Marriage Tuesday

a number of weeks ago, i had a friend who called me into a dialogue about divorce.  her questions were perceptive and we carried on an email exchange that was good for both of us.  as a result of that dialogue, i went back to the bible to study the topic again to make sure that my beliefs were still aligned with what god says.

when it comes down to it, all of us are faced with the same dilemma:  where do i go for truth?  who do i trust to give me the wisdom i need to face life?  is there some kind of objective standard for right and wrong, or am i simply left to live off my feelings and my personal life education and experience?

for me, i choose god’s word.  i have no where else to go.  i refuse to trust my own judgment.  the scriptures are where i go for the definition i need for every critical life value and purpose for my life.  it is where i go for my understanding of divorce.

in the old testament, the law of moses tells the people of god of the consequences of divorce:

If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, 2 and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man, 3 and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies, 4 then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of the LORD. Do not bring sin upon the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.  Deuteronomy 24:1-4

in malachi, the prophet speaks of god’s real attitude about divorce:

“I hate divorce,” says the LORD God of Israel… Malachi 2:14

in the new testament, jesus gives some additional insight to our understanding of divorce:

“You have heard that it was said, `Do not commit adultery.’  But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. “It has been said, `Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’  But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.   Matthew 5:27-28, 31-32

and also a little later:

Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?” “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator `made them male and female,’  and said, `For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’ ?  So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?” Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.  I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.”  Matthew 19: 3-9

that’s it from jesus.

so before i give my thoughts, take a day and consider what you have read and measure what you believe about divorce against it.

i’ll return to this tomorrow…

#marriage