Second Friday in Advent

God Hates Divorce—So Why Did He Divorce Israel?

Often when people talk about a biblical view of divorce, they quote the statement found in the Book of Malachi that “God hates divorce.” And it’s true. He does. But does that mean God hates the actions of anyone who issues divorce papers? 

God himself said he divorced—or put away— Israel, as recorded in Isaiah 50:1. Jeremiah 3, and the Book of Hosea. And if God hates divorce, did he hate his own actions? To answer this question, we consider the context of Malachi’s statement that God hates divorce.  

Malachi’s statement follows an accusation against husbands who chose to do violence to their covenant marriages by divorcing their wives and entering into idolatrous unions. The reason for their divorces: to pursue selfish lives that cared nothing for God’s reputation. They were dumping the godly wives who’d raised their children for Gentile trophy wives.

So while reconciling God’s hatred of divorce with his own actions leaves some questions unresolved, a couple of factors help us understand his choices:

1. God divorced only in the case of repeated, unrepentant adultery. What destroyed the relationship was not the divorce per se. The finality of the divorce merely called the marriage covenant what it already was: broken. 
2. God divorced in response to hardness of heart in hopes that his drastic action would bring ultimate restoration for the offending party. The reason behind the divorce was love.

 As we have seen, in the case that Malachi was addressing, the Israelite men had wives who were faithful both to their marriage covenants and to the Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants. Yet the men replaced these good wives with young Gentile brides. Abandoning their first wives—and doing so to pursue younger, idol-worshipping women—God viewed as treacherous and violent.

God hates such destruction of marriages. And what was true in Malachi’s day is  true today. 

 Christmastime can be especially difficult for broken families, particularly those broken due to unfaithfulness. In a class I teach on sexual ethics, my co-professor and I ask students to interview people of faith who have experienced divorce. And most of those interviewed say they suffered their heartbreak alone, even when they told other believers what was happening to them. 

How can you show the loving heart of Christ, especially in such a difficult-to-be-alone season? —Sandra Glahn

Prayer: 

O Lord, who hast mercy upon all, take away from me my sins, and mercifully kindle in me the fire of thy Holy Spirit. Take away from me the heart of stone, and give me a heart of flesh, a heart to love and adore Thee, a heart to delight in Thee, to follow and enjoy Thee, for Christ’s sake, Amen. —Ambrose of Milan, AD 339–397 

He will come again in glory

to judge the living and the dead

And his kingdom will have no end.

Photo credit Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash