Why is the issue of divorce one of critical theological importance for the church today? Because with an ever-increasing number of marriages ending in divorce both within and outside of the church, a wrong and guilt-laden theology of divorce within the church has the potential to cripple the potential of up to half of God’s representatives in the world, and to severely hamper our collective witness to the world. So then, what does Scripture have to say about the heart-breaking, life-altering question of divorce?
Firstly, we know from Scripture that God has suffered a divorce. We see the prophets write extensively in Hosea, Ezekiel and Jeremiah of Yahweh’s divorce from Israel as a result of her adultery with other gods –
“It appears that these prophets…believed that God really had literally entered a marriage contract with Israel and Judah…God suffered as a result of this and he was forced into a divorce…Rather than treating the marriage merely as a metaphor, with the limitations of a metaphor, the prophets explored the consequences of regarding this relationship as a literal marriage contract…they concluded that Yahweh had a real marriage contract with Israel and Judah, and that Yahweh was a divorcé.”1
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Author: Sarah Starrenburg
Keywords: Marriage, Divorce, Bill of divorcement, Certificate of divorce, Certificate of divorcement, Bill of divorce, School of Hillel, School of Shammai, Any cause, Every cause, Divorce for any cause, Divorce of every cause, Rabbinic debate, Commits adultery, Remarriage, remarried, remarry, Divorcement, Exception clause, Put away, Put assunder, Putteth away, Divorcee, matter of indecency, no fault divorce, any matter, divorce marriage, divorce remarriage, domestic violence, sexual abuse, husbands and wives
Bible reference(s): Deuteronomy 24:1-3, Matthew 5:31-32, Matthew 19:3-9, Mark 10:4, Mark 10:11-12, Luke 16:18, Romans 7:1-3, 1 Corinthians 7:10-11, 1 Corinthians 7:13, 1 Corinthians 7:15, 1 Corinthians 7:27
Source: “Community and Divorce,” ideas change everything (blog).
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