Precious Moments That Count For EternitySample

Divorce is Not God’s Best

The Pharisees didn’t really want to know Jesus’ teaching on divorce and remarriage. They didn’t value His opinion, but were tempting Him and wanted to get Him embroiled in a big dispute. Divorce was a very sensitive issue, just as it is today, and they thought they had Jesus in a ‘no- win’ situation. However, as always, Jesus proved to be more than their match and He gave them much more than they asked for.
The Pharisees didn’t question whether divorce was right or not. They took the right to divorce for granted. Jesus, instead of expounding the acceptable grounds for divorce, went to the very root of the problem, showing that God never intended there to be any divorce at all. If they really understood the extent of the one flesh covenant between a man and his wife, they would not be looking for an excuse to get out of marriage. This approach amazed the Pharisees and brought forth the question, ‘Why did Moses, in the law, make provisions for divorce?’
Once a person begins to ponder, ‘How can I get a divorce?’ rather than ‘How can I keep this marriage together?’, it indicates a serious breach in the marriage. It is caused by a hardened heart.
Jesus answered that divorce was permitted but never intended. God allowed something that He hated because of the hardness of people’s hearts. Jesus came to remove our stony heart and give us a heart of flesh, so that we could walk in God’s best for us. Marriage is a covenant that God has designed between a man and a woman and it requires that both of them trust God to make it successful.

Prayer
Father God, we thank You for the blessed, loving marriages that You have ordained. We pray for all those couples who have strife in their marriages, that they would die to themselves and love each other just like Jesus did when He laid down His life for us. Amen.