Dear Reader,

Statistics are telling us that the current divorce rate is just about 50%, which means that for every 100 marriages, there are 50 divorces, give or take a few on either side. With the odds as they are, long-term marriages are becoming more and more of a scarcity in our society. But in spite of all the trends, and the ease with which a person can get a divorce, I wonder what God thinks about it. Do you? Let’s look into the Bible, God’s Word to us, and see what it says.

In the account of Creation, found in the first two chapters of the book of Genesis, we find the record of where God laid the plans for the making of mankind. As He brought about this new creation, and called him Man, He also planned that this new creature would not have to live alone, and from this first man, whose name was Adam, God took a rib, and made a woman, named Eve, and brought her to Adam. We have these words recorded in Genesis 2:24, ” Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” The word “cleave” used here is a word that indicates a welding or gluing together. We may safely conclude, then, that marriage makes a weld between a man and a woman. This welding or gluing has been proven in the areas of emotions and mental stability recently.

So what happens if two people who are welded together cannot get along? Some people asked Jesus some questions along that line, and His answer may have startled them. He said that permission to divorce had been granted by Moses, but it was because of the hardness of their hearts that Moses had done so. Actually, Jesus said, God’s plan didn’t include the option of divorce. You can read the account in Mark 10:2-13. In truth, Jesus gave some pretty hard stuff in verse 9, “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” I believe that death is the only power that can break the weld or glue joint that marriage provides.

There are occasions where one partner refuses to live with a spouse, and leaves that spouse, even against the will of that spouse. Specifically, in situations where one is a believer and the other is not, and the unbeliever chooses to leave, the believer is to let the unbelieving spouse depart, but they are not to marry again. See I Corinthians 7:1-17.

Then, too, there are those situations where a spouse is being abused, and in order to bring the abuser to his/her senses, and to protect the abused, a couple may be advised to separate for awhile so the victim can get help toward healing, and the abuser can go through therapy, counseling, etc. Although some amount of time may transpire, the goal is to bring the couple back together in a mutual relationship where the former abuse has no part. In short, that the welding or gluing be made stronger.

In all, we must reckon with an eternal God who has set some laws of relationship in motion, and we are the recipients of blessing, encouragement, and help as we obey, and we are the recipients of heartache, pain, and agony if we break them. God is on the side of marriage–He designed it!

Focus on the Family at: www.family.org

Christian Light Bookstore at: www.christianlight.org

Thanks for reading,
Pastor Ritchey