October 29 | Hebrews 13:4

bevoltmann
Oct 28
3 min read

DAILY READING

Hebrews 13:4

REFLECTION

Honored by All

By Beth Voltmann

Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure,

for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

(Hebrews 13:4)

Can we just declare “AMEN” and be done? This is one of those Biblical passages that we would like to quickly skim over and then move on. After all, this doesn’t really apply to everyone, right?

What if you are single, divorced, a widow or widower, or fill in the blank. Can’t you just consider this a verse for others to follow? Reconsider the words above...“marriage should be honored by all”. All means all.

Come on! We are living in the 21^st century - individual rights and free love. These words to the Hebrews are antiquated in our modern world – much less a directive and more of a guideline, right?

God gave us many Biblical accounts of how relational disobedience resulted in hardships after: Reuben slept with Jacob’s concubine (Genesis 35)

Judah slept with his daughter-in-law, Tamar, believing her to be a prostitute (Genesis 38)

David slept with Bathsheba, another man’s wife (2 Samuel 11)

Absalom violated his sister, Tamar (2 Samuel 13)

Solomon chose to have 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kings 11)

History would have so fewer problems if we followed God’s Word in every aspect of our personal lives, but instead, the lines have become blurred. We relish impure relationships in film, watch them unfold in politics, celebrate them in television series and magazines, gossip about them in our neighborhoods, and accept them as a fact of life with friends, family, and even for ourselves.

And yet, Christians should be noticeably different in this current atmosphere where everybody is “doing what seems right in their own eyes” (Judges 21:25). If only we would model the blessing that comes from obedience and celebrate marriage as a sacred, covenantal relationship that is to be honored by all. All means All.

I smile at the memory of a conversation my husband and I had years ago with the DJ at our daughter’s wedding. In typical fashion, he invited married couples to join in the tradition of an Anniversary Dance with the expectation that the dance floor would quickly empty as he asked the guests to stop dancing if they were married less than 1 year, 5 yrs., 10 yrs., 20 yrs., 30 yrs., 35 yrs..... He made it past 60 years and two couples were still swaying to the music! The DJ was astounded - never having witnessed the dance last so long. He was visibly moved when we shared that the couples all had one thing in common – a faith in Jesus!

We are called to honor and obey God's Word today. As I reflect on all of this, I'm convicted. I know I have fallen short of His standard. Maybe you feel that too. Good News! There is forgiveness that is ours in Jesus. Start afresh, if needed. He is so forgiving - so loving - so Holy - so worthy of our obedience. Let's shine His light in this present darkness.

PRAYER

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy – to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! (Jude 1:24-25)

And ALL God’s people said, "Amen!"

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

BETH VOLTMANN

After moving to Ohio in 1997 with my husband and four children, I developed a hunger for God’s Word through adult teaching and women’s Bible study at UALC. My passion is to help others understand Scripture so that they may grow in their desire for more of God and experience the new life offered to us through Christ Jesus.