The
law of Moses claims to be from God (Deuteronomy 6:1, 26:16,
28:1, 28:15), and it allows a man to divorce his wife if he
finds some "uncleanness" in her. (Deuteronomy
24:1-4). But if the woman had been captured in war, the man
could send her away merely if he had "no delight in
her". (Deuteronomy 21:10-14). In the Law of Moses a ban
on divorce was a punishment for two things: a man falsely
charging his wife with unchastity (Deuteronomy 22:13-19); and
if a man raped an unbetrothed virgin the punishment was to
force the man to marry the woman with no right of divorce.
(Deuteronomy 22:28-29).
The Several
Old Testament prophets recognised the legitimacy of divorce
(Isaiah 50:1, Jeremiah 3:1, Hosea 1:1-2:13). Ezra, reflecting
the Law of Moses (Deuteronomy 23:3, 7:1-6, demanded that
Jewish men who had married foreign women must send them and
their children packing. (Ezra 9 and 10. See also Nehemiah
13:23-31).
[Those
particular provisions in Deuteronomy, Ezra and Nehemiah are
at variance with the book of Ruth, where the ancestry of King
David is traced from Ruth, a Moabite woman. (Ruth 1:14,
4:13-22).].
Finally,
Malachi combines a condemnation of foreign marriages (Malachi
2:11-12) with a condemnation of divorce when the marriage was
within the people of Israel. (Malachi 2:13-16).
The
New Testament adds even more opinions on divorce. With Mark
and Matthew implying that the Law of Moses did not come from
God (Mark 10:2-9, Matthew 5:31-32), Mark (and also Luke)
forbid divorce entirely (Mark 10:5-12, Luke 16:18). Matthew,
however, allows it in the case of "fornication".
(See 5:31-32, 19:3-9). The apostle Paul gives further ground
by suggesting that a Christian might be free to marry again
if an unbelieving spouse deserts the believer. (1 Corinthians
7:15).
Little
wonder that the different churches have different teachings
about divorce.
