These daily marriage devotionals are compiled from verses that we have shared with Christian couples in many counseling sessions over many years. Please read one per day and meditate on how it applies to your marriage. (Note: if you are not certain you are a Christian, please read The Sinner’s Prayer)
“For I hate divorce!” says the LORD (Malachi 2:16a NLT)
“For I hate divorce!” says the LORD, the God of Israel. “To divorce your wife is to overwhelm her with cruelty,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. “So guard your heart; do not be unfaithful to your wife.” (Malachi 2:16 NLT
The Hebrew word for “divorce” in this verse is “keriythuwth,” which means “a cutting off.” This verse makes it clear that God takes divorce seriously and views it as a major issue in His eyes.
Here are five reasons why God is against divorce:
Divorce breaks the covenant of marriage: Marriage is a sacred covenant between a man and a woman before God, and divorce breaks that covenant and goes against God’s original plan for marriage.
Divorce causes harm to the individuals involved: Divorce can cause emotional, psychological, and spiritual harm to both parties involved, as well as to any children involved.
Divorce goes against the principle of love: God’s love is unconditional and everlasting, and divorce goes against the principle of love by breaking apart a relationship that should be based on love.
Divorce brings sin into the world: Sin entered the world through Adam and Eve’s disobedience, and divorce brings additional sin into the world through the breaking of the marriage covenant.
Divorce can lead to further sin: Divorce can lead to bitterness, anger, and further sin, and can also create a negative impact on future relationships and marriages.
There are some examples of godly divorce in the Bible, such as in the case of a spouse being unfaithful (Matthew 5:32) or abandoning their faith (1 Corinthians 7:15). However, these examples are exceptions to the general principle that God hates divorce and views it as a serious issue. Ungodly divorce, on the other hand, is a result of selfishness, bitterness, or a lack of effort to reconcile and restore the relationship.
In conclusion, as Christians, we are called to do everything in our power to prevent divorce and to work towards reconciliation and restoration in our marriages. We must strive to keep our marriages strong and to always put God first in our relationships.
Digging deeper
“I know your works, and your toil and perseverance, and that you can’t tolerate evil men, and have tested those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and found them false. You have perseverance and have endured for my name’s sake, and have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the first works; or else I am coming to you swiftly, and will move your lamp stand out of its place, unless you repent. (Revelation 2:2-5 WEB
Pharisees came to him testing him, and asked him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” He answered, “What did Moses command you?” They said, “Moses allowed a certificate of divorce to be written, and to divorce her.” But Jesus said to them, “For your hardness of heart, he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female. For this cause a man will leave his father and mother, and will join to his wife, and the two will become one flesh, so that they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” (Mark 10:2-9 WEB
In the house, his disciples asked him again about the same matter. He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. If a woman herself divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.” (Mark 10:10-12 WEB
Next steps
- Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage (A Biblical Perspective) – What is God’s provision for divorce in his plan for marriage through the ages? When is it allowed? What about remarriage? Does God provide peace?
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If you miss one, two, or many days, don’t worry about it and don’t try to catch up. Just start where you are and keep going. We have found the Holy Spirit can prompt you to return to just the passage you need for today.
This is an ongoing labor of love because these marriage devotionals will never be finished, but we have to start somewhere, so we will update often. We appreciate your support and prayers because this is a work of God not us. And please forgive us because we have never found a verse that doesn’t apply to marriage somehow.
Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. (Proverbs 30:5)
Going beyond marriage devotionals
- Leave and cleave – God gave husbands instruction to leave and cleave because they need to break ties with their birth-families to forge their marriages
- The perspective of a successful marriage – If this perspective can lead to an incredible Olympic victory, imagine what it can do for your marriage. It’s almost a miracle!
- Biblical relationship checkup – This Biblical relationship checkup helps couples find where they are on God’s map of a successful marriage and find direction for improvement
- Help for hurting marriages – When I am weak, then I am strong. Help for hurting marriages is found in the wisdom of these Bible scriptures. Apply them as often as needed.
- Tying the Knot: A Premarital Guide to a Strong and Lasting Marriage by Rob Green – Field-tested and recommended by multiple counselors in a thriving counseling practice, Tying the Knot has already guided many couples into a stronger and more joyful union. Let this nine-week pre-marriage study reorient your life and marriage around Christ, so you both will experience all the blessings of marriage as God designed it.
- Love Life for Every Married Couple: How to Fall in Love, Stay in Love, Rekindle Your Love by Ed Wheat – This is a favorite classic book because it has stood the test of time. Physician Ed Wheat has helped thousands of couples improve their love lives and build happier marriages. In Love Life for Every Married Couple, he’ll help you improve your marriage through sharing, touching, appreciating, and focusing healing attention on your mate.