The Great Divorce

“He was grieved in His heart.”
(Genesis 6:6)

God created humans to walk intimately with Him in eternal and unbroken union. Paul, in Ephesians states that marriage on earth, man and women becoming one is a great mystery, but a mystery that is symbolic of our union with the Divine Bridegroom (see Ephesians 5:30-32). Think of the growing emotions between two people as they court one another, the passion, the love, the desire and excitement that is resident in a young lover’s heart on the day of their engagement. Imagine the honeymoon, with long walks on the beach and intimate talks in the moonlight….laughter, play, joy, and intimacy. This is the expectation and perhaps the reality of almost every new couple. As soon as the rush of the wedding ceremony and procedures is over, they whisk away to a secluded place, alone, just the two of them. And thus begins the life-long exploration of love, intimacy and one another. The world seems to stand still…the proceeding seasons of preparation and business now interlude with “rest” before life-together begins. This intermission from life is intended for these two to experience life together.

Now, envision the couple returning after their week of intermission. They return to their new home. The next day they awake to the embrace of the other, prepare for the day and each are off to their respected places of employment. All day the husband is thinking of his new bride. “I can’t wait to get home! Perhaps we can go for a walk after dinner…” He rushes home after work. He arrives before his wife. He prepares dinner and waits… he calls her cell phone to see if she was detained at work, but no answer. An hour goes by, then two and three, before long it’s close to nine o’clock and he’s beginning to worry. In almost a panic, “where’s my wife?!? Has something happened?” he jumps in his car and races downtown to her place of employment. Finally, he approaches the entrance to the parking garage. Eyes wide open and piercing in every direction, he pulls in beginning to circle upward checking frantically for his wife. As he comes to the third floor, he spots his wife’s car on the other side, just around the corner, parked between two huge cement columns. “That’s strange he thinks to himself,” for his wife always parks in the open near the elevator. She always talked about how the corners of the parking garage made her uncomfortable, because they were secluded, dark and hidden due to all the columns. “The deck must have been full this morning.” The husband thought to himself.

As he pulled around the corner, approaching the parked car, he noticed movement inside. It looked as if she were sitting in the driver seat. By this time, he had made his way down the deck and around the corner, he was right behind her car. As he came to a stop, he saw not one figure, but two as they pressed in close, together, intimately. As they pressed in, the wife noticed her husband’s car out of the corner of her eye. Slowly she pulled away and begin to sink down, deep into the seat, both of them were now out of sight….

God describes what He felt and the reality of humankind’s actions as a husband returning home from the long walks in the cool of the day honeymoon period, entering into life together, only to catch the wife (the human race) late for dinner, lingering in a lustful affair back at the workplace.

Imagine…… Can you?

We talk a lot about the results of the Fall on the human race, but have you ever stopped to think and meditate on the heart of the Bridegroom (God) who’s waiting at home for his wife to return…. Fortunately, He didn’t remain at “home,” He came looking for us, pursuing us… the question is what will each of us do when He pulls in behind us….?

“You are an adulterous wife,

who takes strangers

instead of her husband.”

(Ezekiel 16:32)

A great book that paints a vivid picture of this reality of God and Israel is Israel My Beloved, by Kay Arthur. She does an awesome job of combing Scripture, emotion, and factual history into a novel form of writing. This book will give you an appreciation and understanding of the history of the Jewish people, context of Old Testament accounts, and the passion of God to pursue His bride.