When is the last time you suffered?

Mat 5:2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying…

 

 

 

Mat 5:31 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:

 

Mat 5:32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

 

 

Jesus knew. He knew that people who had not embraced the spirit of God's laws were twisting them to suit their evil ways. They took the law and did like so many people love to do, they debated its meaning rather than seek the truth.

 

Whosoever shall put away his wife.

 

 

Put her away.

 

 

Make it so she is no longer his wife.

 

 

Used and then tossed aside.

 

 

Unsuited upon facing the test of marriage, so just write her off.

 

 

I'm not saying the women were not to blame here either. We know how Proverbs speaks of some wives.

 

 

Pro_21:19 It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman.

 

 

 

Pro_27:15 A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike.

 

 

 

Pro_21:9 It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house.

 

 

Better to live in the wilderness, or in a corner of the housetop-the attic. The monotonous, unending rain dropping can grate on a person's nerves, and being with a contentious woman is just like that- grating on the nerves. These are TRUTHS.

 

 

How many men put away their wives for their brawling and contentiousness? Jesus came to say that divorce for anything other than adultery was WRONG. So what, the wife is no longer the beauty you married. So what, the wife is a nagging woman. So what, the wife is a jealous shrew. And the list is endless.

 

 

The importance of the married act- the symbolic attributes of marriage were being completely ignored.

 

 

The Bride and the Bridegroom.

 

The Church and Jesus Christ.

 

The People of God and their Savior.

 

 

When you divorce save for adultery you are in essence ripping apart God's people from their Savior- saying that any little thing can do this. Rather than remaining together and SUFFERING, they divorce. Did you catch that word I emphasized with all capitals? SUFFERING.

 

 

 

Remember yesterday's blog? SUFFERING.

 

Yes, it's better to HIDE than stay in the presence of a bitter woman, but it did NOT say it's better to divorce the bitter woman than stay with her.

 

 

 

SUFFERING.

 

Now I've had this discussion several times with others about a woman in an abusive marriage and her *right* to divorce him. I take the very UNPOPULAR position that it's NOT right to divorce him. Leave him, YES, but divorce Him, NO. The marriage was made, the covenant of marriage was utilized. The symbolic ceremony of TWO becoming ONE yet remaining TWO separate beings took place. To rip that apart for anything short of ONE of those TWO joining wrongly with another, thus breaking the bond of that ONENESS, it would be WRONG to divorce. Some might arguing that separating from your husband is just as bad but it's not- you are NOT ripping apart that covenant by putting protective distance between you and your abuser.

 

Suffering-

 

 

 

It's something we all HATE.

 

We've taught ourselves that to suffer is torturous and wrong.

 

An old woman who put up with a cranky, unaffectionate husband for fifty years is someone we've pitied and told ourselves is very sad. The truth is while the woman may have suffered terribly through the crankiness and lack of affection, she's built herself a very strong wall that is set upon the Foundation of Christ Himself. Yes, she's suffered, but she's endured.

 

 

 

When is the last time you suffered?

 

 

 

You might be able to say you suffered just a few moments ago and you suffer every day on a constant basis. In your suffering do you consider it unjust? Do you question 'why you'? Do you blame God? Do you believe truly that here and now on earth you shouldn't have to suffer?

 

We do all those things don't we?

 

 

 

We believe we should not have to suffer, not even in the slightest way. We truly believe we shouldn't suffer occasionally, let alone chronically.

 

Jas_5:10 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.

 

1Pe_2:19 For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.

 

Endure, not necessarily be ecstatic in your suffering.

 

1Co_10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

 

 

 

Jas 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

 

Jas 1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

 

Jas 1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

 

Truth.

 

 

 

When we are tempted it is the very first step towards lust conception and what lust has been conceived it is sin.

 

We are tempted A LOT because Satan would have us to be HIS and has thrown in the face of God that most of these created beings of His called humans will choose to give into temptation rather than suffer, rather than take the escape route that calls for great suffering. Most will not want their faith tried, they simply want to exist in peace, in comfort, in a place of no suffering physically, mentally, or emotionally.

 

 

 

Our Savior understands our suffering and if you want to believe that He couldn't possibly understand then imagine for a moment you transport yourself into the body of a beast of burden and even then it can't compare to a GOD taking on the constraints of human flesh. He suffered more than we can possibly comprehend in ways we cannot comprehend. He endured far greater suffering than we will ever endure. He could have called TEN THOUSAND angels to set Him free of it all- He HAD that ability to give up, to not drink the cup poured for Him, but He endured. We suffer on another level and call it worse because we can't call ten thousand angels to stop our suffering, we HAVE to go through it. But honestly what is worse? Doing something you HAVE to do without the ability to change it, or having the ability and knowing that if you choose to use that ability everything is lost for all humanity? Suffering with that knowledge, we can't comprehend what that had to be like. So while we might want to say Jesus didn't suffer like we suffer and mean that we some how suffer more in a worse way, how silly is that, how incredibly naïve is that, truthfully, how stupid is that of us?

 

 

 

Jesus meant what He said when He expounded on marriage and divorce. If you are called to suffer except for the utter betrayal of a spouse with another, then you suffer. If you must leave that spouse you must not divorce them and no, you must not join with another once you've left. You must suffer the separation regardless of how great the suffering is. This isn't going to be popular with ANYONE reading it, not in the least. People will make great excuses to get around these truths. In the end it is Christ who said these words--

 

Mat 5:31 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:

 

Mat 5:32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

 

-- not me.

 

 

 

For those of us who have sinned in this manner, we truly need to seek a real repentance, and a very real forgiveness from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 

Lord please, please help us to live Your truths! Please LORD, help us to accept suffering over sinning.

 

 

 

ALL BY YOUR GRACE, through the HOLY SPIRIT!

 

IN YOUR LOVE!