“You shall not commit adultery.” Exodus 20:14
Jesus was asked about divorce in Matthew 19. The question, like so many posed to Jesus by His enemies, was not asked in hopes of learning from Jesus. They were “testing Him” (v.3) in hopes of tripping Him up into saying something they could use against Him. Of course, the Son of God can’t be tricked or trapped by His words.
The question was about divorce, which the religionists had twisted to allow a man to divorce his wife for “any reason” which means no reason at all. Note the following about Jesus’ answer:
He referred back to creation to get to God’s original intent (v.4-6), explaining that divorce was not part of God’s original intent. He made it clear that God joins a man and a woman (and only one man and one woman) in marriage, and that they two are not to be separated by divorce.
Jesus’ detractors further questioned why “Moses [God speaking through Moses] commanded divorce” (v.7). To which Jesus made it clear that divorce was not commanded, as though God was for it (v.8). Rather, God allowed divorce because He knows how much unfaithfulness hurts the one sinned against, since all our sins are unfaithfulness to Him. And knowing how people who have been victims of sexual unfaithfulness find it so incredibly difficult to forgive, God allowed divorce in cases of marital infidelity.
Don’t miss, however, that the better option is to—like God does with us more times than we can count—forgive an unfaithful spouse. But when a person cannot forgive, adultery is an allowable (not a mandated) grounds for divorce (v.8).
To summarize further, though forgiveness is greatly to be preferred, divorce is permissible as a grounds for divorce. There are many more nuances that must be considered regarding adultery, marriage, and divorce which must be explored in detail, and usually with the help of a biblical counselor, on a case by case basis, but that is beyond the scope of this consideration of the seventh commandment.
Next time: biblical protections against sexual infidelity.