Deuteronomy 24:1Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Observe that the directive was not given to merely write and deliver it, but rather, "He shall write her a letter of divorce, and give it to her in her hand." This distinction is significant. The phrase, "Let him write and let him give," suggests a commanding presence, whereas the wording, "Let him write her a letter of divorce, and give it into her hands," indicates a narrative account of actions occurring, rather than enacting a prescriptive law from authority.

A wife is bound by the law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is free to marry whom she wishes, only in the Lord. But she is more blessed if she remains so.

It is unwise to associate a woman who has been separated from her husband due to a divinely permitted misfortune and who has endured shame from another relationship; this is not only imprudent but also irrational. The scripture warns that "an adulteress is mad and wicked" (Proverbs 18:23). While it condemns engaging in actions that are clearly disgraceful and morally wrong, it equally prohibits denigrating what is virtuous to appear dishonorable. Both embracing with affection that which should be avoided and shunning what should be honored are equally sinful. As stated, "woe to them that call evil good, and good evil; that call darkness light, and light darkness; that call bitter things sweet, and sweet things bitter!" (Isaiah 5:20). Therefore, while it is not permissible to reintegrate someone absent from the community, it is also essential to respect the truth and protect those who have not yet been revealed.

The Lord provided what the Law stipulated when He instructed a man contemplating divorce to deliver a certificate of dismissal to his wife (See Matt. 5:31). He did not suggest that one should be eager to part with his wife, considering it an option he could choose; rather, His intention was that the establishment of this decree should lead the husband to reconsider his decision. The aim was for the man considering separation to refuse the act of divorce itself, prompted by the thought of the gravity of severing the marital bond.

Let this sister, who claims to have married another man due to circumstances of violence, reflect on her desire to partake in the body of Christ without being labeled an adulteress. She must repent, ensuring that from the moment of her repentance, she is not joined to this second husband, who is not truly her husband but rather an adulterer. If she finds this demand difficult, and because of her affection for the second man she struggles to leave him, she should remember the suffering of the Lord, and heed the words of the Apostle: You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord's table and the table of demons (1 Cor. 10:21). Moreover, in another scripture, it is asked: What fellowship has light with darkness?

Why did the lawgiver permit the issuance of a decree of divorce for wives despised by their husbands? It appears that the profound wisdom of Moses, which he received from God, has not been fully understood, nor has his reasoning been grasped. You stand far removed from his elevated thoughts and conduct. Moses did not intend for wives to be forsaken without cause; rather, he sought to mitigate a more significant and dire wrong. He did not formalize a divorce but allowed for a lesser transgression, choosing an overt second marriage over the covert sin of adultery that husbands might have pursued, given their tendency to take advantage of each other’s spouses.