Page 61 - The Marriage Covenant

his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate
of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out from his house, and she leaves
his house and goes and becomes another man's wife, and if the latter husband turns
against her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends
her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her to be his wife, then
her former husband who sent her away is not allowed to take her again to be his wife,
since she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before Yahweh, and
you shall not bring sin on the land which Yahweh your God gives you as an
inheritance.”

Some have contemplated whether it is right for a man or woman today to return to a
spouse that has been divorced and married to another. The Law delivered to Moses strictly
forbid such an action. Yahweh said that the wife in such a case had been defiled, and that
it was an abominable thing in the sight of God for the wife to return to the first husband
after she had been polluted by intercourse with another man.
The Law was given in order that man might identify sin and transgression as Yahweh
does. The Law reveals those things that are clean in Yahweh’s sight, and those things that
are unclean. The Law makes a distinction between the holy and the profane.
A woman who has acted adulterously is unclean. She is described as polluted and
defiled. It is a very detestable thing in God’s eyes for either Himself, or a man, to be joined
to one who has polluted herself and made herself abhorrent. This is the language that the
Bible uses to describe these things.
Although the Law describes for us those things that are clean and unclean, it does not
reveal the entire counsel of God. The Law was without mercy. “The soul that sinned must
die.” Aaron was the first High Priest of the Law, and he observed firsthand the merciless
character of the Law. When Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu transgressed the command of
God, failing to show reverence to His holiness, and the offered strange fire before Him, fire
that God did not recognize as holy, Yahweh struck them both dead.
Aaron was confronted with the death of two of his sons in a single moment of time,
and the loss was tremendous. Yahweh was revealing to Aaron that those who serve Him
must treat Him as holy. Yahweh was demonstrating the awfulness of His Holy character.
Men who are unclean cannot stand in His presence. The Law was given to show mankind
the vast gulf between the holiness of Yahweh and the sinfulness of man. Those who
understood the difference should truly tremble in fear, realizing their uncleanness.
This is the purpose of the Law, to show the abominable depths to which mankind has
fallen, and to show to them their need of a Savior. The law included types and shadows of
the mercy of God to come, for their were sacrifices and offerings that could be made to
atone for the sins of mankind. Yet, the central purpose of the Law was to present all men
as unclean before God that every mouth my be stopped, and that no flesh should glory in
Yahweh’s presence.
This severity of the Law was revealed in what happened to Aaron’s two sons. Not only
were they slain, but God forbid Aaron to even mourn for them.

Leviticus 10:1-7
Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans, and after
putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before Yahweh,
which He had not commanded them. And fire came out from the presence of Yahweh