What is considered a marriage abandonment according to the Bible?
Hello! I would love to hear your thoughts on marriage abandonment from a biblical perspective. Would it be considered abandonment if a husband leaves his wife to move to another state to be with his child, and still chooses to proceed with a divorce—even after the wife offers a compromise? The compromise is that she is willing to look for a job in the new state but cannot immediately relocate due to needing to keep her current job and health insurance while managing some health concerns.
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John Bellora
Supporter
Jesus made it clear. Divorce was not meant since the beginning when Moses gave a certificate of divorce because of the hardening of your heart. Jesus goes on to say that if you divorce someone other than sexual immorality and marry another you're committing adultery. Man and woman were meant to be together forever. If you marry a divorced woman, you’re causing her to commit adultery and you yourself or committing adultery.
Reddit User
Supporter
John Bellora's answer is spot on, but I will add that the apostle Shaul/Paul stated that if two people who are un-believers are married and one (in this case the wife) later comes to faith, she is to remain married to the un-believing husband as long as he will have her. In fact, it states that her good conduct will be an excellent tool to draw him to repentance. It states the believing spouse sanctifies the un-believer. So over time, ideally and through G-d, it will be as drops of water trickle over a hardened heart of stone and has amazing carving properties. (1 Corinthians 7:10-16) Further in verse 32 and following there is something interesting to this question: 32 I want you to be free from concern. The unmarried man is concerned about the work of the Lord, how he can please the Lord. 33 But the married man is concerned about the affairs of this world, how he can please his wife, 34 and his interests are divided. The unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the work of the Lord, how she can be holy in both body and spirit. But the married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world, how she can please her husband. Shaul makes clear that the married woman's duty is to please her husband. Now this is not to say that he should right away divorce her, for the following verses address that: 39 A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, as long as he belongs to the Lord. Romans 7:2-3 as well, also Ephesians 5:22, Colossians 3:18-19, 1 Peter 3:1. At the end of the day, if there is not cause in the (sexual) unfaithfulness to the marriage covenant in one spouse (ostensibly the female unfaithful to her husband), they both commit adultery when remarrying.
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