My younger brother (22) is seeing a girl (32) and my family absolutely does not approve. He claims they go to a lake, eat for a while, sit in a car, and drive. Today, he claimed he did that and he was out for 10 hours! We have told him that this is an inappropriate relationship and she doesn't work, go to school, etc. But he claims she likes her company.
The closest argument I can find is Exodus 18 and Zipporah returned.
So, Moses gave this command because your hearts were hard, means women's hearts were hard? That his wife wanted to divorce him and marry another man? Probably, but she came back.
Moses gave this command because his wife's heart was hard?
As such, Moses sent her away. (Exodus 18:2)
I think she went on a vacation. She had her kids meet their grandpa. She told him exciting news. Then returned to her husband bringing her dad with. Her dad heard more exciting news. The next day, people gathered to have Moses resolve their issues, and his father-in-law gave him good advice. Then his father-in-law returned home. But Moses' wife and children stayed by Moses. That's how I take Exodus 18 and Exodus 18:2 and Exodus 18:5 and Exodus 18:27. I do not see that Moses ever divorced either of his wives. I see based on one verse (Exodus 18:2) that people may think Moses divorced. But his wife returns and they live happily ever after.
Moses did not divorce his father-in-law when he sent his father-in-law away verse 27.
There is the said and there is the unsaid. People read into things. People read between the lines. I just do not get that Moses ever divorced. Exodus 18:2 is the closest verse I find to even suggest that Moses divorced, and in the surrounding verse, verse 5, she comes back. Within the context of Exodus 18, she comes back. So that was a pretty short divorce.
Jesus did not say Moses' heart was hard. Matthew 19:8, Jesus replied that Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. God hates putting away. (Malachi 2:16) I find the verses on divorce twisted all the time. People do not want to call their sin of adultery, adultery. Women want to divorce their husbands like they are the man. They want to justify themselves. But everything gets taken out of context. Twist, twist, twist! It is not all the same. Anyway, the result is there is a whole lot of unfaithfulness going on and a whole lot of adultery from divorce and Matthew 19:10 becomes the answer. "If this is the situation between a husband and his wife, it is better not to marry." But to be plain, men are not women and women are not men. Some Bible passages do not address everybody. Some Bible passages are just addressing men. Some people are trying to change the scripture by altering the language. It is twist twist twist.
"Women want to divorce their husbands like they are the man. "
To not be misunderstood, I mean to say "Women want to divorce their husbands like the women are the man."
In the Bible, it is the man who writes the certificate of divorce. Not the woman! Not some attorney! Not the government! "he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house." (Deuteronomy 24:1 and Deuteronomy 24:3) The husband and no one else writes this certificate of divorce and sends her from his house. Things have become greatly twisted. It is a flip-flop world.
Deuteronomy 24:1-4
(1) If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, (2) and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man, (3) and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies, (4) then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of the Lord. Do not bring sin upon the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
More, the woman is to go free without any payment of money. (Exodus 21:11)
Point being, this whole divorce thing has gotten way out of wack.
No one follows the Bible anymore.
The government is way out of step with the Bible.
A guy pays pays pays!
What God has joined together, let no one but God separate.
But now it is why marry at all? Divorce Divorce Divorce
WalkNTalk scripturally you're right and I agree with it. But my deviation from the financial part of it is my natural tendency to want to take care of and protect women and children. So if I had put my wife away (divorced her) and she had no way to take care of herself I would out of guilt & compassion make sure she had a roof over her hear and food in her belly. I know in modern times women get handouts like it was candy but I don't believe in putting that burden on other people.
On another note. I believe God gave only husbands the ability to divorce, in part at least because their wives would divorce at the drop of a hat and for silly reasons. Whereas the husband would likely only divorce as a last resort.
" So if I had put my wife away (divorced her) and she had no way to take care of herself I would out of guilt & compassion make sure she had a roof over her hear and food in her belly. I know in modern times women get handouts like it was candy but I don't believe in putting that burden on other people. "
I left out a caveat to the support. If the ex starts dating or marries then it becomes the burden of the other man to take care of her.
Your brother is a grown man. He can do whatever he wants. Maybe not the wisest thing to do, but what can you do about it? Nothing. If you judge him or reject him, that's only going to hurt your relationship with him, so I'd just continue to love him. His love life is his personal business.
