Tag Archive | Divorce

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 304

Oct31

Day 304—Today is the last day of the TENTH month of Bible reading and studying the New Testament Gospels.

    Day 304 – Matthew 19, Mark 10.  (Divorce, Rich young ruler, Children, James & John’s request.)

These two chapters cover some of the same events in Jesus’ ministry. They are set in Judea rather than Galilee, and the area is thick with religious hierarchy.

Some Pharisees come to Jesus “to test Him” about a point of the law concerning divorce. “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” they asked. “What did Moses (the law) say?” Jesus responded, showing He knew what they were up to. When they answered that Moses said it was okay for a man to divorce his wife, Jesus said, “He wrote that because of the hardness of your heart.”  Jesus explained that from the beginning, GOD meant that a man and wife be joined together forever.

Later, His disciples quizzed Him about it, and He told them that whoever divorces his (her) mate and marries another is committing adultery. “If that’s the case,” they said. “It is better not to marry at all.” Jesus agrees that for some, this is the best option.

Interestingly, the next scene involves children (the result of a married union). Parents wanted Jesus to touch, bless, and pray for their children, but the snooty disciples rebuked them, thinking the Master was too busy for babies. Jesus was indignant with their attitude and instead welcomed children, saying that anyone who would enter the Kingdom of  God must come in faith like those little ones. He gathered them onto his lap and blessed them.

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As we saw in Luke 18, Matthew and Mark tell the story of the rich, young ruler who came to Jesus with a heart question: “What (what good deed) must I DO to “inherit” eternal life?”  (Note: a person does not DO something to INHERIT. It is freely given because of a relationship.)  (Also, the man calls Jesus ‘good’ teacher, and Jesus makes sure he knows just WHO he is talking to.  Only God is good, so realize, young man, that I am giving you God’s answer.)

The man says he has kept perfectly, since his youth, ALL God’s commandments concerning how to treat other people, but he still feels something lacking. Mark says, “Jesus, looking at him, loved him.”  Jesus knew the man’s heart and that his money was “king.”  “Go, sell all you have, give it to the poor, and follow Me, and you will have treasure in Heaven.” (Give up the throne of your life, that “I” might sit on it.)  But, alas, the VERY RICH young man could not. Both he and Jesus were saddened (disheartened and sorrowful) at the conclusion.

The disciples again quiz Jesus. Peter says, “See, we have left everything and followed You. What then will we have?”  Jesus acknowledges their sacrifice and assures them that they will indeed “inherit” eternal life (and be reimbursed in other ways in THIS life, too.)

Here (for the third time), Jesus tells them He is on the road to a greater sacrifice – His own life for theirs. It will involve physical and emotional suffering and death. But he will rise after three days.

This sparks a favor that brothers James and John want to ask Jesus.  “When you come into your glory, can we sit on your right and left?”  (Um, did they not just hear Jesus tell of His upcoming pain, humiliation, and death???)

“Can YOU TWO go through all that I am destined to endure?  Can you drink that bitter cup I must drink?”  “Yes. Sure, we can.” They say. (I can imagine Jesus sighing and shaking his head at this.”  Yes, you will drink this cup (speaking at their own martyrdom), but it’s not up to Me to decide who sits by me in the kingdom.”  God has chosen those for that spot.

For sure, this made the other ten disciples indignant.  Who do those “sons of thunder” think they are?  Who made them special?  As with a class of kindergarteners, Jesus tells His men/boys, “Whoever would be great among you must be your SERVANT, and whoever would be first among you must be SLAVE of all.  EVEN I, the Son of Man, came not to be served, but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many.”

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 268

Sep24

    Day 268—We are in the NINTH month of Bible reading covering more of Israel’s history and finishing the book of EZRA.

    Day 268 – Ezra 7 – 10 (The second wave of exiles returning, more Levites, intermarriage)

Ezra 7. Although we’ve read 6 chapters in Ezra already, this is when the young scribe, skilled in the law of Moses, actually goes to Jerusalem. He’s a young man, not old enough to be a priest yet, but he is descended from the original priest, Aaron.  It was in Ezra’s heart to study the law of the LORD and to teach it in Israel.

King Artaxerxes (after Esther’s king) granted him all he needed for the journey, plus some. The king said that “anyone who wanted to” could go to the land, along with all the silver and gold “that you find in the whole province of Babylon” and the people’s free will offerings (money, animals, offerings, oil, salt, wine).

Ezra was amazed at all this and blessed the LORD who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king. “And I took courage, for the hand of the LORD my God was on me, and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.”

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Ezra 8. Ezra lists the genealogy of those heads of houses that returned with him.  As he reviewed all the people going on the journey, he realized that NO LEVITES were present. Yikes!  He sent back to the religious leaders, asking them to send him “men who would minister for the house of God.”  258 Levites and temple servants were added to the number traveling.

Then Ezra prayed for “travel mercies.”  He was embarrassed to ask the king for protection because he had proclaimed that the hand of God would protect them. So they departed, and “the hand of our God was on us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambushes by the way.”  On arrival 4 months later, they offered burnt offerings and sacrifices to the LORD.

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Ezra 9 First of all, Ezra was faced with a massive problem.  It seems that the people, the priests, and the Levites had intermarried with the Canaanites in the land.  Some had even had children with them.  Ezra was VERY upset, for he knew that THIS was how the people before had gotten into idol worship.  What if they did that now, and God gave them up forever???

Ezra humbled himself, tore his garments, and prayed.  “O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens!”   “We have forsaken your commandments, which you commanded by your servants, the prophets.” “Shall we break your commandments again and intermarry with the peoples who practice abominations. Would you not be angry with us until you consumed us, so there would be no remnant, nor any to escape.”  “Behold, we are before you in our guilt.” 

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Ezra 10. While he prayed and confessed, weeping before the house of God, a great assembly of men, women, and children gathered to him, for the people wept bitterly. “We have broken faith with our God.” And they vowed, “Let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord.”  So, they separated themselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.

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NOTE:  Although Malachi 2:16 says that God hates divorce, Ezra and the leaders were not establishing “the norm” but were instead dealing with a special case in history.  The “lesser wrong” would be better than the “greater wrong.”  The messianic line of David would not be ended by being mingled with Gentiles.  This actually showed the MERCY of God. The only other solution would be to kill all those involved (men, women, children) by stoning as during the first exodus (Numbers 25:1-9)