“I Hate Divorce” – God

“I hate divorce.“

As you may have noticed, those are not my words. They are God’s, as recorded in the Bible. You will read it directly yourself shortly.

God intended for a married couple (a male and a female) to be committed to each other in a lifelong loving relationship, reflecting God’s eternal love and commitment to us His people.

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When you hate something, you have intense dislike for that thing. I guess that’s how God feels over some of the things we humans do.

For instance, the writer of the book of Proverbs (6:16-19) tells us about

Seven things God hates

1. Haughty eyes (a proud look).
2. A lying tongue.
3. Hands that shed innocent blood.
4. A heart that devises wicked schemes.
5. Feet that are quick to rush into evil.
6. A false witness who pours out lies.
7. And a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

If God hates the above things, it means He has intense dislike for them and He is not pleased whenever we engage in any of them. But that doesn’t mean He would stop loving us.

God’s love for us is without end; We can be sure that even if we are not perfect, He still loves us anyways.

One more thing God hates

There is one more thing we are told that God hates as well:

Divorce

And that is the focus of this post.

Divorce is “the legal dissolution of a marriage by a court or other competent body.” God says He hates it.

In Malachi 2:16(NLT), we read the following words:

For I hate divorce!” says the LORD, the God of Israel. “To divorce your wife is to overwhelm her with cruelty, ” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. “So guard your heart; do not be unfaithful to your wife.”

But why does God hate divorce?

In the preceding verse (15), we were given some hints on why God hates divorce. The prophet Malachi communicated that to us in rhetoric:

“Didn’t the LORD make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are his. And what does he want? Godly children from your union. So guard your heart; remain loyal to the wife of your youth.”

If you read verses 15 and 16 together, the picture comes out even better. Although the emphasis is on men who divorce their wives, the warning would equally be applied to wives who divorce their husbands.

For I hate divorce!” says the LORD, the God of Israel. “To divorce your wife is to overwhelm her with cruelty, ” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. “So guard your heart; do not be unfaithful to your wife.”

-Malachi 2:15-16

In the days when Malachi wrote those words, the men were more likely to put away their wives than wives would their husbands. But in our day, it can go either ways.

In any case, the message is clear: God hates divorce.

Thinking of getting a divorce?

Having said that, I am also aware that divorce is common-placed in the world we live in today. But that doesn’t make it right, neither does it stop God from hating it.

If you are contemplating divorce, you may want to reconsider it. Before you think of divorce, think about your children.

No marriage is irredeemable, provided you are giving your best to make your marriage work.

And if your marriage is already broken and you are reading this, note that I do not mean to condemn you in any way. If I did, I would be playing God, which I’m not.

We are just talking about God’s perfect purpose for marriage: to be united as one till the end of their lives, because he hates divorce.

That is to say, God intended for a married couple (a male and a female) to be committed to each other in a lifelong loving relationship, reflecting God’s eternal love and commitment to us His people.

Is that an impossible task to achieve? I don’t think so!

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You have read my thoughts. Share yours in the comment section.

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©Copyright 2019 | Victor Uyanwanne