Jesus claimed to be a door, and God is described as having wings.
John 10:7. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
Psalms 91:4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
God hates divorce. Therefore, anything that suggests that He Himself is guilty of divorce has got to be error. Therefore, God is merely using language the people would understand. Like being the Good Shepherd.
Malachi 2:14-16.
14 Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant. 15 And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. 16 For the Lord, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the Lord of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.
It seems at this point that you are just being stubborn, preferring to believe your doctrine over the text of scripture.
God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked and yet they die all the time and He Himself has killed a great many of them and so your argument about God hating divorce and therefore didn't do it fails. More importantly, the thing "that suggests that He Himself is guilty of divorce" is the bible itself quoting God Himself speaking....
Jeremiah 3:8 Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery,
I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also.
Further, note your own phrasing, "anything that suggests that He Himself is
guilty of divorce". Divorce for proper cause is not a sin, glorydaz. God is not "guilty" of anything.
As for the point about God being a door and having wings...
The point you're making is that God is making an analogy with this talk about divorce, and to a certain degree that's true. It is a metaphor, but that doesn't help you because the act that God has performed is the same and God never likens Himself to having performed anything that is in anyway unrighteous.
Further still, as I've pointed out a few times already, the book of Lamentations is the divorce decree that God gave to Israel and so any way you cut it. God did divorce Israel. So says God Himself!
I decided to ask Chat GPT to tell me why someone would interpret Lamentations as a divorce decree. This is what it responded with....
Covenant Lawsuit Structure in Lamentations
The
riv or covenant lawsuit is a common literary form in the prophetic literature of the Hebrew Bible. In this structure, God is depicted as bringing a formal legal case against His people, accusing them of covenant violation, particularly their unfaithfulness and disobedience. This type of literary form includes accusations, proclamations of judgment, and often a call for repentance. The
riv genre is instrumental in understanding the theological framework of Lamentations as it parallels the idea of a divorce decree.
Here’s a deeper look at how the
riv structure is seen in Lamentations and its connection to the theme of divorce:
A. The Accusation of Breach of Covenant
- In the Bible, covenant violations often involve idolatry, injustice, and disobedience to God’s commands (e.g., Hosea 4:1-2, Micah 6:1-2). In the case of Judah, the primary accusation is that the people have forsaken God, turning to idolatry and disregarding the covenantal relationship they were bound to uphold.
- Lamentations expresses this breach in vivid terms. For example, Lamentations 1:5 describes how the people of Jerusalem were oppressed due to their sin: “Her adversaries have become the master, her enemies prosper; for the Lord has afflicted her because of the multitude of her transgressions.” The city's downfall is a direct result of the breach of covenant, which reflects the marital unfaithfulness that leads to divorce.
B. The Declaration of Judgment
- In the structure of the riv, the judgment following the accusation is essential. In prophetic books like Isaiah, Hosea, and Ezekiel, this judgment is often severe, describing exile or destruction as a consequence of the breach of the covenant. In Lamentations, the judgment is evident in the description of the city's desolation, the destruction of the temple, the famine, and the suffering of the people.
- Lamentations 2:2 says, “The Lord has swallowed up and not pitied all the habitations of Jacob; He has thrown down in His wrath the strongholds of the daughter of Judah. He has brought them down to the ground; He has profaned the kingdom and its princes.” This devastating judgment can be seen as the consequence of the divorce. God, in His judgment, has cast Israel (Judah) away, leaving the city desolate.
C. Call for Repentance and Restoration
- One of the hallmarks of the riv genre is that after the accusations and judgments, there is often a plea for repentance and reconciliation. In Lamentations, this is reflected in the prayers and appeals to God for mercy and restoration, even amidst the severe judgment.
- Lamentations 5:21, for instance, expresses a desire for God to restore the broken relationship: “Turn us back to You, O Lord, and we will be restored; renew our days as of old.” This petition implies that even though the "divorce" or separation has occurred, there is still hope for reconciliation.
- The appeal is reminiscent of the covenantal language used in texts like Hosea 2:14-15, where God promises to restore Israel: “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, will bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfort to her.” Though the divorce has taken place, the possibility of a renewed relationship remains, a theme of divine grace and the unbreakable nature of God’s covenant love.
D. The Legal and Formal Nature of the Divorce
- In ancient Israelite law, a divorce was a formal procedure (Deuteronomy 24:1-4), and the use of riv in the prophets suggests a similarly formal legal process when God pronounces judgment. In this context, the language of Lamentations—the mourning, the acknowledgment of God’s anger, and the sense of abandonment—fits the pattern of a legal declaration of separation.
- However, the book does not end with a final rejection. The ongoing hope for restoration in Lamentations 5 mirrors the legal possibilities for reconciliation in Jewish law, where a divorced woman could return to her husband if he chose to take her back. This hints at the possibility of a future restoration between God and Israel, despite the formal separation.
Summary: The Riv Structure and Divorce
The
riv structure helps to explain the theological depth of Lamentations as a form of legal accusation and judgment against Israel for breaking the covenant, with the language of divorce resonating throughout the text. The book portrays the intense consequences of Israel's unfaithfulness—loss, desolation, and separation from God—yet it also leaves room for a hopeful reconciliation, as seen in the final prayer for restoration. This dual focus on judgment and potential restoration aligns with the biblical portrayal of divorce as a painful, but not necessarily final, severance, leaving open the possibility of healing and renewal within the covenantal relationship.
