Our God will be our guide.
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised…
… that you may tell the next generation
that this is God,
our God forever and ever.
He will guide us beyond death
(Psalm 48:1 and 13-14, ESV margin).
The famous comedian Groucho Marx was once at a dinner party when the conversation turned to marriage. One of the guests asked him, “How long have you been married, Groucho?” The comedian replied, “I have been married 40 years, and it just seems like yesterday.” Then he added,” And you know what a bad yesterday was!”
On 26th September, 1970 something very special happened: I was married to my wife June. If you asked me today, “How long have you been married, Gordon?” I would reply, “I have been married 50 years, and it just seems like yesterday.” Then I would add, “And you know what a good day yesterday was!”
I don’t say this because our marriage has been a continuously smooth and calm experience. Marriage is a mixture of joys and sorrows, along with the immense pleasure of loving and being loved through many crises, sorrows, disagreements and mistakes. No, the wonder of Christian marriage is the constant and mutual discovery that “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised.” From the very beginning, it was in God’s mind that men and women would reflect the love of God in their relationship. Within their marriages, He wanted them to express His love. This love would be shown to one another, to their children, to their families and to their neighbours. Their lives were to be an outflowing of the blessing of God, lives that would exclaim, “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised.”
When we were engaged, June bought me a watch and on the wrist strap was engraved Psalm 48:14 (KJV), “For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.” It was in anticipation of our marriage vows, “till death us do part”. I like the ESV translation and margin:
that you may tell the next generation
that this is God,
our God forever and ever.
He will guide us beyond death.
The writer is talking about telling the next generation. Our marriages are a witness to the love of Christ to both the present and next generations. In Christian marriage we should have the experience of knowing God as our God in shared faith and love. He wants us to know His presence in our marriages. This presence guides us throughout our lives together. But more than this, we have a shared hope. His love guides us beyond death.
There is intended in Christian marriage a reflection of Christ’s sacrificial love for the Church: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her” (Ephesians 5:25). Paul speaks about the Church in all her future glory: a glorious Church (v. 27). God’s love welcomes us within its eternal embrace because Christ’s love has conquered death. Like David, the great Psalmist, we can all join our hearts and voices together today and, looking forward, say, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives; and we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (see Psalm 23:6). May God bless and keep us in our marriages.
