DIVORCE: A Violent Wound Against Your Soul

It’s noteworthy that Jesus didn’t talk about abortion or homosexuality during His 3-year ministry on earth (at least that we know about). But He did have lots to say about marriage, family, divorce, and remarriage. Yet we often talk about homosexuality and abortion and say very little about the deplorable state of marriage in the Christian community. I’ve wondered about Jesus’ strategy on this point. My conclusion is that He corrected the problem at the source. The greatest disruption of human flourishing is divorce. If we protected marriage as God intended, we would obliterate other sinful choices that naturally follow a breakdown of marriage. 
 
Marriage was God’s ultimate purpose in creating the world. The question is “what was God seeking in the creation of marriage?” The answer is found in the following text of the last book of the Old Testament. 
 

Malachi 2:15-16

“Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth. For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the LORD, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the LORD of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.”
 
God has two main goals in marriage.
 
  1. To reveal His image. Notice the terms the Lord uses to describe His plan for the man and the woman,  “make them one . . . with a portion of the Spirit in their union.” These are words that reveal a level of intimacy that is indicative of physical and spiritual oneness. It’s a really big deal for God. Marriage is meant to be a replica of the sacred bond that we have with the Lord in our salvation. “He that is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him.” (1 Corinthians 6:17)

 

  1. To grow His family. Bearing children is a great gift that God created in marriage in order to bear and raise children in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4). Not all men and women will be married, nor will all married men and woman bear children. But all Christians are part of growing the family of God.    

 

The warning that God gives through the prophet Malachi is that divorce wounds the spirit and “covers one’s garments with violence.” Divorce results in a violent wound to the hearts of those who are affected by it. Not the least of which is the “godly offspring,” the children of broken marriages. 
 
The solution is clearly stated in the passage. “Guard yourselves in your spirit.” Marriage is more than a contract. It’s a covenant of spiritual oneness that must be protected and nourished all the days of your life on earth. Jesus said, “What God has joined together, let no man separate.” (Mark 10:9) 
 
Church family, this coming Sunday, I’ll be continuing our Bible study series from Mark 10 which addresses the subject of divorce and remarriage, according to Jesus. I look forward to seeing you there.
 
Shalom
 
Pastor Deric
 


MOM as SCULPTOR

The sculptor for the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbour, Bartholdi, gave 20 years of his life, practically impoverishing himself over the work. Various stories circulate about who he chose as a model for the colossal masterpiece. One strong suggestion is that his own mother was “Liberty Enlightening the World.” True or not, when God created the world, He sculpted a model and placed her at the harbour of every human heart pointing the way to Him: MOTHER!

 

  1. Mothers mold the hearts of their children to trust in God.

 

The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 71:  

 

“For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth. Upon you I have leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from my mother’s womb. My praise is continually of you.” (verses 5-6)

 

A mother’s role, above all things, is to nurture the hearts of her children to trust Him. MOTHERS ARE THE ONES who mold the lives of their children more than anyone else.
 
  1. Mothers model faith in God to their children.  

 

Paul wrote to his young friend Timothy saying:

 

“I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother, Lois and your mother, Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.” (2 Timothy 1:5) 

 

It’s more than saying the right things, it’s saying them the right way.

It’s more than just teaching them right from wrong, it’s showing them.

It’s more than just telling them the truth, it’s living it before them.

 

One of the most compelling reason a child will seek God is because Mother, who is the most influential person in their life, does! And that influence will last a lifetime.

 

Mother! Here are four suggestions for molding the hearts of your children for the Lord. 

  • Children will remember your presence or your absence. More than that, they want to know and feel that you WANT to spend time with them.
  • Remember Paul’s reference to Timothy’s mother and grandmother? In another reference in the same letter, Paul reminded Timothy that his salvation came in part because He knew the Holy Scriptures from infancy-childhood. Who do you think taught Him? You’re right! It was His mother and grandmother. In my view, a mother cannot do any better than memorize Scripture with her children in order to raise her children in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord.”
  • Whatever a child does or does not learn, they will live what has been modeled in their home. Often, it’s MOM who leaves the most compelling example for a child to follow. Once in a while I will look at my hands and say to myself, “my hands remind me of my mother’s hands.” Then, I will wonder more importantly if I can see her heart in mine. I pray so, because she was a selfless woman who gave her life in service to her family and friends.                      
  • Our children have all left “the nest.” They are married and are raising their own families now. We went from being parents, which was great, to being grandparents, which is greater. April and I have committed that the ONE thing we will give our family every day is prayer. We have long since released our children to God’s will for their lives. But, we are intimately involved in their lives every day at the “Throne of Grace.” Prayer is one of the primary means of lighting the way to the safe harbour of God’s freedom in Jesus.

 

MOM, you are our “Lady of Liberty.” We thank God for you every day but especially today!   Happy Mother’s Day!

 
Praying with you and your family.
 
Pastor Deric