The Marriage Covenant as a Diplomatic Mission

                                                           H.E. Dr. Anita Mckaney

In my work as a Peace Ambassador and Chaplain, I often find myself discussing the nuances of international relations and the high-stakes world of diplomacy. We think of diplomacy as something that happens in marble halls or at large roundtables between nations. But as I reflect on the beauty of "walking together towards God," I am reminded that the most important diplomatic mission we will ever lead is the one that takes place within the four walls of our own homes.

Recently on our mission trip to Ghana through The Titus Ten Foundation program, my husband and I had the opportunity to walk royal residential halls in a historic monument to African freedom. After the amazing tour and history lesson, we had the distinct opportunity to sign our names as a testament to this amazing tour and diplomatic mission as a couple. I sentimentally call it the Grace Treaty and this document got me thinking...

The Home as an Embassy

In 2 Corinthians 5:20, the Word tells us, "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ..." An ambassador is a high-ranking official sent by a country as its resident representative in a foreign land. As believers, our citizenship is in Heaven, which makes our marriages the primary "Embassies" of God's Kingdom here on earth! Imagine that. When people look at our union, are they seeing the culture of the Kingdom—peace, love, and reconciliation—or are they seeing the chaos of the world? 

Walking in Agreement

Amos 3:3 asks the poignant question: "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" In diplomacy, agreement doesn't mean you never have a difference of opinion. It means you are committed to a shared mission that is greater than your individual preferences. To walk together towards God, a couple must:

1. Maintain Open Channels of Communication: Just as nations must keep dialogue open to avoid conflict, a "Diplomatic Marriage" requires us to be "swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath" (James 1:19).

2. Practice Soft Power: In leadership, "soft power" is the ability to influence through attraction rather than coercion. In marriage, this is the power of a "soft answer" that turns away wrath (Proverbs 15:1). This is especially important for us wives!

3. Protect the Covenant: An ambassador’s first loyalty is to the government they represent. Our first loyalty in marriage is to the Covenant God established. Always.

The Mission of Reconciliation

As we close out the month of April and look toward the future, I challenge you to view your spouse not just as a partner, but as a fellow diplomat. When you "walk together towards God," you aren't just moving in the same direction; you are representing His character to a world that is desperate for a visual aid of true peace.

Let your home be a place where the "treaty of grace" is signed every morning and where the "peace that passes understanding" guards your doors.

Less Average People

The nations of Genesis 10 have been used as an origin of the "races" proof text and has been very controversial. It has been widely accepted in Christianity that Noah's sons "Japheth is the father of the Caucasian "race", Shem of the Mongoloid race, and Ham of the Negroid race. Some have interpreted Noah's prophecies of his sons in Genesis 9 to be the Scriptural basis for discrimination of one "race" against another. Particularly, the supposed curse on Ham's son, Canaan, was purported to be Biblical support for Negro slavery." "...the majority of European artists and Bible commentators painted and described all biblical characters, including God, as White. This had the effect of excluding blacks from being a part of Scripture and has led some people of color to question the Bible’s relevance to them." "...according to some scholars, there are no black people mentioned." Don't trust another man to tell your story!

I remember hearing back in the 80's, and still today scientist believe that humans originated in Africa. I believe that the Bible and about ninety percent of it's Old Testament people mentioned were predominantly black. The best evidence of this is the Bible itself. Here are some of the adjectives and proper names the Bible uses:

Cush (Ham's son) = "black" in Hebrew. (Cushi or cushim means black skinned people)

Mizraim or Egypt in English was Ham's son. The ancient name for Egypt is Kemet and means "black land".

Ethiopia (Jeremiah 13:23) = "burned face" in Greek.

Kedar (Genesis 25:13) = blackness, swarthy, very black, dark skinned.

Niger (Acts 13:1) = black in Latin.

Phinehas (Moses' great nephew - Judges 20:28) = the Nubian (black).

Song of Solomon 1:5 (King James Version); "I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon."

Hebrew which is equated to "Canaanite" by today's definition is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family.

If Ham's sons were different "races" (or subgroups) in one family, as some believe, that ("argument from silence") would be a pretty drastic and peculiar thing for the Bible not to even hint to it; also like Israel (and the Motherland) nations spun off of large families. They weren't some chaotic "melting pot" like America; and names back then were descriptive and had meaning.

Although this subject is a non essential for life in Jesus Christ, nevertheless the truth should not be suppressed.

Maurice

Peril and Peace: A Lesson from Mr & Mrs Manoah

A Lesson from Mr & Mrs. Manoah

In the landscape of biblical marriages, we often look to Abraham and Sarah for faith, or Aquila and Priscilla for ministry. But hidden in the hill country of Zorah, within the Tribe of Dan, lies a powerful dynamic of partnership between a man named Manoah and his wife.

​They were tasked with birthing a deliverer (Samson) during a time of oppression. Their story teaches us a vital lesson about how couples handle the weight of a heavy assignment.

​1. The Discerning Wife (The Eye)

​It is fascinating that the Angel of the Lord did not appear to Manoah first; He appeared to the wife. She was the spiritual "antenna" of the union. When the Angel spoke the impossible promise of a son, she didn't argue. She immediately recognized the divine nature of the encounter.

​For the Wives: Sometimes, you will sense the shift before your husband does. You may receive the "download" while he is still at work. Your role is not to usurp him, but to inform him. She went directly to Manoah and said, "A man of God came to me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible." She carried the vision.

​2. The Prayerful Husband (The Covering)

​Manoah didn’t dismiss his wife. He didn't get insecure that God spoke to her first. Instead, he went to prayer.

Judges 13:8 - "Then Manoah entreated the Lord, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born."

​Manoah brings Order to her Vision. He realized that a supernatural promise requires practical instruction. He didn't just want the miracle; he wanted the manual.

​3. The Balance of Terror and Peace

​Here is where the Tribe of Dan (Justice) meets the spirit of Rest. When the Angel finally appeared to both of them and ascended in the flame of the altar, Manoah panicked.

Manoah said: "We shall surely die, because we have seen God."

​He looked at the facts and saw danger. But his wife looked at the nature of God and saw peace.

His wife answered: "If the Lord were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt offering... neither would he have showed us all these things."

​The Marriage Lesson:

In every Kingdom marriage, you need a Visionary and a Stabilizer.

​She saw the intent: "God wants to bless us."

​He felt the weight: "This is holy and dangerous."

​They did not fight over their different perspectives; they balanced one another. Her discernment kept him from despair, and his reverence kept them grounded in prayer.

​Kingdom Application

​As we step into a season where we are building "Rest on every side" (1 Kings 5:4), we must be like Manoah (whose name literally means Rest). We must invite God’s instruction into our homes.  

​We do not just birth biological children; we birth businesses, ministries, and movements (Dominion Creativity). To steward these heavy assignments, we must learn to trust the spiritual sight of our spouse and the stabilizing prayer of our partner. 

Love,

Maurice and Anita