The LORD is witness between you and your wife
Mal 2:13 Another thing you do: You flood the Lord’s altar with tears. You weep and wail because he no longer pays attention to your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands. 14 You ask, "Why?" It is because the LORD is acting as the witness between you and the wife of your youth, because you have broken faith with her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant. 15 Has not [the LORD] made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth. (NIV)
v Here we have a complaint from God himself.
o He has to listen to our complaints and tears that we bring him
§ The reason we are complaining and crying is that he no longer listens to our prayers. Why?
§ Because he doesn’t like what he sees happening in our marriages.
v the LORD is acting as the witness between you and the wife of your youth
o Is he only here today? Matt 19:6 So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."
§ What God has joined together! He has already joined together with each one of you that are believers and now he joins you two together. Two things are happening here. He is joining you and himself together as ONE!
§ Through out your life he will continue to watch and be a witness and a reminder of this covenant. What you do, he will know and it will affect your relationship together with him!
v You have broken faith with her…
o Partner – Your life is a “together life” now, you are no longer alone. You are to share all with her. You are to leave all others and join yourself to her. She will be your best friend, helper, sharer of your deepest secrets and fears. Fulfiller of your needs.
o Wife of your marriage covenant – you are making promises today that are forever. 1 Pet 3:7 Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.
v Guard yourself in your spirit
v Resist the thoughts of this world 2 Cor 10:2 I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. 3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (NIV)
v Pray Phil 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (NIV)