God's Position On Divorce

Malachi 2:15-16 (NIV)

Has not the Lord made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth.

"I hate divorce," says the Lord God of Israel, "and I hate a man's covering himself with violence as well as with his garment," says the Lord Almighty.

So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith. 

Matthew 19:3-9

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." 

1 Corinthians 7:10

To the married I give this command (not I but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife. 

To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.

But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?  

The post I want to share today is geared towards having an extensive look into the topic called DIVORCE in marriage. I consider divorce as a silent wicked vice that has found its way into the institution of marriage and attempts to destabilize the marriage that God instituted at the very beginning. Divorce has become a convenient approach for the hardened hearts who would not give God room to walk them through the challenges they might be facing in their marriages and so it has received a warm embrace even among the Christians. 

For those who are divorced before they came to the saving knowledge of Christ Jesus, this post does not stand to condemn you. And also for those who are already divorced this post also does not write you off. The Bible says seven times a righteous man many fall, but they shall surely raise again and in Christ Jesus there is always room for new beginnings.  

Divorce in whatever way or manner or reason we may look at or have for it, the Lord God Almighty says He hates divorce. Divorce for any reason does not carry the approval of God. When we look at the question of the Pharisees to Jesus in Matthew 19, they sought clarity for divorce for any and every reason and Jesus responded saying that at the beginning the Lord made them male and female and joined them together in flesh and spirit and so they have ceased to become two but one and if God has so found it fitting to join them together as one, then man has no right or justification to undo what God has done by separating what God has joined together. As children of God having in us the fear of God, we need to understand that trying to carry out an act that God hates is a sin. So in other words divorce is a sin just like murder, lies, theft and other forms of sin. 

I am so trying to look for a form of soft landing for this message, but the whole truth is that divorce is a sin. Right from the Old Testament, through to the days of Jesus and after the days of Jesus to this present generation divorce has been a sin and always will be a sin. God hates it and has expressed Himself so over and over again. 

In the book of Malachi, God warned that man should guard himself in the spirit, and what that tells us is that God expects that we put a watch on whatever it is that might lead to breaking faith with our spouses. God expects us to watch over our conduct in our marriages and abide by His rules in establishing that institution such that we watch against anything and everything that might cause a break in our marriage union. As it applies to the man, so does it to the woman, it is a call that needs for us to be on our guard to conduct ourselves in our marriages such that we overcome the vice of divorce. It depends on us to do and so God is calling our attention to it. 

Jesus said that Moses permitted divorce because the hearts of men were hard. Divorce is the option that applies only to hardened hearts that are not receptive to the instruction and teachings of God. When a marriage has reached the point of divorce then it shows that those involved are hardened people who will not yield. 

It appears as though there are some exception to the rules when it comes to the issue of divorce; in the book of Matthew 19, Jesus gave marital unfaithfulness as one of such exceptions, but when we get to the book of 1 Corinthians 7, we will observe that even if a man or woman divorces for this reason, he/she is to remain unmarried or be reconciled to their spouse. So when we look at the matter wholly we will observe that divorce is not a thing approved by God. 

Also Paul gave the stance of believe as a tenable reason for a man or woman to divorce, yet he speaks not as God's mouth piece but based on his own personal view. More so we are not to be equally yoked with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14-18). If you have allowed God make for you a wife and you have consulted and confirmed with God before marrying that husband, the rule of Paul will not apply to you. God will not lead you into a marriage that is destined for divorce or destined to fail. 

So taking a comprehensive look at all the instances that might permit divorce for any and every reason, God's rule still stands firm and sure and that rule is that your marriage is not designed for divorce as God hates divorce. 

The next thing we need to face as reality is that just like every area of our lives, in marriages we face challenges. No marriage is without its stories both good and bad and even the ugly. There will always will the high times and the down times, but if you can trust God to solve your financial crisis, and then trust God for your healing, and trust God for your children, so you should be able to trust God to work in your marriage. Divorce is not the easy way out of a troubled marriage, it's just speaking the language of failure to God. But when you settle down and allow God hold your hand and walk you through the storm, it will appear as though you never had any trouble before with your spouse. 

Marriage is a beautiful place to be, it an institution designed by God for the man He create and the help He has provided for him as a form place of refreshment, love, peace, joy and harmony. It is not a battle ground and it is not designed by God to be endured but enjoyed. When you relax and focus on God and apply the rules of God for your marriage, you will enjoy the proceeds thereof and know that indeed God has the best of you in mind when He instituted marriage. 

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