025 - DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE

DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE

Introduction

There is much controversy on this subject. After all, everyone who are involved in a marriage unsuccessful want, at any cost, to separate and make a new attempt. Although everybody, basically, to know the truth, they want, in one way or another, to convince yourself and others, based on Holy Scripture, that there is no evil in it.

The main passage used is the speaks of Jesus:

 

·        " 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? And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 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? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? 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. 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.” (Matthew 19.3-9).

 

Notice how the order is clear: once that husband and wife were joined by the Eternal, coming to form one flesh, never any individual (including each one of the spouses) has the right to separate.

After all:

The divorce is something disgusting

And the Sacred Scripture is clear on this respect:

 

1º -  "And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand. Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant. And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously." (Malachi 2.13-16);

 

Note as the Eternal One hates divorce (putting away). 

And it isn’t for less! To establish His covenant with man, the Eternal gave Him a help meet that would allow him to fulfill his mission. And the mission of the Eternal One for the man was a family to Him, capable of producing a seed of godly. For both, man and woman should help one another to seize the difficulties to overcome their weaknesses.

It is so serious about marriage that, if husband and wife are not well, even the prayers of the couple become void (how will their offerings - for example, their ministry):

 

·        "Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. " (1 Peter 3.7).

 

And I believe that, now, it is easy to understand:

why the divorce is something so hateful

From the moment that the zeal of marriage is being neglected, the marriage is being adulterated (losing its purpose). If the couple does not remember where they fell and return to first love, adultery will result in divorce. And here is the result:

 

2º -  "Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery." (Luke 16.18).

 

The Sacred Scripture is clear:

 

3º -  "Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.  So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.” (Rom 7.1-3);

4º -  "The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord." (1 Cor 7.39);

How, then, explain the permission for divorce given by Moses

The divorce was permitted at the time of Moses because of the hardness of hearts. However, Jesus was very clear: this was never the original plan of the Eternal One. 

What happens is that, because there is a lot of wickedness in the hearts of the Israelites, the Eternal One allowed divorce to avoid an evil much greater and also to serve as a lesson for us (Romans 15.4) so that we should not lust after evil things (1 Corinthians 10.6,11). The idea is that everyone understood that the lack of success in marriage is guilt of the sin that prevents a man and a woman of clinging to each other in soul and spirit.

Unfortunately, they did not understand the lesson and, if the divorce was not regulated, they would end up using some ruse in order that the spouse was put to death (for example, accusing them of adultery (analogous to what Ahab did with Naboth - 1Kings 21.9,10), or even hiring someone to seduce them (see Numbers 31.16)).

In addition, so that the woman, for example, were not accused of marital infidelity, but could be accepted by another man (if your husband, unfortunately, decided to repudiate her), was then given the following law:

 

·        "When a man takes a wife and marries her, if then she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, and she departs out of his house, and if she goes and becomes another man's wife, and the latter man hates her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter man dies, who took her to be his wife, then her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after she has been defiled, for that is an abomination before the LORD. And you shall not bring sin upon the land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance. " (Dt 24.1-4 - ESV);

 

After all, if the woman was seen with another man, was stoned along with her lover. Thus, this letter of divorce was a nice way to override the other law (the law of the husband).

Then comes the question: 

what, in fact, is being commanded in Deuteronomy 24.1-4?

Firstly, this passage in no way is stimulating the divorce, as if it were something normal. It was a permission of the Eternal One for those who insisted on having their problems solved by others based on laws.

Both the divorce was disgusting to the Eternal One that, if the individual refused to shew mercy to their spouse and thus generate a seed of godly, after divorce they were strictly forbidden to return to the first spouse.

But what is the purpose of prohibiting the first husband to get back his wife? 

Consider that, when the Eternal One created Eve, He did her especially for Adam (see Gen 2.22.23). When man and woman marry, the Eternal One seal the union of the two, making them one flesh (Genesis 2.24; 1Co 6:16).

That is to say, the Eternal places the right woman in man's life. From the moment that man rejects the woman that the Eternal made especially for him, any other that he take, will not fit so well into his life. In other words, he will have to live for the rest of his life with someone inappropriate for him or be riving his soul by separating and getting married again, withdrawing himself ever more of Christ's salvation, until he reach a point where his heart, of so hard that it was, no longer is able to find place for repentance of the Eternal One within itself (Zechariah 7.11,12; Hebrews 12.16,17).

The purpose of this was to prevent the man was precipitated in break with his wife and consider long before doing this bullshit. He should think much before breaking up with the woman that the Eternal One placed in his life in order to establish His covenant with him (see Malachi 2.13-16). It’s worth risking his happiness here on earth and his eternal salvation only for, presumably, find someone who could give him more pleasure?

Certainly not! Until the earth feels when family ties are not valued and turns against the inhabitants:

 

·        "And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants." (Lev 18.25).

 

Read the entire chapter of Leviticus 18, and you will see that the context has to do with sexual immorality.

There is still a question: 

What is the thing indecent that allowed the husband to divorce his wife?

According to the dictionary, decent is something worthy, correct, appropriate. What, at principle, it would be something unworthy to woman?

 

·        "Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church." (1 Corinthians 14.34,35).

 

According to the law, every woman should submit to her husband and stay honoring her husband in order that he might be estimated before all (Prov 31.23).

With which finality, would the woman talk in public? 

1 - If the goal is to learn things, what could women learn from good to not have to do with his husband? Remember that she was created to be his help meet (Genesis 2.18). Therefore, no one more suited to teach her something than her husband. It is worth remembering that the main purpose of marriage is to generate children (Luke 20.34-36; Deut 25.5-9) in order that the work that Jesus began to run in her husband's life can continue throughout the centuries, confirming all the Holy Scripture.

Remember that marriage illustrates the relationship of Christ with the Church. As soon as man cannot save himself, or do something to the Eternal One separated from Christ, nor a woman can save herself or do something separate from her husband. A spouse is used for the Eternal One to sanctify the other and the children (1Corinthians 7.12-14):

 

•              The woman is saved as she submits to the husband and everything that the Eternal wants to make in his life;

•              The husband is saved by investing his life working inside the woman everything that Jesus stood in his heart. 

 

2 - If it is to talk things to no avail, such behavior is condemned by Holy Scripture (Matthew 12.36,37; Ephesians 4.29).

3 - As to teach in oholyao (group of individuals who meet to know Jesus better in life from each other), the only thing she would do was to interfere in the lives of others:

 

·        "But the younger widows refuse: for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry; having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith. And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not." (1 Timothy 5.11-13).

 

4 - Even if her intention was to teach useful things to men, only serve to awaken jealousy:

 

·        In her husband, since she would be engaging in the business of others instead of working in favor of the plan of the Eternal One in his life. Not to mention that it would be giving opportunity to people to distrust of wisdom and love of the Eternal One in her husband's life;

·        The wives of other men, since she would be suggesting that they were not doing well the role of them.

 

5 - Finally, if the objective of the woman is to teach other women, this extra marriage information would serve only to try to introduce into their lives concepts and values weird for their home, waking up in them rebellion against their husbands.

Remember that this is how Eve fell:

 

·        " For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. " (1Tim 2.13,14).

 

The only thing that was allowed to the woman in public was to pray and prophesy (since she had concealed her husband in the heart, i.e. in total submission to him and to the plane of the Eternal One to him - 1Cor 11.5; 1Pet 3.1-3) and, when in old age, teach the younger women (Titus 2.3-5). When they was elders, could help the younger women in faith, in a practical way (i.e., directly in the life of them), to be good wives and homemakers (Titus 2.3-5). 

It is in vain that the commandment of Jesus is to love your neighbor the way He loved us (John 13.34,35). We must never do anything that doesn't have anything to do with us. For more that we help people, everything will remain mere formalism outer.

Anyway, it was indecent for a woman to be gossiping with a neighbor or with the sisters of the Church, how will say talking to some man or trying to rule over her husband. In this case, it was permitted to her husband to separate from his wife.

You may wonder: "But, if so, the number of divorces would increase dramatically. Anything could be seen as an excuse to consider the woman someone indecent.".

And this is what happened. See what the Pharisees ask Jesus:

 

·        "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?" (Matthew 19.3)

 

It is then that Jesus reminds us that the original plan of marriage was a young man marrying a young woman in Christ Jesus, without ever breaking (Matthew 19.4-6).

1 Corinthians 7.12-17

It is clear that, when the situation is difficult, the separation seems a sweet remedy. This can be seen among the brethren at Corinth:

 

·        "But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace. For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife? But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches." (1 Corinthians 7.12-17).

 

However, the order of the Eternal One is clear: each walk as the Eternal One called, according to what He distributed. 

For example: if the spouse unbeliever pleased to dwell with the believer, this one should not abandon his spouse. 

You can question: "but what if your spouse does not want to serve Jesus?" 

In this case, the Eternal one Himself will take them away. From there the believer is free to devote himself exclusively to the body of Christ. As the spouse unbeliever does not want to share more with the spouse who was converted to Christ, this one is now free. There is no need to force the spouse unbeliever to stay together. The spouse believer is being called for peace, i.e., to follow Jesus with all those who (Heb 12.14), with a pure heart, invoke the Eternal One (2Tim 2:2.22) and, of course, to proclaim this peace with the Eternal One through Christ wherever he go (2Corinthians 5.18-20).

Understand: it's never was Eternal One’s plan that marriage was a regime of imprisonment without right to conditional. Although the true peace requires to submit the ego fallen by the sword of the Eternal One (Matt 10.34; Eph 6:17; Heb 4.12), that at no time implies transforming the home into a routine of rights and duties.

Think: "why you need a law to keep two people together?". In marriage, it is expected to be the love the link. But, what's the difference?

When the motivation of the union is the law, the objective is to make or get things; when the motivation is love, which both are seeking is someone who makes to issue from them what Jesus is in them.

It is not a question of carnal pleasures, but rather in a union that will confirm the concepts and values of Sacred Scripture in the heart of both, so that, together, they are a living expression of who the Eternal is, coming to conquer the freedom of the soul.

Unfortunately, because usually the real meaning of marriage is unknown, many end up hold themselves in a stingy feeling of possession of the spouse. The only law that should be worth in marriage is the law of liberty (James 1.25; 2.12), i.e., uninterrupted stay in the presence of the Holy Spirit. 

Even because marriage has in view to give to spouses a direction on the serve. Instead of being serving the useless things or people who do nothing spiritually, the Eternal One brings to her husband someone in whom he can invest his life without running the risk of losing everything.

 However, since the unbelieving spouse refuses to serve the Creator, He delivers the faithful spouse of this servile  marriage (avoiding that the individual be divided serving the Eternal One and the world - 1 Corinthians 7.32-35), so that they can devote themselves to peace (i.e., to harmonize the individuals with each other and with them based on Word).

In other words, the fact of the Eternal One call the spouse abandoned to the peace, does not mean leave them free to go after anyone. Before, the Eternal One delivereth him out so that he will stick to His Word and those who really love it (i.e., to serve the Lord without any distraction, worrying only with this).

But after all: 

Why is it so important to the kingdom of the Eternal One that the abandoned  spouse remains without marrying? 

Consider that all should show to those who  the Eternal One put in their life who Jesus is and how is His relationship with the Church:

Comes the question: "How does the Eternal One work His Church, which is made up of sinners?". Think about the order in which Jesus gave to Peter:

 

·        " Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven." (Matt 18.21,22);

·        " Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him." (Luke 17.3,4).

 

And also what the Creator said to Hosea:

 

·        "Then said the LORD unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the LORD toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine." (Hosea 3.1).

 

Note how Hosea is led to receive his wife back, even after she to have adulterated, as an illustration of what the Eternal One wanted to get Israel back to Himself:

 

·        "If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the LORD, return unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove." (Jeremiah 4.1).

 

It joining these three sentence, it can be concluded that the Eternal One is always ready to receive the sinner back if they repent.

But, and what about the verse below?

 

·        " They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD." (Jeremiah 3:1).

 

By law, actually the husband get back his wife, contaminates the earth.

However, if the spouse faithful, as the Eternal One, stay in purity and holiness and full of His grace, he can receive his spouse back and express exactly the way of the Eternal relate to his Bride:

 

·        " Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." (Eph 5.22-27).

 

Notice how there isn’t the Bride that wash and prepare herself to meet the Bridegroom. When Jesus compromise Himself with the Bride, He found her as described in Ezekiel 16:

 

·        “Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite. And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all. None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the lothing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born. And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live. I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou art come to excellent ornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare. Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine. Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil. I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers' skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk. I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck. And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head. Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom. And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord GOD.” (Ezekiel 16.2-14).

 

 In view of this, if the individual is betrayed by a spouse or is abandoned by them,  the individual should still remain chaste, waiting for the day that they can forgive the spouse and welcome them back:

 

·        "And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: but and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife." (1Cor 7.10,11).

 

It is good to remember that:

The Eternal established the marriage because He expected a seed of godly.

·        " And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand. Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant. And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously." (Malachi 2.13-16).

 

Piety is synonymous of mercy, that is, to give to the individual what he does not deserve. After all, Jesus came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Matt 9.12,13) and greater joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous who need no repentance (Luke 15.7).

It is worth remembering that Jesus is not rescuing us from the hands of the devil, as many think. Rather, He is redeeming us of our vain manner of living (1Pet 1:18). As soon as it has many people who buy organs of others, Jesus decided to buy our whole life so that, instead of living for ourselves (Rom 6.22), He could live through us (2Cor 4.10.11; 1 John 4.9).

Many, when it is mentioned Hosea, they think that it was very terrible what the Eternal One commanded him. In fact, you can be sure that he was one of the men happier that have passed through this world.

It may seem strange, but love, when it comes to us without sacrifice, is false and unstable. In the case of Hosea, in that he was willing to buy Gomer back, she pass to belong to him twice: not only by being the husband legitimate, but by having her rescued. Before, she could find that, by accepting him, she had rights. Now, she realizes that she is not good, that there was nothing good in her and that, therefore, she had no right whatsoever.

To see the love of Hosea for her, despite everything she had done, she had no reason not to trust him. Especially considering that, as a servant of the Eternal, Hosea wanted to put his life in Gomer. With regard to Christ is even more sublime, inasmuch as the price has not been paid in cash, but with His life.

In other words, the true marriage is meaningful only when:

 

•              The woman perceives her unworthiness before the Eternal One and, with this, decides to receive the husband within himself (until the sexual relation points to this), namely, his life;

•              The man perceives his unworthiness before the Eternal One, as well as her unworthiness before the woman and, therefore, accepts to receive the Holy Spirit within himself (1 Cor 6.17) and, instead of thinking that, now, he has everything and can do everything alone, he entrusts the life of Christ within him for a single person, trusting that the Eternal One would multiply this seed within her and make it fruitful.

But what did Jesus mean when he said Matthew 19.9?

·        "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." (Matthew 19.9).

 

For anyone who reads the Sacred Scripture of superficial way, when they read the part that I emphasized, is induced to think that, in case of adultery, is allowed to marry again.

In the first place, the passage refers not only to adultery, but any type of sexual intercourse unlawful (bestiality, homosexuality, pedophilia, necrofilia, sex with a relative (for example, incest)). All that practice such thing should be cut off from among the people of Israel (Lev 18.6-30). 

As this list includes adultery (Lev 18.20) and the penalty of adultery was death (Lev 20.10-16), then the mode of being cut off from people is killing that person. It is good to remember that the New Testament only entered into force after the death of Christ (Eph 2.14-16; Col 2.14,15; Heb 9.16,17). In other words, when Jesus said this, all the laws of the Old Covenant were worth.

It was for this reason that Jesus said the only permissible hypothesis for the repudiation (divorce) was the practice of sexual relations by one spouse. Since, in this case, the spouse would be killed, the individual would be widowed and, thus, could marry again.

Finally:

How is the situation of those who remarried before knowing Jesus? 

To answer this, we look at this situation:       

 

·        "Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the LORD hath set a king over you. If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the LORD your God: but if ye will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall the hand of the LORD be against you, as it was against your fathers. Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which the LORD will do before your eyes. Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the LORD, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking you a king. So Samuel called unto the LORD; and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel. And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the LORD thy God, that we die not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king.  And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart;  and turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain. For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name's sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people" (1 Samuel 12.13-22).

·        " (Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley.) To morrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea. And Moses told these sayings unto all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly. And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up into the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we be here, and will go up unto the place which the LORD hath promised: for we have sinned. And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the LORD? but it shall not prosper. Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah." (Numbers 14.25,39-41,45).

 

Although Israel had wrong when asking for a king and not wanting to go to take possession of the promised land, since the Eternal One had chosen for them a king and changed the trajectory that they should follow, now they had to be faithful to the Eternal One in this reality. What had been previously established had no more value.

Similarly, since the individual break up the original covenant that the Eternal One has established with him (through divorce), now what he should do is stay faithful to the spouse with who he is for all the life, although the walk with her will be much more difficult.

So much so that Paul ordained:

 

·        “But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches.” (1Corinthians 7.17).

·        “Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.” (1Corinthians 7.20). 

·        “Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.” (1Corinthians 7.24).

 

However, if he to repent of his sin, turn from his evil way and now walks with Christ in fidelity to his new home, he will be able to achieve salvation.

Maybe you ask yourself: "But then, 

how to explain the procedure of Ezra? 

·        " Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass." (Ezra 9.1,2).

·        " Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore. And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing. Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law." (Ezra 10.1-3).

·        " And they gave their hands that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their trespass." (Ezra 10.19).

 

Israel had transgressed the commandment of the Eternal One:

 

·        " When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou; and when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them: neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly. " (Deuteronomy 7.1-4).

 

To avoid a greater evil (apostasy), Ezra broke the law of the indissolubility of marriage. This comes to show that the law is never perfect. Although its purpose is to fight against the evil, at the end it just serves to further increase the evil:

 

·        "Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:" (Romans 5.20).

·        "Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression." (Romans 4.15).

Conclusion

The marriage must never be seen as a legal or religious contract done between a boy and a girl, much less as a mere union of bodies for the satisfaction of desires. Instead, it must be a mutual manifestation of the grace of the Eternal One.