In the last twenty-five years a lot has changed in regards to divorce. I remember when it was uncomfortable to talk about divorce in church because so many church people disapproved of the topic. Now it is uncomfortable to talk about divorce because so many people are divorcees.

In the last book of the Old Testament God is quoted as saying, “I hate divorce.” God hates it when marriages he has blessed split up and families are divided. God hates it when innocent people are victimized by others who destroy or abandon a marriage. Yes, God hates divorce.

But don’t misunderstand – God doesn’t hate divorcees. In fact, God is himself a divorcee. In the Old Testament he says that he divorced Israel for adultery. God himself was the innocent victim of the sin of adultery. God understands the pain.

Yes, God hates divorce, but please don’t think God hates you or isn’t on your side. Whether you are an innocent victim of someone else’s sin, or you are the sinner who has hurt someone else, God loves you. It is the divorce which God hates.

If you have been wronged and your marriage breaks up, God wants you to go forward, trusting him, and live your life in peace. If you are the one who has sinned by causing the divorce, the solution is the same as it would be for any other sin: admit your sin and ask for God’s forgiveness; if possible, ask for forgiveness from those you have wronged and then go forward in peace, trusting God to help you live in his grace.