Jun 18, 2023
Scripture Reading: Malachi 2:10-16
In a day in which marriage is falling out of what is normative, it is relevant, and even critical, to know that God cares about marriage. Further, as the Designer of marriage, He has defined what it is and has given laws to govern it. Marriage was designed to be the lifelong union between one man and one woman.
One of the prominent sins of the Israelites of Malachi's day was intermarriage with idolatrous foreigners and rampant divorce. Marriage with people who were idolatrous was strictly forbidden by God (Deut 7:3,4). The reason was that such marriages would result in pagan spouses turning the hearts of the Israelites away from God. Solomon is a prominent example of this dynamic.
Apparently, many Israelites … mainly men … had divorced their wives in order to marry these foreign women. This was a grievous sin, prompting God to declare that He hates divorce, calling it a treachery (Mal 2:16, NASB, KJV, LSB).
In radical distinction from our casual, secular culture, there are only two Biblical reasons for divorce … adultery (Mt 19:1-6) and desertion (1 Cor 7:12-16). The glory of marriage is that it was designed, ultimately, to be a picture of Christ and His people (Eph 5:32). This lifts marriage to the highest level and shines the light of God's grace on a husband and wife. Certainly, there is no earthly relationship granting greater pleasure and satisfaction. This is a glory to the Maker of marriage.