Marriage and Divorce: Part 4 (Malachi 2.10-16)

The Importance of Faithfulness in Marriage
But why does God regard faithfulness so important? What is it about marriage that God finds so wonderful? Why would the divorce and adultery be such an abomination to God? The answer is in the verses 14-16.
But you say, “Why does he not?” Because the LORD was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth. “For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the LORD, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the LORD of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless." (Malachi 2.14-16, ESV).
Why would God not except their sacrifices? Because God was there when the husband and wife took vows and made a covenant of love for one another. God was there and saw the entire ceremony. God had joined them together. And as Jesus said in His talk about marriage and divorce, "What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate," (Mark 10.9, ESV).
God put husband and wife together for His glory. He was looking for husbands to be husbands and dads to be dads. He was not looking for husbands and fathers to abandon their homes seeking someone else, especially a woman who was an idolater. Godly offspring was God's focus in marriage, but it wasn't the focus of the men of the home. And sad to say, it still isn't their focus. They may not be focused on other women, per se, but they are focused on many other objects rather than their children and wives. The focus of today's man is a million miles from producing a godly family.
God tells us that marriage is important enough to guard. We are to, "guard [ourselves] in [our] spirit, and let none of [us] be faithless to [our] wives." The idea is one of a watchman whose job it was to protect the city. In today's world you are a sniper in a unseen place watching the moves of the enemy protecting the army beneath.
Sadly, like Malachi's day, many soldiers have gone awol, leaving their families behind, defenseless, alone, and defeated. We've all heard the statistics:
63% of teen suicides are from fatherless homes
85% of behavioral disorders are from fatherless homes
71% of high school dropouts are from fatherless homes
70% of juvenile detention inmates are from fatherless homes
Vastly more boys who have a problem with gender identity are from fatherless homes
There is double the chance for adult criminal activity in individuals from fatherless homes.
Is it any wonder, "For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the LORD, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the LORD of hosts. So guard your spirit, and do not be faithless." (Malachi 2.16, ESV).