Hardness of Heart

Matthew 19:7-8

7 They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?” 8 He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.”

The Pharisees put Jesus to the test by asking Him what lawful reasons existed for which a man could divorce his wife. Jesus responded by pointing them to the Scriptures and said, “What God has joined together, let not man separate.” They understood Jesus was saying divorce was not lawful. However, since Moses wrote about divorce in the Old Testament law, they didn’t see how that could be true, so they questioned Him further. They assumed Moses commanded a man to give his wife a certificate of divorce if he found some uncleanness in her. In response, Jesus said divorce was never a command, but it was permitted. The reason divorce was allowed was because men had hardened their hearts. The truth is, man created divorce. It was never part of God’s plan, even though He allowed it.

A lot of people think something is okay in God’s sight if they are allowed to do it, but that is not always the case. We do many sinful things that God opposes, but He still allows us to do them because He has granted us free will. Divorce is one of those sins God allows, even though the Bible clearly says He hates it (Malachi 2:16). Just because God permits you to do something does not mean that He wants you to do it. God has a perfect will for you, and He has a permissive will for you. When you choose to behave contrary to God’s word, and He permits it, you are living in His permissive will. However, He has something better in mind for you. He wants you to obey His word, follow the plan He has laid out for you, and fulfill His perfect will. When you seek to live within God’s permissive will rather than in His perfect will, it demonstrates you have hardened your heart. Soften your heart by being obedient to the Lord. Stop living in God’s permissive will, and strive to live according to God’s perfect will. Then watch Him strip away the hardness of your heart and transform you to be more like Jesus.