Until Divorce Do Us Part

I, Meagan, take you Eric, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until divorce do us part.

Although the wedding vows above may appear silly, if not offensive, to you, they seem to fit American marriages quite well.

According to enrichment journal on the divorce rate in America –
The divorce rate in America for first marriage is 41%
The divorce rate in America for second marriage is 60%
The divorce rate in America for third marriage is 73%

We are living in a culture that treats divorce less like dissolution of a life-long commitment, and more like a normal, everyday activity. For example, I just found a website entitled, “Completely Legal Online Divorce Kits – Easy Do It Yourself Divorce Forms.” This website claims to come with, “all necessary forms for do it yourself divorce including marital separation agreements, child custody, visitation, alimony, spousal support, and domestic abuse/violence.”

The Bible takes a much more radical and negative view on divorce.

Malachi 2:16 says, ‘“I hate divorce,’ says the Lord God of Israel.”

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7:10-11: “To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled with her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.”

Finally, in Mark 10:2-12, Jesus himself discusses the issue of divorce –

“Some Pharisees came and tested him [Jesus] by asking, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?’
‘What did Moses command you?’ he replied.
They said, ‘Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.’
‘It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,’
Jesus replied, ‘But at the beginning of creation God “made them male and female. ‘For
this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two
will become one flesh.” So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined
together, let no man separate.’
When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. He said,
‘Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery
against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.'"

Jesus didn’t dance around the subject. He hates divorce. We as Christ followers should follow His example and hate divorce as well. Marriage is for better, for worse, and for keeps.