Genesis 16:1 Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. 3 And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.
This passage of scripture teaches us that whenever culture and righteousness collide, as Christians we should choose righteousness, instead of going with the flow of popular norms or man-made inventions. In this instance, Sarah resorted to one of the laws of the land, which permitted a barren wife to give her maid to her husband, so that the child which would thus be born, would become the wife's legal son. This provision was an invention of man, and had not the slightest scriptural backing, yet in their apparent desperation, both Abraham and Sarah agreed to go along with it.
It is often the case that what is permitted by human law, is strictly forbidden by God's law, and thus the Christian is often tempted to adopt what is legally acceptable in human courts, in direct violation of what the word of God teaches. When we give our lives to Christ, we become Christians first, and then our culture or national allegiance comes second, and never should this order be reversed for any reason. In other words, whenever the laws of a nation conflicts with what the scripture teaches, we should adhere to godly principles and laws first, even if doing so will place us at loggerheads with what is legally acceptable in our province.
For instance, right here in the great land of America, divorces are permitted under human law for the most trivial of reasons, and many of the Hollywood stars have indeed made a mockery of the sacred institution God has established as the foundation of all society. Some of the reasons given for divorces currently will cause the holy prophets to turn in their graves, and although such reasons may be accepted by man, yet the all-seeing eye of God interprets events in a completely different manner. Thus some of us who deliberately choose to hide under the cover of human law, will one day be awakened to find that we are still married in God's sight, even though we may be carrying a legally binding divorce certificate.
Now, it is true that many who are sincere Christians today, may have gotten a divorce whilst they were in partial ignorance of the seriousness of the marriage vow, which is a commitment for life. In such cases the clock cannot, or may not be turned back because of other situations that may have arisen to prevent reunion. But to those of us who are currently married, and for some humanistic reason may be contemplating divorce based on the provisions of state law, we are cautioned to let righteousness trump culture, for whenever there is a conflict between the two, the word of God should be given the preeminence. Let's read:
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. 7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? 8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.
As Christians, we should ever have the ideal will of God before our faces, as the rule and guide of life, instead of searching for loopholes by which we may be seeking to evade the divine requirements. It is therefore of critical importance that we endeavor by the grace and power of God to live in harmony with His revealed will, for God is taking us back to Eden, where His ideal will for the human family will finally be fully reinstated. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which teaches us to obey God rather than men, for in so doing we will prosper both spiritually and socially, according to His good and perfect will. Let's read:
Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!