The Jews of Jesus’ days were ignorant of the fact that the permission granted by Moses to divorce their spouses did not cancel the judgment of God. Once the heart is hardened, obeying the words of God in all areas will be difficult. People who take after some characters in the Old Testament as models to divorce or be separated from their partners in marriage, do so because of the perversion and hardness of their hearts.
To such people, there would be “indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon (their) soul…” (Romans 2:8,9). A hardened heart cannot understand the doctrines of Christ or obey the word of God (John 12:40). Conversion transforms a hardened heart to obey God’s word. It is not enough to hear or read the Bible, but response to the command in it matters most. Discontinuing the old way is paramount to the transformation of life. Once the hardness of heart is taken away, one would be able to do the right thing towards ones’ spouse.
In spite of all the miracles the Israelites saw in the wilderness for forty years, their hearts were still hardened, and “… they do always err in their heart…” (Hebrews 3:7-10).
Righteousness should begin at home with love among spouse and their children. Miracles received while yet disobeying God’s words are temporal and not eternal; it is an act of God’s mercy. The recipient of such miracles might eventually perish if such a heart remains hardened. However, God has promised to cleanse every repentant sinner, remove the hardened stony hearts and replace it with a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26).
Heaven-bound pilgrims should set their minds on things on high not on things on earth. They should know that their life is not ended in this world and that there is still a life in heaven beyond. In the beginning, when God instituted marriage, He ordained a man and a woman. However, when problem occurred in the marriage because of the great sin they committed by eating the forbidden fruit, which was initiated by Eve, they were judged; but God did not create another woman for Adam. This is because the will of God in marriage is that whatsoever happens, the man and woman should remain together until death do them part. This injunction still stands to date.
Consider Job who lost everything he had and was being chastised by his wife; yet he did not divorce her. Man was commanded to “live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity … for that is thy portion in this life…,” (Ecclesiastes 9:9). The scripture warns that “the Lord, the God of Israel … hateth putting away,” therefore, no matter the situation, a couple must stay married. “And unto the married I command yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: but and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife” (1 Corinthians 7:10,11).
Some people get into marriage, but do not understand that the love with which they started it should continue. They allowed the love to wane, dry up, stop and then switch over into hatred and hypocrisy. In that state, they pollute, divide and destroy the marriage. This had repercussion on the marriage as they eventually separate. Pestilence, plague, pain and pollution exist in such bad marriage.
“Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her,” (Mark 10:11). No one is exempted or immune from this command given by Jesus, who will judge all men. If a man leaves his wife and marries another, God still counts the first wife as his wife and the life with the second wife is adultery. The same injunction applies to a woman who “… put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery,” (Mark 10:12). Also, “…whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery,” (Luke 16:18).
Marriage is an honourable union that should be devoid of any uncleanliness or immorality, for God will judge all those who defile the sanctity of marriage. To make the marriage stay, with love, care and happiness, the spouse should, “follow peace with all men, and holiness … lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled,” (Hebrews 12:14,15). Forgiveness is very essential by all partners in a marriage to make it work. As believers, even if there is no problem in our marriage, we should still pray about it, so that, the devil would not step in and bring discord among the couple.
• Further reading (King James version): Mark 10:1-12; Mark 10:6-9; Genesis 1:27; 2:24; 5:2; Ecclesiastes 9:9; Malachi 2:14-16; Matthew 19:4-6; 1 Corinthians 7:10,11; Ephesians 5:28-31; Mark 10:10-12; Luke 16:18; Romans 7:2,3; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Peter 4:16-18; Hebrews 12:14-17,28.
