Malachi 2:15Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Even if one can lawfully divorce a spouse through the courts, be cautious in your heart about leaving a wife who has been with you since your youth. This path is preferable, even if the law provides for divorce to those who seek it.

Thus, be mindful of your spirit, and do not betray her.’ Let us clarify past occurrences and, by adapting a concise explanation to each phrase, discern what is passed down from the Hebrews. The forsaken women of Israel, witnessing foreign women in the embrace of their husbands, turned only to God for assistance, prostrating themselves with tears day and night before the altar of the Lord, lamenting and crying out against His oversight, as though He disregarded human affairs and did not support the afflicted or unfortunate. Hence, God declares He cannot accept the priests' offerings and sacrifices, for the bitter tears of their wives impede such acceptance; when they asked, Why will He not receive their offerings? He replied straightaway, Because the Lord has testified against you and your youthful wife, whom you have scorned. In Scripture, it is written, therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. (Gen. 2:24); thus she is rightly called your partner and contractual wife, made by God from the rib of her husband, and the essence of man remains—some interpret it as God's spirit, others as that of her husband; together, through profound affection, they seem to share a single soul in spirit and thought. Therefore, since the same Creator fashioned them both, the divine bond between husband and wife aims for the conception of children. For what does God desire but godly offspring, the sons of Israel? When you have fruitful partners and enjoy children, why pursue beauty in women more suited for mistresses than for wives? Thus God, through the prophet, commanded: Guard your spirit against lust and do not become enamored with foreign women. Do not despise the wife of your youth, who was initially joined to you in a holy marriage and should remain with you throughout life. However, it may be that the leaders, priests, Levites, and people responded, God commanded through Moses that if we greatly dislike our wives, we should let them go. (Deut. 24: 1 ff.) You say to me, Look, it is written, when one greatly hates his wife, let her go, says the Lord God of Israel. (Deut. 24: 1 ff.). To this, He directly responds: It is true, that is written in the law, but it is because of your hardness of heart. Whoever, except in cases of adultery, unjustly dismisses his wife (Matthew 15:32), his garment—symbolic of the body that encloses the soul—will be covered with unrighteousness, says the Lord of Hosts, ensuring he will face punishment for his transgressions. After addressing this matter, He reiterates: Guard your spirit and do not be careless, be it concerning your spiritual well-being or your wife, even if she is plain and poor. Our interpretations align with the account in Ezra concerning abandoned wives; others perceive this as a general warning to those who wrongfully take from others, daring to present unacceptable sacrifices to God, as the tears and cries of the wronged inhibit such offerings. These interpreters connect this to the biblical wisdom: Honor the Lord with your wealth (Proverbs 3:9). They also interpret that some individuals, due to loss—either of wealth, children, or from disasters and other tragedies—fall into despair, weeping and lamenting instead of confronting such trials with courage, bolstered by faith in God and the promises of future blessings. Such individuals, while turning to God in prayer, will not be heard, for their disgraceful weeping is unbefitting. The following words state, For the Lord has testified against you and the wife of your youth, whom you have disregarded; she is your partner, your covenant wife, created for you, and she is the remnant of your spirit. This understanding suggests that the "wife of your youth" pertains to the natural understanding and the law written in every heart, guiding humanity in righteous actions even in the absence of formal law. It seems that this "wife" is metaphorically associated with the proverb: A wife is a gift from God to her husband (Proverbs. 19:14), and we are instructed to enjoy only the waters from our own wells, not sharing our joy in drinking, and we are to rejoice with our youthful companions. This "wife" compels even the unbelievers to declare: May God judge, may He see (Judges 11:27), and to Him I entrust all judgments between us; this "wife" is referenced in Ecclesiastes: Cherish the wife you loved throughout your days of vanity (Ecclesiastes 9:9). She is perpetually at the heart of our spirit, connected to our affections; when she departs from us, we offend God and burden ourselves with sorrow. The ongoing admonition to guard your spirit emphasizes not merely the flesh—where those who inhabit it are unable to please God (Rom. 8:8)—nor the lower soul, as the soulish person cannot comprehend spiritual truths (1 Cor. 2:14), but the spirit itself, for our spirit intercedes for us with unspeakable groans (Rom. 8:26).

This God also states here, “and the rest of your spirit.” As beings of flesh, you carry within you the legacy of yourselves through those whom you bring forth. Yet, despite God's decrees, you challenge His will by asserting that He does not favor sacred unions but rather endorses plural marriages. “And you question, ‘What else does God seek but offspring?’” However, I urge you to abandon such notions and adhere to God’s commandments, maintaining the unity of the spouse that was joined together under the sacred covenant of marriage. God then reminds us of the mercy embodied in the law.

It is evident that Christ faithfully adheres to the intent of the Creator in both allowing separation for just cause and in prohibiting it otherwise. He serves as the protector of unions, desiring neither their dissolution through divorce nor degradation by permitting separation. Therefore, let there be shame in not reconciling those whom Christ has joined together. Likewise, feel shame when separating without valid reason, as such separation would not have been in the will of Christ.