The Idolatry of “Intact” Homes
If a man is found sleeping with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel.
-Deuteronomy 22:22, NIV
God did not prioritize keeping the marriage together over dealing with the evil of adultery in the Old Testament.
Notice this verse from Deuteronomy makes no mention of the kids who will now suffer from a “broken home.” Righteousness is prioritized by God over so called “intact homes.”
I write this to combat the shaming of faithful spouse parents who decide divorce is the best option to deal with their cheater.
What broke up those families in the Old Testament (and I argue in the present day) is not the ending of the marriage via the death penalty (or divorce today), but rather the sins of adultery and lying. These sins are what destroy “intact homes.”
God declares those sins evil.
The shameful part is NOT the faithful spouse choosing to divorce the cheater. Is it shameful for treating sin as seriously as God does?
Rather, the shameful part is the spouse who chose to commit adultery thereby raping his or her spouse’s soul and engaging in deceit.
God does not prioritize keeping the family unit “intact” at all costs, clearly! Holiness is that important to Him. It ought to be important to His true children as well.
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*A version of this post ran previously.
