The Subject of divorce is a painful one for many. It’s painful for God! Consider the book of Hosea: God had the prophet marry an adulteress, who bore him children (whether they were his or not, we’re not sure of). She left him. By Jewish law, Hosea could have had her killed, but Hosea found her being sold as a slave, and God had Hosea buy her back, eventually restoring her and raising the children up to be special. God hates divorce! Malachi 2:16 says so clearly. And why? First and foremost, it was the first thing He ordained between humans. The separation of “one flesh” is painful (Jesus said “What God has joined together, let no man separate, showing that God still ordains and holds marriage sacred!-Reference Mark 10:9). I’m not condemning those who’ve been divorced. It’s a painful subject, and it hurts the kids (if any), but especially damages those who have been joined together. It especially shows, tough, the damage done by the fall of humanity, as Adam and his wife lost intimacy (covering themselves after living naked and unashamed), and the relationship between humanity and God was ripped asunder.
What’s the point of my saying this? Too many of us live like we’re fine with this separation. Many Christians live in such carnality during the week, and play church on Sunday that it’s like they have two different relationships with God: like a child going between parents who don’t get along. And we do have two parents: the world (the flesh), which has raised us up in sin and caused us to stray further and further from God, and God our Father, who is trying to make us what He intended us to be. Make no mistake, in the end, we truly choose one or the other. We can’t have both. God will not compete for your affections. He wants it all or nothing. Jesus stated, regarding money, that a man cannot serve two masters, he will either love the one and hate the other or serve the one and despise (completely ignore) the other (Matthew 6:24). God doesn’t want weekend followers. He doesn’t want people who love him when it’s convenient. We have to choose, to follow Him or to follow the world, and even indecision is choosing worldliness. He wants our whole heart. Jesus died to give us that choice. We owe everything to Him.
Deuteronomy 5:6-10 “‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
“‘You shall have no other gods before me.
“‘You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Isaiah 42:5-9
Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it: “I am the Lord; I have called you[b] in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols. Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.”
Psalm 78:56-66
Yet they tested and rebelled against the Most High God and did not keep his testimonies, but turned away and acted treacherously like their fathers; they twisted like a deceitful bow. For they provoked him to anger with their high places; they moved him to jealousy with their idols. When God heard, he was full of wrath, and he utterly rejected Israel. He forsook his dwelling at Shiloh, the tent where he dwelt among mankind, and delivered his power to captivity, his glory to the hand of the foe. He gave his people over to the sword and vented his wrath on his heritage. Fire devoured their young men, and their young women had no marriage song. Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows made no lamentation. Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a strong man shouting because of wine. And he put his adversaries to rout; he put them to everlasting shame.
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