Biblical Christian Marriage
v.61 And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way. v.62 And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi: for he dwelt in the south country. v.63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and behold, the camels were coming. v.64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel. v.65 For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a veil and covered herself. v.66 And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done. v67. And Isaac brought Rebekah unto the local magistrate to obtain a license before they could be lawfully married. And after Isaac had paid the governing authority 2 shekels of silver the magistrate blessed the couple and said, "You must be the children of the most high God because of your obedience to YHWH in submitting to every ordinance here in the south country." So after this, Isaac was free to take Rebekah to wife, for Isaac knew that if he didn't take a license he would be living in sin and their subsequent children would be illegitimate.
Just in case you didn't catch it v.67 was not the true reading of Genesis 24:61-67 in the authorized version of the Bible. However, the incorrect paraphrase I inserted definitely reflects the understanding of many Christians today concerning marriage.
Many Christians have forgotten or are unfortunately not aware that God has instituted marriage. In Genesis 2:18-24 the Bible makes it clear that God is the author of the union between one man and one woman for life (see Jesus' teaching in Matthew 19 for further elaboration).
Since it is God who has instituted marriage, and put his blessing upon it, the Christian should not seek permission from the state (civil government) to do that which God has already ordained.
As a correlation to this, people who have begun meeting as the body of Christ in a home or rented building often times look to the state later on for their legitimacy as a church. Jesus Christ in Matthew 16:18 said, "I will build my church."
When the body of Christ, the church, seeks a 501c3 not-for-profit status from the civil government they are abandoning Jesus Christ as the true head of the church, and substituting the corporate regulations of the state in Christ's place as the head.
The same thing takes place in the marriage covenant when a couple seeks a license from the state. "The state is a party to every marriage contract with its own residents as well as the guardians of their morals." Robert's v Robert's (1947) 81 CA2d 871, 185 P2d 381.
In a marriage under the Lordship of Jesus Christ it is three to be married, the man, the woman, and Jesus Christ. Malachi 2 makes it clear that the Lord is in covenant with the Christian man and woman when they marry. It is God who is the guardian of the morals in a marriage not the state, Malachi 2:14.
This is critical because, "Statutes both in America and England have greatly modified the ancient law as to the validity of marriages." (35 Am Jur at 46.)
If a church or marriage seeks its validity from the state, it runs head on into the double mindedness of ever changing laws. For several thousand years large families were considered a blessing in China, but since atheistic communism has controlled their civil government in recent times, the Chinese are allowed only one child per family. But thanks be unto God, His word is eternal and an absolute authority for our lives.
The Christian should have no fear in executing the testament of Jesus Christ in these areas. Proverbs 18:22 says, "Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favor of the Lord." Marriage is a blessing from our gracious Lord. It is God's gift to us. I believe it is an affront to God when Christians in effect say, "Thank you Lord for my spouse to be, but let me check first with the state, and give them 50 bucks for a license to make sure I can receive your gift. What the state gives it may also take away. There is a big difference between God given rights and state privileges. The founders of this country understood this truth well when they said men, "are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights."
Pagan civil law is a law of license or permission (which can be revoked), while God's law is a perfect law of liberty under His Lordship and protection. Because much of Christianity in the United States today has drifted from the moorings of the Christian common law, our natural inclination upon reading this article might be one of shock or fear. The Christian common law is simply Biblical law applied, and the solemnization of marriage without state license is done by Christians fully cognizant of their covenant to one another and to God.
We still have vestiges of Biblical truth in most marriages today. For example, why is it that in a marriage ceremony the man comes to the front of the chapel first and the bride comes down the isle to meet him, usually presented and given away be her father? Because our Heavenly Father brought Eve unto Adam in Genesis 2:22.
I started this article by quoting Genesis 24:61-66 and misquoting vs. 67. Here is the way vs. 67 reads in the authorized version. "And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death."
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