Today's reading: Deuteronomy 24
S) "4 then her former husband who sent her away is not allowed to take her again to be his wife, since she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the Lord, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance."
O) This verse is a regulation about divorce and death. In the preceeding verses, Moses described that a husband divorced his wife, she remarried, then through divorce or death, she was again unmarried. Throughout the Bible, the significance of marriage is heavily emphasized. The concept of returning to your first love is also a common theme. So, I was having a hard time seeing why God would command that a man couldn't remarry his ex-wife under the circumstances above. But, remembering that this verse is centered around divorce, it reminds me of the link between those two concepts. When a man gave his wife a certificate of divorce, he was essentially asking to be released from his marriage vows in such a way that only death could previously accomplish. In this way, God is demanding that the decision the man made, this decision to break his covenant with his wife, God was demanding that this decision be even more serious, even more firm than the marriage itself. By declaring these stakes ahead of time, it was another layer of gravity in the seriousness of this whole messy business.
A) Let me preface this by saying that divorce is simply never what God wants (see Matthew 19:7-11). Having said that, the severity of the situation (divorce) being what it is, serves an important purpose in the life of every believer. Jesus repeatedly used marriage as a symbol of His relationship to us (the church). There were parables about His coming like a bridegroom, there were comparisons to marriage feasts, etc. So, this command from Moses now highlighting the grace and mercy involved, the amazing amount of love and compassion displayed, when God didn't simply allow us to come back to Him after we have been so spiritually adulterous - but He paved the way and sought each of us. Like so much brutality in the atoning sacrifices reminds me of the severity of my sins, the strict regulations about divorce reminds me of the complete, full, total forgiveness at work in His mercy.
P) Father, You are holy and pure. You are righteous, just, and sovereign. In Your perfect justice and wrath, I deserved death. I deserved to be divorced from You forever, with no chance of reconciliation. But, everything changed with the sacrifice of Jesus. When Christ took the cross, He willingly took my divorce upon Himself. He willingly separated Himself from You, in order to conquer sin and death where I could not. In a sense, Jesus conquered the spiritual divorce and death that I had brought upon myself. This is the beauty of the gospel. I am humbled by the grace of Your reconciliation, Lord. Help me to convey this wonderful aspect of the gospel with others. I am a child of divorce, Father, and the concept of reconciliation has always been vivid to me. Not often enough have I considered that I was the adulterer in my relationship with You. My indecency, my sins caused our divorce. But, You never abandoned me. You never left me. Even when I joined myself to others in spiritual adultery, exalting things or people to a place of lordship in my life, setting up idols in my heart - through all of that You remained ever-faithful. When Your compassion finally melted my heart, You were able to bring me back, because the divorce/death had already been endured by Your Son, Jesus Christ. This is magnificent and humbling. Help me to glorify You to others, through this truth. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
S) "4 then her former husband who sent her away is not allowed to take her again to be his wife, since she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the Lord, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance."
Deuteronomy 24:4 (NASB)
O) This verse is a regulation about divorce and death. In the preceeding verses, Moses described that a husband divorced his wife, she remarried, then through divorce or death, she was again unmarried. Throughout the Bible, the significance of marriage is heavily emphasized. The concept of returning to your first love is also a common theme. So, I was having a hard time seeing why God would command that a man couldn't remarry his ex-wife under the circumstances above. But, remembering that this verse is centered around divorce, it reminds me of the link between those two concepts. When a man gave his wife a certificate of divorce, he was essentially asking to be released from his marriage vows in such a way that only death could previously accomplish. In this way, God is demanding that the decision the man made, this decision to break his covenant with his wife, God was demanding that this decision be even more serious, even more firm than the marriage itself. By declaring these stakes ahead of time, it was another layer of gravity in the seriousness of this whole messy business.
A) Let me preface this by saying that divorce is simply never what God wants (see Matthew 19:7-11). Having said that, the severity of the situation (divorce) being what it is, serves an important purpose in the life of every believer. Jesus repeatedly used marriage as a symbol of His relationship to us (the church). There were parables about His coming like a bridegroom, there were comparisons to marriage feasts, etc. So, this command from Moses now highlighting the grace and mercy involved, the amazing amount of love and compassion displayed, when God didn't simply allow us to come back to Him after we have been so spiritually adulterous - but He paved the way and sought each of us. Like so much brutality in the atoning sacrifices reminds me of the severity of my sins, the strict regulations about divorce reminds me of the complete, full, total forgiveness at work in His mercy.
P) Father, You are holy and pure. You are righteous, just, and sovereign. In Your perfect justice and wrath, I deserved death. I deserved to be divorced from You forever, with no chance of reconciliation. But, everything changed with the sacrifice of Jesus. When Christ took the cross, He willingly took my divorce upon Himself. He willingly separated Himself from You, in order to conquer sin and death where I could not. In a sense, Jesus conquered the spiritual divorce and death that I had brought upon myself. This is the beauty of the gospel. I am humbled by the grace of Your reconciliation, Lord. Help me to convey this wonderful aspect of the gospel with others. I am a child of divorce, Father, and the concept of reconciliation has always been vivid to me. Not often enough have I considered that I was the adulterer in my relationship with You. My indecency, my sins caused our divorce. But, You never abandoned me. You never left me. Even when I joined myself to others in spiritual adultery, exalting things or people to a place of lordship in my life, setting up idols in my heart - through all of that You remained ever-faithful. When Your compassion finally melted my heart, You were able to bring me back, because the divorce/death had already been endured by Your Son, Jesus Christ. This is magnificent and humbling. Help me to glorify You to others, through this truth. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
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