In Exodus 19 Yahweh comes down to the Israelites to sign the wedding covenant agreement with the people. Moses now brings the proposal of Yahweh to the elders and the people. Israel promised to be faithful in all things. Exodus 19:6-8 'And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel." So Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before them all these words which the LORD commanded him. Then all the people answered together and said, "All that the LORD has spoken we will do." So Moses brought back the words of the people to the LORD.The proposal was accepted. "All that the LORD has spoken we will do." Now the bride, the children of Israel, had to be prepared for the wedding. Exodus 19: 10 "Then Yahweh said to Moses, 'Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes. 11 And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day Yahweh will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people'."
Later, Yahweh gave the bride the contract or agreement for the marriage. The terms of the Covenant contract between Yahweh, and Israel, contained the Ten Commandments. The main condition of this marriage contract was that the Wife (the congregation of Israel -PSALM 135: 4), would not become an adulteress woman.
Let's have a look at a few of the clauses of this marriage contract found in the Book of -EXODUS "You shall have no other Gods before Me"... -EXODUS 20: 3. ."You shall not commit adultery"... -EXODUS 20: 14.
Now readers, what finally happened in this relationship between Israel and Yahweh is that, the congregation of the “Nation of Israel” (the Wife of Yahweh) became an adulteress woman. Jeremiah 3:6 The LORD said also to me in the days of Josiah the king: "Have you seen what backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there played the harlot. Finely Yahweh calls her a harlot. (Hosea 9:1)
As a wife treacherously departed from her husband so does the Nation of Israel treacherously departed from her husband. Jeremiah 3:20 Surely, as a wife treacherously departs from her husband, So have you dealt treacherously with Me, O house of Israel," says the LORD. The children of Israel are a stiff necked lot for the marriage had only just begun when they went astray.
God would punish them and they would cry out for help. He would help them and they would obey for a time and disobey again. Judges 2:11 Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of Yahweh, and served the Baals; 12 and they forsook Yahweh God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked Yahweh to anger. 13 They forsook Yahweh, and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. 14 And the anger of Yahweh was hot against Israel. So He delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies.
Now, because Israel breached the marriage contract by committing adultery, Yahweh then made a judgment on her according to the terms set forth in the marriage contract, which started at (Mount. Sinai) and gave her a bill of divorce. In Jeremiah 3:8 Yahweh gives Israel a bill of divorce for her adultery. The Greek word apoluo, translated as “divorce in this passage, means to let loose from, let go free.
Unlike marriage, divorce was not instituted by God. His comments on divorce, Jesus explained that divorce represents a change in God’s order because "from the beginning it was not so" (Matthew 19:8). He further observed that it was because of the "hardness" of the human heart that Moses "allowed" divorce (Matt 19:8) Yahweh determines to override the law for the sake of a future divorce from His partner National Israel. (Deuteronomy 24:1-4)
Israel has left her husband, Yahweh, and committing spiritual adultery “with another” (Baal) and worshiped wooden images. (1 Kings 16:31). Then Ezekiel writes "How degenerate is your heart!" says the Lord GOD, "seeing you do all these things, the deeds of a brazen harlot. (Ezekiel 16:32)
This deed entitled Yahweh to divorce his wife National Israel. In terms of the divorce law, Yahweh cannot remarry the former wife (Israel), and the unfaithful wife cannot return to her husband. Such action would pollute the land even more severely. Jeremiah 3:1 "They say, 'If a man divorces his wife, And she goes from him And becomes another man's, May he return to her again?' Would not that land be greatly polluted? But you have played the harlot with many lovers; Yet return to Me," says the LORD.
Also, according to the law once at women has become a harlot, she could not be taken as a wife. Leviticus 21:7 'They shall not take a wife who is a harlot or a defiled woman, nor shall they take a woman divorced from her husband; for the priest is holy to his God. If Yahweh asked the priest to do something that was just right and holy would He not do the same? Under just these two sets of circumstances Yahweh could not remarry His old bride. So, if one is to obey the law, no renewal of the relationship between God and National Israel was possible.
While Yahweh could not remarry His old harlot bride He also could not comply walk away from her because through her the Messiah would be born. (Isaiah 9) So Yahweh waited until Jesus the Messiah was born then He judged the harlot according to the terms of the marriage contract. Ezekiel 16:38 "And I will judge you as women who break wedlock or shed blood are judged; I will bring blood upon you in fury and jealousy. This judgment was done when the harlot was completely destroyed in A.D. 70.
This left the way open for Yahweh to take a “virgin as a wife.” Leviticus 21:13-14 'And he shall take a wife in her virginity. 'A widow or a divorced woman or a defiled woman or a harlot, these he shall not marry; but he shall take a virgin of his own people as a wife.
