We read in Malachi 2:15-16;..."therefore take heed of 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..." It is evident that divorce is an institution of man, not God. God hates divorce. Man is instructed not to "put asunder" what "God hath joined together" (Mark 10:9).
The Jews asked the Lord: "Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause" (Matt. 19:3)? Today, there is divorce for every cause. Even a "no fault" cause. These are man's laws and certainly not God's. The average life of modern marriage in America is reported to be SEVEN YEARS, at present. Statistically, at least two-thirds of the divorced women and at least three-fourths of the divorced men remarry.
But God said in the beginning that a man was to "leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh" (Gen. 2:24). Note the man is to "leave" and "cleave." When young people marry, they must be ready to leave parents. God's plan: one man, one woman, for life.
Notice what Jesus said: "Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery" (Mark 10:11-12). Paul warned, "Be not deceived: neither fornication, not idolaters, not adulterers...shall inherit the kingdom of God" (I Cor. 6:9-10). God gives only one exception to Mark 10:11-12, "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" (Matt. 19:9). Adultery is committed by the man who divorces his wife and marries another, unless he divorced her because of her fornication. Adultery is committed by the divorced wife if she marries another. Adultery is committed by the man who marries the wife who was divorced.
The word "committeth" is in the Greek a present tense verb, and the present tense verb always carries continuous action. Therefore, to stay in that marriage is to continue in adultery "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye also LIVED IN them" (Col. 3:5-7). Please note that they had "LIVED IN" fornication. The word fornication covers all illicit sex, including adultery.
The apostle Paul wrote concerning God's original plan for marriage: "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" (Rom. 7:2-3).
These verses teach that every person (except the one who put his/her spouse away for fornication) that putteth away his/her spouse, and marrieth another, committeth adultery as long as they live in that marriage. Whoso marrieth the one that is put away committeth adultery as long as he/she live in that marriage. There are no other exceptions given.
"If any man speak let him speak as the oracles of God" (I Pet. 4:11).
Don H. Noblin
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