Malachi 2.16 16 “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.” (ESV)
It’s hard to talk about the subject of divorce in our day;
so many people have gone through divorce; so many families have been affected
by it. Divorce is a hard thing. Divorce is the breaking of a promise and the
separating of a commitment.
I know dozens of people who’ve started over again. Some made
it a go on the second try, and some continued on to yet another divorce (or
even another). Nowadays, many couples simply live together. I don’t think they fear divorce; I think they just don’t
understand promise, commitment, and covenant. For the less mature they seem to think
a better option may come along at any moment.
In Malachi’s day, God judged the returned exiles in Judah
because it seems they hadn’t learned a thing – they were doing the same things after the exile that got them exiled in the first place. Divorce was
one of those things. Seventy years and they hadn’t changed…
How does divorce happen? Is it sudden, or does it take
place over time. Well, some are very sudden – some happen right after the
honeymoon (or before!). I think most take time and I think most happen because
of an unguarded spirit and an increased faithlessness on the part of one or
both parties. Regardless of who is to blame, divorce hurts; and often, once
through the gate a path gets worn.
In the bigger picture divorce is what happened in the
Bible between God and Israel. God hates faithlessness. (I know there are those
out there who hate to hear that God hates anything, but it’s true: God hates
faithlessness.) Faithlessness is an evil choice, and God hates it when that
choice is chosen. Faithfulness on the
other hand, means being open and honest; literally: being naked with no shame. Faithfulness means: nothing to gain,
nothing to lose; happy and fulfilled in the one we choose. And faithfulness has
benefits. Faithlessness has consequences. Faithfulness is other focused; faithlessness bows at the feet of self. Both require work. Both require
time. Both have a payoff. One results in fulfillment. One results in emptiness.
My takeaway this morning is twofold: 1. Divorce is violence. Better said, divorce is terrorism between one party and another.
Culturally, in those days, the man called the shots and could divorce his wife for
any reason he came up with. That put her in a difficult spot: now what was she
supposed to do? The Lord, through Malachi, said it was violence against her: it put her in a terrible spot. 2. My spirit
needs guarded and my mind needs to be reminded to be faithful.
Father, find in me courage
to guard my spirit, and to not be faithless – in You, or my wife, or my
employer, or my relationships – church included. This world is wanting for the
faithful and may I walk in that number – Amen.
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