Deuteronomy 24
There are eleven laws given in this passage, the first of which is the law of divorce. If a man decides that he does not like her, after marrying her, and writes her a certificate of divorce, if she marries another man, the first husband is not permitted to take her back. The certificate of divorce was give, so that the woman and her new husband could prove that she was divorced; therefore, not falling under the law for adultery; for the penalty was death for both the man and woman caught in the act of adultery. Jesus said:
“It was said, ‘WHOEVER SENDS HIS WIFE AWAY, LET HIM GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE’; but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. (Mt 5:31)
So, did Jesus change the law of divorce? I say to you no, Jesus did not change the law, he magnified the law. When answering the question asked:
“Why then did Moses command to GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE AND SEND her AWAY?” He *said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.” (Mt 19:7-9)
So, when reading the of divorce, it is evident, Moses did not command to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away, he permitted it, the command was to not take her again as wife, when she had been married to another man. So, Jesus did not change the law of divorce, he magnified it. You can write a certificate of divorce and send her away as Moses permitted, but you should understand that in doing so, you are forcing her to commit adultery because the only we she can survive is to marry another man and if you marry another woman, you are committing adultery. Understand that the law is about loving God and loving your neighbor. (Mt 22:34-40) The law shows us that we do not love God with all of our heart, soul, and mind; and we do not love our neighbor as we love ourselves. (Rom 3:19-20)
The other ten laws given in this text are about loving your neighbor as yourself. A recently married man needs to stay home with his wife and not forced to leave her. No one should take from a man his livelihood. Be careful of infectious diseases because it can spread to others. If a man pledges his coat in a loan, do not take it from him, and he spend the night cold. Give a poor man his wages before the sun sets, that he may feed his family. A son shall not be put to death for the fathers sins, nor a father for his sons. You shall not pervert justice. When harvesting your fields, leave some grain for the poor, and do the same when harvesting from your fruit trees. The whole law is about loving God and loving ones neighbor. (Mt 22:34-40)
