the basic message #E107
Malachi 2:16
"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.
How do I tackle this subject without alienating myself from my many divorced friends and relatives? The answer must be, "let the chips fall where they may." Is it because divorced people are bad people? Nope- there are plenty of people married for a lifetime that are mean as snakes, as well as divorcees that are the "salt of the earth". In the passage above, God pretty well lays it out for us- "I hate divorce". I hate divorce too, because it nearly always creates far more problems than it solves. What else does the Bible say about divorce? Talk to me, Jesus.
Matthew 19:8-9
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."
I’m looking for statistics on how many divorces occur due to adultery, and so far, I’m coming up empty. I know plenty of people who are divorced, and I don’t doubt that many marriages ended with adultery as the cause, but was it really the original problem? Let’s see what else Jesus said:
Luke 16:18
"Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery."
Well, well, the noose begins to tighten in Luke’s account. Gone is the exception for adultery, and we must wonder which account is more accurate. Certainly the bulk of the Christian church will rally around Matthew’s writings since the divorce rate among Christians is actually a bit higher than that of "the heathens". My, what a wicked web we weave. What's really happening with divorce in America? It would appear that we have made it so easy to abandon our spouses that few people even raise an eyebrow when hearing about another divorce. Since we have a growing number of pastors who are divorced, the position from the pulpit has softened drastically. It’s time for me to make my pitch. I sincerely believe that God intended for a couple to really do some serious soul-searching before getting married. Unfortunately, it’s hard to get two 18 year-olds to think much farther than where the reception will be held. I applaud the Catholic Church for their "Pre Cana" program, in which the priest requires the couple to go through counseling before he will marry them. Is that a guarantee of marital success? Nope, but it’s a step in the right direction. I don’t see many Protestant ministers asking any questions beforehand. Maybe they should, since the family expects them to come in a couple of years later and clean up the mess of the broken marriage. Here’s what I think Jesus had in mind: Pick your mate carefully, since we are supposed to "become one". I really think that Jesus only gives us one shot. If, in fact, a divorce is okay after adultery takes place, where does Jesus say, "Go ahead and give it another shot."? If every Christian knew that Jesus would only let them marry one time (except for the death of a spouse), wouldn’t people be a little more careful? I hate divorce. It’s time the church started hating it again.