Why did Moses permit divorce if it was not God's original intention in Matthew 19:8? Creational Design And The Divine Ideal From the opening pages of Scripture, marriage is defined as a covenantal union designed by God, rooted in creation itself: “So God created man in His own image…male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27); “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). Jesus directly cites these verses in Matthew 19:4-6, thereby affirming that lifelong, monogamous marriage is not merely a social convention but a creational ordinance instituted before sin entered the world. Hence, God’s original intention is permanent one-flesh union that manifests His faithfulness and reflects Christ’s future relationship with the Church (Ephesians 5:31-32). The Mosaic Concession Explained Jesus’ statement—“Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of your hardness of heart” (Matthew 19:8)—locates the allowance of divorce within the fallen condition of humanity. The term “permitted” (ἐπέτρεψεν, epetrepsen) in the Greek aorist tense signifies a temporary, pragmatic concession, not a prescriptive ideal. Moses’ regulation in Deuteronomy 24:1-4 addressed a cultural milieu in which men could (and did) expel wives arbitrarily, leaving women destitute and vulnerable. By requiring a written certificate (cf. Jeremiah 3:8), the law (1) restrained impulsive dismissal, (2) formally acknowledged the woman’s freedom to remarry, and (3) placed legal culpability on the husband if he later attempted to reclaim her. Thus, the Mosaic statute functioned as damage control in a hard-hearted society, mitigating further injustice rather than endorsing divorce as morally commendable. Hardness Of Heart: Theological Significance “Hardness of heart” (σκληροκαρδία, sklērokardia) denotes willful resistance to God’s moral will (cf. Exodus 32:9; Mark 3:5). Moses, acting under divine inspiration, legislated within a covenant community already affected by sin, analogous to how later statutes regulated slavery (Exodus 21) and blood vengeance (Numbers 35). Each regulation anticipates a fuller ethic realized in Christ, who writes the law on the heart (Jeremiah 31:33; 2 Corinthians 3:3). Comparison With Ancient Near Eastern Law Codes Archaeological discoveries such as the Code of Hammurabi (§§ 128-135) and the Middle Assyrian Laws (A § 37) reveal divorce clauses heavily favoring male prerogative without safeguarding women’s rights. Deuteronomy’s requirement of a formal writ (Heb. sefer keritut) is unparalleled among extant ANE texts, evidencing Yahweh’s counter-cultural concern for justice. The manuscript history of Deuteronomy—preserved in the Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scroll fragment 4QDeut n, and corroborated by the Septuagint—confirms that this protective element was embedded in Israelite law from its inception, not a late redaction. Progressive Revelation And Ethical Trajectory Scripture presents a unified yet unfolding moral revelation. Just as ceremonial sacrifices pointed to the once-for-all atonement of Christ (Hebrews 10:1-10), Mosaic divorce regulation pointed forward to the restoration of marital permanence inaugurated by the Messiah. Jesus, therefore, does not abrogate Moses; He completes the ethical telos Moses dimly foreshadowed (Matthew 5:17-18). The “but I say to you” pattern (Matthew 5:21-48) illustrates kingdom righteousness surpassing Mosaic concessions. First-Century Rabbinic Context By Jesus’ day, two Pharisaic schools debated Deuteronomy 24:1. Shammai limited “something indecent” (Heb. ‘ervat davar) to sexual immorality; Hillel broadened it to any displeasure (Mishnah, Gittin 9:10). Jesus’ response—“Whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery” (Matthew 19:9)—sides with the stricter reading, implicitly repudiating frivolous divorces then rampant (Josephus, Antiquities 4.253; 15.259). By rooting His ethic in creation, Jesus transcends both rabbinic interpretations. Pastoral And Social Implications 1. Protection of the Vulnerable: The Mosaic certificate served as tangible evidence of a woman’s legitimate status, shielding her from accusations of adultery and enabling economic survival. 2. Prevention of Serial Exploitation: Deuteronomy 24:4 forbids the first husband’s remarriage after her second marriage ends, curbing commodification of the wife. 3. Call to Covenant Faithfulness: Malachi 2:15-16 condemns treacherous divorce, linking marital infidelity with covenant unfaithfulness to God. Consistency With The Rest Of Scripture Old Testament prophets repeatedly employ marital imagery to depict Israel’s covenant breaches (e.g., Ezekiel 16; Hosea 2-3), yet God’s own response is redemptive pursuit rather than final separation. This typology undergirds Jesus’ call to marital perseverance; the cross supplies both model and power for such faithfulness (Romans 5:5). Marriage As Christological Signpost Ultimately, Jesus grounds His argument in the eschatological vision of restored creation. Earthly marriage points to the “marriage supper of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:7-9). Therefore, divorce contradicts the gospel’s trajectory of reconciliation and covenant permanence. Answer Summarized Moses permitted divorce as a regulated concession addressing human hard-heartedness, to protect the disadvantaged and contain societal damage, while simultaneously foreshadowing a higher ethic fulfilled in Christ. Jesus’ appeal to creation restores God’s original, unchanging design, demonstrating continuity across Scripture and underscoring the call to covenant fidelity empowered by the redeeming work of the resurrected Lord. |
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