Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage: Contracts Covenants

The law was a tutor to Christ. Divorce was only allowed when Moses gave it in the law. Why did he give it? Because Paul said, sin increased and I died. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law said "do not covet" Rom. 7:7. Jesus confirming this said, divorce was because of the "hardness of your hearts" Matthew 19:8. Stoning for adultery required two or three witnesses (John 8). But what happens when a man walks into his house and finds his wife unfaithful with another man? Numbers 5:11-31 says, if a man suspects his wife was unfaithful, he would bring her to the Priest and she would drink water mixed with the dirt of the tabernacle floor. If she was innocent, she would be fine. But if she was guilty of adultery, her belly would swell and thighs would rot. But we have Christ inside us, therefore, Jesus said, we should go back to the beginning of marriage, as God intended, at the beginning. It was one man for one woman. Divorce was not a sin, per se. There was no "sin of divorce." But it was wrong most of the time. In God's eyes, it was just abandonment. But the real sin was later on in unlawful remarriage. That was ADULTERY! So, that is why Jesus talked about remarriage even though the Jews only asked about the permission to divorce. Jesus took their question and told them what would happen if they divorced unlawfully. Jesus does not give permission to divorce. That was Moses. But Jesus does say, if a man put away his wife, without the knowledge of sexual immorality, and remarried, he would commit adultery. So, Jesus concludes the passages in Matthew 19 with understanding that divorce was allowed, not encouraged, but allowed and Jesus acknowledged that. He did not do away with the law on divorce all together. God divorced Northern Israel (Jer. 3:8-9) but stayed married to treacherous Southern Judah. Both committed adultery, but Southern Judah was willing to openly repent of her sin and willing to return back home, even if it was in her falsehood. Israel, however, was not. She left to live with her lovers. But God commended Israel, because although God divorces her, she was at least honest. God says, he would have us hot or "cold" but will spew the lukewarm out of his mouth. That was clearly the case here. We should do likewise when it comes to marriage. Paul said, if the unbelieving man or woman is willing to remain married, we should not divorce them (1 Cor. 7:12-13). But if they separate, we should let them separate (vs. 15). But as far as believers go, the woman is not to separate from her husband, and man is not to divorce his wife (1 Cor. 7:10-11).