#348 One

When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.

2 And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife.

3 And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife;

4 Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the Lord: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

5 When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any business: but he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife which he hath taken.

6 No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone to pledge: for he taketh a man's life to pledge.

7 If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and maketh merchandise of him, or selleth him; then that thief shall die; and thou shalt put evil away from among you.

8 Take heed in the plague of leprosy, that thou observe diligently, and do according to all that the priests the Levites shall teach you: as I commanded them, so ye shall observe to do.

9 Remember what the Lord thy God did unto Miriam by the way, after that ye were come forth out of Egypt.

10 When thou dost lend thy brother any thing, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge.

11 Thou shalt stand abroad, and the man to whom thou dost lend shall bring out the pledge abroad unto thee.

12 And if the man be poor, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge:

13 In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee: and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the Lord thy God.

14 Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates:

15 At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the Lord, and it be sin unto thee.

16 The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.

17 Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger, nor of the fatherless; nor take a widow's raiment to pledge:

18 But thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee thence: therefore I command thee to do this thing.

19 When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands.

20 When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.

21 When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.

22 And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt: therefore I command thee to do this thing. Deuteronomy 24 KJV

The reason here for divorce must be something less than adultery for that bore a death sentence under the law. It could have been for the unrelenting accusation of such but unproven, or for some other thing that the husband felt so strongly about that he "hated" her. Christ says that Moses gave them divorce because of the hardness of their hearts. This protected the unforgiven and the abused, and when we see mentioned "hardness" it is obviously not original intent, and it is with sadness that we look down on someone so. It gets better, because we want God to show us mercy, to love us in our uncleanness, but we can't do this for the person that we supposedly became one with, our other half. It is ever given as the example of our relationship to Christ, and it is our oneness with Him that allows us to be reconciled to God. Since it is only by grace that we even still breathe or contemplate these things; it is by grace that we are still able to be offended by someone else, could we find it in our hearts to repent of unforgiveness? As you read scripture you will see there was a cultural concept of marriage, and in the cultures of that time it was a significant contract, but the Bible elevates it further in the concept of one flesh. This also makes normal trading or contractual dissolution more difficult, and as one writer suggests of the spiritual concept it is more like amputation than simple annulment. There was no hopping around from one husband to another and back again either; this made it unlike property. 

In verse 6 we find it unreasonable to keep as pledge what a man needs to make his living. Greed is greatly disfavored, and it is important that the carpenter have his tools, the mill it's stones and that a man can provide for himself and his family.


Kidnapping was punishable by death. Joseph's brothers were guilty of such in Genesis, and it is how he found his way to Egypt, where he kept those same hateful siblings alive to the saving of Israel.


In verse 10 there is dignity given even to him that owes, his debt does not give you the right to enter his house. It is also such a soft and beautiful thing that he that only had a cloak to pledge would have the same returned to him at night, so he would not be cold.


You should never mistreat an employee, and while his pay may not seem so significant to you or needing any sense of urgency on your part, those that have less need it on time. Don't keep him waiting for his pay, respect the man as God.


Justice must be true and each man shall pay for his own sins, one may not offer up a child in their place, nor should a man seek retribution of the relative of the offender. Remember where you came from and be kind to the stranger the fatherless and widows. Allow them the dignity to eat by the work of their hands, harvesting from the field and the vine. Today we take away the dignity of work, it's reality in a caloric world, we pay people instead to vote, and most of us are happy to call welfare the role of the state, keeping us far away and separated from the needs of our fellow man. Work has to happen to eat, and so if you are above work then you are saying that you are above the one that works so you can eat. It is the foolishness of politics rather than the science and wisdom of nature.





The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?

4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,

5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?

6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?

8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.

9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.

10 His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.

11 But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given.

12 For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it. Matthew 19: 3-12