Divorce for the Hardness of Heart - Mark 10:5

Mark wrote how, “the Pharisees came to him, and asked” Jesus “Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you?And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away”, and in chapter ten and verse five of his book, Mark shared how Jesus answered, “For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept” where we read:

And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.

The verse reads, “And Jesus answered and said unto them, ...” Mark began with the words, “and Jesus answered” which means “and Jesus who is the Son of God, the Savior of mankind and God incarnate whose name means Jehovah is Salvation responded and began to speak” “and said” or “and uttered, declared and proclaimed” “unto them” which means “to the Pharisees”. Mark shared how “Jesus” began to “respond” to the “Pharisees” statement concerning the “law of Moses” about “divorce”.

The verse continues, “... For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.” Mark added the words, “for the hardness” which means “because, since and on account of the destitution of spiritual perception and stiffness” “of your heart” or “pertaining to people's heart, soul, mind and spirit” “he wrote you” which means “Moses delineated or formed letters upon a tablet, parchment, paper or other material to people” “this precept” or “this order, command, charge and injunction”. Mark shared how Moses wrote the law concerning a “bill of divorcement” because the “hearts” of people grew “stiff and cold” toward their wives.

When we think through Mark's words in this verse, we discover the reason why “Moses” wrote the law concerning “divorce”. People's “hearts” grew “stiff and cold” toward one another, and when the married man no longer was “soft hearted” toward his “wife”, he simply gave her a “written document” that declared he was divorcing her. We shall see this was not God's original intent, and as people allow this type of “hard-heartedness” to enter into their marriage, many go through “divorce” today. God wants people to be in a relationship with Him through His Son Jesus, and those who keep themselves in “the love of God” will find Him more than able to keep their “hearts” soft toward their “spouses”. May the Lord “soften” the “hearts” of all who read these words.

Next time Mark shares how Jesus continued, “from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".