Divorce And Remarriage in the Bible


 The Bible indeed addresses every issue under the sun. In the late 80's and early 90's there were very few divorce cases among the Christian folk in Kenya. However with the emerging trends, divorce among Christians has become a new norm. Many married men and women no longer take seriously the vows they make at the altar explaining why they entertain  marital unfaithfulness  that eventually leads to their separation and divorce. 

There are two questions that I will seek to answer in this short article:

1. Is divorce justified?

2. What is the ground for remarriage?


1. Is divorce Justified? 

The answer is Yes! Here are the words of Jesus on this matter  Matthew 19:9  "And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery."   The grounds for divorce according to Christ is marital unfaithfulness. It is worth noting however that this was not the heart of God from the beginning as captured in v8. God hates divorce  Malachi 2:16   "For the LORD God of Israel says That He hates divorce, For it covers one's garment with violence," Says the LORD of hosts. "Therefore take heed to your spirit, That you do not deal treacherously."   Divorce declares unending wars that taints the involved parties with violence. God's will for marriage is one mate, one marriage for life however because of the hardness of our hearts He's permitted us to divorce only on the grounds of unfaithfulness.

2. What is the ground for remarriage?

Now that divorce has been permitted on the grounds of unfaithfulness there are those who would then interpret Matthew 19:9 as permitting the divorced people to automatically remarry. Not so!

It is important to note that Jesus was speaking to a people who were holding on to the laws of Moses regarding execution of them that were caught in the act of adultery explaining why they brought to him a woman caught in the act of adultery while reading the law of Moses in John 8:5.

In the case of adultery the Old Testament law prescribed the dissolving of the marriage by executing both of the offending parties Leviticus 20:10  The man who commits adultery with another man's wife, he who commits adultery with his neighbor's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress, shall surely be put to death. 

Deuteronomy 22:22  If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then both of them shall die -- the man that lay with the woman, and the woman; so you shall put away the evil from Israel. 

The death of the guilty party would then give the innocent person the freedom to remarry. Remarriage was a preserve of only the widow or the widower. A thought that is supported by Paul in Romans 7:2  For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. 1 Corinthians 7:39  A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.  That is the context of Matthew 19:9. The Pharisees were aware of this but because our generation is far removed from theirs, we normally interpret the text according to our days.  

Well, many Christians in their ignorance and allegiance to the current social trends, have gone ahead to marry and divorce two, three or even five wives not knowing that they are indulging in adulterous practices. The ground for remarriage is the death of one partner. Paul writing to the Corinthians gave them a command of the Lord regarding this issue in 1 Corinthians 7:10-11  Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband.  11 But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife.   The Lord addressing unresolved disputes in marriage advices that should they want to part ways, they ought to stay or remain unmarried. 

This statement is indeed consistent with the teaching that Christ gave in Mark 10:9-12  "Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."  10 In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same matter.  11 So He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her.  12 "And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery." 

The bottom line is that yes divorce is permitted (but not for any and every reason)only in the case of adultery, however the ground for re-marriage is the demise of one partner.

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