Daily Manna 15 September
KEY VERSE: “And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.” – (Matthew 19:9)
TEXT: Matthew 19:1-12
When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. 2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
3 Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”
4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’[a] 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’[b]? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
7 “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”
8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
10 The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”
11 Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. 12 For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”
Read yesterday’s Daily Manna here
Due to man’s disobedience to God’s original plan and standard on marriage, cases of divorce and remarriage are on the increase worldwide. Many are merely enduring the marriage they are expected to be enjoying. Marriage vows are flagrantly broken with impunity. This has led to broken homes, frustration, sorrow and suicide.
In today’s text, we could see the legalistic Pharisees trying to set a trap for Jesus so that they could accuse Him of inconsistency and violation of the law of Moses on marriage. Jesus carefully pointed their attention to God’s original standard for marriage which is one man, one wife; and that the man and the woman should have a union independent of their parents and stay together permanently and lovingly until death separates them.
Jesus told the Pharisees that Moses permitted divorce because of the hardness of heart of the Jews. He said that fornication was the only reason that could cause divorce to happen. The Greek word ‘porneia’ translated “fornication” is a twin sister of adultery, which is a generic word meaning perversion of marriage through immorality. This may include homosexuality or sodomy, lesbianism and infidelity.
For New Testament believers, there is no room for divorce. It is surprising to see some so-called believers who often forget the clause “for better for worse” in their marriage vows. They forget that God has made them one and therefore no challenge or problem should separate them.
All marital challenges can be resolved through prayers of agreement and faith of the couple. Violators of this commandment are to seek quick restitution through reconciliation for eternity’s sake. Believers who are single and searching for a life partner must seek the face of God before going into marriage.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: No excuse for divorce, please!
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 139-150
Thank you for studying today’s Daily Manna – Divine Command Against Divorce – by Pastor Enoch A.
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Daily Manna 15 September 2021
