Shalom Frank
I will put down my thoughts as they come to me as I read your article.
You wrote:
"Therefore, a very
plausible explanation for the passage found in Matthew 5:32 is that Jesus was
referring to women who do not object to the enactment of the unfair divorce
decree initiated by their husbands. Since they then would be willing
participants in the unjust divorce action, they would be equally guilty of
adultery under the Law of God if they ever re-married. However, if a woman does
object to a biblically-unjust divorce action perpetrated upon her by her
husband, then she must be blameless for something her husband did, and be free
to re-marry because divorce by its very nature, i.e., termination of the
marriage contract, makes the marriage contract or marriage covenant null and
void."
Does Not Matthew 5:32 Forbid A Put Away Woman From
Marrying Again?
Is not adultery sex between a lawfully married woman and a man who is not her lawful husband? If so, then the manner a put away woman commits adultery, or becomes an adulteress, to use the phrase in Matthew 5:32, is by her engaging in sex with a man not lawfully her husband. Seeing that Matthew 5:32 also states that a man who marries a put away woman commits adultery, implying that the put away woman also commits adultery in her marriage to such a man, is it not the case that a put away woman is not allowed to marry again? Irrespective of whether her first and lawful husband put her away legally or illegally?
For if her sexual immorality occasioned her lawful husband putting her away, then she was put away legally. And seeing that any man marrying her after her putting away commits adultery, is it not the case that she is forbidden from being married again, lest no man commit adultery on her account?
Are Not Unjust Divorces Null And Void Before The
Almighty?
And if she was put away illegally, meaning on a ground not involving her committing sexual immorality, is it not the case that her putting away, by being illegal, is null and void? Such that even though her husband considers her divorced from him, in reality, in the Almighty's eyes, she is still legally his wife? And if so viewed by the Almighty, is she not forbidden from having sex with another man, for she is still married to her lawful husband, even though her lawful husband has illegally divorced her? Such that if she has sex with another man, irrespective of whether it is a purported marriage, she will be committing adultery, by virtue of having sex with a man not her lawful husband?
And is not this why the Messiah says that a man who illegally puts away his wife makes her an adulteress? For he places her in a situation whereby she is very likely to have sex with another man? And by so having sex with another man she commits adultery, seeing that legally, in the Almighty's eyes, she is still not divorced from her husband? And the husband who so drives his wife into her committing adultery is thereby responsible for her adultery, seeing that his illegal divorce is what drove his wife into committing adultery? And by being responsible for her adultery he is also an adulterer, seeing that he has been unfaithful to his lawful wife?
How An Illegally Divorced Wife Avoids Adultery
Is it therefore not the case that a wife illegally divorced by her husband can only avoid committing adultery if she does not have sex with another man? For if she indeed marries another man, and thereby repeatedly commits adultery, she indeed becomes an adulteress, according to the Messiah's description in Matthew 5:32. Implying that the only manner she avoids committing adultery is by not having sex with another man.
It should therefore be clear that she is not allowed to marry another man. For her marriage to her first and lawful husband is still valid in the Almighty's eyes, even though her husband does not recognise it.
Illegally Divorced Wife Must Strive To Live
Righteously
Her lawful husband who has illegally divorced her is therefore committing sin against her. She must strive not to add her own sin to her husband's sin against her. She must strive to walk righteously even though she is being wronged by her husband's sin. She must therefore not commit adultery by marrying or having sex with another man.
Do Luke 16:18 And Matthew 5:32 Give A Put Away Woman
Authority To Marry Again?
You wrote:
"Luke 16:18
Whosoever putteth away
his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her
that is put away from her husband committeth adultery. (KJV)
Once again, at first
glance, this passage seems to say that whenever a man divorces his wife for any
reason whatsoever and later re-marries, he is automatically guilty of adultery.
It is not until we analyze other parallel passages dealing with the same
subject-matter and weigh all of these scriptures against each other that we
then realize fornication on the part of one’s spouse is biblical justification
for divorce and possible re-marriage. Therefore, the scriptural passage in
Matthew 5:32 must be clarified in the same manner in which we just clarified
the meaning of Luke 16:18; we must collectively weigh and balance all
pertinent, parallel passages and moral teachings against each other in order to
properly ascertain the truth."
Both Luke 16:18 and Matthew 5:32 speak of a man putting away his wife and marrying again. They do not speak of a woman putting away her husband and marrying again.
Does A Wife Have The Almighty's Authority To Divorce
Her Husband And Marry Again?
Does a woman have the Almighty's authority to divorce her husband and marry again? Even when her husband commits adultery by having sex with someone else's wife, does a woman have the Almighty's authority to divorce her husband and marry again?
I have yet to find a scripture giving a wife such authority.
A Wife Is Released From Her Husband's Authority Upon
His Death
What I have found is a woman being removed from the authority of her husband upon his death. Such that if her husband committed adultery or other sexual immorality with an entity he should not have sex with, and the husband was killed for so sinning, the woman would be freed from her husband's authority by his death. But not on account of his having committed sexual immorality.
A Wife Does Not Have The Almighty's Authority To
Divorce Her Husband
It therefore appears that a husband can legally divorce his wife on account of her sexual immorality, but a wife cannot legally divorce her husband on account of his sexual immorality.
On this basis I would not give a wife the same rights to divorce her husband that the Almighty has given to the husband in divorcing his wife.
Do Believers Married To One Another Have The
Almighty's Authority To Divorce And Marry Again?
You wrote:
"1 Cor 7:10-11
10 And unto the married
I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband:
11 But and if she
depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not
the husband put away his wife. (KJV)
According to this
passage, if both husband and wife are Christian believers, and one of them
leaves the other, they are commanded to remain unmarried or be reconciled with
their spouse; and the person who is deserted should not seek a divorce.
However, if the person who leaves should ultimately seek and be granted a
divorce decree, then, of course, the marriage covenant is broken and,
therefore, is no longer valid, and the offended partner is under no further
obligation and is free to re-marry."
Who Grants A Divorce Decree In A Marriage Between
Two Believers?
How can the marriage covenant between two believers be broken? Can it be broken by a divorce decree? And if so, who would grant the divorce decree?
If a husband and wife are indeed disciples of the Messiah they will abide by the Messiah's words in Matthew 19:6,
What therefore the
Mighty One has joined together, don't let man tear apart.
They will therefore recognise that they, or other men, have no authority from the Almighty to divorce them one from another. Implying that only the Almighty has authority to break their marriage covenant.
Does The Almighty Break Marriage Covenants Between The
Messiah's Disciples?
Does the Almighty break marriage covenants between the Messiah's disciples? Has he not rather forbidden the man from divorcing his wife except on the ground of her sexual immorality? Implying that if she persists in her sexual immorality she ceases to remain a disciple of the Messiah, thereby making her marriage to her husband one between a believer and an unbeliever?
I have yet to find a case where the Almighty severs the marriage union between two disciples of the Messiah legally married in his eyes.
A Believing Wife Departed From Her Believing Husband
Must Be Reconciled To Him
It therefore seems to me that if a believing wife departs from her believing husband, not only must she remain unmarried, to avoid committing adultery, she must also be reconciled to her believing husband. For if there is no reconciliation between a believing husband and a believing wife, the party responsible for that estrangement must indeed be reconciled to the other if he or she is not to cease being a disciple of the Messiah. For Matthew 5:23-24 commands believers to be reconciled to one another if they are to continue being in the Father's fellowship. But if the party responsible for the estrangement does not reconcile to the other, and thereby does not abide in the Messiah's words, he or she ceases to be a disciple of the Messiah. And by so ceasing to be a disciple of the Messiah his or her marriage then becomes one between a believer and an unbeliever.
Is A Believer Deserted By An Unbelieving Spouse Free
To Marry Again?
You wrote:
"1 Cor 7:12-15
12 But to the rest speak
I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be
pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.
13 And the woman which
hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let
her not leave him.
14 For the unbelieving
husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by
the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.
15 But if the unbelieving
depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such
cases: but God hath called us to peace. (KJV)
Here in this passage,
Paul teaches that if an unbelieving spouse is content to remain in the marriage
with the believing spouse, then the believing spouse should not leave the
unbelieving spouse. However, if the unbelieving spouse leaves the Christian
believer, then the Christian believer is no longer under bondage to the
marriage vows; the marriage covenant under such circumstances is broken, and
the believer is free to re-marry. I should hasten to add, however, that the
unbeliever, in such cases, should be leaving the believer because of the
believer’s Christian faith, not because of sin and wrongdoing in the life of
the believer. If the believer is guilty of any misbehavior that is threatening
to destroy the marriage, then every reasonable attempt at forgiveness and
reconciliation should be tried in order to save the marriage if at all
possible."
Are The Words Of 1 Corinthians 7:12-15 The
Almighty's?
1 Corinthians 7:12 clearly states that the succeeding comments are not the Almighty's comments, but a man's comments - Paul's comments. Matthew 19:6 clearly states that what the Almighty has joined man has no authority to tear apart. Therefore the comments in 1 Corinthians 7:12-15 have no authority from the Almighty allowing a believer to divorce an unbeliever in a marriage valid before the Almighty's eyes!
The Messiah's Words Still Stand
It therefore appears that whatever the Almighty said through the Messiah in Matthew 5:31-32 and in Matthew 19:3-9 still stands. The only ground whereby a husband may legally divorce his wife is where she has committed sexual immorality. And a wife put away from her lawful husband is not to marry again, lest she commits adultery by so marrying again.
Paul's Words In 1 Corinthians 7:12-15 Silent On A
Believer Marrying Again
Also, Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 7:12-15 do not speak of a believer who has been abandoned in his or her marriage marrying again. His comments are silent on this matter of marrying again if abandoned by one's unbelieving spouse.
Is Divorcing And Marrying Again Necessary To Save
One's Life?
You wrote:
"Finally, I think
we have established beyond any reasonable doubt that there does exist a
hierarchy of moral values which should govern all of one’s moral decisions in
life. Accordingly, in those instances where one’s health or life is threatened
by physical violence from one’s spouse, the moral laws of self-preservation and
self-defense --- rights which are derived from the very right to life itself
--- supercede the moral law of marriage, and one should get a divorce from
their abusive and violent spouse as quickly as possible. I should mention that
some people say that in such instances, the offended party should simply get a
separation, not a divorce. However, the stark reality in life is that violent,
abusive jerks seldom, if ever, suddenly become perfect little saints or
choirboys, and therefore, it is not fair to condemn the victim to a lifetime of
constant fear, threats, danger, loneliness and frustration simply because they
had the misfortune or poor judgment to marry such an evil, violent person. God
has not called us to be pitiful, abused doormats, but to life, and life
abundantly. (John 10:10)."
The Messiah's Command To Those Who Are Persecuted
Matthew 10:23 reads,
10:23But when they persecute you in this city, flee into the next,
for most assuredly I tell you, you will not have gone through the cities of
Yisra'el, until the Son of Man has come.
A principle we derive from these words of the Messiah is that his disciples, when being persecuted in one territory, should not remain in that territory, but should flee to another territory. It would therefore appear that a believer who was being persecuted by his or her spouse should flee from the household of that spouse, and move on to another one!
Here we appear to have the Almighty's authority for severing a union that he has effected! For he commands his persecuted children to flee from the territory of the persecution, to one where they are not persecuted.
An Effect Of Inflicting Physical Injury To Those
Under One's Authority
Exodus 21:26-27 reads,
21:26"If
a man strikes his servant's eye, or his maid's eye, and destroys it, he shall
let him go free for his eye's sake. 21:27If
he strikes out his man-servant's tooth, or his maid-servant's tooth, he shall
let him go free for his tooth's sake.
A principle derived from these words is that if one under authority is physically injured by his or her master, the person under authority is authorised to depart from being under the authority of his or her master. It would therefore appear that an abused wife, being under the authority of her husband, is authorised to depart from the authority of her abusive husband.
Taking the two principles derived from Matthew 10:23 and Exodus 21:26-27, it appears that the Almighty has authorised a believer who is persecuted by a spouse to depart from that spouse. This authority has come from the Almighty, and not from men.
Shalom
ISAAC
[April 2000 Addendum: Separation From An Abusive
Spouse Is Not Divorce
It should be noted that even though the Almighty authorises - commands -
those who are physically abused in a given territory to remove themselves from
that territory and go to a different one, it should not be understood to mean
that he terminates the marriage union if the physical abuse involved people
married to one another. For Matthew 5:31-32 and 19:8-9 show that it is indeed
possible for a woman to remain validly married to a man even though she is not
living with that man, even living with another man! In other words, the act of
a spouse separating herself or himself from the other on account of physical
abuse DOES NOT terminate the marriage. The marriage therefore continues to
subsist until otherwise validly terminated under the Almighty's law.]
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