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Which leads to the climax of the drama that is God's love story. His is a heroic marriage. To have his beloved, God's son laid down his life for her. That example is the challenge to Christian marriages. How much am I willing to sacrifice of myself for my spouse? Christ is the example to husbands in Ephesians 5:25, which I like to paraphrase, "Husbands be the hero to your wives just as Christ was the hero for the church by giving himself up for her." Likewise Christ is the role model for wives: "Wives be heroic by submitting to your husbands as to the Lord" is how I might paraphrase Ephesians 5:22.

So what does this picture of God's marriage have to do with Pete? Jenny wisely used this model as motivation for her marriage. Rather than endure his on-going unfaithfulness, she fought him. God did the same in Ezekiel 16. In that powerful passage, God reveals his covenant commitment and his passion for Jerusalem and goes to great effort to win back her love.

God, through Ezekiel, begins this confrontation with his love story. He tells how the beautiful young maiden catches God's eye. "I spread the corner of my garment over you," he says. Culturally, this was a declaration of intention to marry. God continues, "I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine" (verse 8).

God acts like a proud husband, showering his bride with beautiful clothes and valuable jewelry and the finest of foods. But the bride has a problem with pride. "You trusted in your beauty and used your fame to become a prostitute" (verse 15). Now the sparks really fly. God accuses his wife of some very serious charges. She's given her gifts away to other lovers. She has slaughtered their children. She has devalued her relationship with God, and she has violated their covenant commitment.

So what is God going to do about it? It's one thing to be angry and hurl accusations. God certainly does that, but he also exercises tough love: "You will bear the consequences of your lewdness and your detestable practices, declares the Lord" (verse 58). God spells out various consequences.

But God doesn't end with judgment. Near the end of this long prophecy, his anger finally spent, he concludes: "I will deal with you as you deserve, because you have despised my oath by breaking the covenant. Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you"(verses 59-60). The predicted reaction is that Jerusalem will be ashamed and return to the Lord. The goal of this confrontation is clearly reconciliation and restoration of the relationship.

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