Corrupt Marriages

God sees the injustice of many Israelite men divorcing their wives for economic gain, and his response is fiercely protective. Being a child of God means we are connected to each other uniquely, and we are called to practice faithfulness towards one another in a way that honors him.

Application

1. Faithfulness involves the hard work of depleting yourself for the sake of others. Take some time to consider—what is one area of your life where you are neglecting to be faithful?

2. If you are married, assess the state of your marriage. How can you practice faithfulness proactively?

3. How can you model the life of sacrifice to those in your circle of influence? What are the implications of this idea for parents?

Key Points

• We are all God’s children, so an offense on the horizontal level is also an offense on the vertical level. He cares about how we treat one another.

• God is frustrated by the divorced men’s hypocrisy—they have been unfaithful to their wives, yet they continue to act like they are loyal to God.

• While our culture has romanticized marriage, as believers, our marriages are not for us—they are for God. The benefits of marriage are funded by faithfulness.

• God desires marriage to produce godly children. We should introduce and model the life of sacrifice to our children when they are young.

• We are all called to faithfully protect and champion one another, and this involves intentional sacrifice and self-denial.

Other Scripture References

Matthew 25:40

1 Corinthians 7

Genesis 2

Matthew 19:4–6

Ephesians 5

Matthew 16:24–26