By Elizabeth Prata
SYNOPSIS
Divorce is a violent act that disrupts the God-ordained covenant of marriage. I emphasize the sacredness of marriage as a union between one man and one women involving God, and urge both spouses to cherish their commitment, resisting the attacks of fleshly sin. Link in next post.
I don’t mean domestic violence. I mean that divorce is a violent act because divorce itself is a violent act. Did you ever think of divorce as a violent act? In the secular world we know that divorces at best are almost without exception emotion-filled experiences. They are oftentimes bitter with lots of pain. It’s a spiritual war in the celestial realms to directly attack one of the most important foundations Jesus laid down: the family. Let’s look at the language the Bible uses:
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. (Genesis 2:24 KJV)
Cleave is to adhere, cling, or stick fast. Most translations nowadays say ‘joined’. If you use wood glue and then after it dries, if you want to separate the two pieces that you made into one, you have to tear it apart by force, and they never come apart cleanly. There are splits in the wood, pits, damage.
The oft used phrase during marriage vows, “So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no person separate” comes from Matthew 19:6. The World English Translation puts it this way: “So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, don’t let man tear apart.” Tear apart. We see in Genesis that the man and woman (not man-man nor woman-woman) who are to be married cleave, stick, become ONE flesh. Splitting that apart causes damage because to separate something that has become one, into two, is violent. It requires tearing, pulling, splitting, cutting.
Marriage is a covenant between three people: man, woman, God. A covenant is an eternal promise, a sacred thing. Marriage and the family become prime targets for satan’s evil will to be done. Toppling the foundation of marriage and splitting apart a family through violence of divorce makes him positively gleeful.
Why is divorce so violent? Satan is behind it. God said: “I hate divorce…” (Malachi 2:16). What God loves, satan hates, and vice versa. Ruining marriage and family rises to the very top of satan’s evil to-do list because marriage is a sacred covenant and one of the first covenants God instituted.
Divorce begins because of sin, and sin is something we let into our lives. It is an open door. Wherever you live, city or country, if you leave your door standing wide open you are inviting thieves, varmints, and beasts. It is the same with sin. If you do not shut the door to it immediately, you are inviting demon thieves, worldly varmints, and fleshly beasts into your soul.
Matthew Henry wrote “Men will find that their wrong conduct in their families springs from selfishness, which disregards the welfare and happiness of others, when opposed to their own passions and fancies. It is wearisome to God to hear people justify themselves in wicked practices. Those who think God can be a friend to sin, affront him, and deceive themselves. The scoffers said, Where is the God of judgment? but the day of the Lord will come.“
Christian husbands, now is the time of testing. Your marriage is and will be under continual attack. Cherish your wife as your help-meet, making the choice to love her even though stresses from this sinful world wash up against your marriage.
Wives, love your husbands, build them up, and serve them with joy and grace, even as Jesus serves us. Make the choice to love him, even though hurts and wrongs pile up in your heart. Allow the Holy Spirit to wash those wrongs away because love keeps no record of wrongs. Tallying them is an open door to sin.
Standing up for the covenant you have established with and for the Lord does MUCH these days to refresh the weary souls around you. Stand, husbands. Stand, wives. Divorce is a violent and ugly thing, Let satan not push you off your rock.
the-end-time.org 