In the eyes of God, a divorced and remarried woman is worse than a prostitute. Society has led us to believe that being a prostitute is low and frankly, not many people would choose to be friends or even associated with someone in this line of work. When in fact, this same belief system approves of those who have been divorced and or remarried.
Ezekiel 16:33-34 – Men give gifts to all their prostitutes, but you gave gifts to all your lovers. You bribed them to come to you from everywhere for your illicit favors. 34 So your prostitution is the opposite of that of other women: No one solicited your favors, and you paid a fee instead of receiving one; so you are the very opposite!
The fee that an adulterous woman pays is the eternal wrath of God; the loss of her eternal life and salvation.
A prostitute does what she does out of desperation. An adulterous woman on the other hand, does these same acts out of want and not need. A prostitute (if not married) is not obligated to anyone, but a married woman who is adulterous, has broken the vows she made before God.
A prostitute acts out of need for money but an adulterous wife does the same acts for free just to satisfy her own wants and not needs. This satisfaction comes at the terrible cost of her eternal damnation. The world views prostitution in a hopeless way but a prostitute can be saved. She knows the wrong that she is doing and is reminded of it every day.
An adulterous/remarried woman justifies her sin and people accept it which causes the adulterous wife to be proud and unashamed of her sin. In turn, she becomes unrepentant and remains unforgiven for her sin. Unrepentance, lack of shame and guilt, makes an adulterous wife worse than a prostitute.
It is the choice out of want and not desperate need, the breaking of an oath/vow to God and the lack of repentance, guilt, shame and remorse, that makes an adulterous woman worse than a prostitute.
We find this concept in the New Testament:
Luke 7:37-48 – A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”
40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”
“Tell me, teacher,” he said. 41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.
44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
It was the prostitute’s guilt that allowed her to be forgiven of her sins. A woman who has been divorced and remarried does not feel shame or regret for her decision. She believes that if she left a bad marriage for a better one, she did what was right. This is why Jesus stated:
Matthew 21:28-32 – “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ 29“And he answered and said, ‘I will, sir’; and he did not go. 30“And he came to the second and said the same thing. But he answered and said, ‘I will not’; yet he afterward regretted it and went. 31“Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The latter.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you that the tax-gatherers and harlots will get into the kingdom of God before you. 32“For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax-gatherers and harlots did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even feel remorse afterward so as to believe him.
A prostitute is like the second son, who feels regret, remorse, shame and guilt. This allows her to repent, change and be forgiven.
Matthew 21:31-32 – “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.
In contrast, an adulterous wife, who is like the first son, makes vows and breaks them. The adulterous wife has justified her sin and no longer feels any guilt, remorse or regret, making her unable to enter God’s kingdom.
This does not mean that there is no hope of forgiveness for the adulterous wife. She must feel guilt and remorse over her sin and know that what she did was wrong and shameful, no matter how bad she thinks her husband is. Even if her husband committed adultery against her, this does not give her the right to divorce and remarry. Through this repentance and regret, and without justifying her sin, an adulterous wife can be forgiven. Here is a biblical example:
John 8:1-11 – but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
As we can see, this woman in no way, shape or form, tried to justify her actions or defend herself. She could have tried to explain the reason for her infidelity with excuses such as issues in her marriage, her husband’s faults, or her feelings of neglect. Since there is no reason or excuse for adultery, the woman accepted the blame and by doing so, she expressed guilt, shame and regret. She showed repentance, allowing her to be forgiven.
An adulterous wife (one who is divorced and remarried) must always counsel other wives not to repeat her mistakes, as she was a rebellious wife and adulterer. She should teach other wives to remain in subjection to their husbands, unlike her.
Titus 2:3-5 – Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.
No wife can divorce her husband and remarry, for any reason.
1 Corinthians 7:10-11 – To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. 11 But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.
Romans 7:2 – For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him.
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