The Marriage Covenant

By Lisa Hathaway

From Genesis to Revelation, the scriptures are a beautiful love story, an epic tale about the love that YHVH, the Holy One of Israel, has for His people, Israel. 

We pick up the story at Mount Sinai, where YHVH established a marriage covenant with Israel, a people called out, separated unto Him, a people that He desired to serve Him in holiness and righteousness. By His grace, YHVH betrothed Israel to Himself FOREVER. (I Chron 17:22)  He married Israel that day and she became His wife, His cherished and treasured bride.

In time, Israel grew wanton and unfaithful and broke covenant.  YHVH divorced her. Though Israel was unfaithful, YHVH remains faithful.  He longs for her to repent and return to Him. 

The good news is, she will, and this time, it will be different.  THIS time she will serve the Almighty with sincerity and gladness of heart. She will be faithful to Him alone.

It is fitting that this be posted right before Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles), which prophetically represents the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Rev 19:8-9), a time of rejoicing and gladness, of celebrating the remarriage of YHVH to His beloved Israel, who has finally returned…

^“And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob”
(Romans 11:26)

I take you, Israel, as My bride,
to have and to hold from this day forward
I have chosen you above all nations
to be my very own FOREVER

I am your Elohim and you are My people
I promise to love you, to provide for you,
and to protect you ALWAYS

I give you my covenants and promises
They are yours to keep
They are my gifts to you

I give you My eternal law and commandments
to guide and instruct you in the way of righteousness

I ask only that you confess that you are a sinner and have broken My law
I ask that you repent, that you turn fully to Me, and away from sin

I ask that you walk in obedience all the days of your life
I ask that you serve Me with all your heart, mind, body and soul

I ask that you be born again, a new creation, with a circumcised heart,
a heart that shuns evil and desires to please Me in every way
I ask that you keep My law, My commandments, My Sabbath and My Feasts, joyfully and wholeheartedly

And to the strangers, the Gentiles
I invite you into My covenant with Israel
to be among my chosen people, if you agree to the terms stated

I invite you to be grafted in to the olive tree of Israel,
to be partakers of ALL that I have given to My precious Bride

I am the Shepherd
I have only ONE sheep pen
that Jew/Gentile must enter
I have ONE law – ONE Torah – for ONE people

I wed thee, O Israel,
for better or worse,
for richer, for poorer,
in sickness and in health,
to love and to cherish,
through ALL of eternity

by Lisa Hathaway