This Day in History: 0000-05-17

May 17 – Malachi 2:13-16 

Here is another thing you do. You cover the Lord’s alter with tears, weeping and groaning because He pays no attention to your offerings and doesn’t accept them with pleasure. You cry out, “Why doesn’t the Lord accept my worship?”
I’ll tell you why! Because the LORD witnessed the vows you and your wife made when you were young. But you have been unfaithful to her, though she remained your faithful partner, the wife of your marriage vows.
Didn’t the Lord make you one with your wife? In body and spirit, you are His. And what does He want? Godly children from your union. So guard your heart; remain loyal to the wife of your youth.
“For I hate divorce!” Says the Lord, the God of Israel. “To divorce your wife is to overwhelm her with cruelty,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “So guard your heart; do not be unfaithful to your wife.” 

We all know the Bible says God hates divorce, but have we ever taken that statement in context to see His true heart behind it? My friends, our Lord does indeed hate divorce, because He hates to see His children being unfaithful to their vows. He hates to see His dearly loved daughters being trampled and abused under the overwhelming cruelty of a husband who has not remained loyal to the wife of his youth.  

Do we wonder why He often seems distant? Does His silence sometimes feel perplexing? Do we, as the New Testament Church, weep and groan because it seems He is not accepting our sacrifices or finding pleasure in our worship? Perhaps we should re-examine our commitment to marriages that honor and glorify Him! Have we dismissed the rampant unfaithfulness of our brothers because we feel pornography is too big a monster to conquer? Do we cower before the giant as the Israelites did in the shadow of Goliath?  

Church, I call us to action! I call us to remember that we serve the LORD GOD OF HEAVEN’s ARMIES! Let us be like David, and ask, “Who is this that dares to defy the armies of the Living God!?” We don’t need to cower! We need to stand up and fight! We need to draw a hard line in the sand and start treating this issue as God does! He hates divorce! He hates unfaithfulness! He hates to see His dearly loved daughters overwhelmed with cruelty! May we hate it too! May we guard our hearts and remain faithful to our vows!