Link said: In the Bible, the covenant is usually between the bride's father and the groom (or groom's father on behalf of the groom, perhaps, in the case of Samson.)
And what bearing does that have outside theocratic Israel and its unique civil laws and/or customs upon new covenant believers today? <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/scratch1.gif" alt="" />
In 1Cor 7:9 and 36, Paul is addressing individual men and women in regard to their entering into marriage, enjoining them to do so personally. If there was any place where O.T. Israelic marriage practices might be expected to be mentioned, it would have been there. Yet, we see nothing mentioned. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/scratchchin.gif" alt="" /> Nor is there any other place in the entire N.T. where the male head of a household is instructed to contract a marriage for his children.
In His grace,
I was responding to a post that said that marriage was a covenant between a man and a woman. I do not see this concept in scripture, per se. I suppose one could argue it from the 'one flesh' passage, but that does not say anything about making vows before a congregation. This is a western cultural concept-- that has been exported to other cultures through western cultural expressions of Christianity.
Some would interpret I Corinthians 7 to refer to fathers or heads of households arranging marriages for their daughters. Take a look at the footnotes of an NIV. One interpretation is that the man who gives his virgin in marriage is the father giving his daughter in marriage. I suppose the other interpretation would be that a man promised a woman in an arranged marriage could choose not to marry her.
Other than this, the New Testament does nto go into great detail into how marriages are to be arranged. Aside from a possible intepretation of I Cor. 7, it does not specify that fathers arrange marriages for their daughters (though that must have been practiced by many Christians living when the NT scriptures were written.)
Personally, I believe God gives us freedom for many different cultural practices. Fathers giving their daughters away is still practiced in some places. In general, I do believe a father's premission should be sought, particularly when both families are Christians.
