simplest commitment to help a brother move or baby-sit for a believing couple, or even to make a commitment to give to Yahweh, is usually altered or changed or even, just simply ignored with an excuse being made for not keeping the commitment.

Vows and keeping our word are most important to Yahweh, and He expects His covenant people to also keep the vows that they make, especially when they do so in His Holy Name. Covenant vows are most serious, and a covenant is
the most important agreement that two or more parties can make and is most sacred and binding on the parties involved.

One must also remember that the marriage covenant vow is a three-way vow that is being committed by the man and woman to Yahweh in front of witnesses to make the vow official and binding.

What is the most sacred type of covenant?

Heb 9:15 And for this reason he became the Mediator of the New Covenant, that He might by his death be redemption, to them who had transgressed the first covenant; so that they, who are called to the eternal inheritance, might receive the promise.

Heb 9:16 For where there is a testament, it shows the death of him who made it.

Heb 9:17 For a covenant is affirmed over those dead, since it never has force when he who has made it is living.

Heb 9:18 For this reason not even the first covenant was confirmed without blood.

The most sacred form of any covenant is a blood covenant. Is the marriage covenant a blood covenant?

Deut 22:13 If any man takes a wife, and goes in to her, and hates her,

Deut 22:14 then makes against her shameful charges, and brings up an evil name on her, and says, I took this woman, and when I came near her, I did not find in her the tokens of virginity.

Deut 22:15 Then the girl’s father and her mother shall take and bring the girl’s tokens of virginity to the elders of the city in the gate.

Deut 22:16 And the girl’s father shall say to the elders, I have given my daughter to this man for a wife, and he hates her.

Deut 22:17 And, behold, he has laid shameful charges, saying, I have not found in your daughter the tokens of virginity. And yet see these tokens of my daughter’s virginity. And they shall spread the garment before the elders of the city.

Deut 22:18 And the elders of that city shall take that man and punish him.

Deut 22:19 And they shall fine him a hundred pieces of silver, and give them to the girl’s father, because he has brought an evil name on a virgin of Israel. And she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days.

COMMENT: The marriage covenant is a blood covenant and is proved by the parents of the bride bringing the sheet from the wedding night of being with her husband for the first time and the blood on the sheets from her hymen being broken by the initial act of their having relations for the first time on the wedding night.

What if the tokens of virginity are not found?

Deut 22:20 But if this thing is true that tokens of virginity have not been found for the girl,

Deut 22:21 then they shall bring out the girl to the door of her father’s house. And the men of her city shall stone her with stones, and she shall die; for she has done folly in Israel, to commit fornication in her father’s house. And you shall put away the evil from among you.

Deut 22:22 If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then they shall both of them die, the man that lay with the woman, and the woman. And you shall put away the evil from Israel.

COMMENT: If the girl had committed fornication and did not have the token of virginity, then she would have been stoned to death. This in itself should be extremely sobering to those of western society where maybe 1% to 2% of all single people are virgins upon entering the marriage covenant on their wedding day. This fact in itself should tell all those living in the west that there is a grave mistake in the whole culture of dating and marriage in western society. The whole family structure and judicial order in the family has been completely eradicated under Satan’s progressive new global society that most have embraced and embarked on. The original mandates and intent of the marriage covenant from the Garden of Eden have been all but lost in Satan’s immortal new age culture.

When was the beginning of the institution that we call “the marriage covenant”?

Gen 2:18 And YAHWEH Elohim said, It is not good, the man being alone. I will make a helper suited to him.

Gen 2:21 And YAHWEH Elohim caused a deep sleep to fall on the man, and he slept. And He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh underneath.

Gen 2:22 And YAHWEH Elohim formed the rib which He had taken from the man into a woman, and brought her to the man.

Gen 2:23 And the man said, This now at last is bone from my bones, and flesh from my flesh; For this shall be called Woman, because out of man this has been taken.

Gen 2:24 Therefore, a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife and they shall become one (echad, unified) flesh.

Gen 2:25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and they were not ashamed.

Mark 10:6 But from the beginning of creation YAHWEH made them male and female. (Gen 1:27)

Mark 10:7 “Because of this, a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife,

Mark 10:8 and the two shall be one flesh;” so that they no longer are two, but one flesh.

Mark 10:9 Therefore, what YAHWEH has yoked together, man cannot put apart.

Does Yahweh only recognize marriages to believers or are all marriages between a man and a woman joined by Him?

Gen 2:23 And the man said, This now at last is bone from my bones, and flesh from my flesh; For this shall be called Woman, because out of man this has been taken.

Gen 2:24 Therefore, a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife and they shall become one (echad, unified) flesh.

Mat 14:1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the fame of Yahshua.

Mat 14:2 And he said to his servants, This is John the Baptist. He has risen from the dead, and because of this, powerful works are working in him.

Mat 14:3 For seizing John, Herod bound him and put him into prison, because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip.

Mat 14:4 For John said to him, It is not lawful that she be a wife for you.

COMMENT: Clearly, the marriage covenant was not a manmade institution that was made up during human civilizations, but is rather a divine institution that goes back to the very Garden of Eden. We also see that the outline for
the marriage covenant given from Genesis the second chapter is that marriage was meant to be monogamous, heterosexual, and a complete union by the man and his wife. When asked about the validity of the marriage covenant, it is important to note for the remainder of the study that Yahshua, as His authority, clearly, reverts back to the beginning of the institution of the marriage covenant in Genesis chapter 2. There is no way to misinterpret Yahweh’s original intent for the marriage covenant in that it was between one man and one woman until one of the covenant partners would die.

Also, it should be recognized that at creation and the beginning of the marriage covenant, there is no church or status of  “before” or “after” any conversion process. The clear mandate for all humans is one man and one woman until one partner dies. The marriage covenant goes back to the creation account in Genesis before there was ever a believer or non-believer, and clearly is a standard that Yahweh holds all people accountable to. To prove this point, in the above scripture from Mathew 14, John the Baptist tells Herod that it is not lawful for him to marry his brother’s wife. The Jewish historian, Josephus, who is a contemporary of Herod, tells us that Herodias was already divorced from Herod’s brother, Philip, and yet John clearly states that she was still his wife. This clearly shows that John did not believe in the doctrine of divorce and remarriage. Also, as stated previously, almost all marriages performed today are still performed in a religious setting and vows exchanged in front of witnesses, and although the custom of the ceremonies may vary some, the intent of making a lifelong covenant commitment to each other in the presence of witnesses has stood the same since the Garden of Eden due to the serious nature of the covenant of marriage from creation.

Another important aspect to note within the covenant relationship is that to have true love, peace, and harmony, there must be judicial order in the marriage relationship.

What is the man’s responsibility in the covenant relationship?

Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Messiah also loved the Congregation and gave Himself up on its behalf,

Eph 5:26 that He might sanctify it, cleansing it by the washing of water and by the Word,

Eph 5:27 that He might present it to Himself as the glorious Congregation, not having stain or wrinkle, or any such things, but that it be holy and without blemish.

Eph 5:28 So, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies, (he loving his wife loves himself),

1st Pet 3:7 And you husbands, likewise, dwell with your wives according to knowledge, and hold them in honor, as the weaker vessels; because they also will inherit with you the gift of eternal life: And let not your prayers be hindered.

Num 30:6 And if she belongs to a husband, and her vows are on her, or a rash utterance on her lips with which she has bound her soul,

Num 30:7 and her husband has heard, and in the day he heard he has remained silent as to her, then her vows shall stand, and her bond with which she has bound her soul shall stand.

Num 30:8 And if in the day her husband hears, he prohibits her, then he has broken her vow which is on her, and the rash utterance of her lips with which she has bound her soul. And YAHWEH will forgive her.

What is the woman’s responsibility?

Gen 3:16 He said to the woman, I will greatly increase your sorrow and your conception; you shall bear sons in sorrow, and your desire shall be toward your husband; and he shall rule over you.

Eph 5:22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands, as to our Master,

Eph 5:23 because a husband is head of the wife, as also Messiah is Head of the Congregation, and He is the Savior of the body.

Eph 5:24 But even as the Congregation is subject to Messiah, so also the wives to their own husbands in everything.

1st Pet 3:1 Likewise, wives, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if any disobey the Word, through the behavior of the wives, without a word they will be won,

1st Pet 3:2 observing your pure behavior in fear.

1st Pet 3:5 For so once indeed the holy women who were hoping on Elohim adorned themselves, submitting themselves to their own husbands,

1st Pet 3:6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Master; whose children you became, doing good, and not being confused by false values.

COMMENT: As in all covenant agreements, each party has a specific responsibility to perform. Both parties’ responsibility is clearly defined in scripture. The man is to love his wife as himself and is to be her protectorate and provider. He is to put the welfare and security of his wife and family before his own and make sure that all their needs are cared for and they have an environment of feeling secure and in peace.

The woman’s responsibility is to submit her very life to the goals and ambitions of her covenant husband. She is to bear children and care for the home and make sure that she is helping to complete her husband in the areas that he is lacking. In Genesis 2:18, the Hebrew word for helpmate is literally “a completer”, like a hand inside of a glove. Today, many marriages are ending in divorce because the parties involved are not fulfilling their Elohim given roles stated above. Many men are too self-involved and not truly loving and providing physically and spiritually for their families, and many women are self-willed and non-submissive and not denying their own desires to submit to and help fulfill the desires of their husband. Of course, those desires should be based on Genesis 1:28, to go out and bear fruit for Yahweh’s Kingdom and multiple and make new disciples.

It stands to reason that if a woman was married to a non-converted mate who wanted her to break the Torah that she would not be under such authority to follow any command that would violate scripture. We should also mention the fact that since the marriage covenant is a shadow to a believer’s true bridegroom, who is Messiah Yahshua, that obedience to Yahshua would always override obedience to a human being. Is it sin, according to scripture, if someone would leave his/her spouse and marry another individual?

Mat 5:31 It was also said, Whoever puts away his wife, “let him give her a bill of divorce.”

Mat 5:32 But I say to you, Whoever divorces his wife, even in a matter of fornication, causes her to commit adultery. And whoever shall marry a divorced one commits adultery.

Mat 19:9 And I say to you, Whoever shall put away his wife, even if there is a charge of adultery, and shall marry another, that one commits adultery. And the one who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.

Mark 10:6 But from the beginning of creation YAHWEH made them male and female. (Gen 1:27)

Mark 10:7 “Because of this, a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife,

Mark 10:8 and the two shall be one flesh;” so that they no longer are two, but one flesh.(Gen 2:24)

Mark 10:9 Therefore, what YAHWEH has yoked together, man cannot put apart.

Mark 10:10 And again, in the house His disciples asked Him about the same.

Mark 10:11 And He said to them, whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her.

Mark 10:12 And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.

Luke 16:18 Everyone divorcing his wife, and marrying another, commits adultery. And everyone marrying her who has been divorced from a husband commits adultery.

COMMENT: It is very clear out of the mouth of Yahshua, the Messiah of Israel, that if a covenant partner was to leave and abandon their covenant spouse after taking the marriage vow, and went and married another person, then it is called adultery.

Were priests prohibited from divorce and remarriage?

Lev 21:13 And he shall take a wife in her virginity.

Lev 21:14 He shall not take a widow, or one divorced, or a polluted one, a harlot, but he shall take a virgin of his own people for a wife;

COMMENT: Priests in the first covenant were prohibited from divorce and remarriage due to the sacred nature of the covenant and the fact that they were administrating before Yahweh. How much more should New Covenant believers honor the marriage covenant knowing that they are the very bride of Messiah and training to be priests of the eternal order of Melchizedek?

Did the apostle Paul condone divorce and re-marriage?

1st Cor 7:10 But I command the ones being married (not I, but our Master), let not the wife be separated from her husband;

1st Cor 7:11 but if indeed she is separated, remain unmarried, or be reconciled to the husband; and a husband not to desert his wife.

COMMENT: Very clearly, here, Paul is setting the premise that a wife is to stay with her husband and if for some unusual circumstance, such as abuse, they are forced to separate, then they are to remain alone or be reconciled to their covenant spouse. Nowhere does it mention a word about divorce or remarrying another spouse.

Now let’s see what Paul said to married believers who have an unconverted spouse.

1st Cor 7:12 But to the rest I say, not our Master, if any brother has an unbelieving wife, and she consents to live with him, let him not leave her.

1st Cor 7:13 And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, let her not leave him.

1st Cor 7:14 For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified by the husband; else, then, your children are impure, but in such cases they are pure.

1st Cor 7:15 But if the unbelieving one separates, let them be separated; the brother or the sister is not in bondage in such matters; but YAHWEH has called us in peace.

1st Cor 7:16 For what do you know, wife, whether you will save the husband? Or what do you know, husband, whether you will save the wife?

Again, Paul is staying consistent with the marriage covenant from everything else that is said about it in scripture. If someone comes to faith and their spouse does not, then they are to simply trust Yahweh and have patience in the
relationship for Yahweh to work. However, if the unconverted spouse were to leave on their own, there is nothing the converted spouse can do about it, and Yahweh says they are not in bondage in such a case.

What is the bondage that is referred to?

COMMENT: As we have seen from Mathew 5:32, that if a spouse leaves his covenant partner, then he is causing them to commit adultery. Meaning, even if they stayed unmarried, if their spouse who they left now remarried, they would be responsible for the adultery, because they initially left their spouse and gave opportunity to remarry, which is called adultery. However, in this case where an unconverted mate simply will not abide with a believing spouse, then the believing spouse would not have the bondage of sin, if the unconverted mate would leave and remarry another person.

How about if someone was already divorced and remarried before they became a believer? Should that person leave their current spouse in order to join the New Covenant?

1st Cor 7:17 Only as YAHWEH has divided to each, each as the Master has called, so let him walk. So I command in the congregations.

1st Cor 7:18 If a man was circumcised when he was called, let him not adhere to the party of uncircumcision. And if he was uncircumcised, when he was called, let him not be circumcised.

1st Cor 7:19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of YAHWEH is everything.

1st Cor 7:20 Let each one remain in the station of life in which he was called.

1st Cor 7:24 My Brethren, let every man in whatever station of life he was called, remain therein serving ELOHIM.

COMMENT: Clearly, we can take this to mean that if a couple when entering the new covenant is already on a second marriage then they do not have to separate from that spouse.

Also, in this same regard, if a divorced single person became baptized and had a living spouse, they would not be eligible to remarry another brother or sister until the living spouse died, regardless of the fact that spouse is not converted.

Rom 7:2 Just as the married woman is bound by the Torah to the living husband; but if the husband dies, she is set free from the Law of her husband.

Rom 7:3 So then, if the husband is living she will be called an adulteress if she should be married to another man. But if the husband dies, she is free from the Law, so as for her not to be an adulteress by becoming another man’s wife.

It also goes without saying that if a widow remarries she can only remarry someone already in the faith (1st Corinthians 7:39).

Divorce and remarriage were never the will of our Heavenly Father, but in a sinful imperfect world, sometimes when we come out of the world, we have laws in conflict. One such law is that it is sin to work on the Sabbath, yet a priest can work and he is guiltless. A minister probably works harder on Sabbath than any other day, speaking etc. In these cases of laws in conflict, the greater law of love always prevails. This is the case in divorce and remarriage.

Acts 17:30 In times past YAHWEH winked at our ignorance’s, but now commands men everywhere to repent.

We can see that Yahweh requires greater accountability to us after we make covenant relationship and know something to be wrong. Covenants are very serious and if one made a covenant promise to a second spouse before baptism, not knowing that this was adultery, nowhere does scripture indicate that the newly converted person must leave this spouse and go back to the former one. Just the opposite, as we read in Deuteronomy 24, that if a woman has chosen to leave her first husband and remarries, she can never go back to the first one again.

Deut 24:2 and if she goes out from his house and goes and becomes another man’s wife, 

Deut 24:3 and the latter husband hates her, and writes her a bill of divorce, and puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house or if the latter husband who took her to be his wife dies;

Deut 24:4 her former husband who sent her away is not to take her again to be his wife, after she is defiled. For it is an abomination before YAHWEH, and you shall not cause the land to sin which YAHWEH your Elohim is giving to you as an inheritance.

So important are covenant promises; that Yahweh in scripture still held the people accountable to the covenant promise they made, even when it was against His will. Look at Joshua the 9th chapter as a perfect example.

Yahweh told Joshua not to make a covenant with the people of the land and Joshua not only did so against the will of Yahweh with the Gibeonites, but he was even tricked into the covenant promise, but still had to abide by it afterward
(Joshua 9). Such was also the case with Jacob (Israel). He tricked Isaac into giving him the blessing of the firstborn that according to scripture belonged to Esau and Yahweh still honored that, and after he realized he was tricked by Jacob, Isaac could not rescind on the covenant promise that he made (Genesis 27).

Jephthah is also a good example of having to keep a covenant promise even if it is against the will of Yahweh. Yahweh never condoned human sacrifice but Jephthah rashly promised to sacrifice whoever first came out his front door when returning from battle and it happened to be his only daughter and he had to keep his covenant word.

Although against the will of Yahweh and done in ignorance, people that have entered covenant marriage relationships with a second spouse before conversion, still are allowed to keep that agreement unless they were already baptized and knew it was sin and married the person anyway in total rebellion. This sort of agreement is not honored by our heavenly Father and the parties must separate immediately and repent. The key word here is that the relationship is “allowed”, not “condoned”. Yahweh did not condone the adulterous relationship of David and Bathsheba, but he allowed it even after the murder of Uriah. Also, although Yahweh doesn’t condone someone having multiple wives in scripture, it is not called sin, but is clearly against the will of Yahweh and His intention of one man, and one woman until death.

Some will wrongly come up with the argument, well if that is the case, then would two homosexual males also be able to repent upon baptism and stay together married in the congregation? This is not a proper comparison as a homosexual marriage in itself has never been lawful by Yahweh, where a multiple marriage, although warned against, was allowed. You cannot compare a second marriage that was allowed in Torah (although not the will of Yahweh) to be compared to an abominable union, such as two men together, which was never allowed or condoned, but always said to be abominable and sin. Some will also use the example of a prostitute and say when a prostitute repents and is converted, can she continue in prostitution? But again, prostitution was never allowed in scripture where multiple marriages were allowed, but not condoned. This is a law in conflict and the greater law of covenants takes precedent in this case.

This was also the case in the Torah. If someone sinned through ignorance (before conversion), then the priest would make a sin offering for that person (Numbers 15:22-28) but if someone sinned in rebellion after knowing clearly what he was doing was wrong, then that person is to be cut off from among his people.

Num 15:30 But the soul who does anything rebelliously (literally with a high hand in defiance), whether home born or alien, (Israelite or Gentile does not matter) the same blasphemes YAHWEH, and that person shall be cut off from the midst of his people.

Num 15:31 For he has despised the word of YAHWEH, and has broken his commandment, that soul shall be utterly cut off, his iniquity shall be on him.

This verse clearly shows there is a difference to someone who divorced and remarried before knowing the word of Yahweh and entering covenant relationship with him and someone who divorced and remarried after conversion.
Someone who is baptized and remarries another person while still having a living spouse, after being shown from scripture that clearly Yahshua said this is adultery, is held to a higher standard and must be separated from the congregation until the adultery is repented of.

I will also say that even with a piece of paper from a judge saying one is divorced, that still does not take away a husband’s responsibility according to scripture to make sure that the wife of his youth, that has been put away, is cared for. This is the least one can do after repentance and having knowledge of the truth that she is still his wife.

Mal 2:14 “Yet you say on what cause? Because YAHWEH has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously; and she is your companion and your COVENANT wife!

Mal 2:15 And has he not made you ONE (echad)? Then guard your spirit, and do not deal treacherously with the wife of your youth.”

Mal 2:16 YAHWEH, the Elohim of Israel, says, He hates divorce, and to cover with violence on his garment, says YAHWEH of Hosts. Then guard your spirit and do not act treacherously.

Although, clearly, not the will of our Heavenly Father, He did allow for a man to have more than one wife, providing that he could care for them, and a man that has married more than one woman has the responsibility to care for each wife he married, whether a court or judge gave him a divorce paper or not. Also, it must be noted that although it was not the Heavenly Father’s intent for a man to have multiple wives, it is never defined as ‘sin’ in the Torah.

1st Sam 25:40 And David’s servants came to Abigail at Carmel, and spoke to her, saying, David has sent us to you to take you to him for a wife.

1st Sam 25:41 And she rose up and bowed her face to the earth, and said, Behold, let your handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my master.

1st Sam 25:42 And Abigail hurried and arose and rode on a donkey , and five of her young women following her. And she went after David’s messengers. And she became a wife to him.

1st Sam 25:43 And David had taken Ahinoam from Jezreel. And they became, even both of them, wives to him.

1st Sam 25:44 And Saul gave his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to Phalti the son of Laish, who was of Gallim.

In other places where David sinned, it is clearly mentioned as so and he is punished, but here, as in other places in the Tanach, we see multiple marriage as something that although warned against (Deuteronomy 17:17), it is not related to as sin. So, in essence, the reason why a new believer can stay with a second wife and not have to leave her is that in the old covenant Yahweh allowed multiple wives, but clearly Yahshua told us in the New Covenant that this is not the will of Yahweh.

If Yahweh did not allow multiple wives in the first covenant, then when David married Bathsheba as his 5th wife, she would have not been a lawful wife and thereby her son Nathan, who is in the very genealogy of Yahshua (Luke 3:31), would not be a legitimate son.

Scripture does show that Yahweh judges believers that have had their mind open to his truth differently than a nonbeliever who knows no better. Take as an example a believer being married to a non-believer. We know from 1st Corinthians 7:39 this would be a sin, yet if someone married before conversion, and then was married to a nonbeliever through conversion, Paul in that situation tells the spouse to stay with their unbelieving spouse and not to leave (1st Corinthians 7:13-14). His reasoning is how do you know if you will not convert the other person, but a believer marrying a non-believer could use the same argument. So here we see a perfect example of the non-believing marriage being sanctified by Paul if it happened before conversion, but if someone was already a believer, then it would have been condemned.

There is no scriptural premise for a new believer who comes into the faith divorced and remarried to have to leave their spouse in order to join the covenant of Yahweh. Clearly, we see the precedent from the above scripture is that
whatever situation you came into the covenant that is the situation that you are to stay in. If you were on a second marriage, then you would remain with that spouse; if you were divorced and still had a living spouse, then according to
verse 11 of 1st Corinthians 7 stated above, you should remain unmarried or be reconciled to your rightful husband. It should also be noted that due to the serious nature of the marriage covenant, for one to be ordained as an elder in the
congregation, he must be someone who only has one living spouse (1st Timothy 3:2).

Next, Paul gives his personal advice to virgins, those who have never been married before.

1st Cor 7:25 But about virgins, I have no command from Elohim. But I give judgment, as having received favor by Elohim to be faithful.

1st Cor 7:26 Then I think this to be good, because of the present necessity: that it is good for a man to remain this way.

1st Cor 7:27 Have you been engaged to a wife? Do not seek to be released. Have you been released from a betrothal? Do not seek a wife.

1st Cor 7:28 But if you also marry, you do not sin. And if the virgin marries, she does not sin. But such will have trouble in the flesh. But I am sparing you.

Please take note that in verse 27 and verse 28, Paul is specifically speaking to virgins (non-married people) who had signed a betrothal agreement and were engaged, but were not formally married and never consummated the marriage
covenant through the sexual union of the man and the woman.

In ancient Israel, an engagement to a spouse was to make an official, binding agreement with the family of the bride with a marriage contract, and that agreement could only be broken BEFORE the taking of the vows and the consummation of the marriage if one of the parties was unfaithful or had entered the agreement by fraud. Only under such circumstances could the engagement be canceled and the innocent party could marry another person, although at this point in time, Paul was advising against it. It must be noted though that once the marriage vows are taken and the
marriage is consummated, only death could break the covenant as Yahweh had supernaturally made the two people one (Genesis 2:21-24).

Then, Paul will end up the chapter by giving his personal reasons why he believed under the current circumstances that it was better to stay single than to marry.

1st Cor 7:32 But I desire you to be without care. The unmarried one cares for the things of the Master, how to please his Master;

1st Cor 7:33 but the one marrying cares for the things of the world, how to please the wife.

1st Cor 7:34 The wife and the virgin are different. The unmarried one cares for the welfare of her Master, that she be pure in both body and spirit. But the married one cares for the things of the world, how to please the husband.

1st Cor 7:35 And I say this for your benefit, not that I put a snare or put a yoke on you, but I exhort you to be perfect before the Master, and faithful without distraction.

1st Cor 7:36 But if any man thinks he is shamed by the behavior of his virgin daughter if she is beyond her prime, and he has not given her in marriage and that he should give her, let him do what he desires; he does not sin; let her marry.

1st Cor 7:37 But he who stands firm in heart, not having necessity, but has authority as to his own will, and has judged this in his heart, to keep his virgin daughter single; he does well.

1st Cor 7:38 So that he that gives his virgin daughter in marriage does well, and he that does not give his virgin daughter in marriage does even better.

Remember, the circumstances under which Paul is writing is that he believes that the return of Yahshua is eminent and that the Kingdom of Yahweh is at hand. Later, when he realized that this is not the case, he actually changed his stance and encouraged widows and virgins to marry.

1st Tim 5:14 Therefore, I desire the young women to marry, to bear children, to manage their own house, giving no occasion to the adversary on account of reproach.

Then, Paul ends the chapter making no mistake where he stands on the issue of divorce and remarriage.

1st Cor 7:39 A wife is bound by the Torah for as long a time as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whomever she desires, only in the Master.

In the letter to the Romans, he also clearly defines his position.

Rom 7:2 Just as the married woman is bound by the Torah to the living husband; but if the husband dies, she is set free from the Law of her husband.

Rom 7:3 So then, if the husband is living she will be called an adulteress if she should be married to another man. But if the husband dies, she is free from the Law, so as for her not to be an adulteress by becoming another man’s wife.

COMMENT: there is absolutely nothing written by Paul in 1 Corinthians the seventh chapter that would even remotely make one believe that the Apostle Paul is advocating divorce and remarriage. As we see from the above scripture, he is clearly defining his position as “The wife must stay with her husband until he dies, and if she leaves her husband and is married to another man, she is called an adulteress”.

Did Deuteronomy 24 allow divorce and remarriage?

Deut 24:1 When a man has taken a wife and married her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found a thing of uncleanness in her, and he writes her a bill of divorce and puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house;

Deut 24:2 and if she goes out from his house and goes and becomes another man’s wife,

Deut 24:3 and the latter husband hates her, and writes her a bill of divorce, and puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house or if the latter husband who took her to be his wife dies;

Deut 24:4 her former husband who sent her away is not to take her again to be his wife, after she is defiled. For it is an abomination before YAHWEH, and you shall not cause the land to sin which YAHWEH your Elohim is giving to you as an inheritance.

COMMENT: Nowhere in this scripture is it condoning either divorce or re-marriage to a new spouse after divorce. If you read it carefully, it is saying the exact opposite. The scripture is warning the wife that if her husband wants to put her away, that she better consider leaving, because if she does leave and marries another man, she can never come back to
the original husband. She would be considered “defiled”, which clearly would show that Yahweh is not condoning either the putting away of the woman or the remarriage to another person.

The reason why this is written so clearly as a warning in the Torah is because in the New Covenant, the mystery of the marriage covenant is revealed, which is that the congregation is the bride of Messiah.

Eph 5:22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands, as to our Master,

Eph 5:23 because a husband is head of the wife, as also Messiah is Head of the Congregation, and He is the Savior of the body.

Eph 5:24 But even as the Congregation is subject to Messiah, so also the wives to their own husbands in everything.

Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Messiah also loved the Congregation and gave Himself up on its behalf,

Eph 5:26 that He might sanctify it, cleansing it by the washing of water and by the Word,

Eph 5:27 that He might present it to Himself as the glorious Congregation, not having stain or wrinkle, or any such things, but that it be holy and without blemish.

Eph 5:28 So, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies, (he loving his wife loves himself),

Eph 5:29 for then no one hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, even also as our Master does to the Congregation.

Eph 5:30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones.

Eph 5:31 “For this, a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall be one (echad) flesh.” (Gen 2:24)

Eph 5:32 This is a great mystery, but I speak as to Messiah and His Congregation.

Rev 19:7 Let us rejoice and let us exult, and we will give glory to Him, because the marriage of the Lamb came, and His wife prepared herself.

Rev 19:8 And it was given to her that she be clothed in fine linen, pure and bright; for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints.

COMMENT: The reason that the marriage covenant is so sacred to Yahweh is that it pictures the very relationship that His Son Yahshua will have with His saints for all eternity. In the first covenant, the Patriarchs, such as Abraham, were reflective of the male role of the husband and therefore Yahweh allowed them at times to have multiple wives. However, in the new covenant, we are all collectively in the category of the bride of Messiah and Yahshua is the bridegroom and husband and therefore, as Deuteronomy 24 states, if the wife leaves she can never come back to her original husband; the same way if we turn back on Yahshua as our bridegroom, we can never come back to Him again.

Heb 6:4 For it is impossible for those who have once descended to immersion, and having tasted of the heavenly gift, and becoming sharers of the Holy Spirit,

Heb 6:5 and tasting the good Word of Elohim, and the works of power of the world to come,

Heb 6:6 and having fallen away, it is impossible for them again to renew to repentance, for they crucify the Son of YAHWEH a second time, and put Him to open shame.

In times past Yahweh winked at some of the ignorance’s of Israel, due to their lack of understanding but today with His Holy Spirit within us and guiding us, there is no excuse for any true believer of Yahweh to leave His lawful wife and to marry another and commit adultery, as no adulterer will be in the Kingdom of Yahweh.

1st Cor 6:9 Or do you not know that unjust ones will not inherit the kingdom of Elohim? Do not be led astray, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor the corrupt, nor homosexuals,

1st Cor 6:10 nor thieves, nor covetous ones, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortionists shall inherit the kingdom of Elohim.

Since we are the very “bride to be” of the Holy One, Yahshua Messiah, does Yahweh require special training for us to prepare for this most sacred calling?

Heb 12:14 Eagerly pursue peace and holiness with all, without which no one will see YAHWEH.

Mat 10:37 The one loving father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And the one loving son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.

Mat 10:38 And whoever does not take up his staff and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.

Mat 10:39 The one finding his life shall lose it. And the one losing his life on account of Me shall find it.

Mat 10:40 The one receiving you receives Me, and the one receiving Me receives Him who sent Me.

Col 3:1 If, then, you were raised with Messiah, seek the things above, where Messiah is sitting at the right hand of YAHWEH; (Psa 110:1)

Col 3:2 set your mind on the things above, not on things on the earth.

Col 3:3 For you died, and your life has been hidden with Messiah in Elohim.

Col 3:4 Whenever Messiah our life is revealed, then also you will be revealed with Him in glory.

Col 3:5 Then put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil lust, and covetousness, for these are idolatry;

Col 3:6 on account of which things the wrath of YAHWEH is coming on the deeds of disobedience,

Col 3:7 among whom you also walked at one time, when you were living in these.

Col 3:8 But now, you also, put off all these things: wrath, anger, malice, evil-speaking, filthy conversation out of your mouth.

Col 3:9 Do not lie to one another, having put off the old man with his practices,

Col 3:10 and put on the new life which is renewed in knowledge after the pattern in which it was originally created,

Col 3:11 where there is neither Jew nor Aramean, circumcision and uncircumcision, foreigner, Scythian, slave or freeman, but Messiah is all and in all men.

Col 3:12 Therefore, as the elect of YAHWEH, holy and beloved, put on bowels of mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering,

Col 3:13 bearing with one another and forgiving yourselves, if anyone has a complaint against any; even as Messiah forgave you, so also you should forgive.

Col 3:14 And above all these, have love, which is the bond of perfection.

Col 3:15 And let the peace of Messiah rule in your hearts, for that goal you are called in one body, and be thankful to Messiah.

Col 3:16 Let the Word of Messiah dwell in you richly, in all wisdom teaching and exhorting yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to Elohim.

Col 3:17 And everything, whatever you do in word or in work, do all things in the name of our Master Yahshua, giving thanks to YAHWEH the Father through Him.

Col 3:18 Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as is fitting in Messiah.

Col 3:19 Husbands, love the wives and do not be bitter against them

Col 3:23 And whatever you may do, do it from your whole soul as to our Master and not as to men,

Col 3:24 knowing that from the Master you shall receive the reward of the inheritance. For you serve YAHWEH the Messiah.

Est 2:12 And when the turn of each young woman had come to go in to King Ahasuerus, at the end of her being purified twelve months according to the law of the women, for so were fulfilled the days of their cleansing; six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with fragrances and with perfumes of the women.

Est 2:13 And in this way the young woman goes in to the king. All she says is given to her to go with her out of the house of the women to the king’s house.

Just as queen Ester had to prepare for 12 months and learn her role as queen before coming into the King to take her position, we need to be training now to learn for our role as bride of Messiah, and being a King and Priest with Him upon His return. When it is revealed to The New Covenant believer that the covenant he is actually entering at baptism is a marriage covenant with Yahshua Messiah, he must realize that he has a great responsibility within this covenant to fulfill his/her role as a submissive bride to be. That is why we must deny our own self-interests and grow daily in faith and love toward Yahshua, our bridegroom in waiting. In addition, just as a bridegroom according to the ancient marriage covenant had to give a dowry to the Father of the bride to literally purchase her as his wife, Yahshua gave up His very life and purchased us by His own blood.

1st Cor 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit in you, which you have from Elohim, and you are not of yourselves?

1st Cor 6:20 You were bought with a price; then glorify Elohim in your body, and in your spirit, which belong to Elohim.

Acts 20:28 Then take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit placed you as overseers, to shepherd the congregation of YAHWEH which He purchased through His own blood.

Conclusion

The marriage covenant is a sacred blood covenant and goes back to the very beginning of creation. The intent of the covenant was the complete union (physical and spiritual) of a man and a woman till one of the covenant partners would die. To leave your marriage covenant partner and marry another person is defined as adultery according to scripture.

The sacredness of the marriage covenant is due to the fact that it pictures the very marriage covenant agreement that Yahshua has with believers in the congregation and pictures our eternal state that all true believers will dwell in with Him
for eternity. To fulfill this great commission, all true believers must be denying their very self and growing in faith and love of Yahshua (the bridegroom) daily. All those who are faithful to this wonderful covenant agreement will be part of the marriage supper of the bride of Messiah at His return (Revelation 19:7-9). As a true covenant wife, all true believers
will be fully submissive to Yahshua and the leadership that He has ordained. They will be showing true Elohim guided love for each other, as Yahshua shows for us, in fulfilling their position as the bride of Messiah. A true covenant believer as a true bride will not make a life for himself in this wicked world, but will focus on being a true biblical helpmate by living first for the Kingdom goals of our Bridegroom Yahshua, and having their work be the work of Yahshua.

Points to Remember:

1) Marriage is a sacred covenant between a man and a woman and Yahweh and can only be broken by the death of one of the covenant partners.

2) If a covenant partner leaves their spouse and marries another, it is adultery according to scripture.

3) The New Testament does not necessitate for a newly baptized believer who is on a second marriage to have to leave their spouse and go back to their original spouse.

4) The marriage covenant is sacred because it pictures the marriage covenant of Yahshua with His disciples.

5) To have a proper marriage relationship, there always must be judicial order, and a man is required to love and care for his covenant wife and a woman is required to submit to her husband and dedicate her life in unison of their Elohim inspired goals.

6) Life is merely a test of our faithfulness and when we fulfill our marriage covenant vows with our spouse, we are proving to Yahshua that we will be faithful to him for eternity.