DIVORCE;
One of the most unmistakable and tragic evidences of the moral decadence of our generation, is the enormous increase in the number of divorces! During the last few decades, they have literally multiplied. They are common to every strata of society, rich and poor, educated and illiterate alike. They are not confined to the young and immature, the more-experienced and middle-aged, or the elderly; nor is this pernicious phenomenon peculiar to the British Isles—but prevails just as extensively throughout the whole of Christendom—and in the United States even more alarmingly! Such a widespread epidemic is proof of the ethical laxity and emotional instability which is now so rife, and it portends badly for the near future.
It is nothing less than a dishonest evasion, a refusal to face facts, which attributes this social scourge unto the last two wars—for anyone who examines statistics, knows that this malady was eating away at the roots of the nation long before 1914, though like many other diseases, it has continued to spread through the nations and is now "coming to a head."
Like many another social and physical evil which the world is now plagued with, this one is but the shadowing forth of what first prevailed in the religious sphere. It is not sufficiently recognized that conditions in the ecclesiastical realm—are quickly reflected in the secular and social, that what marks the latter, first characterized the former. Those bearing the name of Christ are "the salt of the earth," but when the salt has lost its savor, not only is it "thenceforth good for nothing" (Matthew 5:13)—but there is no longer anything left to arrest the unregenerate carcass from complete putrefaction.
When the churches keep to the divine Rule, and its members walk in the path of God's precepts, a powerful influence for good—for morality and respectability, for law and order—is engendered by them. But when the divine Law is flouted—then lawlessness prevails in the community. When the churches degenerate into social clubs, and their members are nothing but empty professors—preferring the movies, the dance, and the card-party above the prayer meeting—then they are "germ carriers" which spread disease.
Genuine conversion is entering into a marriage covenant with God in Christ. It is the soul expressing its love for Him, giving up itself to Him (2 Corinthians 8:5), and solemnly vowing to be henceforth ruled only by Him (Isaiah 26:13). It is a deliberate and hearty choice of the Lord to be his supreme Delight, his sole Lord, his grand End, his everlasting Portion—and a promising to be faithful unto Him and His interests. That is why the Gospel proclamation and offer—is likened unto an invitation to a marriage feast (Matthew 22:1-3, 11-12). Hence, the saints are said to be "married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead" (Romans 7:4).
The apostle used the same figure when expressing his tender solicitude and holy jealousy for the Corinthian believers: "I have [ministerially] espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ" (2 Corinthians 11:2). Paul labored to keep them faithful to their vows, with the unchilled first-love of their betrothal unto the Bridegroom.
For the same reason, the grand consummation of redemption—when the Church enters corporately upon its glory-union with the Lord—is designated "the marriage of the Lamb," and She is spoken of as "his wife, who has made herself ready" (Revelation 19:7). When those who profess to have "turned unto the Lord" forsake Him, and go back again into the world, and give their hearts unto idols—God charges them with having "transgressed his covenant" (2 Kings 18:12), to have "dealt falsely in His covenant" (Psalm 44:17), and to have "broken His covenant" (Jer 11:10). Consequently, we find that the Lord frequently brought against Israel the charge of marital infidelity: "O Ephraim, you commit whoredom, and Israel is defiled" (Hosea 5:3); "Because you have forgotten me, and cast me behind your back, therefore bear you also your lewdness and your whoredoms" (Ezekiel 23:35).
The same solemn indictment is brought against a New Testament company which bore the name of the Lord: "You adulterers and adulteresses, know you not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whoever therefore will [is determined to] be a friend of the world is the enemy of God" (James 4:4); which shows it is a spiritual adultery which is in view—a giving unto the world that love and devotion, time and strength, which the Lord alone is entitled unto. As natural marriage is a solemn and sacred engagement which is not to be entered into lightly, constituting as it does a lifelong compact—much more should there be the most serious and self-searching deliberation before anyone openly professes to be united to the Lord.
Hence, we are bidden to "first sit down and and count the cost" (Luke 14:28). Christ is more grievously dishonored and "put…to an open shame" (Hebrews 6:6) by those who may have taken upon them His holy name and avowed themselves "Christians," and later cast off His yoke, repudiate His scepter, and return unto their "wallowing in the mire" (2 Peter 2:22).
Yet for generations past, Christendom has swarmed with such cases individually, while corporately, the majority of the "churches" have walked arm-in-arm with the world; but Christ no longer owned them, regarding them as harlots! And the rotspread swiftly from the "religious" to the non-religious elements of society. The "churches" sowed the wind—and now the nations are reaping the whirlwind in an orgy of marital infidelity and immorality!
A recent letter in The Times states, "the number of illegitimate births today exceeds a thousand a week"! We do not propose to generalize or moralize any further upon the subject—but rather turn to the Holy Scriptures for information and illumination thereon; for many of the Lord's own people today are far from being clear as to exactly what are its real teachings upon the matter, nor are their ministers and instructors by any means agreed—some teaching one thing, others something quite different.
Our design will be to supply answers unto the following questions:
First, does the teaching of the New Testament differ from that of the Old Testament on this subject?
Second, what are the Scriptural grounds for a divorce?
Third, when the marriage bond is broken by the infidelity of one party, is the innocent one free—in the sight of God? We mean—free to marry again?—or is he or she henceforth shut up to a life of celibacy?
"And Adam said: 'This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man.' For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." (Genesis 2:23-24). Here we have the ordination of the marriage institution in Eden, before the Fall, and the Law concerning it divinely fixed. "Divinely fixed," we say, for the Lord Jesus plainly averred that God Himself was the Author of that statement, "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh"; for when replying to the Pharisees, He said, "Have you not read, that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh" (Matthew 19:4-5). The Speaker in Genesis 2:24 was the Creator, whether the instrument was Adam himself, or Moses at the time he wrote the book of Genesis; if the former, Adam spoke by divine inspiration, and prophetically, for at that time, there were no "fathers and mothers."
It is clear—then, that Genesis 2:24 was a divine statute, and, being founded upon God, an unalterable one. Originally, Adam and Eve were one, for Eve was taken out of Adam; and therefore, it is said at their first creation, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them" (Genesis 1:27). Later, by the formation of the woman (Genesis 2:21-22), the original one—became two. But by marriage, the two—became "one flesh," the nearest and dearest union there is in all nature—a divinely ordained, a legally constituted, and an affectionately formed one.
Marriage is a permanent and exclusive union between one man and one woman, and therefore, can only be innocently dissolved by death. If ever there was any pretense for the necessity of a man's having more than one wife, it must have been in the days of Adam, when the earth was unpeopled—but the revealed will of God expressly forbade that:
First, by His making only a single woman for Adam—creation itself teaches monogamy!
Second, by this authoritative statement: "a man will leave his father and mother and cleave unto his wife, and they will become one flesh." The expression "cleave unto" is a very emphatic and decisive one, as appears from the fact of its being used of the duty involved in our covenant relationship to God: "But cleave unto the Lord your God, as you have done unto this day" (Joshua 23:8), they were to love Him with all their hearts, to be devoted exclusively unto Him (having no other "gods"), to seek His honor and promote His interests. In like manner is a man to cleave unto his wife.
The Hebrews verb is "debaq" and is rendered "are joined together" in Job 41:23; "abide…fast" in Ruth 2:8; "stick" in Ezekiel 29:4; "kept fast" in Ruth 2:23. "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife" shows that the bonds of this divine institution are stronger than those of nature, and intimates not only the nearness of the marital relationship—but its perpetuity. That they are "one flesh" definitely prohibits polygamy.
Thus was the divine will concerning the regulation of the sexes and the manner in which the human race was to be propagated, clearly made known at the dawn of human history. In His comment upon that divine statute in Genesis 2:24, the Lord Jesus solemnly and authoritatively declared, "Therefore they are no longer two—but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate" (Matthew 19:6), which proves that a valid marriage is not only of divine institution—but of God's own making: He joining the two together—to ever after have the same interests, and to share each other's comforts or sorrows, even as the members of the same body do. God Himself having yoked them together, each is to have the most conscientious regard to His act.
In view of the divine nature of this institution and act, no man—be he whom he may—has any warrant from God to separate man and wife, except only for the one reason specified by Christ, namely, adultery. "No man, or set of men, have any authority from God to dissolve this union, except in the case of adultery. Neither crowned heads, bishops, judges, peers, nor commons, jointly or separately, have any right to violate the laws of God. Jehovah has said that the man and his wife are one, and whoever separates them, insults God" (1851—William Gadsby, 1773-1844).
"Marriage is not a temporary contract, like that between master and servant—but a union of a man and a woman for life. They cannot separate at their pleasure, or at the expiration of a definite period. They are bound to adhere to each other during the term of their natural lives, and neither of them is at liberty to enter into a new engagement without an offence against the law both of God and man. There is one cause, however, which may terminate the relation during their lifetime, namely, the sin forbidden in the seventh commandment. Adultery, whether committed by the husband or the wife—is a just ground for divorce. It is a direct violation of the marriage vow, giving the aggrieved party a right to demand the dissolution of an engagement which the other has broken, by retracting the pledge solemnly given at its commencement. You will observe, however, that adultery does not by the very fact, dissolve the marital relation; it only invests the sufferer with a right to demand the dissolution of it from the competent authority; if the wife or the husband does not choose to exercise the right, things remain as they were" (Professor John Dick, 1764-1833).
Polygamy was divinely reprobated from the beginning: by God's creation of but one woman for Adam, and by His command for the husband to "cleave unto his wife"—therein He intimated His will for the regulation of the sexes and under what divine sanction the human family should be propagated. But it was not long after sin had entered this world—that men began to defy God's prohibition, for as early as Genesis 4:19, we read, "And Lamech took unto him two wives." It should be carefully noted that Lamech was one of the degenerate offspring of Cain, and that he was the sixth (not the seventh) generation from Adam! That evil example of his, ensnared good men at a later date. Some have sought to excuse their sin, arguing that polygamy was virtually a necessity in the early generations of the race, when the earth was so thinly populated. But that iscarnal reasoning and a presumptuous and impious inference, for the fact remains that God never authorized either Lamech or any of the patriarchs to take unto him a second wife. Moreover, it is to be carefully noted that whereas God gave orders for "sevens" of the clean beasts to be taken into the ark, He restricted Noah and his sons—to their own sole wives!
Going back a little, a word needs to be said upon the matter of the propagation of the human race before the Fall, and whether the sons of Adam procured their wives (their own sisters) without the sin of incest. The only writer we are acquainted with, who has boldly and honestly faced this problem, and who has, in our humble judgment, dealt with it faithfully and truly, is the late Professor Robert Lewis Dabney (1820-1898), of the Union Theological Seminary, Virginia. He rightly pointed out that, "The command to replenish the earth was given to Adam and Eve in their pure estate: which, had it continued, incest, like every other sin, would have been impossible. Who can deny—but that the marriages contracted between the sons and daughters of our first parents, after the Fall, were sinful in God's eyes? It is not unreasonable to suppose that, thus, the very propagation of the human race, to which its present earthly existence under the mercy of God is due, began in sin and shame; that its very perpetuation is the tolerated consequence of a flagrant crime!"
To which we will add only one remark: in view of this, how could the course of human history be different from what it has been? From such a foul spring, nothing but polluted and bitter waters could issue. It is ever a delicate matter—and should be a painful one—for any of God's children to make reference to the failings of their brethren, the more so when they are far more eminent than ourselves in piety and fruitfulness. Though the Holy Spirit has recorded both the virtues and the vices of the patriarchs—yet the latter are to be regarded by us as a warning—and not for our imitation! We should remember, too, that the best of men—are but men at the best. Only One has walked this earth who remained "without blemish and without spot" (1 Peter 1:19).
That such men as Abraham and Jacob took unto themselves a plurality of wives or concubines, may be accounted for perhaps—though certainly not excused—by their ancestry and environment. Abraham, we know, was reared amid idolatry, and in all probability spent the first half of his life among those who practiced polygamy; and thus, he learned "the way of the heathen" (Jeremiah 10:2). Nor were moral conditions in Canaan any better than in Chaldea, and Jacob and others were no doubt guilty of following "a multitude to do evil" (Exodus 23:2). But the cases of Gideon, Elkanah, David, and Solomon, after the giving of the Decalogue, are harder to account for.
It has been pointed out by some writers who sought to extenuate this sin of the patriarchs, that Scripture contains no record of God's reproving them for their polygamy; and therefore, it is very reprehensible for us to do so. But that is nothing to the point, for the argument from silence is much too precarious to build anything upon it: what is recorded in Holy Writ, and not drawing inferences from what is omitted, is our sole rule. Yet, while we do not read what God expressly admonished them for this offence; nevertheless, His Word makes it clear that His providential frowns fell upon them for the same. Two things should be duly noted:
First, that in the earlier instances, some sin or other is specifically mentioned as being the occasion thereof. Thus, Abraham's taking Hagar—was because of Sarah's unbelief (Genesis 16:1-2). And Jacob's taking Rachel as a wife after Leah, and his own discontent arising from it—was occasioned by Laban's unjust dealings with him. His cohabiting with Bilhah was due to Rachel's inordinate desire for children; and his taking of Zilpah by Leah's ambitious desire of having the pre-eminence over Rachel and the number of her children (Genesis 29 and 30).
Second, the displeasure of God upon this sin was almost always intimated by a breach of that peace, which is so desirable a blessing in the family. Accordingly, we read of an irreconcilable quarrel between Sarah and Hagar, and of Ishmael's hatred of Isaac, which the apostle calls being "persecuted" (Galatians 4:29). The repeated contentions that existed in Jacob's family, the envy expressed by the children of one of his wives against those of another, are well known. We must, therefore, conclude that Isaac's example is rather to be followed in this matter, who had but one wife and who loved her better than the other patriarchs did theirs—whose love was divided among several.
The opposition which one wife expressed to another, appears in the case of Peninnah against Hannah—the wives of Elkanah (1 Samuel 1). In our articles upon the life of David, we showed how heavily the chastening rod of the Lord came upon him and his household, each time he took unto him an additional wife. The sorrows which Solomon brought down upon himself by his folly, need no particularizing. Thus, the sad disorder in the households of those who kept a plurality of wives, is obviously a beacon to those whose eyes are not blinded by prejudice. Polygamy was clearly contrary to the divine institution of marriage; and the jealousies and dissensions which it introduced into those families, where we have mention of it, imports that such cases are recorded for our caution—and not for our approval!
In Leviticus 18:18, (see marginal rendering), Moses, in the code which regulated marriage, expressly prohibited the marriage of a second wife in the lifetime of the first, thus enjoining monogamy in terms as clear as those of Christ's. Throughout their ministrations, the Prophets frequently gave instructions how a man was to treat his wife—but never his "wives"!
But it is objected that polygamy was practiced by men too spiritual and too much blessed and owned by God, to be capable of continuing to disobey an express precept. But was not even "the sweet psalmist of Israel" (2 Samuel 23:1) guilty of murder?—and clearly the Decalogue forbids that! As one has truly said, "The history of good men, alas, shows us too plainly the power of general evil example, custom, temptation, and self-love, blinding the honest conscience" (Professor R. L. Dabney).
Finally, attention must be called to Malachi 2:14-15. There, the prophet was rebuking the sins of the Jews, and particularly those among them who were guilty of dealing "treacherously against the wife of his youth." There he points out:
First, that marriage is a "covenant" (Malachi 2:14).
Second, that the Lord had been "witness between" the guilty husband and the innocent wife.
Third, he takes him back to Genesis 2, reminding him that God made but "one" man for "one" woman at the beginning (Malachi 2:15).
Fourth, he points out that God had "the residue of the spirit," and therefore, could have made Adam a dozen wives, had He so pleased; but instead, He has appointed man but "one" wife, in order that "he might seek a godly seed" (Malachi 2:15), that is, that his children might be maritally pure and not of different bloods, which polygamy prevents.