Engagement

 

    Engagements between a man and a woman is more like courtship and a contract tied together.  It should be pursued in the same manner that God pursues us.  That means that an engagement is holy, pure, a time of preparation, and loving.

    The engagements of the Jewish culture was a wedding process.  It was legally binding.  There were vows involved which means that it was a commitment.  It was normally arranged by the parents, but the man and the woman would get to know each other as they prepare to live together.  The vows were said before they started to prepare.

    An engagement is the time where the couple prepare to spend the rest of their lives together and start a family.  It is a purification process.  It is the time where the couple gets to know each other in a specific way: preparation to spend the rest of their lives together.

    The wedding is the day that all the preparation is celebrated.  It is when the couple finally come together to live in one house, live life together, and start anew as an united couple instead of two individual people.  The consummation is the last binding part of the marriage.  It fulfills the contract of unity.

    The courtship should take time.  It is getting to know each other to see if you are compatible.  The engagement should be short, so you do not fall to temptation.  The wedding is the day of celebration and rejoicing that God is blessing your patience.  It should be a feast.  The wedding night is the final stage of becoming one person physically.  Then the marriage begins.

    Love is a choice.  It is a commitment.  It is not something earned.  God chose to pursue us when we were at our worst.  He never gives up on us.  That is the kind of love a marriage needs to survive.  Love is not lust, desire, or a compulsion.  Love is sacrificial.  

    When you choose marriage, you are choosing a life that is no longer just about you and your needs.  You are choosing a life of taking care of your spouses needs in honor of the spouse and God.  This is why you make your spouse your best friend and you pursue to grow your relationship with God together.

Proverbs 18:22-24, Mark 10:5-12, John 14:23-26, Ephesians 4:1-4, & Revelations 19:6-9