The Unworthy Servant

The institution of marriage was established in the very beginning: Genesis 2:19-20 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. 20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.

Adam was not complete before the creation of Eve: Genesis 2:21-24 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

     Adam was now complete so the institution of marriage began. Most men and women marry during their lifetime, some do not. Jesus expounded some principles regarding marriage:
Matthew 19:10-12 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.

     Many people who never marry find themselves isolated, forsaken and despondent in their old age. Marriage has some long-range benefits, for example, loving children who are concerned about their parents in their old age. People who live a promiscuous life and never marry have failed to recognize the future benefits of marriage. Their short-sighted view makes them live for temporary gratification only. Marriage is a divine institution. God made it a holy union.

Jesus expounded this truth when He said: Matthew 19:4-6 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.

The seventh commandment prohibits the rending apart of the marriage union, the basis of a stable society. The seventh commandment states: Exodus 20:14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.

     This commandment is so significant in God's sight that to violate it constitutes one of the ten great sins. What does the Bible teach about this seventh commandment?

Jesus' instruction was that marriage is bound for life: Matthew 19:3-4,6 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. 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

This answer immediately brought up another question: Matthew 19:7-9 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.

     Many people find this direct answer by Christ very hard, if not impossible to bear. Divorce and remarriage is rampant in this present-day world. There are two references in the Old Testament that clarify the meaning of fornication. Jesus referred to one of them in the above statement. The other is as follows: Deuteronomy 22:13-19 If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her, 14 And give occasions of speech against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid: 15 Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel's virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate: 16 And the damsel's father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her; 17 And, lo, he hath given occasions of speech against her, saying, I found not thy daughter a maid; and yet these are the tokens of my daughter's virginity. And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city. 18 And the elders of that city shall take that man and chastise him; 19 And they shall amerce him in an hundred shekels of silver, and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel: and she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days.

     If the accusation turned out to be true, the damsel could be executed. The man had been deceived and would not have married her had he known. The man had married her in good faith and she had lied about her previous conduct. The only way he could know her claim was true was to consummate the marriage. To lie under these circumstances was a grave transgression in God's sight.

     The stability of the entire nation is tied to the stability of the family. When families break apart on a large-scale level, the soundness of the nation is in jeopardy. One of the causes for the fall of the Roman Empire was the high divorce rate.

The second text that clarifies the meaning of fornication is located in:
Deuteronomy 24:1-4 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.

     The Bible does not clarify what this uncleanness is. What is clear here is that the husband was unaware of it at the time of marriage. Important information had been withheld which would have had a major impact on the success of the marriage. In such a case the man had been defrauded but if he put her away, he could never take her back if she had remarried and then later divorced. The word " uncleanness " is vague, making the interpretation quite broad. The information that had been withheld had a strong relevance on the success of the marriage. Some fraudulent reason could then be the grounds for a legal divorce during the Old Testament period.

Jesus' statement to the Pharisees in: Matthew 19:9 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.

     We will examine this exception clause shortly. Let us first notice the permanence of marriage in the New Testament:
- Romans 7:1-3 Know ye not, brethren, ( for I speak to them that know the law, ) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? 2 For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. 3 So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.
- 1 Corinthians 7:39 The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the LORD.

Jesus said in: Matthew 5:31-32 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement. 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.

What does the New Testament reveal about this word "fornication" ?
Matthew 1:18-20 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. 20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

     Had Mary been pregnant as a result of fornication, Joseph had a legal right to put her away. He could have annulled the marriage but an angel of the LORD told him otherwise.

     Jesus' comment in Matthew 5:31 was a reference to Deuteronomy 24:1. What is important here is that while fornication was the precise act which had not been revealed in advance, the fundamental principle for the exception clause is fraud. One who accepts the past conduct of the other party, however bad it was, waives his right to annul the marriage on the basis of fraud. The facts had been made known in advance.

     The question however, that should be asked is. How broad should the interpretation of fraud be? Should fraud be limited to improper sexual activity only?

     Let's notice this example that recently occurred. A man killed an eighty-three-year-old woman, then kidnapped and robbed a twenty-six-year-old housewife. He was sent to prison but escaped. He moved to another state, changed his identity, found work and married. Sometime later he was apprehended. His wife filed for an annulment on the grounds that she was completely unaware of his criminal past. The man had done a good job in keeping his past a secret. Was this fraud? Of course! His criminal past had such a bearing on the marriage, that had it been revealed in advance, the woman would have never married the man.

     Because the word " uncleanness " is extremely vague in Deuteronomy 24:1, this example can serve as a description of fraud. Going back to Matthew 19, the reader should be aware of the difference between adultery and fornication: Matthew 19:9 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.

     Fornication is illicit sex before marriage, while adultery is illicit sex after marriage. The Bible however, indicates that a longstanding practice of fornication can continue after marriage and is so labeled as such in some Old Testament passages. In these instances it is referred to as harlotry.

     Generally speaking, the distinction between fornication and adultery has to do with whether or not one is married. Single people who indulge in sexual relations commit fornication. Married people who indulge in sexual relations with a person other than their own spouse commit adultery. Essential knowledge that has been withheld regarding the promiscuous conduct of a person prior to marriage, which would have had an effect on the stability of the marriage, constitutes fraud.

     Marriage is a character-building experience. It requires sacrifice and teaches service to one's wife and family. It requires loyalty, love and devotion. One who abandons or puts away his wife after being married a number of years in order to marry someone else, commits a serious offense in the eyes of God: Malachi 2:13-16 And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand. 14 Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant. 15 And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. 16 For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.

     It requires character to build a happy and stable marriage. Character is the ability to know right from wrong and to always choose the right over the wrong. That means there is a standard to follow. What is that standard? The Law of God which includes the seventh commandment.

     Marriage depicts the relationship between Christ and the Church. The Apostle Paul shows the parallel: Ephesians 5:22-24 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the LORD. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

Christ is loyal to His Church. He will never abandon it. God says: Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

     How many married couples pay little or no attention to God's instruction. Married couples by the thousands sue for divorce every year and what is happening to the nation as a result? This kind of conduct does not express the kind of loyalty and devotion God shows toward His Church.

Paul continues the parallel: Ephesians 5:25-33 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it. 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the LORD the church. 30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

     The Church and Christ respond one to the other. Marriage is an institution that should teach us to follow that example. Those who treat marriage lightly and seek to divorce their mates are failing to learn a valuable purpose for marriage. It is a type of the relationship between Christ and the Church.

Those who refuse to pay heed to the Bible teaching on marriage will have much to answer for:
- 1 Corinthians 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind.
- Hebrews 13:4 Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.

Marriage is God's means by which He creates heirs for His kingdom. God instructed our first parents:
- Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
- Psalm 127:3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
- Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

     Parenthood is a challenge to any parent. It is the time to teach and train their children in the ways of the LORD. Parents who fail in this task often suffer dearly. Running the home properly is a serious responsibility on the part of both parents. Older women should take note: Titus 2:4-5 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

     Who are the real victims when the home falls apart? The children of course! The family is the cornerstone of the society. When families fall apart, the nation is at risk. Marriage is an awesome responsibility before God and should never be taken lightly.