Michelle wrote:Hey foc,
I don't have much constructive criticism of your OP... I thought it was informative and interesting. I was confused about who you were addressing, but since you explained it I've gone back and reread the OP and it makes more sense to me now.
I have a question -- not an important one, just out of curiosity. Have you come to the conclusion that "ervah dabar" can mean ceremonial uncleanness? Wouldn't a woman of child-bearing age be considered unclean several times a year? (Lev 12; Lev 15:19-30)
Well, heres the thing.
This 'divorce' Moses was permitting was being done for reasons the Hebrews defined. Meaning they were casting this woman aside "for every cause" just as the asked Jesus about in Matt 19.
So it might be conceivable that Moses would permit (not that he would have much choice) this man to even use ceremonial uncleaness, such as menstruation, for divorce.
But the thing to remember is that Moses wasn't stopping them from divorcing. As Jesus says in Matthew 19 and Mark 10, he 'suffered' them to put away their wives, meaning he allowed it and probably for anything these hardhearted ones could come up with, to keep them from actaully hurting or killing her to be rid of her (usually to take another woman).
Its quite feasible that ANYthing they deemed as 'unclean' in her might be used to heartlessly cast her away.
Moses doesnt seem to have gotten involved to the point of saying 'sorry, you cant divorce'. When he got involved he only seems to have laid out rules such as he must give her a written bill of divorce and once remarried, she could never be his wife again.
Another question: Do you think that the provision for divorce for "ervah dabar" is sort of like "irreconcilable differences" in our society? In other words, that the phrase means whatever you want it to mean.
ABSOLUTELY !
Sexual sins demanded the death penalty as shown in Deut 22.
Deut 24 is concerning divorce for what we might deem as 'irreconcilable differences" going at since at least Lev 21 (but basically her being deemed as "unclean" by the man, since the Hebrew custom usually didnt permit a wife to divorce her husband)
We've come full circle, and even within the very church. Casting aside a spouse, not for an actual breach of covenant, but for just about any reason one wishes to.
And the irony is, many times its the same as with the Jews. Wanting to be rid of our wives (or husbands) to take another.
We see this very thing with Herod and Herodias. They met, fell in lust, then conspired to put away their spouse for no just cause and marry one another. This is the horrid setting when Jesus walked the earth, and sadly enough, it is the setting today.