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THE K I N G ’S BUS I NE S S
away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adul tery.” (Matt. 5:31, 32). The word “forni cation” means uncleanness between those who are unmarried and adultery means uncleanness between persons one of whom at least is married. Moses never gave a writing of divorcement in the case of adultery, for the penalty of adultery was death, and there was no exception. “The adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death,” (Lev. 20:10). Jesus at least implied that this was a righteous law when He said, “He that is without sin among you let him first cast a stone at her.” (John 8:7). Turn to the law of Moses in Deut. 24:1 and you will see that the husband was permitted to put away his wife, if she found no favor in his eyes, because he had found some uncleanness in her, which evidently referred to sin committed before marriage. If he discovers that he has married a bad woman he may put her away. But the words of Jesus give no permission to remarry, for the phrase, “her that is divorced” is only one word in the Greek and means “a divorced woman.” So that Jesus really says whosoever shall put away his wife and marry a “divorced woman” committeth adultery. In the light of this law of Moses it is clear that Christ used the word “fornication” in its usual sense of uncleanness before marri age and distinguishes it from adultery, as is done in Matt. 15:19, Mark 7:21 and Galatians 5:19. Moses gave writing of divorcement only to the man who dis covered after marriage that he had married a bad woman and for that rea son she found no favor in his eyes, and when released she might marry again, if any man, now knowing her character, as it had been revealed by the divorce pro ceedings, should see fit to take her for his wife. But even this, Jesus declares, was due to the hardness of their hearts .and not to any commandment of God. “ But from the beginning it was not so.” (Matt. 19:8). Jesus appeals from the temporary concession of Moses to the eternal law of
God. In the beginning God made them male and female, one man and one woman, and there was no provision for divorce. The Pharisees asked, “Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement?” Jesus, replied: “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, suffered you to put away your wives.” God suffers evil to exist which He does not approve and Moses acted on the same principle. Christians, however, are not to govern their conduct by the evils which God suffers but by the law which He gives. The Universal Law Matthew’s Gospel, written specially for the Jews, mentions the one exception which Moses “suffered” on account of the hardness of their hearts, but when Mark and Luke write for the Gentiles there is no mention of any exception, but a plain statement of the teachings of Jesus con cerning marriage and divorce. “Whoso ever putteth away his wife and marrieth another committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shail put away her hus band and be married to another she com mitteth adultery.” “Whosoever putteth away his wife and marrieth another com mitteth adultery, and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.” These words give us the law of God for all ages. There may be divorce for adultery and it may be wise to separate for other causes, but remarriage NEVER, and thus the way is open to repentance and reunion. God pleads with adulterous Israel and prom ises to receive her back if she will only repent. And when sin has broken up the home it is possible for repentance and re generation to restore it, but such a possi bility is forever precluded by remarriage. In Ephesians 5:25-32 Christ is revealed as the husband “who loved the church and gave Himself for it, that He might sanc tify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, that He might pre sent it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing.” He and His bride are one body, never to
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