Matthew 19:3 The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? 4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. 7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? 8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
This passage of scripture reveals to us in no uncertain terms what God's ideal will is, as it pertains to marriage. The scriptures are filled with information as to what is God's ideal will in all of the prominent and minute experiences of human existence, covering the entire spectrum, from food, drink, and clothing, to our social interactions with each other, and also our relationship with God. What we all need to understand is that God never forces His ideal will on anyone, for we were created as free moral agents, and as such we have the freedom to choose either right or wrong, good or evil. What God does is to set before us the good and the bad, together with the inevitable consequences of choosing either, and then He appeals to our intelligence for us to choose life. Let's read:
Deuteronomy 11:26 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; 27 A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day: 28 And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.
In Biblical times and even more so today, we are prone to treat the sacred institution of marriage as being something that can be altered, amended, or changed altogether to mean what we think it should mean, and so many people get divorced for reasons that are not endorsed in the Bible, and Hollywood has added fuel to the fire by demonstrating through movies and celebritiess, that the marriage vow can be rescinded for even the most trivial reasons, just as it was in Christ's day. With the Christian however, the norms and customs of society should never be permitted to annul what God has explicitly stated, and we should also understand that what the law of the land permits, is not necessarily God's will.
Divorces are allowed by the state for many unscriptural reasons, and we need to be very careful lest we permit what is popular and socially acceptable, to imperceptibly invade our thinking, thus drawing us away from God's ideal will for our lives. Whenever the laws of the land directly conflict with the laws of God, by adopting principles that are antagonistic to righteousness, the true Christian will say as did Peter, "We ought to obey God rather than men", for it's only by so doing that we can live in harmony with God's ideal will, in marriage, and in the many other personal and social issues that need to be addressed in our day.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture that reminds us of our sacred obligation as Christians, to strive by the grace of God to be conformed to His Ideal will in all matters. Let's read:
Romans 12:And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
May this passage of scripture resonate in our consciences always, so that permanent change in our attitudes towards God's ideal will may be realized in our lives, God bless!