Dealing Treacherously With The Wife Of Your Youth

[Mr. M]

Luke 16:
16 The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has
been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.
17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law
to fail.
18 Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries
her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery.

Malachi 2:
14 Because the Lord has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom
you have dealt treacherously: yet is she your companion, and the wife of your covenant.
15 And did not He make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.
16 For the Lord, the God of Israel, says that He hates putting away: for one covers violence with his garment, says the Lord of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that you deal not treacherously.

Notice this is not simply divorce, but putting away a first wife for another.
This is dealing treacherously with the covenant of marriage in the eyes of God.

Matthew 19:
3 The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful
for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
4 And he answered and said unto them, Have you not read, that He which made them at
the beginning made them male and female,
5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they shall be one flesh?
6 Wherefore they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder.
7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
8 He said unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, commits adultery: and whoso marries her which is put away commits adultery.

 

[Mr. M]

"And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail."
Deuteronomy 24:
1 When a man has taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no
favor
in his eyes, because he has found some uncleanness in her: then let him write
her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.
2 And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife.

"He hates putting away: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously."
Matthew 5:
31 It has been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causes her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced commits adultery.

Isaiah 50:1. Thus says the Lord, Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement,
whom I have put away? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have you sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.

 

[Mr. M]

Spiritual Significance of Divorce for a covenant people:to be cut off.
divorce-[H3748] keriyuwth<[H3772] karath=to cut off
Examples from Psalm 37:
9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.
22 For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.
28 For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
34 Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.
38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.

A warning given to the new gentile believers:
Romans 11:22. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

 

[Jesus is YHWH]

Yes and in Hosea as YHWH pursues His unfaithful wife in-spite of her infidelity's.
When we are faithless He remains faithful. God keeps His covenant even when we break it. What a loving God !

Hosea 11:8–9,
How can I give you up, O Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, O Israel?
. . . My heart recoils within me;
my compassion grows warm and tender.
I will not execute my burning anger;
I will not again destroy Ephraim;
for I am God and not a man,
the Holy One in your midst,
and I will not come in wrath.

BTW- this is no excuse for sin. Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? May it never be !

 

[Mr. M]

God keeps His covenant even when we break it.

Don't I know it!

 

[Jesus is YHWH]

Don't I know it!

BTW- I find your threads very thoughtful and insightful. Keep it up brother !

 

[Junia]

Yes and in Hosea as YHWH pursues His unfaithful wife in-spite of her infidelity's.
When we are faithless He remains faithful. God keeps His covenant even when we break it. What a loving God !

Hosea 11:8–9,
How can I give you up, O Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, O Israel?
. . . My heart recoils within me;
my compassion grows warm and tender.
I will not execute my burning anger;
I will not again destroy Ephraim;
for I am God and not a man,
the Holy One in your midst,
and I will not come in wrath.

BTW- this is no excuse for sin. Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? May it never be !

I
Excellent!! I think when Jesus spoke negatively of divorce
He was reflecting the heart of His father , thAt is the God who never gives up on us if we keep in our faith

 

[Mr. M]

Malachi 2:
14 Because the Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of your youth, against whom
you have dealt treacherously: yet is she your companion, and the wife of thy covenant.
15 And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.
16 For the Lord, the God of Israel, saith that He hates putting away: for one covers violence with his garment, saith the Lord of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that you deal not treacherously.

"That he might seek a godly seed".
1 Corinthians 7:
10 Now to the married I command, not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart her husband.
11 But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband.
And a husband is not to divorce his wife.
12 But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe,
and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her.
13 And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her,
let her not divorce him.
14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified
by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.
15 But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace.
16 For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know,
O husband, whether you will save your wife?

 

[2BeholdHisGlory]

Good thread, I love that He is a witness between the husbands covenant with his wife and that he is able to check mate the husband on the weaker vessel (his wife's) and on her behalf if the husband deals treacherously with her. And he choses the hindering his prayers (just as Peter speaks the same on that very thing in 1Peter 3:7)

The LORD says to husbands here

Mal 2:13 And this have ye done again,
covering the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping, and with crying out,
insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more,
or receiveth it with good will at your hand.

Mal 2:14 Yet ye (the husbands) say, Wherefore?

He answers them saying

Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth,
against whom thou hast dealt treacherously:
yet is she thy companion,
and the wife of thy covenant.

Just as Paul also says,

Col 3:19 Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.

And just as the husbands prayers were being hindered in the above, here also the same is mentioned

1Peter 3:7 Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.

Ephes 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it

 

[Mr. M]

He answers them saying

Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth,
against whom thou hast dealt treacherously:
yet is she thy companion,
and the wife of thy covenant.

I went into a lot of detail in this thread. I included the commandment because
the teachers of the Law asked about putting away a wife for any reason.
He asks them what does the Law say, and they only state:write a bill of divorcement.
The Law actually states that if a man finds some uncleanness in His bride, he can send
her back home, considering the common practice of arranged marriage. How long do you
think he should be allowed to make that determination? You could make a case for one year
because a newlywed is not allowed to go to war for 1 year after marriage. Deuteronomy 20:7
The "wife of your youth" clearly implies she ain't young no more, and successful men have
historically "put away" an older wife in exchange for a younger, something the Lord hates.
Thanks for your response!
James

 

[2BeholdHisGlory]

I went into a lot of detail in this thread. I included the commandment because
the teachers of the Law asked about putting away a wife for any reason.
He asks them what does the Law say, and they only state:write a bill of divorcement.
The Law actually states that if a man finds some uncleanness in His bride, he can send
her back home, considering the common practice of arranged marriage. How long do you
think he should be allowed to make that determination? You could make a case for one year
because a newlywed is not allowed to go to war for 1 year after marriage. Deuteronomy 20:7
The "wife of your youth" clearly implies she ain't young no more, and successful men have
historically "put away" an older wife in exchange for a younger, something the Lord hates.
Thanks for your response!
James

Now I am really feeling for my own husband because I am such an old lady now too,
but I'll tell ya, he aint no spring chicken either

Been thinking bout' putting him away for awhile now
(just playing wit cha James, I'm keeping him around! Heh...)

Good observation! God bless you!

 

[Mr. M]

Ephes 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it

I meant to include this entire passage. Looking over your post again reminded me.
Marriage—Christ and the Church
Ephesians 5:
22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is
the Savior of the body.
24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their ow
husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,
27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or
any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.
29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord
does the church.
30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.
31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,
and the two shall become one flesh.”
32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself,
and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

 

[2BeholdHisGlory]

I meant to include this entire passage. Looking over your post again reminded me.
Marriage—Christ and the Church
Ephesians 5:
22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is
the Savior of the body.
24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their ow
husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,
27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or
any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.
29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord
does the church.
30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.
31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,
and the two shall become one flesh.”
32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself,
and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Yep thats a good one. Whats funny is it took me awhile to figure out the whole "no one ever hated his own flesh" because I always hated my own flesh but thats not what he was talking about

I can be so dense

 

[Mr. M]

Blessed Abraham remained faithful to Sarah until her death. Then he took another wife, Keturah;
who bore him children we hear of later in the nations around Israel. Genesis 25
Genesis 25:1 Abraham again took a wife, and her name was Keturah.
2 And she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.
3 Jokshan begot Sheba and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim,
Letushim, and Leummim.
4 And the sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abidah, and Eldaah.
All these were the children of Keturah.