"Look at the legalized adultery we call divorce.
Men marry one wife after another and are still admitted into good
society; and women do likewise. There are thousands of supposedly
respectable men in American living with other men's wives, and thousands
of supposedly respectable women living with other women's husbands."
- R. A. Torrey From R.A. Torrey's book How to Pray, pages 94-95
R.A. Torrey (1856-1928) was a very well-known Christian writer,
evangelist, pastor, graduate of Yale University, and was also the
superintendent of Moody Bible Institute for 19 years.
TRINITY BARS THE
DIVORCED.; No Remarriage in the Church or Any of the Chapels.
The clergy of Trinity Church announced yesterday that under no
circumstances will divorced persons be married by any of the clergy of
that Episcopal parish, nor will such marriages be permitted either in
the church at Wall Street and Broadway or in any one of the parish's
eight chapels. The announcement was as follows:
View full article New York Times
December 7, 1904, Wednesday
Comment/question
When I am not sure about what the Bible says vs what it means, meaning
our interpretation is based on our limited understanding of the culture
and what the people of that day understood already, I look to the Bible
for examples. I find in the book of Ester a King who divorced his Queen
(wife), then sought out a new Queen (wife). It is very clear that God
directed this whole thing and even chose to include the story in the
Bible. While Ester had never been married before, the King certainly
had. Yet God brought Ester to the King and allowed her to find favor in
the Kings eye. God blessed that relationship and even used her in great
way. God would never do anything that is contrary to his word. God would
not lead a person to a sinful relationship and bless it, and then
condemn it as sinful.
Response
Divorce in the OT was "tolerated".........yet what does Jesus say about
those who divorce and remarry? They commit adultery. In the OT, a
divorcee was ALLOWED to remarry. She was NOT called an adulteress. We
see very different things in the NT vs. the OT.
Comment/question
As a matter of fact King Ahasuerus put Queen Vashti away and married
Esther who went on to save her people. If that's not a blessed
divorce/2nd marriage, I don't know what is! Her being put away made the
way possible for Esther to be placed in position. All of this is an
example of the providence of God. I will never use this passage to
condone a wrongful divorce but it is worth noting in answering your
challenge.
Response
Where do you find that King Ahauerus gave Queen Vashti a writ of
divorcement? As you also know, Polygamy was alive and well in those
days, so this was not a divorce/remarriage situation.
Esther 1:18-20:
'If
it pleases the king, let a royal order go out from him, and let it be
written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes so that it may not
be altered, that Vashti is never again to come before King Ahasuerus;
and let the king give her royal position to another who is better than
she. So when the decree made by the king is proclaimed throughout all
his kingdom, vast as it is, all women will give honor to their husbands,
high and low alike.'
In response to their perceived threat, the lawyers devise new laws.
First, Vashti is "never again to come before" the king. Notice, unlike
many accounts she isn't removed from the Palace or sent home or thrown
into the streets. Instead she merely loses the "privilege" of entering
the king's presence and her title. The first is a dubious punishment,
while the second probably did diminish her place in the king's
household.
Here's another interesting site discussing Queen Vashti:
Vashti was the daughter of King Belshazzar of
At a
banquet celebrating the Jewish people's demise, described in the first
chapter of Megillat Esther, Achashveirosh ordered Vashti to appear at
the feast unclothed so that he could show off her beauty to his entire
kingdom. In a classic demonstration of the divine midah k'neged midah
(measure for measure) justice, Vashti was called to appear before the
king naked on Shabbat, a punishment for her tradition of forcing Jewish
girls to work before her on Shabbat stripped of their clothing. When she
refused his command, Achashveirosh had her beheaded at the advice of his
minister Memuchan (identified by one opinion in the Talmud as Haman),
abruptly ending her relatively short life. Vashti's execution set the
stage for Esther's appointment as queen, ultimately leading to the
Jewish people's salvation from Haman's threat of annihilation in the
Purim story.
http://www.tfdixie.com/holidays/purim/002.htm
Comment/question
Are you serious??? Esther was being made Queen in Vashti's place. That
is a putting away, not only out of his sight but as his wife, that he
may take on another. Esther was replacing her, becoming to the King what
she was, Queen. Whether she was issued a "piece of paper" as you call it
or not, the bottom line is that she was put away (divorced) and was
never again allowed in the presence of the King.
Response
You still haven't shown me in the word of God where Vashti
was divorced....................yes, she was not allowed in the presence
of the king, but "putting away" WITHOUT writ of divorcement was quite a
common practice in those days.........they didn't divorce the wives or
concubines, they put them away with bed and board, but no more conjugal
contacts or special privileges. David did exactly the same thing to the
concubines that his son defiled.
Comment/question
Second, Vashti was not a concubine. She was a queen. There would be one
Queen and the concubinage. The Scripture says, Esther took her place. I
might be mistaken but I don't think a King would have two queens.
Response
Yes, you are mistaken because scripture shows King David as well as King
Solomon having more than 1 wife.
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