Our Old Testament passage this morning comes from Deuteronomy chapter 24. I'll be reading for us verses 1 through 4. When a man takes a wife and marries her and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house and she leaves his house and goes and becomes another man's wife, and if the latter husband turns against her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her to be his wife, then her former husband who sent her away is not allowed to take her again to be his wife, since she has been defiled. For that is an abomination before the Lord, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance." Next, I would invite you to turn to the New Testament reading for today. This comes from Matthew chapter 5. We're looking this morning at verses 31 and 32. It was said, whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce. But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. Let's pray and ask the Lord's blessing upon his word. O Lord, as we come to this very significant and weighty topic. We pray that your spirit would give us insight and understanding into the clear teaching of our Savior, that we might know the truth and be set free by it. For we pray in Christ's name, Amen. It's not often that I begin one of my sermons with a disclaimer, but I do so today We're about to tackle one of the more difficult subjects in the Sermon on the Mount and some pastoral observations are necessary before we begin. Many people in our country have been impacted by divorce whether they themselves have been divorced or a family member or a friend. It's part of reality for a large percentage of people and this includes Christian people. Though divorce used to be relatively rare in the Christian community, the statistics regarding divorce among churchgoers are not appreciably different from non-churchgoers. George Barna's research on this matter has been sobering. Barna found that in our country, one out of every three marriages ends in divorce. and the average age for the first divorce is 34. Sadly, among born-again Christians, the numbers are exactly the same. Even more distressing, Barna found that almost one quarter of married born-again Christians have gone through two or more divorces. Perhaps the only comforting fact that I found among his statistics is that Presbyterians had the fewest divorces among Protestant denominations. But it's not just actions that are askew. The attitudes of many Christians are also deeply disturbing. In his research, Barna discovered that a large majority of professing believers reject the clear teaching of scripture on the topic of divorce. Most of them strongly dismissing any idea that a biblically unjustified divorce constitutes sin. Christian thinking on this subject of divorce seems to be more culturally driven than biblically informed. In addition to recognizing the widespread impact of divorce, we would also recognize the deep hurt caused to many people by a divorce. They say that going through a divorce is usually more painful than experiencing the death of a spouse. And that's true, I believe, because with a death, there is at least some closure, some end to the grief and pain. But with divorce, there is a lingering hurt, wounds that refuse to heal, wounds that are often kept open through court actions, personal harassment, and simply seeing the other spouse. Moreover, there is collateral damage done to any children that are involved in a divorce, also to extended family members and even to the church family. Divorce is not pleasant and it's never easy for anyone. Therefore, our treatment of this topic must not be trite or light. This is a heavy subject, and often it is addressed to heavy hearts. But as we well know, God's holy word brings light to people living in darkness. Hope can be renewed through the gospel, no matter how hopeless a situation may seem. So in order to give a careful and pastoral treatment of this topic, I want to take several weeks to dig into the scriptures on this topic of divorce. And by necessity, several related topics will also be brought up, specifically marriage, adultery, and remarriage. Well, in our first installment Let's look first at Old Testament background on marriage, adultery, divorce, and remarriage. Then we want to take a look at Moses, Jesus, and the Jews on Deuteronomy 24. And we will close with a few practical applications. Well, suppose you strolled up to the water cooler at work one day. and you overheard two colleagues debating the role of Tadahito Iguchi in the 2005 White Sox World Series victory. Well, being an actually gregarious fellow, you want to join in the conversation. But you're not really sure who Tadahito Iguchi is, and you certainly don't know what role he played in the 2005 World Series. And so if you're half as intelligent as you look, you do some research before airing your opinions on Tadahito Iguchi. As we listen to the debate between Jesus and the Jews on the subject of divorce, I believe it behooves us to study the Old Testament background before we jump in and make any assertions on this subject. So rather than diving into the New Testament data immediately, let's go back to the Old Testament and let's do some review. Today I want to lay the groundwork from the Old Testament so that we can intelligently interact next week with New Testament passages. Well we start in Genesis chapter 2 where the Lord God performed the first marriage. That God made both male and female is crystal clear from chapter 1. as is the fact that he commanded them to be fruitful and multiply and to fill the earth with their descendants. That this holy enterprise takes place within the context of a marriage commitment is revealed to us in chapter 2 of Genesis. When Jehovah had made the woman from the rib of Adam and brought Eve to the man, He united them as husband and wife. And then verse 24 of that chapter we read, For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. God brought them together. God united them as husband and wife. and now they cleave to one another, the two have become one. Now from this beautiful scene we conclude that marriage is a creation ordinance given by God, instituted both for mankind's good and for God's greater glory even before the fall. Thus marriage is an inherently good institution and is God's will for the whole human race. All the sons of Adam and all of the daughters of Eve do well to be married. We might also conclude that here in Genesis God makes no provision for the breaking of this marriage bond. He designed it to be a lifelong commitment till death do us part. When it comes to the subject of divorce perhaps the plainest Old Testament passage is Malachi chapter 2 verses 13 through 16 and they read as follows, this is another thing you do You cover the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping, and with groaning, because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. Yet you say, for what reason? Because the Lord has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. But not one has done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And what did that one do while he was seeking a godly offspring? Take heed then to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of your youth. For I hate divorce, says the Lord, the God of Israel, and him who covers his garment with wrong, says the Lord of hosts. So take heed to your spirit that you do not deal treacherously." Well, there's absolutely no ambiguity in this statement. The Lord God indicts the Jews who had dealt treacherously with the wives of their youth. She's your companion, He says. She is your wife by covenant. You are bound together by covenantal commitments. And this was done so that a godly offspring might result. And yet the remnant living in Malachi's day have dealt treacherously with their wives. They were divorcing them sinfully. And so God plainly states his mind in verse 16 when he says, For I hate divorce, says the Lord, the God of Israel. Could anything be plainer than this? I hate divorce. Do we need a clearer statement? No. God hates divorce. But what about the case of an unfaithful spouse who has committed adultery? It is clear that God hates adultery and that his law prohibits all sexual activity outside of marriage. Thou shalt not commit adultery is God's clearly revealed will. But is it lawful for an innocent person to divorce their adulterous spouse? Well I would say yes on two Old Testament grounds. The first ground is God's own example. And for this we look to Jeremiah chapter 3 verses 6 through 8. Listen to what God says through the prophet Jeremiah. Then the Lord said to me in the days of Josiah the king, Have you seen what faithless Israel did? She went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and she was a harlot there. I thought, after she had done all these things, she would return to me. But she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. And I saw that for all the adulteries of faithful Israel, I had sent her away and given her a writ of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but she went and was a harlot also. Well, here in this passage, God says that because of the harlotry of the Northern Kingdom, God sent her away and gave her a writ of divorce. Now that happened historically when the Lord sent the Northern Kingdom of Israel into exile under the Assyrians. It was an exile from which they never returned. And so God's example is the first ground. My second ground is from Leviticus 20 verse 10 and the parallel passage in Deuteronomy 22. Let me read those for you. Leviticus 20 verse 10. If there is a man who commits adultery with another man's wife, one who commits adultery with his friend's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death." And then Deuteronomy 22. If a man is found lying with a married woman, then both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman and the woman. Thus you shall purge the evil from Israel. If there is a girl who is a virgin engaged to a man, and another man finds her in the city and lies with her, then you shall bring them both out to the city gate, and you shall stone them to death, the girl because she did not cry out in the city, and the man because he has violated his neighbor's wife. Thus you shall purge the evil from among you. But if in the field the man finds the girl who is engaged, and the man forces her and lies with her, then only the man who lies with her shall die. but you shall do nothing to the girl, there is no sin in the girl worthy of death. For just as a man rises against his neighbor and murders him, so is this case. When he found her in the field, the engaged girl cried out, but there was no one to save her." Now from these two passages we see that when a man and a woman engaged in adultery and they were caught, both the adulterer and the adulteress were put to death. God judges adultery to be a capital crime demanding capital punishment. As a result of the death of the adulterer and the adulteress, their innocent spouses would be released from their marriage bonds, simply because the adulteress spouse was now dead. and so they were freed from their obligation and they were able to remarry if they chose now Paul overtly recognizes this in Romans chapter 7 verses 2 and 3 and that reads as follows for the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living but if her husband dies she is released from the law concerning the husband so then If, while her husband is living, she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress, though she is joined to another man." And so you take all of these together, and you see that in the Old Testament economy, God hated divorce, and He prohibited divorce. with the exception being a case of adultery. A sexually immoral spouse was an adulterer or an adulteress and divorce would be permitted on those grounds. With all of that Old Testament information available you would think that the case is basically closed and yet that was not the case when the Jews protested against Jesus for they threw Deuteronomy 24 up in his face. What about Moses they asked? Didn't Moses command us to give our wives a certificate of divorce? Are we not justified in divorcing our wives for any cause? Well as outrageous as that may seem That was exactly the argument that the Jews put to Jesus in Matthew 19. And since this is a parallel to Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5, let's take a look at Matthew 19 and what went on there. When Jesus had finished these words, he departed from Galilee and came into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. Some Pharisees came to Jesus testing him and asking, is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all? He answered and said, have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female and said for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate. They said to him, why then did Moses command to give her a certificate of divorce and sent her away? He said to them, because of your hardness of heart, Moses permitted you to divorce your wives. But from the beginning, it has not been this way. And I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman, commits adultery." Now this idea that the Jews throw at Jesus did not come out of thin air. When they asked, is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause, they were actually reflecting the position of a major Jewish school of thought it was the Hillel school according to the teachings of the Hillel faction a Jewish man could divorce his wife at any time for almost any reason you burn the toast again I'm divorcing you you're too tall I want a shorter wife I'm divorcing you I don't like your voice, it's too squeaky. You're out." You see, they trivialized divorce so that any reason was deemed sufficient. It's much like the climate we find in the divorce culture of modern America. Well, in response to this pharisaical trap, Jesus takes them back to the beginning, back to Genesis 1 and 2. And he issues his authoritative interpretation of the creation ordinance in verse 6. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate. Well, the Jews protest against Jesus' restrictions. And they ask in verse 7 about Moses. Why then did Moses command to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away? And then listen to how Jesus responds to them in verse 8. Because of your hardness of heart, Moses permitted you to divorce your wives. But from the beginning it has not been this way. And so Jesus is here reiterating basically what he had taught in the Sermon on the Mount. he is saying that this was a permission granted due to hardness of heart now in judging this debate between Jesus and the Jews we must obviously trust and embrace Jesus interpretation of Deuteronomy 24 over the Jewish interpretation and this judgment becomes even stronger when we look back at Deuteronomy 24 itself that text reads as follows when a man takes a wife and marries her and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out from his house and she leaves the house and goes and becomes another man's wife, and if the latter husband turns against her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her to be a wife, then her former husband who sent her away is not allowed to take her again to be his wife, since she has been defiled. for that is an abomination before the Lord and you shall not bring sin on the land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance." Well you see the text starts out with a concession when a man takes a wife you see this is not an imperative there is no command in force here but rather it's a recognition of a pre-existing situation and then look at what the text actually teaches but if a divorced wife goes away is remarried and either is divorced again or her second husband dies then she can't go back to her first husband her first husband cannot remarry her again because she's been defiled and that would be an abomination Now, just looking at this text in Deuteronomy 24, let me ask you, does this text seem to you to support the idea of recreational divorce? A divorce for any and every reason? Do we think that Jesus' interpretation is correct, or do we favor that of the Pharisees? Well, beyond any doubt, It was Jesus who understood the text and Jesus who plainly expounded it. The Pharisees are guilty of misusing scripture to justify their own evil deeds. And so beyond any doubt, there is no Old Testament command to divorce your wife. God hates divorce. So what can we begin to infer about our own duties? Let me close with a few points of application. My first one is this, God designed marriage to be a lifelong commitment, a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman. Before anyone enters into this commitment. They must be aware that they are making a covenant which is till death do us part. Marriage is not to be a short-term arrangement that you can enjoy until you get tired of it. It is a weighty commitment. It is a lasting, abiding covenant. It's better not to enter into a marriage covenant than to enter it and break it. And so we need to have a long-term, lifelong mindset as we think about our marriages. We are in it for the long haul, not just until we lose interest. Well, secondly, God understands the pain and the long-term difficulties that a divorce creates. And God hates unfaithfulness and God hates divorce. He has brought two people together. He has made the two into one. And so let no one presume to separate that which God has joined together. Well thirdly, already here in the Old Testament we see that there is one exception to the general rule and that is the exception of adultery. When one spouse breaks that covenantal bond by engaging in sexual activity outside of the marriage with someone other than their spouse, adultery has been committed. the innocent spouse, the injured spouse, is freed from the bond, may sue for divorce if they choose, and may freely remarry if they choose. This exception, the adultery exception, is a biblical concept. Now that is not to say that An innocent, injured spouse must do that, but they are free if they so choose. We also want to realize that the exception does not overturn the rule. When we look at non-biblical divorces, divorces for unbiblical reasons, we cannot condone them. We cannot approve of them, and we should not use the exception to overturn the rule. Finally, let me say that if you yourself have been impacted by a divorce, either directly or indirectly, please stay tuned. Please listen to parts two and three of this short series. For I believe that these messages will provide biblical counsel and may give significant help to your hurting hearts. As a pastor, I want to minister God's comfort and God's healing to you. And as you understand the mind and the will of God on these things, He may help you significantly in the weeks ahead. Let's pray. Oh Lord, thank you for your clear commitment to marriage and against divorce. We thank you that you love marriage and that you bless a married couple. We pray that you would protect all of our marriages from the hurt and the pain of divorce. Keep us from adultery and unfaithfulness, which you also hate. Keep us loving each other and loving you. For we pray in Jesus' name, Amen.