Divorce

In these last days when people’s hearts are departing from the living God, we find that divorce has become the order of the day. Therefore, it would be well for us to understand our Lord’s injunction about it. Divorce is the legal dissolution of marriage, and is looked upon with much tolerance in many religious circles, because it was tolerated by Moses in the Old Testament times, and also because it is legal. But Jesus said,

“What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. “Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.

“And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery” (Matthew 19: 6, 8, 9).

It is therefore important for us to realise that during our Lord’s time, He limited the cause for separation to the single case of fornication.

“It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:

“But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery” (Matthew 5:31,32).