Have you ever felt your prayers stopped at the ceiling? That you could not reach God? The problem may be sin—especially marital sin. My grandfather, born in 1897, hated divorce. Why, because he was old-fashioned? No. Because he knew Malachi 2:16:
“‘I hate divorce,’ says the Lord.”
How’s that for ‘short and sweet’? God could not say it more clearly.
“God no longer respects your offerings or receives them from your hands… Because the Lord has been a witness between you and your wife. You have acted treacherously against her, though she was your marriage partner and your wife by covenant…. ‘For I hate divorce. The man who divorces his wife does violence to one he should protect,’ says the Lord of hosts” Malachi 2:13-16.
Divorce is serious sin and may leave one spiritually compromised. I’m not saying God never forgives. Yes, He forgives believers’ sins, and God’s grace can turn consequences into blessings.
But it’s better to honor the covenant. YOU MADE A VOW TO GOD. Honor the marriage. Make it work. Sure, some are unfaithful or abusive. Divorce may be your only option in those cases. But with divorce rates near 50 percent, too many of us are “tearing asunder” a relationship that could have been saved. And what is the result? Aside from the devastating impact on the divorced, their children, and the larger culture, those getting divorced are throwing up a barrier between themselves and God. God told the men of Israel He would no longer respect their offerings if they acted treacherously toward their wives by divorcing them.
Do you want to destroy your spiritual life? Do you want to spend the rest of your years wondering what might have been? Divorce destroys homes God is trying to build—and it damages the spiritual lives of the divorced.
“I hate divorce,” says the God of Israel. “I hate the violent dismembering of the ‘one flesh’ of marriage” 2:16 (The Message).
God, may we enter marriage led by Your Spirit, and may we give it the life-consuming effort and self-sacrifice it deserves.
ΑΩ
Household Words: 