Cancer Blog #86
By Brian Zimmerman
Begun on July 31, 2021
Email: dyingman1@yahoo.com
My Dying Words
Entry #86– Marriage and Death
June 2, 2023
From the Book of Common Prayer, edition of 1928, “The Form of solemnization of Matrimony: N[ame], Wilt thou have this Woman to be thy wedded wife, to live together after God’s ordinance in the holy estate of Matrimony? Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honour, and keep her in sickness and in health; and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?”
(The minister then also addresses the wife with a similar vow)
“I N[ame] take thee N[ame]to be my wedded Husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God’s holy ordinance; and thereto I give thee my troth.”
(The minister also addresses the husband with a similar vow)
You may not have been aware that your marriage began with a pledge involving death. I quoted from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer from their ceremony of marriage vows, and you may not have used those particular vows, but my guess is that it was probably something similar. Marriages are usually thought of as covenants, which in the Bible may be between God and people, or they may be between two (or more) people. Here we have an example of the latter: two people, man and woman, take covenant vows; to promise to complete certain responsibilities, no matter what the circumstance. (In fact, in my opinion, especially in this culture, we should have one Sunday worship service annually in which all the married couples should stand and renew these vows. In biblical terms, that would be a covenant renewal event, something that happens a number of times, especially in the Old Testament).
But those situations, those vows are concluded when either partner dies. And, Paul uses this situation (i.e., death ending our responsibilities under our vows) to explain our relationship to the Law (see Romans 7:1-3)
So, those marriage vows are a very serious obligation. Nonetheless, the finality of death ends those obligations completely and absolutely, even freeing us to marry again and to take vows just as solemn and binding as they were with the first mate. There is no shame or penalty for such an act.
My point is a simple one: death is absolute and final. Our obligations, responsibilities (and even opportunities) to anyone in this age, even to the one we cherish most, to whom we have promised exclusive loyalty (“forsaking all others…”) is ended by death. Death is the bookend to our entire life. After that, there are no more pages to turn, no other dates in our journals of experiences to fill, there is only judgment coming to assess that life that has been written. Was it a life lived out in faith, bearing fruit consistent with that faith, or was it a life of disbelief as shown by the lack of fruit? (Again, I point you to Matthew 25 and Jesus’ parable of the sheep and goats in which He acts as Judge to separate professing Christians, true believer vs hypocritical believer, based not on their profession, but on the fruit of that profession)
My conclusion is this: the bookend of your life approaches, and God will then read the books of your life, those journals you have filled every year, and yet you don’t know when He stops those journals and begins to open them for judgement. Jesus (and Paul) warns us to be ready for the close of our last book as we approach God’s revelation of the book of life. In Scripture (Matthew 25 and elsewhere) we are given the test questions (i.e., the judgment day assessment). May God in His grace and mercy help us to be prepared for that Great Day!
NEXT: A Change