Thru the Bible - #175-Deuteronomy 24 Part 1 - Law of Divorce

Transcript

Welcome And Today’s Passage

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Welcome to Bereen's Corner, the podcast where we go through books of the Bible chapter by chapter and verse by verse. Wherever you are in the world, thank you for joining. Grab a glass of water, a cup of coffee, a tea, and let's get into today's lesson. Welcome back and open your Bible to Deuteronomy chapter 24. The title of today's lesson is Law of Divorce. Now, we are not going to bring the reader in on this one to go through the whole chapter like we do a lot because there's actually this there's actually a lot in this chapter, and I needed to break this down into two parts. So today we are going to be looking at the first four verses because it's just so much in there that I needed to break down and get to, and then we will have a part two of chapter 24 very shortly to go through the rest of the chapter, which actually happens to be sundry law. So if you are with me a couple chapters ago, we talked about sundry laws. That's what we'll be looking at the rest of Deuteronomy 24. And just to give you a heads up, Deuteronomy 25 is also titled Sundry Laws because it's more of that. But Deuteronomy chapter 24 is uh this is a very intriguing chapter, and as I mentioned, these first few verses uh have a lot, you know, a lot in them. So

Reading Deuteronomy 24:1–4

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uh let's let's start out by reading. Deuteronomy 24, starting at verse 1. When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because she has found some indecency, he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out from his house, and she leaves his house and goes and becomes another man's wife. And if the latter husband turns against her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies, who took her to be his wife, 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.

Why Scripture Must Lead

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So, what we are sorry about that, what we are looking at here is God's design for marriage, divorce, and his amazing grace. Now, as we journey through the book of Deuteronomy, we've seen that God is not only concerned about Israel's worship, but also about how his people live every day. And we have seen that these things are important to the Lord. The Lord gave his commandments because he desired his people to reflect his holiness in every area of life, whether it involved worship, leadership, whether it involved justice, family relationships, or personal conduct. God provided instruction so his people could experience his blessing through obedience. Today we come to one of the most sensitive and often misunderstood passages in all the Deuteronomy, which is why I took a little extra time to go through it. A passage dealing with marriage, divorce, and remarriage. Whenever this subject is discussed, strong emotions often accompany it. Some have experienced the pain of divorce personally. Others have watched parents, children, or close friends walk through the heartbreak of a broken marriage. Because this subject touches so many lives, it is important that we allow God's word, not culture, not tradition, or personal opinion, to reshape our thinking and to shape our thinking. Many times when divorce is discussed, two statements immediately surface. At least this is how I hear it. First, people point out the increase in divorce rate in our society, and I have heard that a lot. Second, they remind us that the Bible says God hates divorce. We see this in Malachi chapter 2, verse 16. While both of those observations deserve consideration, neither one should become the starting point of our study. Our responsibility is to begin where the scriptures begin. That's why I wanted to point out it's not about your opinion, it's not about your thoughts, it's about what does the scriptures say, what thus saith the Lord. As we carefully work our way through the law of Moses, one truth becomes very clear. The Mosaic law neither commands divorce, encourages divorce, nor completely prohibits divorce. Instead, it regulates divorce. God knew his people lived in the fallen world and he provided instruction for situations that arise because sinful people often make sinful choices. The truth may surprise some people. In fact, when you read the book of Ezra, you will discover a situation where God actually requires certain Israelites to divorce their pagan wives because those marriages violated his covenant and threatened Israel's spiritual purity. There's a little well before we get to Ezra, but if you want to jump ahead, you can see this in Ezra chapter 10, verse 3, verses 10 through 12, verses 18 through 19, and verse 44. That reminds us that we must always interpret individual passages within the whole council of God. See, that's how you put that word of God together. Unfortunately, people often approach this subject from opposite extremes. Some treat divorce as though it is the one sin from which a person can never recover. Others treat divorce as though it is a little more than changing jobs or moving to another city or moving to the other side of town. Neither position reflects the balance of scripture, neither of them.

Marriage As Covenant Between Sinners

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Marriage is one of God's greatest gifts. From the very beginning, God established marriage when he joined Adam and Eve together and declared that a man would leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. Genesis chapter 2, verse 24. Jesus reaffirmed that design in Matthew chapter 19, verses 4 through 6, reminding us that what God joins together, man should not separate. You see, marriage is sacred, marriage is a covenant. Marriage is designed to display God's faithfulness. But we also know something else. We are sinners. Every one of us. Every one of us falls short of God's perfect standard. We see that in Romans chapter 3, verse 23. Every marriage joins together two imperfect people who are still learning what it means to walk faithfully with Christ. Let us remember that. Because of that reality, marriage sometimes experience conflict, disappointment, and it even sometimes experiences failure. That does not surprise God. Nothing catches God off guard. The Lord knew Israel would struggle. He knows that we struggle. Yet, instead of abandoning his people, he graciously gives us his word to guide us through his life, through life's most difficult situations. That brings us to the central truth of this passage. God understands that his people are sinners, living in a fallen world, and because of his grace, he provides righteous instruction so that we may still honor him and experience his blessing, even while dealing with the consequences of sin. Throughout Deuteronomy 24, Moses presents several practical regulations for everyday life. The first regulation addresses marriage, divorce, and remarriage. And we are looking at God's regulations concerning divorce and remarriage. And we see that in chapters 1 through 4, which we read earlier. You know, I once heard someone say that they asked someone, a married couple, over a period of time they had been married during all those years. Did you ever think about getting divorced? The husband smiled and said, divorce never. Murder, maybe once or twice. Actually, I heard my pastor tell that story, but I thought I would just retell it here. Most married couples, you know, they can appreciate the humor of that because you know, being together with another imperfect person, you know, it can be trying. It doesn't matter how long you dated, it doesn't matter how romantic the proposal was, it doesn't matter how beautiful the wedding ceremony was or the uh or you know the the after festivities that you have after after the marriage and how nice it was. Eventually, every husband and every wife comes to the same realization. I married a sinner, just plain and simple. And if we're honest, our spouse came to the same realization about us. The reality is that marriage is not the union of two perfect people, it is the union of two sinners who desperately need the grace of God every single day. That's why the apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians chapter 7, verse 28 that those who marry will have trouble in this life. Paul wasn't discouraging marriage at all. That wasn't what Paul was saying. He was simply acknowledging the reality, the reality of life. Marriage requires forgiveness, it requires patience, it requires sacrifice, it requires humility. Most importantly, it requires dependence upon the Lord. I want you to hear me, especially young people who will come across this who are looking to get married in the very near future or in a distant future, it requires dependence upon the Lord. You have to lean on the Lord. When Christ is at the center of a marriage, husband and wife can experience tremendous joy and blessing. But it's all about keeping Christ at the center. In Ecclesiastes chapter 4 and verse 12, it reminds us that a cord of three strands is not quickly broken. When both spouses are committed to Christ, he strengthens the relationship in ways human effort never can. Yet, because we still battle our sinful nature, some marriages deteriorate, and that's just kind of how it is. Sometimes hearts become bitter. And you got to remember that three-strand cord is the reason why he said it can't easily be broken. You got to think of it like this: there's Christ is the first strand, the husband is next, then the wife, and when you wound them together, it's hard to break that apart. Sometimes bitterness replaces forgiveness, sometimes selfishness replaces a servant's heart and their love. When that happens, relationships begin to unravel. Happens every single time. God knew this would happen. This is why Moses gives regulations, not because divorce is God's idea, but because sinful people sometimes make sinful decisions. That's just kind of how it goes. Jesus explained this very principle in Matthew chapter 19 and verse 8 when he said, Because of your hardness of heart, Moses permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. That statement helps us understand this entire passage right here. The whole thing helps us, it helps us understand this whole passage that we're going over right now. Moses is regulating divorce, he's not encouraging it, he is not celebrating it. He is explaining how God's people were to conduct themselves when they when we live in a fallen world, which we do live in. Moses

What “Indecency” Might Mean

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begins by describing a husband who finds some indecency in his wife after they have been married. Notice that this was something discovered after the marriage had already taken place. The Hebrew word translated find carries the idea of discovering something that was previously unknown. It could not, excuse me, sorry, it could not have been adultery because adultery carried the death penalty under the Mosaic law. We saw that back in Deuteronomy 22 and 22. Instead, this appears to refer to some serious behavior or condition that made the marriage relationship impossible to continue. Perhaps it involved moral failure, perhaps it involved an attitude or parent or a pattern of conduct that only became evident after the wedding. Whatever the specific issue was, Moses intentionally leaves it undefined. His purpose is not to create a list of acceptable reasons for divorce. That wasn't the reason why Moses was doing that. His purpose is to regulate what should happen when a marriage has already broken down. One truth becomes obvious: marriage requires grace because every marriage joins together two sinners. That's the key theme. The longer we walk with Christ, the more we realize that healthy marriages are built on forgiveness, humility, patience, and a continual dependence upon the Lord. We saw that in Ephesians 4, verses 31 through 32. We also see it in Colossians chapter 3, verses 12 through 14. And listen to those points, what a marriage is built on. It's built on forgiveness, it's built on humility, patience, and a continual dependence on the Lord. And I would even say that that's first. Marriage is not built on your idea of what the marriage should be, of what you think your spouse should be doing, or what you think he or she isn't doing. But it's built on a dependence upon the Lord. You married an imperfect person. It is absolutely time that we stop treating our husbands and our wives as if we married a perfect person. The

Certificate Of Divorce And Protection

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second guideline is a legal certificate of divorce was required. Look at verse 1. He writes her a certificate of divorce. If the husband determined that the marriage could not continue, Moses says he was required to write a certificate of divorce, place it into his wife's hand, and send her away. This wasn't to be a casual decision made in the heart of in the heat of an argument, I should say. It was a formal, deliberate act that carried serious consequences. The phrase certificate of divorce literally refers to a written document that officially dissolved the marriage. The husband couldn't simply tell his wife to leave and claim the marriage was over. He couldn't just tell her to get out. There had to be a legal document acknowledging that the covenant relationship had ended. That tells us something about God's view of marriage. Marriage is not a casual arrangement, it is a covenant. And because it is a covenant, it deserves careful consideration before it is ever dissolved. Notice something else that is often overlooked here. The husband himself was responsible for writing the document and placing it into his wife's hand. He couldn't hide behind someone else, he couldn't send a messenger, he had to personally take responsibility for the decision that he was making. Today, most divorces are handled almost entirely by attorneys. Sometimes the husband and wife rarely even speak to one another during the process. Under the Mosaic law, though, there was personal accountability. The husband had to face the seriousness of what he was doing. The written document also protected the wife. Without it, she could easily have been accused of adultery if she later remarried. The certificate established that she had been legally released from the marriage covenant. God's law protected the vulnerable vulnerable, even in a painful situation. You see, you notice back what it said in verse 1 that he is to write her a certificate of divorce and put it in her hand and send her out from his house. This also reminds us that God is never the author of confusion. Remember 1 Corinthians chapter 14, verse 33. Even in difficult situations and difficult circumstances, he establishes order rather than chaos. God is never the author of chaos, he always wants everything to be decently decent and in order. The third

Remarriage And God’s Restoring Grace

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guideline is the divorced woman was free to marry again. Look at verse 2. She leaves his house and goes and becomes another man's wife. After receiving the certificate of divorce, the woman left her husband's house and was free to become another man's wife. Moses simply states the reality without either encouraging or condemning the remarriage. He acknowledges that life continues after divorce. This passage reminds us that while divorce is never presented as God's ideal, and it's not, God is also a God of grace. Throughout scripture, we repeatedly see him restoring broken people. And that's the beautiful thing about our God. Now he specializes in restoring broken people. David committed adultery and murder, yet, after genuine repentance, God restored fellowship with him. We see this in Psalm 51. Peter denied Christ three times, yet Jesus restored him and recommissioned him to ministry. We see this in John chapter 21, verses 15 through 19. The Samaritan woman had experienced multiple failed marriages, yet Jesus offered her living water and eternal life. John chapter 4, verses uh 7 through 26. You see, God specializes in redeeming broken people. That's the beautiful thing about our Lord. He specializes in that. The Lord wants to redeem you, He wants to bring you back, He wants to restore you and make you whole again. You need to remember that no matter what you've done in life, the God we serve is the God who looks to restore broken people. Now, when Jesus addressed divorce in Matthew chapter 5 and verse 32 and in Matthew 19, verse 9, he emphasized God's original design for marriage and exposed the abuse of divorce that had become common among the Pharisees. Because that's what they were doing. His purpose was to call people back to God's standard rather than permit people to look for excuses to end their marriage. Because back in those days, a lot of the men looked for any reason to get a divorce. Any reason. Paul also addresses marriage and remarriage in 1 Corinthians chapter 7. When all of Scripture is considered together, we discover two truths that must remain in balance. The first, God highly values the marriage covenant. Second, God's grace is sufficient for those who have genuinely failed. We must never sacrifice one truth in order to emphasize the other. Let us remember that. We see this in verses 2 through 3. She leaves his house and goes and becomes another man's wife. And if the latter husband turns against her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sets her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies, who took her to be his wife. Moses then presents another possible scenario that could happen. Suppose the woman marries another man, this is the woman who was divorced by her first husband. Later, that woman marriage, and that marriage also ends. She marries in it, and that marriage ends. Either because the second husband divorces her or because he dies. Again, Moses is not recommending multiple marriages or encouraging divorce. He is simply describing circumstances that sometimes occurred among sinful people. The Bible never ignores this reality, never does. Scripture does not present God's people as flawless individuals who never fail. Instead, it honestly records the failures of Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Peter, and countless others. Their failures are not recorded to excuse sin but to magnify God's mercy. You got to remember that. Sometimes we're seeing it as an excuse, but that's not what it was about. It was about magnifying God's mercy. See, marriage is no different. Sometimes relationships fail because people fail. It's just that simple. This is why every healthy marriage must be built upon forgiveness, humility, patience, and the willingness to extend grace to one another. Paul writes in Colossians chapter 3, verse 13, bearing with one another and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone, just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. People need to hear that and they need to hold on to that. The Lord forgives you. See, I I look at life like this. When I look at the things that God has forgiven me, has forgiven me of, and it is many, I have to be willing to forgive others of things that may not be as worse as the things I've done. See, me, I believe that I'm the greatest sinner. You know how Paul said Christ forgave sinners of whom I am the worst. That is my standalone scripture. See, I don't look at anyone, any of you listening to me, or anyone in my own personal life, whether they know this or not, I don't look at them as a greater sinner. I don't look at them and say, Well, Lord, at least I'm not like that person. I look at myself as the lowest of the low. Lord, I am the greatest sinner. Now, these are the prayers that I have between the Lord and myself. So I stand by what Paul was talking about right there in Colossians. See, the ability to forgive is not merely helpful in marriage, it's essential. Which brings us to number five.

Why The First Marriage Cannot Resume

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The first husband could not marry her again. Now that's interesting. Look at verses three and four. Uh it we talk, uh, or if the latter husband dies, who took her to be his wife, 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 she shall not bring sin on the land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance. Moses now arrives at the primary command of this section. If the divorced woman remarried another man, her first husband was never permitted to take her back as his wife. Even if the second husband divorced her, even if the second husband died, the first marriage could not be restored. The Lord declares that such an action would be an abomination before him and would bring guilt upon the land. Now you notice carefully what Moses is saying. The abomination is not the divorce itself, the abomination is the attempt to restore the first marriage after another marriage has intervened. Why? Because marriage is a covenant established before God. You know, I want to touch on that. I remember a movie, and I'm going to be honest, I cannot remember the name of it. But my wife and I watched a movie a while ago. But what's important is something that happened in it. There was a husband and a wife. And they had been married and they got divorced. And the reason they got divorced was because, you know, the husband was, you know, hopping around and he was a playboy and doing his thing, right? So they got divorced. But during the time, and I think it had been a long time that they were separated, the wife has seen other men. You know, she didn't uh stay committed to that husband even though they were divorced. She had been with other men. Well, what the Lord is saying is that that is an abomination. See, your wife was meant for you, for you being the husband. She wasn't meant to be touched by other men. So if you divorce your wife and then your wife remarries, and I'm going to even go a step further in the scriptures, because this is how I'm interpreting the scripture. Even if she is living in sin and she gets a boyfriend, you guys are not to reconcile that marriage. She has already been touched by another man, she has been defiled. Marriage is a covenant established before the Lord. Allowing husbands to divorce their wives, let someone else marry them, and then simply reclaim them later, would treat marriage as though it was nothing more than a temporary arrangement. So you cannot restore that covenant. Now, the woman is not held accountable because her second husband divorced her or he died, but she could not go back and be with her former husband, or he cannot look at it and go, Oh, you know, I messed up. Well, you should have kept her the first time as your wife. You should have worked through those issues and kept her as your wife, and then you wouldn't have to deal with this. She has now been defiled. And that is the word of God. That is not my opinion, that is not my thoughts. Because what do I always say, people? My thoughts and my opinions don't matter. That is what the word of God says. If she goes on, she is free to remarry, but she is not free to go back to her first husband. See, God wanted his people to understand that marriage is sacred, it carries lasting consequences. It should never be entered into lightly, nor should it be dissolved carelessly. Remember that. When you go to marry someone, you take it very seriously. In Malachi chapter 2 and verse 14, it reminds us that marriage is a covenant witnessed by God Himself. Every husband and wife should approach that covenant with reverence, faithfulness, and a commitment to honor the Lord. You are not just getting married in front of people, but the Lord Himself is looking at the marriage. Having examined us having examined Moses' regulations, we now come to several important questions that naturally arise from this passage. Rather than allow our culture or our emotions to answer them, let's allow the rest of Scripture to speak. When we compare scripture with scripture, we discover a balanced, gracious, and truthful understanding of God's design for marriage, divorce, and remarriage. And I will repeat what I said a few minutes ago. It's not culture. It's not what your family thinks, it's not what your friends think. It's not what somebody who doesn't go through the scriptures trying to give you advice thinks. It's what the word of God says. Marriage is a covenant. It is not to be handled lightly. Listen, marriage can be hard. Marriage is hard because it's two sinful people, not one sinful person, it's two sinful people coming together. And when you decide to marry someone, young men, older men, middle-aged men, when you go to that woman's husband, if I mean, excuse me, her father, well, if her father is still alive, you need to remember this is something that I need to take seriously. I need to take seriously, I'm asking to marry this lady. And ladies, once your father gives that blessing, and that man, that young man, that older man, that middle-aged man comes to you and he wants to marry you, and you say yes, because your father has blessed it, do not take it lightly. Don't look at it as if, oh, we're gonna have a great time, we're gonna have a good time, this is gonna be so much fun. No. This is a covenant that you are saying before the Lord. Because remember, you can fool other people, you can think what you want about other people, but God sees and hears everything. So whatever happens in that marriage, the Lord isn't gonna miss a single word of it. The Lord is not gonna miss ever uh uh any actions, he's not even gonna miss what's in your mind. So take it very serious.

Personal Takeaways Prayer And Closing

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All right, that brings us to the end of not Deuteronomy 24, but the first part of Deuteronomy chapter 24. Hey, I told you that uh this set this really, really sat on me and it stuck on me, and I decided that there was just no way that I was going to do the whole chapter at once because I would have been on here talking for probably over an hour, uh going through the whole chapter, but uh that's something that stuck out stuck stuck out to me. And even though I read through the Bible every year, you know, I told you before I have a regimen where I go through the Bible, every verse of the Bible, uh December 26th through December 25th, I read through the whole Bible, and of course, I have my own private Bible study, that is how I'm able to do these lessons. I'm always learning, and I made that very clear. I don't know everything, and there are things in scripture that after I've gone through it three, four, seven, teen, twenty times that I look at it and say, hmm, I might have been off on that. And going through uh this first part right here of Deuteronomy 24, I realize that I have been off on remarriage. You know, uh I am not uh big on remarriage, but the Lord makes it very clear that it is not the unforgivable sin. And I myself learned that going through these scriptures. Now, I've already in my uh daily reading, I've been read through Deuteronomy 24, but it wasn't until I sat down and broke it down and rightfully divided the word in this chapter that I actually saw that and said, you know what? I was wrong about that. You know, the Lord doesn't consider it an unforgivable sin. And you know, a man can divorce his wife, and the wife can move on and marry another man through the glory of God, even though it has to be done in an order. I also learned something else that she cannot go back to her first husband. Now I know that you cannot go back and make it right with your first husband. If he gives you a certificate of divorce, you have to uh move on with your new husband, but you cannot go back to that old husband, you cannot reconcile and make that right. All right, that brings us to the end of the first part of Deuteronomy chapter 24. As always, I ask you continue to pray for me. See, that's why I need you to pray for me. Pray that I keep rightly dividing this word, pray that the Lord keeps me steadfast in these scriptures, pray that the Lord keeps me dissecting these scriptures, pray that the Lord keeps my nose hard in these scriptures, because I always come across something that I missed before or I didn't understand before. I ask you to continue to pray for my health, pray for me spiritually, pray for me physically, and pray that the Lord is a continual lamp to my feet and a light to my path. And I am praying for you as well. I hope that you are doing well. I take great pleasure that you take time out of your afternoon, your morning, your evening to go through the word of God with me. It means more to me than you will know. Wherever you are listening, I appreciate you a great deal, and I am praying for you as well. I am praying that you are in good health, good spirits. I'm praying that you are doing physically good, and I pray that you could that you continue to hang out with me here on Berean's Corner going through these scriptures. All right, that is uh that was enough of the day, wasn't it? It was a lot, lot, lot in just those four verses. Well, that is all for now. God bless. Thank you for listening to Berean's Corner. We appreciate you joining us as we dive into God's word and see the biblical truth together. If this episode encouraged and challenged you, be sure to subscribe, share, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. You can find Bereen's Corner on BuzzSprout, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, Amazon Music, and more. Let's stay connected. If you have questions, comments, or prayer requests, reach out to us at Bereans Corner.buzzprout.com where you can follow along with show transcripts and leave a message in the fan mail slot. Also follow us on YouTube at Berean's Corner and don't forget to subscribe. We'd love to hear from you. Until next time, keep searching the scriptures like a Berean. Stay discerning, stay faithful, and God bless you.