The Family & the HomeThe Family & the Home

Lesson 10: Marriage & Divorce

Marriage, Divorce, Remarriage Many marry, divorce, and remarry without

any consideration of what God’s word teaches; they follow man’s laws, but not God’s laws

Man allows many unauthorized things regarding marriage, divorce, and remarriage

Unauthorized practices regarding marriage, divorce, and remarriage can also be found among members of the Lord’s church

Marriage, Divorce, Remarriage

First, let us examine the key passages dealing with marriage. What positive things can be learned about marriage?

Second, let us examine the key passages dealing with divorce. What is God’s attitude toward divorce?

Genesis 2:18-25Genesis 2:18-2518 And Jehovah God said, It is not good that the man

should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him.

19 And out of the ground Jehovah God formed every beast of the field, and every bird of the heavens; and brought them unto the man to see what he would call them: and whatsoever the man called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

20 And the man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the heavens, and to every beast of the field; but for man there was not found a help meet for him.

21 And Jehovah God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof:

22 and the rib, which Jehovah God had taken from the man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

23 And the man said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Divine Institution

Genesis 2:18-25Genesis 2:18-2518 And Jehovah God said, It is not good that the

man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him.

19 And out of the ground Jehovah God formed every beast of the field, and every bird of the heavens; and brought them unto the man to see what he would call them: and whatsoever the man called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

20 And the man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the heavens, and to every beast of the field; but for man there was not found a help meet for him.

21 And Jehovah God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof:

22 and the rib, which Jehovah God had taken from the man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

23 And the man said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Homo sapien

HeterosexualMonogamousPermanentPure

Isaiah 62:1-5Isaiah 62:1-562:1  For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace,

and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness go forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burneth.

2 And the nations shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory, and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of Jehovah shall name.

3 Thou shalt also be a crown of beauty in the hand of Jehovah, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.

4 Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzi-bah, and thy land Beulah; for Jehovah delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.

5 For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee; and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.

A delight and joy

Malachi 2:14-16Malachi 2:14-1614 Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because

Jehovah hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously, though she is thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.

15 And did he not make one, although he had the residue of the Spirit? And wherefore one? He sought a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.

16 For I hate putting away, saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, and him that covereth his garment with violence, saith Jehovah of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.

CovenantPermanent

Matthew 19:3-9Matthew 19:3-93 And there came unto him Pharisees, trying him, and

saying, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?

4 And he answered and said, Have ye not read, that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female,

5 and said, For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh?

6 So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

7 They say unto him, Why then did Moses command to give a bill of divorcement, and to put her away?

8 He saith unto them, Moses for your hardness of heart suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it hath not been so.

9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and he that marrieth her when she is put away committeth adultery.

Divine Institution

Permanent

Luke 20:34-36Luke 20:34-3634 And Jesus said unto them,

The sons of this world marry, and are given in marriage:

35 but they that are accounted worthy to attain to that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:

36 for neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

For this life only (see also Mt. 22:30; Mk. 12:25)

Romans 7:2-3Romans 7:2-32 For the woman that hath a

husband is bound by law to the husband while he liveth; but if the husband die, she is discharged from the law of the husband.

3 So then if, while the husband liveth, she be joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if the husband die, she is free from the law, so that she is no adulteress, though she be joined to another man.

Divinely regulated

1 Corinthians 7:1-51 Corinthians 7:1-52 But, because of fornications, let each

man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband.

3 Let the husband render unto the wife her due: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.

4 The wife hath not power over her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power over his own body, but the wife.

5 Defraud ye not one the other, except it be by consent for a season, that ye may give yourselves unto prayer, and may be together again, that Satan tempt you not because of your incontinency.

Mono –gamousObligatory

SpiritualUnited

1 Corinthians 7:6-91 Corinthians 7:6-96 But this I say by way of

concession, not of commandment.

7 Yet I would that all men were even as I myself. Howbeit each man hath his own gift from God, one after this manner, and another after that.

8 But I say to the unmarried and to widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.

9 But if they have not continency, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.

No one is required by God to get married or stay single (see also 7:25-28, 36, 38, 39; Mt. 19:10ff; 1 Tim. 4:3)

1 Corinthians 7:10-161 Corinthians 7:10-1610 But unto the married I give charge, yea not I, but

the Lord, That the wife depart not from her husband

11 (but should she depart, let her remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband); and that the husband leave not his wife.

12 But to the rest say I, not the Lord: If any brother hath an unbelieving wife, and she is content to dwell with him, let him not leave her.

13 And the woman that hath an unbelieving husband, and he is content to dwell with her, let her not leave her husband.

14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified in the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified in the brother: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.

15 Yet if the unbelieving departeth, let him depart: the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us in peace.

16 For how knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? Or how knowest thou, O husband, whether thou shalt save thy wife?

Permanent

Peaceful

Hebrews 13:4Hebrews 13:44 Let marriage be had

in honor among all, and let the bed be undefiled: for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

Honorable

Bible Teaching on Marriage

Marriage is…

A divine institution

A relationship for homo sapiens, heterosexuals

A monogamous, permanent, and pure relationship

A delightful and joyous relationship

Bible Teaching on Marriage

Marriage is…

A covenant

A relationship for this life only

A divinely regulated relationship

A responsible (obligatory) relationship that is spiritually united

Bible Teaching on Marriage

Marriage is…

A choice; not divinely required

A permanent & peaceful relationship

An honorable relationship

Deuteronomy 24:1-4Deuteronomy 24:1-424:1  When a man taketh a wife, and

marrieth her, then it shall be, if she find no favor in his eyes, because he hath found some unseemly thing in her, that he shall write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.

2 And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife.

3 And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, who took her to be his wife;

4 her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before Jehovah: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

Mosaic legislation regulating divorce, not condoning divorce

Ezra 10:1-3Ezra 10:1-310:1  Now while Ezra prayed and made

confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there was gathered together unto him out of Israel a very great assembly of men and women and children; for the people wept very sore.

2 And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have married foreign women of the peoples of the land: yet now there is hope for Israel concerning this thing.

3 Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.

4 Arise; for the matter belongeth unto thee, and we are with thee: be of good courage, and do it.

Command-ed when the marriages were unlawful

Malachi 2:14-16Malachi 2:14-1614 Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because Jehovah

hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously, though she is thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.

15 And did he not make one, although he had the residue of the Spirit? And wherefore one? He sought a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.

16 For I hate putting away, saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, and him that covereth his garment with violence, saith Jehovah of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.

God hates divorce

Matthew 5:31-32Matthew 5:31-3231 It was said also, Whosoever

shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:

32 but I say unto you, that every one that putteth away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, maketh her an adulteress: and whosoever shall marry her when she is put away committeth adultery.

The one doing the putting away (divorcing) is at fault

Matthew 19:3-9Matthew 19:3-93 And there came unto him Pharisees, trying him, and

saying, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?

4 And he answered and said, Have ye not read, that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female,

5 and said, For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh?

6 So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

7 They say unto him, Why then did Moses command to give a bill of divorcement, and to put her away?

8 He saith unto them, Moses for your hardness of heart suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it hath not been so.

9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and he that marrieth her when she is put away committeth adultery.

Is it lawful?

No. It is not lawful to put away (divorce)

1 Corinthians 7:10-161 Corinthians 7:10-1610 But unto the married I give charge, yea not I, but

the Lord, That the wife depart not from her husband

11 (but should she depart, let her remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband); and that the husband leave not his wife.

12 But to the rest say I, not the Lord: If any brother hath an unbelieving wife, and she is content to dwell with him, let him not leave her.

13 And the woman that hath an unbelieving husband, and he is content to dwell with her, let her not leave her husband.

14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified in the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified in the brother: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.

15 Yet if the unbelieving departeth, let him depart: the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us in peace.

16 For how knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? Or how knowest thou, O husband, whether thou shalt save thy wife?

Do not depart or leave

Bible Teaching on Divorce

Divorce is…

Regulated by God in the OT

Commanded by God in the OT (when the marriages were unlawful to begin with)

Hated by God in the OT

Against the teaching of Jesus and Paul

Review Questions

1. How do the practices of mankind concerning marriage, divorce, and remarriage differ from biblical teaching?

2. What positive things can be learned about marriage from the Bible?

3. What is God’s attitude toward divorce?

4. What is Jesus’ teaching against divorce?