Matthew 5:31-32 "Furthermore it has been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' 32 But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality[a] causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery. New King James Version (NKJV)
For today's verse we'll return to the sermon on the mount, this time in chapter 5. One thing you'll quickly notice as Jesus goes further into this amazing discourse is that he is not afraid to tackle the tough subjects head on. In this chapter he deals with lust, anger, retaliation and oaths, subjects that are just as relevant today and subjects that are all too often avoided. Through the years and up to today, divorce has been allowed, not sanctioned, not encouraged among God's people. Yet, how can we explain that divorce within the church is about at the same frequency as within society in general?
Today we have "no fault divorce" in which neither spouse is required to prove "fault" or marital misconduct on the part of the other. As The Message says in verse 32 below, "you can't use legal cover to mask a moral failure". At some point you'll have to deal with and give account for it. You may think that it is a modern development but even going back to biblical times, men took advantage of the law and got permission for divorce on the basis of very trivial matters. If we are honest, any time there is a divorce there is sin involved on one's part, if not both. It may be infidelity but it can also be based on pride, selfishness or any other number of things. One thing that you can be sure of back then and now, God hates divorce. He desires reconciliation.
Malachi 2:16 "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." New King James Version (NKJV)
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." New King James Version (NKJV)
Seeking divorce for reasons other than mentioned here would be "dealing treacherously" with one another. A strong marriage will require grace, forgiveness, devotion and honesty among other things. Regarding honesty, I'll share a quote from our Pastor Bob's message this weekend, they may not be the exact words but paraphrasing he said "if you can say honesty is not a big deal, you can pretty much guarantee that it won't be". Wow! Think about that for a moment. How is honesty regarded in your life, in your marriage? Think about it in terms of our leaders in church and in society.
Let's do our best to desire and strive to have strong marriages, it starts with being honest with ourselves.
In Christ,
Mike
Mike
Follow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace NIV
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace NIV
Matthew 5:31
The Message (MSG)
31-32 "Remember the Scripture that says, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him do it legally, giving her divorce papers and her legal rights'? Too many of you are using that as a cover for selfishness and whim, pretending to be righteous just because you are 'legal.' Please, no more pretending. If you divorce your wife, you're responsible for making her an adulteress (unless she has already made herself that by sexual promiscuity). And if you marry such a divorced adulteress, you're automatically an adulterer yourself. You can't use legal cover to mask a moral failure.
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