Daily Devotional For Monday, September 23, 2024

Well, Good Morning Southside! It’s Monday and you are either back to work or back to school or both or retired and taking it easy this morning. We are making our way through Jesus’ Sermon On The Mount and currently we are in Matthew 5:32-32:

“Now it was said, ‘Whoever sends his wife away is to give her a certificate of divorce’; (32) but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery” (NASB).

Yesterday I set up the context of Jesus’ words which come from Deuteronomy 24:1-4. If you did not read yesterday’s devotional, please read it before you read today’s. The context eliminates any misunderstanding and confusion as to why Jesus says what He does here. Marriage was created by God in the Garden of Eden. It was blissful, perfect, holy and perfect. The Fall has destroyed what God created. As a result of Adam and Eve’s sin, God pronounced a curse on Adam and Eve and every single person since. It is found in Genesis 3:16, 17b-19:

“I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you shall deliver children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he shall rule over you . . .  (17b) Cursed is the ground because of you; With hard labor you shall eat from it All the days of your life. (18) Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; Yet you shall eat the plants of the field; (19) By the sweat of your face, You shall eat bread, Until you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return”  (NASB).

One of the reasons God hates divorce (Mal. 2:16) is that it dissolves a relationship that God created. This is why Jesus said what He did in Matthew 19:6, “So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no person is to separate” (NASB). The seriousness with which God takes marriage is seen in the penalty for adultery. All sexual intercourse outside of marriage is sinful and defiling, but any illicit sexual activity that involved married persons was punishable by death in the Old Testament (see Lev. 20:10–14). In fact, two of the Ten Commandments relate to the sanctity of marriage. Not only is the act of adultery forbidden but even the intent of it in coveting another man’s wife (Ex. 20:14, 17).

In fact, nowhere is God’s high view of the sanctity of marriage more clearly emphasized than in the list of the Ten Commandments: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife” (Ex. 20:17). For a married person even to desire another partner was a grievous sin. As Jesus affirms in Matthew 5:28, "Jesus said, `But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart'” (ESV);  adultery is forbidden to both the body and the mind. In Leviticus 18:18 God went a step further and forbade polygamy. Every violation of lifelong, faithful, monogamous marriage was forbidden by the divine law.

God established marriage as the physical, spiritual, and social union of one man with one woman, a life-long, indivisible union that is never to be violated and never to be broken. He confirms His absolute hatred of divorce in Malachi 2:13–16. Look at Malachi 2:16, “For I hate divorce,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “and him who covers his garment with violence,” says the Lord of armies. “So be careful about your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously” (NASB). The phrase “and him who covers his garment with violence” can be translated as “he covers his garment with violence.” It's a picture of a person who is caught doing murder with the blood of his victim splattered on his own clothes. There are many Christians today who claim they are at peace with their divorce “because God led me to get a divorce.” Ironic and hypocritical for God to lead you to do something that He personally hates, don’t you think?

Some take the words “divorces his wife” by Jesus to refer to a betrothal. The Greek New Testament word Jesus uses is [ἀπολύω, apoluo] and it means “to let loose, or let go free.” There are some that feel that Jesus is referring to separation, broken engagement or desertion. In Jesus’ day, couples that were engaged or betrothed to one another were considered unofficially married. This is why during Mary and Joseph’s betrothal, he is called “Mary’s husband” (Matt. 1:18-19). 

When it comes to this issue of divorce, God only allows divorce for one reason only and even in this case, the couple is not commanded or have to get a divorce – unchastity. The Greek New Testament word is [πορνεία, porneia]. This is where we get our English words “porn, pornography.” It refers to any illicit sexual intercourse, whether or not either of the parties is married. It was a broad term that included adultery, as other sexual sins such as incest, prostitution, homosexuality, pornography, and bestiality – all of these are condemned by death in the Old Testament (Lev. 20:10-14).

Even if any one of the other forms of illicit sexual experiences is done by a spouse, Jesus does not advocate divorce because God hates it. But He does acknowledge there may be times when trust has been so violated that every effort to reconcile fails, that divorce is permissible. In John 8, the religious leaders brought a woman to Jesus “who had been caught in the very act of adultery” to see how He would respond. Jesus did not condemn her and He put the religious leaders in a pickle also that caused them to drop the stones they were going to use to stone her to death. In the end, Jesus did not condemn her but in John 8:11, we get this: “And Jesus said, `I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on do not sin any longer’” (NASB). Meaning, “do not continue to sin in this sin of adultery.” He forgave her but admonished her also. Remember, God never commanded divorce even for adultery. 

New Testament scholar Bruce B. Barton writes this:

“Jesus said that divorce is not permissible except for unfaithfulness. This does not mean that divorce should automatically occur when a spouse commits adultery. The word translated “unfaithfulness” implies a sexually immoral lifestyle, not a confessed and repented act of adultery. Those who discover that their spouse has been unfaithful should first make every effort to forgive, reconcile, and restore their relationship. We should always look for reasons to restore the marriage relationship rather than for excuses to leave it” (Source: Bruce B. Barton, The Life Application Study Bible Commentary, “Matthew,” p. 98).

Since women were considered to be property as a donkey or a dog, men felt they could throw their wives away for any reason – even if she burnt his meal. 

This infuriated Jesus, who was God in human flesh. The wife is created in the image of God just as the husband is. Jesus would not tolerate tossing aside their wives for some stupid and silly reason and then remarrying another woman – thus being guilty of adultery. God created marriage to be a sacred bond,  relationship and partnership where the two are one – not two any more. To think you can divorce cleanly is the same as thinking you can take one of your arms and cut half of it all and there would be no permanent damage. Times have changed but God and His Word have not. Consider this story that was in the February 1973 McCall’s magazine:

“The February 1973 issue of McCall’s magazine carried an article entitled, “Is Anyone Faithful Anymore?” in which the author included the following story. A young wife was at lunch with eleven of her friends, who had been meeting together regularly to study French since their children had been in nursery school. As they conversed, one of the women, the group’s leader, asked, “How many of you have been faithful throughout your marriage?” Only one woman at the table raised her hand. That evening when the young wife told her husband about the conversation, she revealed that she was not the one who had raised her hand. He was shocked and devastated. “But I have been faithful,” she added. “Then why didn’t you raise your hand?” She replied, “I was ashamed” (Source: Quoted from J. Allan Peterson, The Myth of Greener Grass, p. 17).

Maybe people would not get divorced for the dumb and sinful reasons they do if they did not get married for the dumb and sinful reasons they do. God says that to divorce for any reason other than infidelity, and to remarry, is tantamount to committing adultery. As we saw yesterday, the wrong word or negative comment about his mother from his wife, he could use that as being “indecent” as Deuteronomy 24:1 talks about as grounds for divorce. See yesterday’s devotional that talks about the Hebrew word “erwat” that is translated as “indecency.” That is not what God said, but it always amazes me how we love to twist God’s word to suit our desires. 

Questions To Consider

1. Has divorce hit your family? If so, how did you deal with it and what was the effect on you?
2. God has a high view of marriage as seen in two of the Ten Commandments. We see this in the seventh commandment, “Thou shalt  not commit adultery” (Ex. 20:14) and in the tenth commandment, “Thou shalt not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor” (Ex. 20:17). Marriage was God’s gift to be experienced between a man and woman. Why do you think so many people, even Christian people, divorce? Do you think people marry for the wrong reasons and then later divorce for dumb reasons? If so, what does this tell you about the covenant of marriage?
3. God says He hates divorce in Malachi 2:16 and only allows it for infidelity. Even then God does not command it but simply tolerates it. Do you agree with God on the limitation He placed on getting a divorce? If so, why? If not, how would you convince God he is wrong about this?
4. Do you think marriage has seen it days because we have evolved and have outgrown it?  If not, why? What would you tell someone who thinks it has because they believe living together is a better option?

Scripture To Meditate On: Matthew 19:8-10, “Jesus said, `Moses permitted you to divorce because your hearts are so hard and stubborn, but originally there was no such thing. (9) But I say to you, whoever leaves his wife for any reason other than immorality, then takes another wife is living in adultery. And whoever takes a divorced woman in marriage is also living in adultery.” (10) His disciples spoke up and said, “If this is the standard, then it seems better to never get married’” (NLT).

Prayer To Pray: “Dear Jesus, help me take marriage as seriously as You do. I understand that marriage is symbolic of You with Your church, the bride of Christ. Help me to love my family, my spouse and the gift of marriage You have given us. I accept that You hate divorce and so should I. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name. Amen!”

I love you Southside!--Pastor Kelly