WEBVTT 00:00:00.360 --> 00:00:04.059 There's no greater destroyer of the fabric of 00:00:04.059 --> 00:00:10.259 our society than divorce. In a divorce settlement, 00:00:10.439 --> 00:00:15.099 there are no winners. The couple being divorced 00:00:15.099 --> 00:00:18.179 certainly could not be classified as winners, 00:00:18.339 --> 00:00:22.480 nor could their broader family, their parents, 00:00:22.579 --> 00:00:26.059 brothers and sisters, or relationships that have 00:00:26.059 --> 00:00:31.230 perhaps grown dear have been shattered. Neighbors 00:00:31.230 --> 00:00:33.189 could not be called winners because they are 00:00:33.189 --> 00:00:37.329 caught often in the crux of it all and have to 00:00:37.329 --> 00:00:41.390 make a decision regarding their friendship. Nor 00:00:41.390 --> 00:00:44.570 is society at large a winner in any divorce. 00:00:45.570 --> 00:00:50.409 But perhaps the most hurt in divorces are the 00:00:50.409 --> 00:00:54.549 children, who are often forced by circumstances 00:00:54.549 --> 00:01:00.340 to choose between parents. Children often feel 00:01:00.340 --> 00:01:04.599 responsible themselves for the divorce of their 00:01:04.599 --> 00:01:08.859 parents. Albert Solnit, director of the Yale 00:01:08.859 --> 00:01:13.359 Child Study Center, said, Divorce is one of the 00:01:13.359 --> 00:01:16.480 most serious and complex mental health crises 00:01:16.480 --> 00:01:22.379 facing children of the 80s. That is a tragic 00:01:22.379 --> 00:01:26.989 statement to me. About one half... of children 00:01:26.989 --> 00:01:31.930 born this year will be in one -parent homes by 00:01:31.930 --> 00:01:37.750 18 years of age, one -half of them. The number 00:01:37.750 --> 00:01:42.530 of single -parent homes is growing at 20 times 00:01:42.530 --> 00:01:49.170 the rate of two -parent homes, largely because 00:01:49.170 --> 00:01:54.170 of divorce. What is our response? Do we throw 00:01:54.170 --> 00:01:57.980 up our hands in disgust? Do we shun those who 00:01:57.980 --> 00:02:00.219 have been through the heartache and tragedy of 00:02:00.219 --> 00:02:04.019 divorce? What does the Bible say should be our 00:02:04.019 --> 00:02:07.959 attitude toward divorce and remarriage, as well 00:02:07.959 --> 00:02:12.599 as those who have been through the trauma? It 00:02:12.599 --> 00:02:15.120 seems that logically there are four positions 00:02:15.120 --> 00:02:19.120 that could be taken regarding divorce and remarriage. 00:02:19.620 --> 00:02:23.819 One, that there is no divorce and no remarriage 00:02:23.819 --> 00:02:29.050 under any circumstances. Two, that divorce is 00:02:29.050 --> 00:02:32.110 allowed under some circumstances, but remarriage 00:02:32.110 --> 00:02:37.750 is never permitted. Three, that divorce and remarriage 00:02:37.750 --> 00:02:40.949 are permitted in very limited circumstances. 00:02:42.110 --> 00:02:46.289 And four, that divorce and remarriage are both 00:02:46.289 --> 00:02:50.750 permitted in all circumstances. Which position 00:02:50.750 --> 00:02:56.419 is consistent with God's Word? To be sure, there 00:02:56.419 --> 00:02:59.379 is considerable confusion regarding this matter 00:02:59.379 --> 00:03:03.500 of divorce and remarriage. But the problem is 00:03:03.500 --> 00:03:07.719 not that the Bible is confused about it. Why 00:03:07.719 --> 00:03:12.240 then the confusion? Well, because we perhaps 00:03:12.240 --> 00:03:14.580 are not as careful in our study of God's Word 00:03:14.580 --> 00:03:18.219 as we ought to be. The confusion does not come 00:03:18.219 --> 00:03:20.699 because God's Word is not clear about the subject, 00:03:20.780 --> 00:03:24.740 but rather because of poor exegesis. of God's 00:03:24.740 --> 00:03:31.000 Word and because we interpret God's Word from 00:03:31.000 --> 00:03:36.099 a personal bias that we may have. The thing that 00:03:36.099 --> 00:03:38.500 we need to do, whether it's regarding this subject 00:03:38.500 --> 00:03:42.800 or any doctrine, is to see what the data of God's 00:03:42.800 --> 00:03:47.800 Word says and then make our decision and take 00:03:47.800 --> 00:03:52.180 our position. There are good people who take 00:03:52.180 --> 00:03:55.379 differing positions on this matter of divorce 00:03:55.379 --> 00:03:58.900 and remarriage. I have read a number of different 00:03:58.900 --> 00:04:01.319 positions, even in preparing for this message 00:04:01.319 --> 00:04:06.000 tonight. Ultimately, each one of us must decide 00:04:06.000 --> 00:04:10.620 for himself, that is, to allow the Holy Spirit 00:04:10.620 --> 00:04:13.840 to bring him to an understanding of what the 00:04:13.840 --> 00:04:18.720 Word says, and then to give us a humility and 00:04:18.720 --> 00:04:22.800 a forbearance, to allow another believer to perhaps 00:04:22.800 --> 00:04:27.899 see it differently. We should never make the 00:04:27.899 --> 00:04:33.540 mistake of making this teaching on divorce and 00:04:33.540 --> 00:04:37.139 remarriage, whichever position one takes, a test 00:04:37.139 --> 00:04:42.100 of fellowship. It should never become the division 00:04:42.100 --> 00:04:48.399 among brethren. When my brother and I disagree 00:04:48.399 --> 00:04:52.600 on... this teaching or on any teaching, then 00:04:52.600 --> 00:04:55.740 it is likely that one or maybe both of us are 00:04:55.740 --> 00:04:59.459 wrong. Now, what does the Bible teach regarding 00:04:59.459 --> 00:05:02.000 this matter of divorce and remarriage? Well, 00:05:02.060 --> 00:05:04.160 let's look at what the Bible has to say about 00:05:04.160 --> 00:05:07.319 that. In order to do this, we're going to need 00:05:07.319 --> 00:05:10.399 to go quickly through a number of passages so 00:05:10.399 --> 00:05:13.819 you get your fingers oiled up out there and get 00:05:13.819 --> 00:05:16.860 your minds in gear as we move through, first, 00:05:16.920 --> 00:05:20.920 the teaching of the Old Testament. To begin, 00:05:21.139 --> 00:05:24.079 I'd like for us to go to Genesis chapter 2, verse 00:05:24.079 --> 00:05:31.120 24. In this familiar passage, we have God's ideal 00:05:31.120 --> 00:05:36.420 stated to us. This is before the sin of man. 00:05:38.360 --> 00:05:42.839 It is when man was still without sin, living 00:05:42.839 --> 00:05:47.500 in the Garden of Eden. And in verse 24 it says, 00:05:47.660 --> 00:05:50.579 For this cause a man shall leave his father and 00:05:50.579 --> 00:05:55.000 his mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and 00:05:55.000 --> 00:06:00.399 they shall become one flesh. So there is a leaving, 00:06:00.579 --> 00:06:06.259 there is a cleaving, and there is a becoming. 00:06:07.600 --> 00:06:11.579 Leaving father and mother, cleaving to one another, 00:06:12.329 --> 00:06:15.850 and becoming one flesh, establishing a new home, 00:06:16.029 --> 00:06:22.550 a new unit, a new oneness. What we have here 00:06:22.550 --> 00:06:28.050 is God's ideal, and that is a permanent, monogamous 00:06:28.050 --> 00:06:34.610 marriage relationship. That cannot be improved 00:06:34.610 --> 00:06:39.310 upon. It cannot be. That is God's ideal, and 00:06:39.310 --> 00:06:43.110 we must forever keep that before us. At the same 00:06:43.110 --> 00:06:44.870 time, there is something else we need to keep 00:06:44.870 --> 00:06:50.889 in mind, and that is that sin has affected God's 00:06:50.889 --> 00:06:56.110 perfect creation, the ideal. Just as sin has 00:06:56.110 --> 00:06:58.629 affected every other part of creation, so it 00:06:58.629 --> 00:07:03.990 also has affected marriage. For example, death 00:07:03.990 --> 00:07:08.110 ends the marital relationship, and that is not 00:07:08.110 --> 00:07:12.459 God's ideal. God's ideal was that the marriage 00:07:12.459 --> 00:07:17.259 should be forever, that there would be no death. 00:07:18.160 --> 00:07:23.220 But sin changed that. Sin impacted marriage, 00:07:23.420 --> 00:07:30.100 and now marriage ends with death. Likewise, divorce 00:07:30.100 --> 00:07:36.240 did occur in the ancient days, even among God's 00:07:36.240 --> 00:07:38.379 Old Testament people, the Jews, as we shall see. 00:07:40.430 --> 00:07:43.089 So we have here the statement of God's ideal, 00:07:43.329 --> 00:07:47.790 and yet we recognize that sin entered the picture 00:07:47.790 --> 00:07:51.149 in chapter 3 of Genesis and tragically affected 00:07:51.149 --> 00:07:56.329 all of God's perfect creation. What then is God's 00:07:56.329 --> 00:08:00.310 attitude toward divorce? There is not a clearer 00:08:00.310 --> 00:08:02.970 statement of it than in the other end of the 00:08:02.970 --> 00:08:06.529 Old Testament in the book of Malachi. Would you 00:08:06.529 --> 00:08:10.209 turn there with me, please? Malachi. chapter 00:08:10.209 --> 00:08:21.750 2. In this part of the book, the prophet is indicting 00:08:21.750 --> 00:08:26.310 the nation because of its iniquities. And one 00:08:26.310 --> 00:08:28.449 of the sins that was rampant in that day for 00:08:28.449 --> 00:08:31.129 which they were judged by God was the sin of 00:08:31.129 --> 00:08:35.289 divorce. He mentions this in verses 13 through 00:08:35.289 --> 00:08:41.820 16 of chapter 2. The Jews had divorced their 00:08:41.820 --> 00:08:46.399 Jewish wives, the wives of their youth, and had 00:08:46.399 --> 00:08:52.460 married pagans. In response to that, in verse 00:08:52.460 --> 00:08:57.460 16, just to summarize it, I hate divorce, says 00:08:57.460 --> 00:09:01.000 the Lord, the God of Israel, and him who covers 00:09:01.000 --> 00:09:03.860 his garment with wrong. The picture there is 00:09:03.860 --> 00:09:07.379 a garment that is splattered with blood or with 00:09:07.379 --> 00:09:11.970 mud. And he says, I hate divorce. I hate him 00:09:11.970 --> 00:09:16.409 who covers his garment with wrong, who is splattered 00:09:16.409 --> 00:09:20.049 with iniquity. So take heed to your spirit that 00:09:20.049 --> 00:09:23.330 you do not deal treacherously, says the Lord. 00:09:24.210 --> 00:09:27.710 We have here a confirmation, as clear as it can 00:09:27.710 --> 00:09:33.889 be, that God hates divorce. Divorce is a sin, 00:09:33.929 --> 00:09:40.779 and it is a sin which God hates. There are some 00:09:40.779 --> 00:09:43.480 who say, how then can we have anything to do 00:09:43.480 --> 00:09:49.120 with divorce or people who become divorced? God 00:09:49.120 --> 00:09:52.519 hates divorce, they say, and it's clear that 00:09:52.519 --> 00:09:56.480 he does. But may I remind you that at least in 00:09:56.480 --> 00:10:00.059 Proverbs 6, verses 16 through 19, there's another 00:10:00.059 --> 00:10:05.740 list of sins which God also says he hates. Those 00:10:05.740 --> 00:10:09.759 who lie. those who cause dissension among the 00:10:09.759 --> 00:10:14.899 brethren, those who have a proud look. God hates 00:10:14.899 --> 00:10:18.419 those sins as much as he hates divorce. Which 00:10:18.419 --> 00:10:24.299 sin is it that God loves? None. God hates all 00:10:24.299 --> 00:10:30.000 sin in his holiness. We must remember that marriage 00:10:30.000 --> 00:10:32.539 vows are to be taken very seriously, and we see 00:10:32.539 --> 00:10:37.179 here, in fact, in verse 14. the importance of 00:10:37.179 --> 00:10:41.360 the covenant of marriage, the vows that are made 00:10:41.360 --> 00:10:48.019 there. Hosea, the Old Testament prophet, is an 00:10:48.019 --> 00:10:51.919 example to us of how important the vows of marriage 00:10:51.919 --> 00:10:59.379 are. Hosea faithfully loved Gomer, his adulterous 00:10:59.379 --> 00:11:04.259 wife. That love that he had for her is an illustration. 00:11:05.370 --> 00:11:10.730 to us of how serious marriage vows are in the 00:11:10.730 --> 00:11:14.169 sight of God. For even in the most difficult 00:11:14.169 --> 00:11:19.409 of circumstances, her gross adultery, Hosea did 00:11:19.409 --> 00:11:22.830 not divorce her, as far as the book seems to 00:11:22.830 --> 00:11:26.450 indicate, but on the contrary, he patiently dealt 00:11:26.450 --> 00:11:31.629 with Gomer until she was restored. The point 00:11:31.629 --> 00:11:33.950 that is made here, as it can be applied to marriage, 00:11:34.009 --> 00:11:38.590 is that love seeks to forgive and to restore 00:11:38.590 --> 00:11:45.250 a mate who has sinned. What happens in Hosea's 00:11:45.250 --> 00:11:50.090 case is an illustration of God's unchanging love 00:11:50.090 --> 00:11:55.330 for his Old Testament people, Israel. Israel 00:11:55.330 --> 00:12:01.950 was also his spiritually adulterous wife. And 00:12:01.950 --> 00:12:04.429 yet, having said that, we must recognize the 00:12:04.429 --> 00:12:08.450 fact that divorce existed even among the Israelites. 00:12:09.110 --> 00:12:13.990 It did exist among them. And so God regulated 00:12:13.990 --> 00:12:18.009 divorce among His people. Notice that I use the 00:12:18.009 --> 00:12:21.649 term, He regulated it. He did not command it. 00:12:23.049 --> 00:12:27.529 He did not even indicate He preferred it. But 00:12:27.529 --> 00:12:32.529 He did regulate that which existed. He limited 00:12:32.529 --> 00:12:38.149 its exercise to adultery. That is, he permitted 00:12:38.149 --> 00:12:43.330 it only in that circumstance. And yet even then, 00:12:43.450 --> 00:12:47.009 forgiveness and restoration were preferable. 00:12:48.629 --> 00:12:51.669 Notice with me some of the regulations of the 00:12:51.669 --> 00:12:55.250 law concerning divorce among God's Old Testament 00:12:55.250 --> 00:12:57.970 people. Turn to the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 00:12:57.970 --> 00:13:08.710 22. We'll come to the end of a paragraph here 00:13:08.710 --> 00:13:12.789 just to see the punishment involved. And the 00:13:12.789 --> 00:13:17.970 situation is that a husband might claim after 00:13:17.970 --> 00:13:21.669 his marriage that his wife was not chaste when 00:13:21.669 --> 00:13:25.610 he married her. If, in fact, he has proven to 00:13:25.610 --> 00:13:29.710 be untruthful in that accusation, this is his 00:13:29.710 --> 00:13:33.549 punishment. Deuteronomy 22, 18. The elders of 00:13:33.549 --> 00:13:36.809 that city shall take the man. and chastise him, 00:13:36.929 --> 00:13:40.629 that is, beat him. And they shall find him a 00:13:40.629 --> 00:13:42.929 hundred shekels of silver and give it to the 00:13:42.929 --> 00:13:46.129 girl's father, because he publicly defamed a 00:13:46.129 --> 00:13:51.110 virgin of Israel. And she shall remain his wife. 00:13:51.149 --> 00:13:57.730 He cannot divorce her all his days. It doesn't 00:13:57.730 --> 00:14:00.049 say how compatible they might have been after 00:14:00.049 --> 00:14:03.610 that accusation and the trial and the punishment. 00:14:04.379 --> 00:14:08.340 But the fact is that there was to be no divorce. 00:14:08.919 --> 00:14:11.940 That is the regulation regarding it. Drop down 00:14:11.940 --> 00:14:15.879 a few verses to verse 28. If a man finds a girl 00:14:15.879 --> 00:14:19.000 who is a virgin who is not engaged and seizes 00:14:19.000 --> 00:14:21.419 her and lies with her and they are discovered, 00:14:21.639 --> 00:14:24.500 then the man who lay with her shall give to the 00:14:24.500 --> 00:14:27.960 girl's father 50 shekels of silver and she shall 00:14:27.960 --> 00:14:30.799 become his wife because he has violated her. 00:14:31.309 --> 00:14:36.509 He cannot divorce her all his days. And so we 00:14:36.509 --> 00:14:40.690 see that rape obligated a marriage and prohibited 00:14:40.690 --> 00:14:43.470 forever the possibility of a divorce in that 00:14:43.470 --> 00:14:46.649 relationship. Those are two of the regulations. 00:14:47.409 --> 00:14:49.970 Now, why am I talking about that? Because there's 00:14:49.970 --> 00:14:53.330 an implication here. And the implication is that 00:14:53.330 --> 00:14:58.090 in some instances, divorce might have been allowed 00:14:58.090 --> 00:15:02.429 for. But in the case that is described here, 00:15:02.549 --> 00:15:06.730 there is forever no divorce possible in those 00:15:06.730 --> 00:15:10.590 relationships. Turn back to Leviticus chapter 00:15:10.590 --> 00:15:13.549 21, where we have a law regarding the priests 00:15:13.549 --> 00:15:24.360 of Israel. We'll read only verse 7, although 00:15:24.360 --> 00:15:27.039 verse 14 is regarding the high priest and says 00:15:27.039 --> 00:15:29.539 essentially the same thing. Leviticus 21, 7. 00:15:30.159 --> 00:15:33.519 They shall not take a woman who is profaned by 00:15:33.519 --> 00:15:37.139 harlotry, nor shall they take a woman divorced 00:15:37.139 --> 00:15:40.799 from her husband, for he is holy to his God. 00:15:41.000 --> 00:15:43.500 Now what is it saying here? It's saying that 00:15:43.500 --> 00:15:47.909 in his marriage a priest could not marry A woman 00:15:47.909 --> 00:15:50.909 who was profaned by harlotry, nor could he marry 00:15:50.909 --> 00:15:54.909 a woman divorced from her husband. Priests were 00:15:54.909 --> 00:15:59.730 not permitted to marry divorced women. What this 00:15:59.730 --> 00:16:03.970 tells us is that there's an acknowledgement of 00:16:03.970 --> 00:16:08.009 the presence in the nation of divorced women. 00:16:09.690 --> 00:16:13.450 And it suggests, at least, that these women might 00:16:13.450 --> 00:16:18.340 be married to others than priests. but not to 00:16:18.340 --> 00:16:22.899 priests. Go back with me now to Deuteronomy chapter 00:16:22.899 --> 00:16:25.620 24, and let's look at a more lengthy passage, 00:16:25.960 --> 00:16:29.279 verses 1 through 4. We are seeing here what the 00:16:29.279 --> 00:16:32.539 Old Testament taught regarding divorce and remarriage. 00:16:38.080 --> 00:16:41.620 When a man takes a wife and marries her, Deuteronomy 00:16:41.620 --> 00:16:45.620 24 .1, And it happens that she finds no favor 00:16:45.620 --> 00:16:49.559 in his eyes because he has found some indecency 00:16:49.559 --> 00:16:53.299 in her. Now underline that word indecency. We'll 00:16:53.299 --> 00:16:57.139 come back to it. And he writes her a certificate 00:16:57.139 --> 00:16:59.600 of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends 00:16:59.600 --> 00:17:03.460 her out from his house. And she leaves his house 00:17:03.460 --> 00:17:07.059 and goes and becomes another man's wife. And 00:17:07.059 --> 00:17:09.940 if the latter husband turns against her and writes 00:17:09.940 --> 00:17:13.420 her a certificate of divorce, and puts it in 00:17:13.420 --> 00:17:16.579 her hand and sends her out of his house, or if 00:17:16.579 --> 00:17:19.920 the latter husband dies, who took her to be his 00:17:19.920 --> 00:17:24.119 wife, then her former husband, who sent her away, 00:17:24.200 --> 00:17:27.660 is not allowed to take her again to be his wife, 00:17:27.819 --> 00:17:31.500 since she has been defiled. That's another word 00:17:31.500 --> 00:17:33.119 that you may want to note. We'll come back to 00:17:33.119 --> 00:17:36.390 it. For that is an abomination before the Lord, 00:17:36.470 --> 00:17:38.589 and you shall not bring sin on the land which 00:17:38.589 --> 00:17:41.349 the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance. 00:17:42.789 --> 00:17:45.529 Actually, what is stated here is a law regarding 00:17:45.529 --> 00:17:48.670 remarriage in Israel. It's not so much dealing 00:17:48.670 --> 00:17:51.089 with divorce, but divorce is a part of the context. 00:17:52.549 --> 00:17:56.210 It acknowledges the existence of divorce on the 00:17:56.210 --> 00:18:00.970 basis of what is called indecency. The only other 00:18:00.970 --> 00:18:03.609 time that that word is found in the Old Testament 00:18:03.609 --> 00:18:06.750 is in the previous chapter in verses 13 and 14, 00:18:06.849 --> 00:18:09.869 and frankly in the text it's not altogether pleasant. 00:18:10.730 --> 00:18:13.309 He says, You shall have a spade among your tools, 00:18:13.410 --> 00:18:15.430 and it shall be that when you sit down outside, 00:18:15.589 --> 00:18:18.369 you shall dig with it and shall turn to cover 00:18:18.369 --> 00:18:22.029 up your excrement. Since the Lord your God walks 00:18:22.029 --> 00:18:24.210 in the midst of your camp to deliver you and 00:18:24.210 --> 00:18:26.210 to defeat your enemies before you, therefore 00:18:26.210 --> 00:18:29.710 your camp must be holy. and he must not see anything 00:18:29.710 --> 00:18:34.150 indecent among you, lest he turn away from you. 00:18:35.950 --> 00:18:38.670 Now, the word indecent is variously understood. 00:18:38.930 --> 00:18:41.730 There are those who say that it means indecent 00:18:41.730 --> 00:18:45.230 exposure, and that certainly is a meaning of 00:18:45.230 --> 00:18:49.269 the word. Alfred Edersheim, in his writing regarding 00:18:49.269 --> 00:18:53.390 Jewish culture, says that the word refers to, 00:18:53.410 --> 00:18:57.680 quote, every kind of impropriety. such as going 00:18:57.680 --> 00:19:00.799 about with loose hair, spinning in the street, 00:19:01.000 --> 00:19:04.359 familiarly talking with men, ill -treating her 00:19:04.359 --> 00:19:07.319 husband's parents in his presence, brawling, 00:19:07.319 --> 00:19:09.460 that is, speaking to her husband so loudly that 00:19:09.460 --> 00:19:12.980 the neighbors could hear, a general bad reputation, 00:19:13.420 --> 00:19:18.660 close quote. And so the word has a broad variety 00:19:18.660 --> 00:19:21.160 of meanings, but in the context before us in 00:19:21.160 --> 00:19:26.079 Deuteronomy 24, it seems to mean Some kind of 00:19:26.079 --> 00:19:31.119 indecent activity that stops just short of adultery, 00:19:31.299 --> 00:19:39.220 for which, of course, execution by stoning was 00:19:39.220 --> 00:19:43.299 commanded by God. So this is some kind of an 00:19:43.299 --> 00:19:46.799 indecency that comes just short of adultery. 00:19:46.940 --> 00:19:51.720 It seems to be shameful, sinful indulgence of 00:19:51.720 --> 00:19:55.829 a sexual nature. Now please notice that this 00:19:55.829 --> 00:20:00.089 text does not authorize divorce. It only relates 00:20:00.089 --> 00:20:05.990 to it in a specific kind of case. Now in verse 00:20:05.990 --> 00:20:08.769 4 it uses the word defiled and it says that that 00:20:08.769 --> 00:20:11.490 woman cannot return to her husband, her first 00:20:11.490 --> 00:20:14.910 husband, because she's been defiled. What that 00:20:14.910 --> 00:20:21.029 may mean is that her second marriage constituted 00:20:21.029 --> 00:20:26.869 adultery. Because there were no grounds of adultery 00:20:26.869 --> 00:20:30.650 for the divorce from the first marriage. Therefore, 00:20:30.769 --> 00:20:34.470 the divorce from him, the basis of indecency, 00:20:34.470 --> 00:20:37.470 something short of adultery, and then her remarriage 00:20:37.470 --> 00:20:40.569 to another man became a sin of adultery to her. 00:20:41.150 --> 00:20:43.430 Therefore, she was defiled and was not allowed 00:20:43.430 --> 00:20:47.589 to return to her first husband. So what this 00:20:47.589 --> 00:20:51.150 text may well indicate is how improper divorces 00:20:51.559 --> 00:20:56.119 produce adultery, if in case, in fact, rather, 00:20:56.180 --> 00:20:58.720 that is what defile means in verse 4, adultery. 00:21:01.019 --> 00:21:04.720 In Ezra chapter 10, we have an interesting and 00:21:04.720 --> 00:21:09.500 a unique occasion in the history of Israel. We 00:21:09.500 --> 00:21:12.460 will not take time to read it, but you will recall 00:21:12.460 --> 00:21:16.680 that Ezra records what happened in his ministry 00:21:16.680 --> 00:21:23.109 after the people returned. from their bondage 00:21:23.109 --> 00:21:27.549 in Babylon. The people had sinned greatly against 00:21:27.549 --> 00:21:31.849 the Lord by taking to themselves wives of the 00:21:31.849 --> 00:21:35.609 pagans who had come in to live in their land 00:21:35.609 --> 00:21:39.410 in their absence. And so in Ezra chapter 10, 00:21:39.490 --> 00:21:43.549 verses 3 through 5, then again in verse 11, rather, 00:21:43.650 --> 00:21:49.230 there is a command of God to the nation to divorce... 00:21:49.930 --> 00:21:55.309 those foreign wives to put them away. What seems 00:21:55.309 --> 00:21:58.630 to be involved here is a lesser of two evils. 00:22:00.230 --> 00:22:03.849 The allowing of mixed marriages would have defiled 00:22:03.849 --> 00:22:07.569 the nation with idolatry that came with those 00:22:07.569 --> 00:22:11.329 pagan wives. And therefore, on this occasion, 00:22:11.630 --> 00:22:15.470 and I remind you it is a unique one, God commanded 00:22:16.220 --> 00:22:18.519 that those foreign wives were to be divorced 00:22:18.519 --> 00:22:25.380 and put away. I would like you to turn now to 00:22:25.380 --> 00:22:33.799 Isaiah chapter 50 and verse 1. For now we're 00:22:33.799 --> 00:22:36.839 going to leave the concept of divorce among the 00:22:36.839 --> 00:22:40.720 people of Israel, as it existed in the Old Testament, 00:22:40.940 --> 00:22:46.329 and see divorce in relation to God. and His people 00:22:46.329 --> 00:22:51.750 Israel. In chapter 50, verse 1, it says, Thus 00:22:51.750 --> 00:22:54.630 says the Lord, Where is the certificate of divorce 00:22:54.630 --> 00:23:02.690 by which I have sent your mother away? Actually, 00:23:02.710 --> 00:23:05.230 this is a rhetorical question, for that certificate 00:23:05.230 --> 00:23:10.049 did not at that point exist. But what God is 00:23:10.049 --> 00:23:13.420 trying to do here is to warn His people. of what 00:23:13.420 --> 00:23:17.019 is before them if they persist in their spiritual 00:23:17.019 --> 00:23:21.039 adultery, in the worship of idols and pagan gods. 00:23:22.839 --> 00:23:25.539 I repeat, there was no certificate of divorce 00:23:25.539 --> 00:23:28.400 at this point. This is only a rhetorical question. 00:23:28.640 --> 00:23:31.839 But it was a warning to the nation of what might 00:23:31.839 --> 00:23:35.660 happen. Turn a few pages over now to the book 00:23:35.660 --> 00:23:39.079 of Jeremiah, written some time later. And notice 00:23:39.079 --> 00:23:47.630 what did happen. Jeremiah chapter 3. We have 00:23:47.630 --> 00:23:50.269 here the word of the Lord through the prophet 00:23:50.269 --> 00:23:56.890 Jeremiah. Verse 6. Then the Lord said to me in 00:23:56.890 --> 00:23:59.769 the days of Josiah the king, Have you seen what 00:23:59.769 --> 00:24:04.650 faithless Israel did? She went up on every high 00:24:04.650 --> 00:24:07.990 hill and under every green tree, and she was 00:24:07.990 --> 00:24:10.559 a harlot there. In other words, those were the 00:24:10.559 --> 00:24:13.819 places where the idols were. And God says that 00:24:13.819 --> 00:24:16.980 the nation of Israel committed spiritual harlotry 00:24:16.980 --> 00:24:20.559 in worshiping those gods. And I thought, says 00:24:20.559 --> 00:24:23.559 God, after she has done all these things, she 00:24:23.559 --> 00:24:27.000 will return to me. But she did not return, and 00:24:27.000 --> 00:24:30.960 her treacherous sister Judah saw it. And I saw 00:24:30.960 --> 00:24:33.900 that for all the adulteries of faithless Israel, 00:24:34.099 --> 00:24:38.329 I had sent her away and given her. a writ of 00:24:38.329 --> 00:24:42.369 divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah did 00:24:42.369 --> 00:24:45.789 not fear, but she went and was a harlot also. 00:24:46.650 --> 00:24:49.569 So God says through the prophet Jeremiah that 00:24:49.569 --> 00:24:53.190 in fact he divorced himself from spiritually 00:24:53.190 --> 00:24:57.750 adulterous Israel, the northern kingdom. And 00:24:57.750 --> 00:24:59.650 he says, surely that would have been a warning 00:24:59.650 --> 00:25:01.890 to the southern kingdom of Judah to stop her 00:25:01.890 --> 00:25:09.960 sin. And yet it was not. It was not. Now, what 00:25:09.960 --> 00:25:13.140 do we see as a summary of the Old Testament teaching 00:25:13.140 --> 00:25:17.119 regarding divorce and remarriage? Nowhere in 00:25:17.119 --> 00:25:20.539 the Old Testament is a written bill of divorcement 00:25:20.539 --> 00:25:26.299 authorized by God. And yet, that does not necessarily 00:25:26.299 --> 00:25:31.500 mean that God did not allow it. If you will remember, 00:25:31.660 --> 00:25:34.680 there were other standards or regulations that 00:25:34.680 --> 00:25:38.359 were given by God to man which are not recorded. 00:25:38.920 --> 00:25:42.400 in scripture an example of that would be the 00:25:42.400 --> 00:25:45.539 proper sacrifices to offer in those days before 00:25:45.539 --> 00:25:50.640 the flood cain and abel were aware of which sacrifices 00:25:50.640 --> 00:25:53.299 they were to have offered god gave them that 00:25:53.299 --> 00:25:55.880 word but it is nowhere recorded for us in scripture 00:25:55.880 --> 00:26:00.799 it was given orally and therefore just because 00:26:00.799 --> 00:26:02.960 we do not have it recorded in the word of god 00:26:02.960 --> 00:26:06.440 does not mean that god did not allow a bill of 00:26:06.440 --> 00:26:11.599 divorcement But we also notice that only on the 00:26:11.599 --> 00:26:15.299 basis of adultery was divorce ever provided for 00:26:15.299 --> 00:26:18.700 by God. And he himself set an example in that. 00:26:19.420 --> 00:26:23.839 And only then did he allow it because of his 00:26:23.839 --> 00:26:27.079 graciousness for the sinfulness and the hardness 00:26:27.079 --> 00:26:32.680 of man. Actually, in the case of adultery, there 00:26:32.680 --> 00:26:37.710 should have been what? Execution. The adulterous 00:26:37.710 --> 00:26:41.289 person should have been stoned to death, but 00:26:41.289 --> 00:26:46.170 God in his grace allowed for a provision of divorce 00:26:46.170 --> 00:26:50.769 rather than that. We do not know when that was 00:26:50.769 --> 00:26:56.789 begun, but we do have two examples of its practice 00:26:56.789 --> 00:27:01.490 to point to. One of them is God himself. For 00:27:01.490 --> 00:27:03.869 the nation of Israel was married to him, yet 00:27:03.869 --> 00:27:06.430 he... and committed adultery, yet he did not 00:27:06.430 --> 00:27:10.170 utterly destroy the nation, but divorced the 00:27:10.170 --> 00:27:16.930 nation. Jeremiah 3 .8. A second example is the 00:27:16.930 --> 00:27:21.490 instance of Joseph and Mary. Joseph was going 00:27:21.490 --> 00:27:26.890 to divorce Mary because he thought initially 00:27:26.890 --> 00:27:30.650 that there had been sin involved in her pregnancy. 00:27:32.559 --> 00:27:35.799 If the Old Testament law had been strictly followed, 00:27:35.960 --> 00:27:41.299 and she had been guilty, she would have had to 00:27:41.299 --> 00:27:43.859 have been stoned to death, according to Deuteronomy 00:27:43.859 --> 00:27:49.380 22, verses 23 and 24. For you see, an engaged 00:27:49.380 --> 00:27:54.759 person, one who is betrothed in the oriental 00:27:54.759 --> 00:27:59.299 sense, in that state before they were actually 00:27:59.299 --> 00:28:01.779 joined, in the consummation of their marriage, 00:28:01.920 --> 00:28:05.779 the betrothal period. That period was just as 00:28:05.779 --> 00:28:08.539 significant as the marriage itself, and one who 00:28:08.539 --> 00:28:13.880 sinned in a sexual way during that betrothal 00:28:13.880 --> 00:28:17.380 period was to be stoned to death as much as one 00:28:17.380 --> 00:28:20.099 who was found to be guilty of adultery after 00:28:20.099 --> 00:28:24.640 marriage. So really, Mary, if she had been guilty 00:28:24.640 --> 00:28:27.539 of sin, should have been stoned to death. But 00:28:27.539 --> 00:28:29.759 we see that Joseph, rather, was going to divorce 00:28:29.759 --> 00:28:35.920 her and to put her away privately. And so apparently 00:28:35.920 --> 00:28:38.799 that was something that was allowed for among 00:28:38.799 --> 00:28:41.319 God's people. Now let's go to the New Testament. 00:28:41.380 --> 00:28:47.140 Look at the New Testament. In the Gospels, there 00:28:47.140 --> 00:28:53.700 are four references to divorce. The first two 00:28:53.700 --> 00:28:56.740 are found in the book of Matthew. Please turn 00:28:56.740 --> 00:29:08.519 to Matthew chapter 5. Perhaps a word of background 00:29:08.519 --> 00:29:12.420 would be wise at this point. Among the Jews in 00:29:12.420 --> 00:29:14.680 Jesus' day, there were two schools of thought 00:29:14.680 --> 00:29:18.460 regarding divorce and remarriage. There was the 00:29:18.460 --> 00:29:23.420 school of Hillel, one of the Jewish teachers, 00:29:23.819 --> 00:29:28.230 rabbis. The Hillel School took a liberal approach 00:29:28.230 --> 00:29:31.710 to this whole matter and said that divorce could 00:29:31.710 --> 00:29:34.890 be allowed for just about any reason. The burning 00:29:34.890 --> 00:29:40.349 of a meal, improper seasoning of food, or if 00:29:40.349 --> 00:29:43.609 a husband disliked his mother -in -law, he could 00:29:43.609 --> 00:29:48.829 divorce his wife. He just had to be sure to get 00:29:48.829 --> 00:29:52.369 the bill of divorcement. He had to get the paperwork 00:29:52.369 --> 00:29:54.960 done, but if he got the paperwork done, almost 00:29:54.960 --> 00:30:00.880 any reason would pass. In contrast to that, there 00:30:00.880 --> 00:30:04.460 was the school of Shammai, another Jewish rabbi. 00:30:05.599 --> 00:30:08.240 This school was much more conservative than the 00:30:08.240 --> 00:30:12.299 other and allowed for divorce only by reason 00:30:12.299 --> 00:30:18.359 of lewdness, adultery, or immodesty. The Pharisees 00:30:18.359 --> 00:30:21.339 were divided between these two schools, although 00:30:21.339 --> 00:30:23.619 the more liberal approach was the more popular 00:30:23.619 --> 00:30:28.059 one. They attempted to get Jesus caught in their 00:30:28.059 --> 00:30:32.859 argument, as they did on several occasions. In 00:30:32.859 --> 00:30:38.680 Matthew 5, verse 31, we have this word. And it 00:30:38.680 --> 00:30:43.480 was said, Whoever divorces his wife, let him 00:30:43.480 --> 00:30:46.539 give her a certificate of dismissal. That is 00:30:46.539 --> 00:30:49.579 Jesus quoting Deuteronomy 24, which we looked 00:30:49.579 --> 00:30:53.890 at. But I say to you, that everyone who divorces 00:30:53.890 --> 00:30:57.809 his wife except for the cause of unchastity makes 00:30:57.809 --> 00:31:01.430 her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced 00:31:01.430 --> 00:31:08.109 woman commits adultery. Now we have another similar 00:31:08.109 --> 00:31:18.690 word in Matthew 19. Please turn over there. And 00:31:18.690 --> 00:31:21.430 here we see the Pharisees doing just what I said 00:31:21.430 --> 00:31:23.490 a few moments ago. Some of the Pharisees came, 00:31:23.690 --> 00:31:28.509 verse 3, to Jesus, testing him and saying, Is 00:31:28.509 --> 00:31:32.089 it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any 00:31:32.089 --> 00:31:36.089 cause at all, for any reason? Like the Hillel 00:31:36.089 --> 00:31:40.190 school says. And he answered and said, Have you 00:31:40.190 --> 00:31:42.849 not read that he who created them from the beginning 00:31:42.849 --> 00:31:46.509 made them male and female and said, For this 00:31:46.509 --> 00:31:48.910 cause a man shall leave his father and mother 00:31:48.910 --> 00:31:50.990 and shall cleave to his wife, and the two shall 00:31:50.990 --> 00:31:54.390 become one flesh. In other words, Jesus doesn't 00:31:54.390 --> 00:31:56.170 really answer the question. He points them back 00:31:56.170 --> 00:31:59.990 to God's ideal. Consequently, they are no longer 00:31:59.990 --> 00:32:02.990 two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined 00:32:02.990 --> 00:32:06.890 together, let no man separate. They said to him, 00:32:07.029 --> 00:32:10.470 Why then did Moses command to give her a certificate 00:32:10.470 --> 00:32:14.869 and divorce her? Notice, why did Moses command? 00:32:16.170 --> 00:32:19.630 They ask. And again, refer to Deuteronomy 24. 00:32:20.569 --> 00:32:25.630 But Jesus responds appropriately. Because of 00:32:25.630 --> 00:32:30.190 your hardness of heart, Moses permitted, not 00:32:30.190 --> 00:32:33.630 commanded. Moses permitted you to divorce your 00:32:33.630 --> 00:32:37.009 wives, but from the beginning it has not been 00:32:37.009 --> 00:32:40.029 this way. And I say to you, whoever divorces 00:32:40.029 --> 00:32:43.450 his wife except for immorality and marries another 00:32:43.450 --> 00:32:48.740 woman commits adultery. And so we have a statement 00:32:48.740 --> 00:32:50.900 of our Lord regarding this matter of divorce 00:32:50.900 --> 00:32:54.420 and remarriage. And the question that is usually 00:32:54.420 --> 00:32:59.839 asked is, what does it mean, immorality, here 00:32:59.839 --> 00:33:07.000 in Matthew 19, or in Matthew chapter 5, what 00:33:07.000 --> 00:33:13.680 does it mean by unchastity? In both cases, the 00:33:13.680 --> 00:33:17.640 word in the Greek is pornea. That is the key 00:33:17.640 --> 00:33:20.960 word. What does that mean? Well, there are those 00:33:20.960 --> 00:33:24.579 who say that that is the word fornication and 00:33:24.579 --> 00:33:28.640 that the word only means sexual activity between 00:33:28.640 --> 00:33:32.660 those who are unmarried during the betrothal 00:33:32.660 --> 00:33:36.880 period, the engagement period, that that is the 00:33:36.880 --> 00:33:40.000 technical and the only meaning of that term. 00:33:42.509 --> 00:33:47.309 And yet that is an error. The term has a broader 00:33:47.309 --> 00:33:51.710 meaning than that. A study of this word in the 00:33:51.710 --> 00:33:53.930 New Testament reveals the fact that this word 00:33:53.930 --> 00:34:00.329 pornea actually refers not only to that premarital 00:34:00.329 --> 00:34:04.630 sexual activity, but it also applies to any kind 00:34:04.630 --> 00:34:09.809 of sexual immorality or unlawful sexual relationship. 00:34:11.559 --> 00:34:15.800 The word encompasses another Greek word, moikeia, 00:34:15.960 --> 00:34:21.119 which is adultery. So it is not only referring 00:34:21.119 --> 00:34:24.000 to sexual activity between unmarried people, 00:34:24.159 --> 00:34:29.260 but it embraces as well adultery and various 00:34:29.260 --> 00:34:34.039 perversions. One example of that would be 1 Corinthians 00:34:34.039 --> 00:34:39.280 10, verse 8, where the word is used regarding... 00:34:39.710 --> 00:34:43.389 God's Old Testament people and their sin. In 00:34:43.389 --> 00:34:46.449 1 Corinthians 10, 8, it says, Nor let us act 00:34:46.449 --> 00:34:50.110 immorally. There's the word. As some of them 00:34:50.110 --> 00:34:53.730 did, and 23 ,000 fell in one day. And if you 00:34:53.730 --> 00:34:56.309 go back to Numbers chapter 25, where all of this 00:34:56.309 --> 00:34:58.969 took place that this is referring to, it's rather 00:34:58.969 --> 00:35:01.190 unreasonable to think that only unmarried people 00:35:01.190 --> 00:35:03.610 were involved in that sinful activity, that immoral 00:35:03.610 --> 00:35:10.030 activity that took place. This word, this key 00:35:10.030 --> 00:35:15.610 word in Matthew 5 and 19, if it is made to read 00:35:15.610 --> 00:35:21.530 strictly only premarital sexual activity, is 00:35:21.530 --> 00:35:25.449 to take the word in an arbitrary way and to limit 00:35:25.449 --> 00:35:32.269 its usage. The word does embrace various kinds 00:35:32.269 --> 00:35:36.949 of sexual impurity. Now another word regarding 00:35:36.949 --> 00:35:43.090 the context of Matthew 5 and 19. The word divorce 00:35:43.090 --> 00:35:47.809 that is used here, this verb, is one that cannot 00:35:47.809 --> 00:35:52.730 legitimately be defined as referring only to 00:35:52.730 --> 00:35:58.070 those who are engaged or betrothed. This word 00:35:58.070 --> 00:36:00.929 that is translated divorced in our English includes 00:36:00.929 --> 00:36:05.269 those who are married. And as a matter of fact, 00:36:05.269 --> 00:36:09.590 clearly in Matthew chapter 19, that is the context. 00:36:10.489 --> 00:36:13.789 For they are asking a question on the basis of 00:36:13.789 --> 00:36:18.250 Deuteronomy 24, which deals with married people. 00:36:21.030 --> 00:36:24.949 Consequently, we see marriage, married people 00:36:24.949 --> 00:36:27.969 are involved here, not just those who have been 00:36:27.969 --> 00:36:32.449 engaged. There's another point too, and that 00:36:32.449 --> 00:36:36.789 is... the indissolubility of Jewish marriage, 00:36:37.070 --> 00:36:45.230 that did not begin with its consummation, but 00:36:45.230 --> 00:36:47.570 it began with the betrothal, the engagement. 00:36:48.449 --> 00:36:52.570 Once the contract was agreed to, often by the 00:36:52.570 --> 00:36:56.570 fathers, that contract could not be broken. It 00:36:56.570 --> 00:37:04.159 was not dissolvable. And so the punishment, For 00:37:04.159 --> 00:37:06.840 sexual impurity, as I have stated before, during 00:37:06.840 --> 00:37:11.400 that betrothal period, would be death, the same 00:37:11.400 --> 00:37:14.059 as after the consummation physically of the marriage. 00:37:17.019 --> 00:37:20.579 Now Jesus also talks about this subject in Mark 00:37:20.579 --> 00:37:26.320 10 and Luke 16. In neither of those texts is 00:37:26.320 --> 00:37:30.300 there a mention of an exception clause. And of 00:37:30.300 --> 00:37:34.849 course the question arises, why? If Jesus mentions 00:37:34.849 --> 00:37:38.730 the exception of adultery here and says that 00:37:38.730 --> 00:37:41.949 on the basis of adultery, divorce is permissible, 00:37:42.170 --> 00:37:45.329 though not preferable, though not commanded, 00:37:45.610 --> 00:37:49.389 it is permissible, then why does he not say that 00:37:49.389 --> 00:37:53.210 in Mark 10 and Luke 16 as well? And the answer, 00:37:53.329 --> 00:37:56.070 the best answer that I know to that, because 00:37:56.070 --> 00:37:58.469 I don't know Jesus' mind perfectly as he was 00:37:58.469 --> 00:38:01.880 speaking on those occasions, is that as the writers 00:38:01.880 --> 00:38:05.980 were writing their Gospels, Mark and Luke, that 00:38:05.980 --> 00:38:09.360 statement did not necessarily fit in with their 00:38:09.360 --> 00:38:13.360 purpose in writing, and therefore they did not 00:38:13.360 --> 00:38:18.000 include it. As we look at the fullness of what 00:38:18.000 --> 00:38:20.260 Jesus taught regarding divorce and remarriage, 00:38:20.360 --> 00:38:22.719 what is our conclusion? What is our summary? 00:38:23.900 --> 00:38:29.599 It is, it seems to me, That Jesus' teaching was 00:38:29.599 --> 00:38:32.039 perfectly consistent with what the Old Testament 00:38:32.039 --> 00:38:36.539 taught. That God's ideal from the beginning has 00:38:36.539 --> 00:38:39.820 been permanent, monogamous, heterosexual marriage. 00:38:40.880 --> 00:38:46.760 That God hates divorce. And yet God graciously 00:38:46.760 --> 00:38:51.079 provides for the dissolution of marriage in the 00:38:51.079 --> 00:38:56.500 case of adultery. Never commanded, not even preferred. 00:38:57.289 --> 00:39:02.090 but it is permitted. On the other hand, Jesus 00:39:02.090 --> 00:39:08.769 warns that divorce on other grounds is a sin 00:39:08.769 --> 00:39:14.369 and that remarriage only compounds that sin of 00:39:14.369 --> 00:39:19.670 adultery. That too is very clear. Now as we move 00:39:19.670 --> 00:39:21.489 further into the New Testament, there is another 00:39:21.489 --> 00:39:24.190 passage in Romans chapter 4, which we have discussed 00:39:24.190 --> 00:39:29.780 before when we studied Romans. In that context, 00:39:29.880 --> 00:39:34.500 marriage and the death of a spouse are intended 00:39:34.500 --> 00:39:37.320 to illustrate the principle of the Christian's 00:39:37.320 --> 00:39:42.940 death to the law and his new union with Jesus 00:39:42.940 --> 00:39:47.699 Christ. What the apostle says there regarding 00:39:47.699 --> 00:39:54.079 marriage and remarriage is not intended by the 00:39:54.079 --> 00:39:56.559 apostle to be an instruction regarding divorce. 00:39:57.199 --> 00:40:02.199 It is a general statement made to make a point, 00:40:02.260 --> 00:40:06.559 to give an illustration of a spiritual truth. 00:40:07.099 --> 00:40:11.119 What he says is a good statement and a true statement 00:40:11.119 --> 00:40:14.019 and a right statement, but it is not intended 00:40:14.019 --> 00:40:17.119 to be his statement on divorce and remarriage. 00:40:18.989 --> 00:40:21.789 But as we go to 1 Corinthians chapter 7, we do 00:40:21.789 --> 00:40:24.170 have a statement of Paul regarding this matter 00:40:24.170 --> 00:40:28.210 of divorce and remarriage. Now, the apostle does 00:40:28.210 --> 00:40:35.670 not restate what Jesus has already said. The 00:40:35.670 --> 00:40:38.610 Bible is a progressive revelation, so we add 00:40:38.610 --> 00:40:41.769 up what is said throughout its pages to come 00:40:41.769 --> 00:40:45.090 to a full understanding regarding any doctrine, 00:40:45.289 --> 00:40:50.010 including this one. Paul does not restate what 00:40:50.010 --> 00:40:53.590 Jesus said, but he goes beyond what our Lord 00:40:53.590 --> 00:40:59.190 said. In verses 10 and 11, he deals with married 00:40:59.190 --> 00:41:04.070 believers. And he says regarding them that there 00:41:04.070 --> 00:41:10.230 is no divorce remarriage option for them. With 00:41:10.230 --> 00:41:13.250 the understanding being from the earlier context 00:41:13.250 --> 00:41:19.000 that the exception of adultery Fornication is 00:41:19.000 --> 00:41:25.699 a basis for it. A basis, I say, for permission, 00:41:25.840 --> 00:41:31.360 but not a basis for a demand for divorce. God's 00:41:31.360 --> 00:41:36.820 preference is forgiveness and restoration. But 00:41:36.820 --> 00:41:41.440 beyond that one exception, the apostle makes 00:41:41.440 --> 00:41:44.539 it clear that there is no option for believers 00:41:44.539 --> 00:41:49.300 regarding divorce. He says, but to the married 00:41:49.300 --> 00:41:51.780 I give instructions, not I but the Lord. In other 00:41:51.780 --> 00:41:54.360 words, he says the Lord gave this word that the 00:41:54.360 --> 00:41:57.039 wife should not leave, and that is a technical 00:41:57.039 --> 00:42:01.019 word for divorce, her husband. But if she does 00:42:01.019 --> 00:42:04.599 leave, let her remain unmarried or else be reconciled 00:42:04.599 --> 00:42:07.219 to her husband, and that the husband should not 00:42:07.219 --> 00:42:10.019 send away, another technical word, his wife. 00:42:12.320 --> 00:42:15.099 And so it's very clear regarding two believers 00:42:15.099 --> 00:42:18.800 who are married. Apart from adultery, which has 00:42:18.800 --> 00:42:20.559 already been talked about, there is absolutely 00:42:20.559 --> 00:42:24.679 no place for divorce and remarriage. If they 00:42:24.679 --> 00:42:27.300 cannot get along together, they may live separately, 00:42:27.579 --> 00:42:30.760 but they must remain then separate for the rest 00:42:30.760 --> 00:42:33.960 of their lives or else be reconciled to one another. 00:42:36.139 --> 00:42:39.260 Verses 12 to 14 begins to deal then with mixed 00:42:39.260 --> 00:42:41.780 marriages, and Jesus did not have a word regarding 00:42:41.780 --> 00:42:44.539 this. And so the apostle says, this is coming 00:42:44.539 --> 00:42:46.780 from me, but we recognize that he spoke by the 00:42:46.780 --> 00:42:49.000 inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And what he says 00:42:49.000 --> 00:42:52.219 is as fully authoritative as what Jesus said. 00:42:52.960 --> 00:42:56.320 In verses 12 to 14, he says regarding mixed marriages, 00:42:56.360 --> 00:42:58.960 basically this, stay together if both parties 00:42:58.960 --> 00:43:02.880 are willing. Don't separate just because you 00:43:02.880 --> 00:43:06.619 become saved after you're married and your husband 00:43:06.619 --> 00:43:09.659 does not become a believer or vice versa. That 00:43:09.659 --> 00:43:13.329 is not a basis for separating. He says, if there 00:43:13.329 --> 00:43:15.309 is a willingness on the part of your unsaved 00:43:15.309 --> 00:43:18.889 partner to be with you, stay married. For you 00:43:18.889 --> 00:43:21.949 as a saved person bring blessing into that home. 00:43:23.869 --> 00:43:26.449 In verse 15, though, he deals with what happens 00:43:26.449 --> 00:43:30.170 when the unbelieving departs. He says, if the 00:43:30.170 --> 00:43:35.309 unbelieving one leaves, let him leave. In other 00:43:35.309 --> 00:43:40.940 words, if there is an unsaved spouse, who says, 00:43:41.039 --> 00:43:44.780 I no longer want you. I renounce you as my wife. 00:43:44.860 --> 00:43:48.199 I don't want to be any part of you because of 00:43:48.199 --> 00:43:52.400 your faith. And he deserts that home. Paul says, 00:43:52.639 --> 00:43:57.059 let him go. Let him go. And the word leave here 00:43:57.059 --> 00:43:59.420 is that same word that we've been looking at 00:43:59.420 --> 00:44:04.320 for divorce. Let him divorce. The brother or 00:44:04.320 --> 00:44:07.699 sister is not under bondage in such cases. God 00:44:07.699 --> 00:44:12.260 has called us to peace. says the Lord here through 00:44:12.260 --> 00:44:15.380 the Apostle Paul. Now the question is, does that 00:44:15.380 --> 00:44:18.480 person then have a right for remarriage? And 00:44:18.480 --> 00:44:21.440 I believe the answer to that is yes. When he 00:44:21.440 --> 00:44:25.000 says the brother or sister is not under bondage, 00:44:25.039 --> 00:44:27.719 he uses the word bondage there that is exactly 00:44:27.719 --> 00:44:31.519 the same term for the bond of marriage back in 00:44:31.519 --> 00:44:36.780 Romans chapter 7. So what the Apostle is saying 00:44:36.780 --> 00:44:39.739 here in essence is this. That when there is a 00:44:39.739 --> 00:44:46.300 desertion of an unsaved person toward a saved 00:44:46.300 --> 00:44:49.619 person in a marriage, that that saved person 00:44:49.619 --> 00:44:53.480 is free from obligation to that unsaved person, 00:44:53.539 --> 00:44:58.280 no longer under bondage to him or her.