The Death of Marriage

 


Divorce and the Bible, part 1

 

Introduction

In Malachi 2:16, it is written, “For the LORD God of Israel says That He hates divorce, For it covers one's garment with violence,” Says the LORD of hosts. “Therefore take heed to your spirit, That you do not deal treacherously.”

Marriage is an invention of God, divorce is an invention of man, therefore, God hates divorce. And, it’s not just an unscriptural one either. He hates it altogether. In this series of articles, we’ll look at what the bible has to say about divorce.

 

Definition of Divorce

1828 Webster’s Dictionary— A legal dissolution of the bonds of matrimony, or the separation of husband and wife by a judicial sentence. This is properly called a divorce, and called technically, divorce a vinculo matrimonii.

 

Easton’s Bible Dict.— The dissolution of the marriage tie was regulated by the Mosaic law Deut. 24:1-4. The Jews, after the Captivity, were required to dismiss the foreign women they had married contrary to the law Ezra 10:11-19. Christ limited the permission of divorce to the single case of adultery. It seems that it was not uncommon for the Jews at that time to dissolve the union on very slight pretenses Mt. 5:31-32; 19:1-9; Mk. 10:2-12; Lk. 16:18. These precepts given by Christ regulate the law of divorce in the Christian Church.

 

What is the purpose of Divorce?

There are a lot of reasons why people get divorced and most are not serious enough to be considered. Some will say that it was a mistake to get married, others will say their spouse isn’t the same person they dated, and so on.


Here are three things to consider about the purpose of divorce:

1)   God never commanded it! God was all about the marriage between man and woman. In Gen. 2:18, And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” And woman was created; verses 20-22. The first marriage was then established; verse 24, Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Jesus confirms this in Matthew 19:4-6, And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”

 

2)   Moses permitted it! As we stated in the beginning, divorce is an invention of man. Moses allowed it to preserve the nation of Israel as a whole. In Deuteronomy 24:1, “When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house.”

Jesus confirms this in Matthew 19:7-8, They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?" He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.

God allowed these divorces to happen to keep His promise to Abraham (Gen. 12:2). Otherwise, unnecessary physical deaths may result.

 

3)   Jesus said for one reason only! The only exception was made by Jesus when he said, in Matthew 19:9, “And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits  adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.”

He said this earlier in his Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:32, “But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

The cause of “sex outside of the marriage” (Heb. 13:4); a cheating partner, is the only reason, according to God’s Law, for a divorce between husband and wife.

 

Conclusion

Marriage is a divine institution created by God and should be taken very seriously. No one should enter into the bonds of matrimony unless they fully understand that it is a life commitment. God hates divorce!

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