“For the Lord God of Israel says
That He hates divorce,
For it covers one’s garment with violence,”
Says the Lord of hosts.

-Malachi 2:16a, NKJV

If an evangelical pastor talks about divorce, he usually references this verse out of context. Like a club, it is used to keep people from **gasp!** divorcing.

It does not work.

And it has another nefarious effect:

It demonstrates a gross insensitivity to adultery abuse victims.

Faithful spouses are left unseen. They are lumped into the same category as their cheater who abused them through committing adultery and may have even then discarded them through divorce.

A pastor invoking Malachi 2:16 to emphasize the horrors of divorce does this every time. 

They fail to grasp context and draw this important distinction between cheater and faithful spouse.

It is not kind. It is not just. It is not biblical. And it, certainly, is not godly.

The rush to “prevent divorces” (as if they have that power) leads to this grievous error. Faithful spouses are left unseen as they are part of the identified problem of divorce per this perspective.

It hurts.

I hope this changes. All divorces are not equal in the eyes of God. Not every party in the divorce is sinning by divorcing their spouse.

It is time to start seeing faithful spouses–including those who divorce their cheater for godly reasons!