Even so, Jesus was not recommending divorce from unfaithful partners. It is up to the innocent mate to weigh the consequences involved and decide whether he or she wants a divorce. Wives contemplating a divorce on this Scriptural basis may also want to consider God’s statement when he passed judgment on the first woman for her sin. In addition to the death sentence, God specifically told Eve: “Your craving will be for your husband, and he will dominate you.” (Genesis 3:16) The Commentary on the Old Testament, by C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, describes this “craving” as “a desire bordering upon disease.” Admittedly, this craving is not that strong in every wife, but when an innocent wife is considering a divorce, she would be wise to take into consideration the emotional needs that women have inherited from Eve. However, as extramarital sex on the part of a guilty mate could lead to an innocent mate’s being infected by sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS, some have decided to resort to divorce as explained by Jesus.

Jehovah’s pronouncement of judgment on Adam and Eve forecast yet another factor in the troubles that would develop. Concerning her relationship with her husband, Jehovah told Eve: “He will dominate you.” Many husbands today, like Isao mentioned in our first article, dominate their wives in a ruthless way without regard for their wives’ feelings. Still, many wives continue to have a craving for their husbands’ attention. When that craving is not satisfied, the wives may demand that attention and act selfishly. With many a husband dominating and many a wife craving, selfishness prevails, and peace flies out the window. In a paper entitled “How to Analyze Today’s Divorces,” Shunsuke Serizawa said: “If we overlook the tendency at the heart of the issue of ‘having one’s own way,’ namely, giving priority to one’s own interests, it would suddenly become impossible to analyze divorces today.”