Malachi 2:14-16 (NLT)
14You cry out, "Why has the LORD abandoned us?" I'll tell you why! Because the LORD witnessed the vows you and your wife made to each other on your wedding day when you were young. But you have been disloyal to her, though she remained your faithful companion, the wife of your marriage vows. 15Didn't the LORD make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are his. And what does he want? Godly children from your union. So guard yourself; remain loyal to the wife of your youth. 16"For I hate divorce!" says the LORD, the God of Israel. "It is as cruel as putting on a victim's bloodstained coat," says the LORD Almighty. "So guard yourself; always remain loyal to your wife."

Malachi continues to present his message, which is a call of faithfulness from God. Here God declares He is displeased marriage vows have been broken, when it was the Lord’s intent for couples to remain faithful to one another. Through their faithfulness to one another they were to procreate and raise Godly children. The husband is charged to stand guard and remain loyal to his wife, which maintains a home to raise Godly children. Then God declares he hates divorce and equates it to wearing the bloody clothes of a person just murdered.


God challenged husbands over 2000 years ago to be faithful husbands and fathers of their households. It was a call many Israelites realized they had been negligent in. So they repented and turned back to God. Yet here we are in present times with the same problems. When our welfare system was created, if fathers resided in the household, benefits were reduced. The result was children living in fatherless homes rose from 5.1 million in 1960 to 16.5 million in 1995. A 1988 study, published in the Journal of Research on Crime and Delinquency found that the best predictor of violent crime and burglary in a community was the proportion of households without fathers. US Department of Health and Human Services found that 70% of all juveniles in long-term correctional facilities did not live with their father while growing up. Fathers strongly influence their children’s sex-role identities, so fathers who model a faithful, Godly life is important. We need to be praying for families around the world and that God becomes the center of the home. Once again we need to repent and return to God. Pray we never forget the lessons learned in the past. Pray for our families and the faithfulness of husbands and wives.