How does Deuteronomy 24:3 connect with Jesus' teachings on divorce in Matthew 19? Setting the Stage • Moses’ regulation in Deuteronomy 24:1-4, including verse 3, was given to Israel in a fallen world to limit chaos, protect women, and highlight the gravity of ending a covenant. • Centuries later, some Pharisees use that very passage to test Jesus (Matthew 19:3), asking whether divorce can be done “for any reason.” • Jesus answers by going behind Moses’ concession to God’s original design for marriage. Deuteronomy 24:3 in Its Original Context “and if the second husband also hates her, writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her, and sends her away from his house, or if he dies” • Verse 3 falls in the middle of Moses’ case study: a woman divorced by her first husband marries again, but the second marriage also ends. • The law’s punch line (v. 4) forbids the first husband from taking her back, underscoring that divorce causes an irreversible rupture. • Moses does not command divorce; he regulates it. The certificate protects the woman from accusations of adultery and allows her to remarry lawfully. Jesus Draws on Moses in Matthew 19 “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of your hardness of heart, but it was not this way from the beginning. Now I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman, commits adultery.” • Jesus affirms Moses’ authorship and the validity of Deuteronomy 24 but clarifies it was a concession (“permitted,” not commanded). • He takes the debate back to Genesis 2:24—“‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’” Key Links Between Moses and Jesus 1. Purpose – Moses: contain damage in a fallen society. – Jesus: restore the original, creation-level intent. 2. Authority – Moses writes with God-given authority for Israel. – Jesus, the Lawgiver in flesh (John 1:17), speaks with greater authority, interpreting Moses infallibly. 3. Hardness of Heart – Deuteronomy 24:3 assumes human sin—“hates her.” – Matthew 19:8 names that sin: “hardness of heart,” the root of divorce. 4. Irreversibility – Deuteronomy forbids the first husband from taking the woman back, showing divorce’s finality. – Jesus calls remarriage after illegitimate divorce “adultery,” likewise stressing covenant permanence. The Heart Issue Behind the Law • Malachi 2:16: “For I hate divorce, says the LORD.” • The Mosaic concession and Jesus’ exception clause (“except for sexual immorality”) both safeguard marital fidelity and protect the innocent party. • Jesus’ emphasis forces listeners to examine motives, not loopholes. What This Means for Us Today • Marriage is a divine covenant, not a contract of convenience. • Civil allowances for divorce do not override God’s design; Scripture’s final word comes from Jesus, who fulfills and clarifies Moses. • Where sexual immorality has broken the one-flesh bond, divorce is permitted but never required; reconciliation, when possible, reflects the gospel (Ephesians 5:25-32). • Believers approach every marital struggle with softened hearts, relying on the Spirit to live out God’s original intention. |
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