Genesis 17:7 “I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.”

Malachi 2:13 “Another thing you do: You flood the Lord’s altar with tears. You weep and wail because He no longer looks with favor on your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands. 14 You ask, “Why?” It is because the Lord is the witness between you and the wife of your youth. You have been unfaithful to her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant” – New International Version

A prominent Ugandan Pastor has been at the center of controversy since January this year after utterances to the effect that marriage vows are from hell and the leading reason for murders among Christian couples. Much of what he teaches on this subject is viewed as an attempt to justify his own push to divorce his wife. While his utterances have caused outrage and condemnation from other churches, he still maintains a huge following and many faithful in his congregation subscribe to his teachings.

This article is not an attempt to Judge the Pastor’s actions or utterances, but to examine what God says in his word about covenant relationships. God’s message to the Priests of Israel in Malachi Chapter 2 is a warning and an expression of outrage for the blatant violation of the covenant agreement that God established with the Priestly tribe of Levi. God himself identifies Himself as a Covenant keeping God forever upholding his promises to Abraham and to the entire community of Israel. This covenant relationship is extended to include all the nations of the world that were incorporated into this covenant relationship through Jesus Christ. God takes covenants seriously and expects us to uphold them when we enter into a covenant relationship with Him.

In Malachi 2, God likens His covenant with the Priesthood of Israel, to the covenant of marriage and accuses these Priests of being unfaithful to the “Wife of their youth”. He pronounces a curse upon these Priests and upon their descendants for covenant violation. “The man who hates and divorces his wife,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “does violence to the one he should protect,” says the Lord Almighty – Malachi 2:16

A marriage covenant is indeed a life-long covenant relationship that should be taken seriously by a prospective husband and wife before they sign up for it. Better a broken engagement than a broken marriage covenant. Marriage is a covenant recognized by the society, the state and by God as a binding and life-long agreement and should be handled as such by the man and the woman entering into it. Upholding this covenant is what attracts God’s blessings rather than curses.