Matthew 19:3 The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? 4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
This passage of scripture shows us beyond the shadow of a doubt that divorce is not God's ideal will, even though in certain instances it is permitted in the Bible. The rate of divorce has now surpassed the percentage of stable marriages, and this ongoing decline is being fueled by the ease with which two people can now call it quits, according to the laws of the land. As Christians we should ever bear in mind that many things that are permitted by man's laws are actually forbidden by the laws of God, and therefore in all of the ups and downs of married life, the true Christian will be very hesitant to utilize the "Nuclear" option.
The question that was posed to Christ by the scribes and pharisees stemmed from the common practice back then, and even now, to seek a dissolution of the marriage for the most trivial reasons, instead of the husband and wife trying to work out their differences with Christ as the mighty counselor. In the circumstance of infidelity, the one who is wronged can file for divorce according to the Bible, but even then it is not God's first choice of actions to be taken, for He does not deal with us one a "One strike and you're out" basis. This sacred truth about the long-suffering of God towards us is clearly displayed in the way He forgives us over and over again, without harboring any bad feelings towards us, and it would be nice, if as His earth-born children we too can follow in His footsteps, as manifested in the following passage. Let's read:
Psalms 103:8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. 9 He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. 10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. 11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
In order to better demonstrate His mind and thoughts pertaining to the issue of divorce, God told the prophet Hosea to marry a prostitute, someone who was naturally prone to wander in the mazes of infidelity and adultery. Let's read:
Hosea 1:2 The beginning of the word of the Lord by Hosea. And the Lord said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the Lord. 3 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; which conceived, and bare him a son.
In obedience to the word of the Lord, Hosea married Gomer as stated above, but it was not long before her old nature resurfaced, and she had a child with one of her "Secret lovers", which then triggered a heartfelt and emotional appeal from Hosea, for her to put away her adultery. This situation was extremely difficult for the prophet to bear, and he very well might have dissolved the marriage on scriptural grounds, were it not for the instruction from God on this delicate situation, which always causes deep hurt, and wounds to the soul that are sometimes hard to be reconciled. But God is in the business of healing and restoration, and rather than reach for the nuclear option for grievous transgressions by one's spouse, God prefers us to work it out, and give the marriage another try, by forgiving as He forgives and restoring as He restores. Let's read:
Hosea 1:9 Then said God, Call his name Loammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God. 10 Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.
In our day Hollywood has put their own spin on what God has ordained to be one of the most sacred relationships and vows two people can take, and it is a sad commentary of our time, that so many are following in the footsteps of the "stars" who have fallen from heaven. There are now drive thru' marriage and divorce parlors across the land, where two persons can say "I do" at the entrance, and "I don't" at the exit, and so the issue of seeking divorce for "every cause" is on the rise. When difficulties arise within the marriage, we should first seek God in prayer so that our speech would be seasoned with grace, and it is often the case that the same God who instituted marriage, works to soften and renew hearts that have been wounded by various issues.
We all have our faults and shortcomings, and there is no such thing as a perfect husband or wife, yet God is perfect in all His ways, and if we take our troubles and concerns to Him instead of to Oprah and Doctor Phil, God will be more than willing and able to resolve the most complex issues that may arise in the marriage relation. We therefore end with two passages of scripture which feature the love of God as it should be displayed in our relationships with our spouses, and if we wait upon God for grace and strength daily, He can make the rough places plain, and the thorny issues smooth, so that husbands and wives can indeed live happily ever after. Let's read:
Ephesians 4:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church.
1st Corinthians 13:4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
May God add His blessing to the doing of His every word. "Good night" and God bless!