rom Matthew 5:31-32 / Divorce – Divorce is ugly. Always. And while not everyone who is divorced has sinned in doing so, there is no such thing as divorce without sin on behalf of one or both parties. Some absolutize a passage like Malachi 2:16 where God says “I hate divorce” (NASB) to such a degree, that they virtually create a new unpardonable sin. In the process, they fail to recognize passages like Jeremiah 3:8 where God declares that He Himself sent Israel away with a decree of divorce. And certainly He did not sin in doing so. Divorce is ultimately a complex issue in the Scriptures, and it is not meant to be easy on any account. The debates about divorce and remarriage in Jesus’ day were hot, and raged mainly between 2 schools. One side argued that divorce was always wrong. Period. The other, said divorce was legitimate given certain grounds – like adultery. Sadly, the second group also had a contingent that allowed a man to divorce his wife and remarry for almost any grounds at all. In the end, divorce always includes one or both parties acting faithlessly against the covenant of marriage itself. As for this portion, questions arise over the statement that one who divorces a wife who has committed no sexual immorality makes her commit adultery. 2 main explanations are that exemplified by Lenski where he argues that the man who divorces his wife un-lawfully makes it look like she is an adultress – he stigmatizes her horribly. It becomes a false witness. John Holland in the NIGCT poses that by virtue of his having divorced her without Biblical warrant, they are in effect still married and so she is unwillingly drawn into his adultery (in a new marriage) and a partaker of adultery herself. Like splashed by a passing car through no fault of one’s own – one is still soiled, tho not culpable. In any event, divorce always includes this element: one or both parties breaking the marriage covenant, and acting unfaithfully. And why is that so heinous? Because as marriage is meant to display the relationship between Christ and His Church, he is ever faithful. Always faithful. He is a God, who never breaks His covenant promises. He always and ever remains true. And that is why every Believer can trust Him to keep every promise and remain ever faithful to us no matter what. Divorce makes it look like He may be unfaithful too. And that, is a slander upon our God and Christ. God’s divorce of Israel was due to her unfaithfulness, not His. What He hates, is unfaithfulness. For in His image bearers, unfaithfulness lies about Him.