To Which Situation Did God Say, "I Hate Putting Away (Divorce)?"
We have heard this Scripture: “the Lord God of Israel says that HE HATES DIVORCE” (Malachi 2:16). This is almost always quoted as if God hates all divorces in general. But that’s just not true. We have previously read from the Bible books of Ezra, Nehemiah, Jeremiah, Deuteronomy and 1Corinthians that God is not against divorce. Then why all the confusion concerning why God said that “He hates divorce?” The reason for the confusion is because there are TWO “kinds” of marriages and TWO “divorces” being mentioned in the Malachi 2:11-16 passage.
The “divorces” were not official divorces; they didn’t need to be. They were already previously married and “unofficially” married again. The Hebrew word shalach means “putting away”― a separation, as correctly translated in most Bibles. However, the King James and a number of newer versions have incorrectly translated shalach as to mean: divorce. It never meant divorce and it doesn’t mean divorce. The word was most likely translated as “divorce” to fit what was taught in the church. Shalach is just a common word used throughout the Old Testament which means to: go, separate or to send. That’s it!
So why did God angrily say that He “…hated putting away [a separation]?” “…Because you have not kept My ways [concerning marriage, divorce and remarriage] but have SHOWN PARTIALITY IN THE LAW” (Malachi 2:9). The Law specifically stated that when a man got a divorce from his wife that he was to write “…her a CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE, put it in her hand, AND [shalach] send her out [put her away]…” (Deuteronomy 24:1). God also commanded them not to marry anyone who did not serve him ― who served a foreign god (See Nehemiah 13:25-30).
Instead, men separated from their wives without ever giving them a Certificate of Divorce and then illegally married someone else. This is why the Lord said that they were still “their wife by covenant.” The marriage covenant had never been dissolved by the Divorce Certificate.
“The Lord’s holy institution which He loves...the Lord has been witness between you and the wife of your youth ...[and] SHE [STILL] IS YOUR COMPANION AND YOUR WIFE BY COVENANT. For the Lord God of Israel says that He hates divorce [shalach], [separating without a Certificate of Divorce].... He has [illegally] married the daughter of a foreign god. May the Lord cut off ...the man who does this being awake and aware” (Malachi 2:11,12a,14b,c,16a).
Because these men had remarried illegally ― separated from their wives without giving them a Certificate of Divorce, they were in adultery as Jesus stated: “Furthermore it has been said, “Whoever PUTS AWAY [separates from {apoluo}] his wife, LET HIM GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE. But I say to you that whoever PUTS AWAY [separates and remarries without being divorced from] his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery: and whoever marries a woman who is PUT AWAY [separated without being divorced {apoluo}] commits adultery” (Matthew 5:31-32). (The Lord never forgot about the Malachi incident when He came to earth to redeem lost man).
The Old Testament Hebrew word shalach and the New Testament Greek word apoluo are equivalent which will be discussed later.
Because these disobedient men still had “un-divorced” wives, the Lord did not command them to give their illegal wives a Certificate of Divorce, rather, they simply had to “separate, put them away, [shalach].” SO DID GOD HATE DIVORCE? NO! RATHER, GOD HATED THAT THE HUSBANDS WERE SEPARATING FROM THEIR WIVES WITHOUT GIVING THEM A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE WHICH WOULD ENABLE THEM TO GET REMARRIED. THIS IS WHAT GOD HATES!
The men of Israel were SEPARATING from their wives for self-gratifying reasons. God Himself was a “witness” at their original marriage ceremony which was still in effect. The marriage covenant was never dissolved by a Certificate of Divorce. The men remarried outside their own culture (race) and tribe. God considered the children they bore unholy because of the mixed marriages bringing curses into their families (See Ezra 9:1,2, Nehemiah 13:26-30).
Because of these unauthorized marriages, the Word of God came to Ezra and Nehemiah to have the men and women of Israel who had done this thing, to separate from their spouse and even from their children (See Ezra 9:1, 11-12, 10:3, Nehemiah 13:23-27). In this situation, God’s command was to “put them away, separate yourselves from them!” This was NOT the kind of marriage to which God was saying, “I hate divorce!” He was saying loudly, “Get out of these wrong marriages!”
DIVORCE IS A METHOD TO SEPARATE THE ONE, AND MAKE THEM INTO TWO just as a surgeon’s knife is used to separate the cancerous flesh from the healthy flesh. Both operations are good. Divorce can be used to kill a righteous marriage, just as a surgeon’s knife can be used to kill a healthy person.
Excerpt from https://www.divorcehope.com/godhatesdivorce.htm
So, from what you said, it is a SIN for a man not to give his wife a certificate of divorce, and that certificates of divorce are a good thing, and that not giving your wife a certificate of divorce is the greater sin. That its okay to separate as long as you have that little piece of paper, and that it is no sin to marry again after you get that little piece of paper. Only that is not what Jesus says, and it is not what the Bible says. But a very imaginative re-interpretation of scripture you present. And you almost talk like one having authority on the matter, but I guess I'd rather go by God than go by you, and I'd rather go by what the scriptures actually say than by what you have said and your twist on scripture.
Nor is he ignorant of DOM's words here. Both of you teach the opposite of what the Bible teaches. You do not have a heart for scripture nor do you have a heart for the word of God.
And very plainly, the Bible teaches against marriage after divorce.
You reject the teachings of Jesus on the matter.
Jesus calls divorce "hardness of the heart".
Jesus tells us that anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. (Luke 16:18)
Mark 10:12, Jesus says, "And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”
1 Corinthians 7:10-11, God tells us that a woman must not separate from her husband, but if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.
The Bible does not give it to a woman to write her husband a certificate of divorce. Nor does the Bible give it to the government to write a certificate of divorce. God hates divorce. God hates the putting away. In the Law of Moses, a man writes his wife a certificate of divorce. Not the wife and not the government. But Jesus tells us that Moses gave you this command because your hearts are hard. Return to the Bible, ML. Your heart is so hard. Your heart is so very hard, ML and DOM. You know very well that the Bible teaches against divorce but you keep promoting divorce and marriage after divorce like you are trying to find some loop-holes in Bible teachings that make you feel good about divorce. You are always insulting men for typing Bible verses against divorce and Bible verses against marriage after divorce. You do not have a heart for scripture. You insult every man that types a Bible verse you don't like. You teach divorce. And you teach that it is okay to marry divorced women. The New Testament does not teach that it is okay to marry a divorced woman and the New Testament does not teach that it is okay to divorce. And the Old Testament does not teach that women have any choice on the matter. No where in the Old Testament does it say that a woman can divorce her husband. No where does the Law of Moses instruct a woman to write her husband a certificate of divorce and to give it to him and to send him away from his house. In the Bible, only the husband is given the authority to write if he chooses a certificate of divorce. Not ever was woman given this authority by God.
Deuteronomy 24:1-4 does not give it to a woman to write her husband a certificate of divorce.
It is not in the Bible.
Return to the scriptures ML and return to your husband.
