Scripture to Read: Matthew 5:31–32
In Matthew 5:31–32, Jesus said, “It was said, ‘Whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce’; 32 but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” To better understand, let’s read what Jesus said to the Pharisees in Matthew 19:7–8, They *said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away?” 8 He *said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way.” Jesus said that Moses permitted the Israelites to divorce because of the hardness of their hearts. Jesus did not say that God the Father permitted. God hates divorce because He designed marriage so that a husband and wife become one. Previous to the question in Matthew 19:7, we find this in Matthew 19:3–6: Some Pharisees came to Jesus…asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?” 4 …He answered…, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” God unites; therefore, no man should separate.
Challenge & Application
· Why does God hate divorce the same way He hates all sin?
· What was God’s design for marriage, and how has the enemy gained a foothold in so many marriages over the years?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!