God is a Spouse, Not a Dictator

Today we talked about marriage in ancient Israel. Marriage can be a painful and sensitive topic for us in the Church today, because our ideals have often been weaponised to exclude people. However, we can't sideline the centrality of marriage as a symbol of God's love in the scriptures. So, we seek to understand it. As Israel entered into a covenant relationship with God, they stepped through four phases that mimicked entering into a marriage. These indicated that God was not a dictator who sat above them, but the spouse and best friend who wooed and committed to them. Which stage are you at in your journey with God? Do you give him a chance to be known? Are you serious about making a committment to be faithful to him? Have you given him first place and allowed him into every part of your life? Are you collaborating with him to love and serve the poor, and those who don't know true love in their lives?

Podcast by Heather Cetrangolo, 22 March 2026