Quote from Forum Archives on August 14, 2003, 10:31 am

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

The marriage commitment models the Lord's relationship with us.
That's one reason why it's intended to be a permanent
relationship, not simply one of either convenience or pleasure
alone. A marriage is an expression of oneness, a binding,
lasting agreement. Sadly, all too many of us have abandoned such
agreements.

For any of us who have done that, there is precedent for that in
the Bible, too. Read the book of Hosea, which depicts how Israel
treated God just as a prostitute would treat another person.
God brought consequences for their choices, but even so, sought
to restore and return his love to Himself.

That's the way God is with us. He wants us to take all of our
commitments very seriously, our marriages, and our relationship
with Him. However, should we fail in this (which we often do),
the correct thing to do is not to continue in our ways, but to
turn away from them, (which means repent), turn back to God, ask
for His forgiveness, then commit to Him once again.

May we never stray too far from our Lord. Keep a close account
of all things. When you do fail, whether its in one thing or
another, repent, turn away, and return to the Lord. If possible,
make amends, forgive, and repair broken relationships, leaning on
the forgiveness of God as your source of strength.

The message below is long, but it's not often shared, so perhaps
it's something worth tucking away for a time in which you can
read it. Perhaps either you or someone you know will need to
read these words, maybe even today.

Your Brother in Christ,
Brian

____________________________________________________________

DIVORCE IS NOT AN OPTION

Malachi 2:16 - "For I hate divorce," says the Lord.

"If things don't work out we can always get a divorce." All too
often these days we find that this is the unspoken attitude of
persons contemplating marriage. The "old-fashioned" ideas of "for
better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health,
till death do us part" don't carry much weight in our society any
more. My life and my happiness and my fulfillment are what's
important. And besides, if both partners more or less agree to a
divorce, why not? Why should two potentially dynamic individuals
stifle themselves by trying to grind it out in an unhappy
marriage over the years, only to remain static and unfulfilled
and miserable? Divorce would be so much better in the long run!
This present-day concept of marriage may sound reasonable, but it
is definitely contrary to the Word of God. Growing Christians
must be extremely careful that they don't become brainwashed by
current social thought. Our culture is constantly exerting
enormous pressure on us. If we aren't careful, we can be
gradually and unknowingly conformed to our culture's way of
thinking. Any Christian who is considering marriage in the near
future (Yes, that could be you!) needs to be reminded that
according to the standards of Scripture, divorce is not an option
when the honeymoon is over.

Divorce is not a biblical option because the Lord says, "I hate
divorce." It is significant that this verse comes to us from
Malachi, which was written at the close of the Old Testament
period (5th century BC). Even though divorce had become
commonplace in Israel by this time, God had in no way "lowered"
or changed His standard with the passing of time. God gave His
concept of what marriage is to be when He brought the first man
and woman together in the beginning. God declared that "a man
shall leave his father and mother, and shall be united to his
wife, and they will become one flesh" (Gen. 2:24). Man was not to
separate what God had joined together. That was our Lord's
comment about the divine institution of marriage. (See Matt.
19:5-6.) How can we dare to make divorce an option--unless we
have a low view of God and His Word?

Divorce had raised its ugly head within the circles of God's
people as early as Moses' day. Most likely the people of Israel
had picked up the idea of "divorce on demand" during their long
stay in Egypt where divorce was prevalent. While it's true that
the Law of Moses did permit or tolerate divorce (see Deut.
24:1-4), this allowance was certainly not in the original divine
design. In fact, when our Lord Jesus was questioned about this
section of the Law (Matthew 19:7-9), He made it clear that
divorce was never a divinely-sanctioned option--"it was not this
way from the beginning!" Notice that the Lord even changed the
wording of the Pharisees' question in order to drive home the
point that divorce was man's idea, not God's. They asked, "Why
did Moses command...?" Jesus answered, "Moses permitted..." The
permission was not because God approved of divorce, but because
man's heart was hard--stubborn and perverse. Divorce has never
been a God-approved option--before the Law, under the Law, or
under Grace. The sins that God in His grace forgives don't become
any less sin than they were "from the beginning."

Our Lord went on to declare that divorce was tantamount to
adultery (Matthew 19:9). The strictness of the "narrow" view is
confirmed by the disciples' shocked reaction in verse 10. In
light of such Scripture, can any Christian reasonably take a more
lenient position than the Son of God did? If Jesus is Lord, then
divorce cannot be an option--regardless of changes today in
concept, culture or church.

The Lord Jesus gave one exception only to the no-divorce
rule--only one! If one partner in the marriage is unfaithful to
the other, then divorce is permitted. This permission was not
given to encourage divorce, but rather to expressly forbid it for
any other cause. The reason that divorce is permitted for
adultery is that this sin is of such a nature that the very
concept of marriage is broken. Marriage is consummated when the
man and woman become "one flesh" in physical union (Genesis
2:24). When physical union takes place outside of marriage, the
"one flesh" reality still holds, as specifically stated in 1
Corinthians 6:16. Thus, in the case of adultery, the original
divine yoke is broken, and divorce is permitted as a legal
recognition of the break which has already taken place in the
sight of God. The unfaithful partner will one day have to answer
to God Himself for daring to sever the bond which "God has joined
together" (Matthew 19:6).

Why does God hate divorce? One reason is that the severing of the
divine union distorts the important truth that God wants to
convey through marriage. God ordained marriage not only for the
purposes of propagation and enjoyment, but also to model the
relationship between God and His people. The constant and
permanent love and care and forgiveness that God extends to us is
to be replicated in marriage. This concept isn't the wishful
thinking of some romanticist who's removed from the real world,
but rather the direct teaching of Scripture. In Ephesians 5:22-33
husbands and wives are commanded to reflect the love relationship
between Christ and His Church (vs22-29). The truth of our forever
union with Christ is to be portrayed in the bond of marriage
(vs30-31). What a mind-blowing revelation! No wonder the
Scripture calls the "one-flesh" reality a great mystery (v 32).

Divorce shatters the picture! The wonder and beauty and depth of
the love relationship between Christ and His Church cannot be
communicated through a broken marriage. When problems develop in
a marriage (and no marriage is without its tensions), every
effort should be made to restore the perfect model. These efforts
can even become part of the picture, since Christ works at our
relationship by continually loving and forgiving and restoring
His Church, with all its imperfections. Working marriages can
reflect this dynamic relationship, but divorce can never mirror
the on-going relationship between us and the Lord. For this
reason, even in the case of unfaithfulness, the ideal solution
would be forgiveness rather than divorce. (Read the book of
Hosea.) Yes, although divorce is permitted for the faithful
partner, it is not demanded. Restoration and reconciliation
rather than divorce is a far better picture of how God deals with
His people. We can praise God that He doesn't opt for divorce
every time we are unfaithful to Him.

"But is it worth it all?" some Christians ask. "Why shouldn't I
get a divorce anyway? Sure I'll admit that it's wrong, and that
God's beautiful picture will be messed up, but my marriage isn't
a beautiful picture anyway. And divorce is better than years and
years of unhappy marriage." Or, "I'll just be one of many
forgiven divorcees in heaven. And don't tell me you haven't made
a lot of mistakes yourself--you just happened to `luck out' in
your marriage." This kind of commentary is common among
Christians these days, and it contains a certain logic. Yes, we
all make mistakes, but it's shallow thinking to equate "mistakes"
with selfishly and deliberately separating "what God has joined
together." Looking at the context of Malachi 2, we see that the
Lord is addressing the Israeli men who were divorcing the "wives
of their youth" for their own selfish reasons. The same was true
of the conduct of the 1st century Pharisees--the historical
context in which our Lord made His comments in Matthew 19. With
these contexts in mind, the comments in this paper are not
primarily addressed to a faithful partner who has tried to keep a
marriage together, perhaps even through years of unfaithfulness
or abuse. They are directed towards those believers who selfishly
think that "It's God's will for me to be happy" and think
therefore that they are justified in their deliberate,
disobedient walkout. There's no way that kind of thinking can
come out of the Bible. Is it possible to be really happy in this
life if we deliberately and selfishly sever a divine bond, bring
pain and anguish to others, and go directly against the will of
God? What about the eternal future? Will we have to "shrink away
from Him in shame at His coming" (1 John 2:28)? Our position in
eternity should certainly carry more weight than our pleasure
now. And what about the pain our selfish actions bring to the One
who unselfishly gave His life on our behalf? Won't it be worth it
all to look into His eyes some day and hear Him say, "Well done,
good and faithful servant."?

Many of you may not be married yet, and may be asking at this
point, "Why all the concern?" Let's just say that it's preventive
counseling rather than crisis counseling. If, through this
writing, a few growing Christians see the importance and
seriousness, as well as the wonder, of marriage then it will have
served its purpose. Since God hates divorce, then we can be sure
that he is equally concerned about helping us make the right
choice in marriage. Don't rush into marriage! Wait on God for His
choice, and remember Proverbs 3:5-6. The Lord knows our needs and
our desires. "Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give
you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4).

Some of you who are reading this are married and may even now be
struggling to keep your marriage together. Remember that God is
still a God of miracles. As He can heal a diseased body, so He
can heal a troubled marriage. He can even give you,
supernaturally, a new love which was never there before! Working
at marriage is not easy, especially when divorce is convenient
and no longer carries much of a stigma in our culture. God's Word
teaches that divorce is not an option. For many Christians this
is a hard doctrine to swallow. It doesn't sound like something a
"loving God" would decree! But sound doctrine is not always easy
to handle. Paul challenged Timothy to endure sound doctrine, as
well as hardship (2 Timothy 4:3-5). Timothy was told that the
time would come when many Christians would not endure sound
doctrine. They would prefer to listen to teachers who were
preaching what they wanted to hear. How true today! Many
Christians refuse to endure the doctrine of marriage as taught by
our Lord Himself. Growing Christians are challenged to submit to
the Word of God and recognize that divorce is not a biblical
option.

David R. Reid

As I start my Day

When I wake and see the Light

I thank Him for another day.

Help me Lord,to see and do things Your way.

I start my day thanking Him for Loving me.

I speak to Him as A dear dear friend,as a brother and a shield.

He is my comfort and my Light.

My day ends,He helps me know,with Him by my side the world
becomes real wide,to explore and to think,

I will run and tell Jesus,with Him I am not weak.

Written by:(c)Betty Bolden

jesusismyjoy.250free.com/inspiration.html

=====
--
Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

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