Malachi 2

Verse 15-16: So look to yourselves, and do not let anyone be faithless to the wife of his youth. For I hate divorce, says the Lord, the God of Israel..."

I could find myself arguing with just about everything God has said in the first two chapter of Malachi, if I just took the words at face value.

And I am certain that many people have taken these words at face value and walked away from God because of them. It's easy to read this verse and think that God not only hates divorce but God hates people that have gotten a divorce.

In this chapter God is addressing a problem in Israel. The world was getting away from polygomy, so men were divorcing their first wife and marrying younger women. God wasn't happy about it.

Before I continue, let me say this; God does not want you to be miserable or in an abusive relationship. What God wants is men and women to take their promises seriously. Abuse is breaking that promise. Adultery is breaking that promise. There is no way that you should keep a promise to someone that is not keeping their promise to you.

And then there is this... I met a guy the other day that has been married five times. He just walks away after a couple years when he "can't take it anymore." Take what, being around the same person every day? I wanted to say, "That's what marriage is! Why get married then?"

Divorce hurts. It hurts everyone involved. It hurts the husband and wife, it hurts the kids, it hurts the families on both sides and it hurts the friends that have to choose sides. It's not an easy thing for anyone... it's like a death in the family. It is not to be taken lightly.

Divorce is death to relationships and rips families apart. Of course God would hate it. God sent his Son to die on a cross to repair the relationship with humanity, to reconcile with humanity, to bring new life to humanity.

In Mere Christianity C.S. Lewis wrote something along these lines: (paraphrase) Love may not always be easy. After many years the thrill may be gone, but love is as much from the will as it is from the heart. The heart urges us to make promises, the will sees them through. God wants us to take all of our promises seriously...

(back to me) Because God takes all of His promises seriously. Which means even though half the people that get married end up getting a divorce, God still loves them the same as everyone else.

*** Sometimes I write blogs that I really don't want anyone to read, because I don't want to hurt anyones feelings. When I started this blog I committed to blogging about the bible, every chapter of every book. Which means there will be unpopular topics and views, but they aren't mine, they are God's. If you're divorced, I'm sure you've heard this verse before... I hope you know that God will always love you... and no one has the right to judge you.