OCC Blog

"I hate divorce," says the LORD. (Malachi 2:16) It doesn't get much clearer than that. Like Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) once said, "It's not the things I don't understand in the Bible that bother me, it's the things that are perfectly clear." This is so clear, it is crystal. God stopped listening to the people of Israel, because the men of Israel were divorcing their older wives for younger women. Things haven't changed much.

            The Hebrew word for divorce is shalach. It literally means to extend your arm. As we track the usage of this word through the Old Testament, things get interesting. Shalach is used for the first time in Genesis 3. It is a word synonymous with the Fall of humanity. After eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God was concerned that Adam and Eve might shalach from the tree of life, reach for the fruit of the tree of life. If they did, apparently they would be locked in an eternal state of life apart from a relationship with God. As a result, God shalached them out of the Garden of Eden. He extended His arm and out of the Garden they went. God hated what was happening. He hates broken relationship, He hates shalach. He hates divorce.

            With shalach as our word picture, divorce is not only breaking marriage vows, divorce is giving a relational stiff arm or intentionally keeping a loved one emotionally at arm's length. Therefore, couples can stay married to one another and still live a divorced life. If that's the case, each time we shove away someone we love or keep them emotionally at arms length we are practicing a form of divorce. It's not the serious breaking of marital covenant love, but it is nevertheless as painful and distasteful to God when elderly parents, brothers, sisters, our children or friends experience shalach from us.

            Let's all do a shalach inventory this week. Look at your relationships and see if any are kept at arms length because of anger, unforgiveness or bitterness. Take the steps needed to bring in your arm. Drop it to your side or better yet, embrace them with it.  If God hates shalach, my guess is that He will love and bless the reconciliation that turns pushing away to embracing. After all, this is the ministry God has given all who follow Him. (2 Cor 5:17-19)