Reading the Scriptures, someone commented that since God divorced Israel (Jeremiah 3:8), then, God is also a divorcee. But, a friend replied that the thought of describing God as a divorcee, is appalling. 读经时，有人评论说，既然上帝与以色列人离婚了（耶利米书 3：8），那么，上帝也是一个离婚者。但一位朋友回答说，把上帝说成是离婚者，想想就令人不可思议地震惊。
I thought about it. And I felt my friend thinks this concept is nauseating, perhaps because the friend does not think that is possible to be righteous and to divorce. 我想了想。我觉得我的朋友认为这个概念令人作呕，也许是因为这位朋友认为不可能既公义又离婚。
But, it is just as some think that Christians cannot be angry. But, the Bible says, be angry but do not sin. (Ephesians 4:26, John 2:13-17 https://www.christianpure.com/learn/righteous-anger-meaning-bible#:~:text=Righteous%20anger%20is%20an%20emotion,2%3A13%2D17).) 但是，这就像有些人认为基督徒不能发怒一样。但是，圣经说，可以生气，但不可犯罪。（以弗所书4:26，约翰福音2:13-17）。
But, it is a righteous and loving God who describes Himself as performing a righteous divorce, taking the initiative to send away into captivity an adulterous Israel that had not repented after 200 years (Jeremiah 3:8 I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce and sent her away because of all her adulteries.) It is a disciplinary divorce and not a frivolous divorce. Everything God does is out of love. So, this disciplinary divorce is out of love. 但是，公义又慈爱的上帝描述祂自己进行了一次公义的离婚，主动送走了 200 年后仍未为通奸悔改的以色列人（我把离婚证书给了不信实的以色列人，因她一切的奸淫，就把她送走了。耶利米书 3：8 直译） 这是为纪律处分的离婚，而不是轻率的离婚。上帝所做的一切都是出于爱。因此，这次惩戒的离婚也是出于爱。
The result? A truly repentant remnant returned to God 70 years later after the divorce/exile. (But, not all entered the New (Marriage) Covenant, because not all were repentant.) 结果如何？真正悔改的余民在离婚/流放后的 70 年后回到了上帝身边。(但是，并非所有人都进入了新约/新婚姻盟约，因为并非所有人都悔改了）。
Righteous divorce is part of the Christmas story in Matthew 1:19！公义的离婚也是马太福音1:19 中圣诞故事的一部分。
NIV translates: Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. NIV 直译为： 因为她的丈夫约瑟忠于律法，但又不想让她在公众面前丢脸，所以他打算悄悄地与她离婚。
NASB translates: And her husband Joseph, since he was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. NASB直译为： 她丈夫约瑟是个正直的人，不想让她蒙羞，就打算悄悄地把她送走。
Matthew Levi, the ex-tax-collector recorded in the Gospels that Joseph is a righteous or faithful to the law. The Greek word for righteous is δίκαιος; it means, “Pertaining to being in accordance with what God requires—’righteous, just. ‘” Immediately after describing Joseph as a righteous man, Matthew describes Joseph planning his divorce because of Mary’s perceived adultery. In other words, Joseph is a righteous Jewish man doing what is following what God requires when he chooses to divorce. But, in the end, Joseph didn’t divorce, only because God told him that Mary was innocent. Thanks to the Gospel of Matthew/Levi, we know that there is nothing shameful in a divorce with biblically sanctioned reasons. Righteous divorce (tempered with mercy) was what Joseph was planning to carry out! 前税吏马太-利未在《福音书》中记载，约瑟是一个义人或忠于律法的人。义人的希腊文是 δίκαιος，意思是 “符合神的要求–‘正直、公义'”。在描述约瑟是一个义人之后，马太紧接着描述了约瑟因为马利亚被认为是通奸的行为而计划离婚。换句话说，约瑟是一个正直的犹太人，当他选择离婚时，他所做的符合上帝的要求。但是，约瑟最终没有离婚，只是因为上帝告诉他马利亚是无辜的。多亏了马太/利未记载的福音，我们才知道，以符合圣经的理由离婚并不可耻。正义的离婚（却又仁慈以待）正是约瑟打算执行的！
When a righteous person discovers his betrothed or married is expecting a child by someone else, he has the right to act in that manner. If we do not assume this, we are shaming the incorrect person in this situation, if we say that Joseph is in the wrong for wanting a divorce! 当一个正直的人发现自己的未婚妻或已婚妻子怀了别人的孩子时，他有权这样做。如果我们不这样认为，如果我们说约瑟想要离婚是错误的，那么我们就羞辱了没有错的人！
Some might say: Joseph didn’t follow the example of Hosea, whom God asked to marry a prostitute.
To that I answer: if marrying a prostitute is prescriptive for every Christian, the Church would be in sexual chaos. Rahab was an ex-prostitute (obviously), or she would not have been featured in the Hall of Fame of Faith! The Old Testament penalty for an unrepentant who commits adultery is stoning. 有些人可能会说约瑟没有效法何西阿，上帝要求他娶一个妓女。对此，我的回答是：如果每个基督徒都必须娶妓女，那么教会就会陷入性混乱。喇合是一位前妓女（很显然的），否则她就不会出现在《希伯来书》的信心名人堂中！旧约中对终究不悔改的通奸者的惩罚是用石头砸死。
If forgiving is giving chances for repentance, but, the opportunity is not used as such by the perpetrator, but, as a license to continue to sin more, then the forgiveness cannot lead to reconciliation. It is cheap grace (without repentance) that leads to hell fire (Matt 3:7ff). 如果宽恕是给人悔改的机会，但犯罪者并没有利用这个机会，而是将其作为继续犯下更多罪行的许可证，那么宽恕就不可能带来和解。廉价的恩典（没有悔改）会导致地狱之火（马太福音3：7ff）。
It is worth noting that the act of God’s righteous divorce from Israel came after what God asked Hosea to do. In other words, God gave plenty of chances for Israel to repent, before He finally divorced her. The same God that stayed with an adulterous wife (who is no different from a prostitute), in the end, divorced her. When God divorced Israel, He was removing the protection and provision and progenies that a husband gives to a wife! 值得注意的是，上帝义正词严地与以色列人离婚的行为是在上帝要求何西阿做的事情之后发生的。换句话说，上帝给了以色列很多悔改的机会，最后才与她离婚。与通奸的妻子（与妓女无异）在一起的上帝，最后也与她离婚了。当上帝与以色列离婚，祂取消了丈夫给予妻子的保护、供给和后代！
About the Author
