No, this has nothing to do with Dante’s famous classic! Rather it refers to a situation that God has allowed in His divine providence and over-ruling as the Lord of this universe. It is a ludicrous situation. But it is not funny. It has to do with many people around the world attempting to change the definition of “marriage”.

Well, where did the concept of “marriage” come from? It came from the Creator of all things, God Himself! It was His idea! From the beginning! As He created the human race He instigated the concept of marriage. He did so according to the formula He devised. It was this, Gen 2:24  Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. From this union children would be born with a mother and a father and grandparents as well. Marriage could lead to an ongoing increasing family where the children would have loving parents to love and protect them. All in all a wonderful concept that has lasted for aeons, though some have abused their God-given privilege as parents.

But now in 2013 we have the situation where the US Supreme Court is considering a couple of cases which could lead to a re-definition of marriage. Thousands are waiting with bated breath to see what these nine people decide and how their lives might be changed as a result. (Could millions of people’s lives around the world be affected by the decision of nine people? It sounds absolutely crazy, but the answer is yes!) Leaders in other countries are also considering a re-definition of marriage.

If we take a step back to assess what is going on we arrive at this conclusion. It is God Himself who is in the dock. His concept of marriage is under critical scrutiny. His formula that has worked so well for generations is in danger of being tampered with. His thoughts expressed in His revelation to humans about marriage are in the Bible for all to see. To reject His words expressing His concept of marriage is really a rejection of Him. It is serious stuff! It is potentially alarming for generations to come!

Here are the characters in this Divine Comedy 2. The creatures are in revolt against their Creator! Those who owe their existence to Him are in danger of ignoring His words, rejecting His plan and purpose for the world and substituting their own. How pathetic! How short-sighted! How revolting! The Bible says that when people have done that to God in the past, He laughed at their pathetic attempts,  Psa 2:1-12 (1)  Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? (2)  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, (3)  “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” (4)  He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Some folk think they are becoming free by rejecting what God has said about marriage. They think they are progressive and inclusive by declaring blessed, other relationships He has strictly forbidden.

But there are others in this Divine Comedy. There are those who see that God is God, that His will must be done, in His way, to His glory. They accept His plan and purpose for humankind especially in seeing that marriage is as He expressed it in Genesis 2 and as Jesus affirmed it in Mat 19:5  ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? And as the apostle Paul affirmed it in Eph 5:31  “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” Yet it is these people who are faithful to their Creator God who are at present being castigated as old-fashioned, out of step with modern thinking, unloving and even called homophobic when the opposite is the truth. (See my article on who are the real homophobes.)

In this Divine Comedy 2, God is not laughing at those being thus castigated. He is laughing at those  whom He sees as “the wicked” in His sight, Psa 37:12-15, The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him, (13)  but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming.(14)  The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose way is upright;(15)  their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. God is not mocked, even by those who are advocating a form of marriage that He sees as a mockery in His sight.

Divine Comedy 3. The year 2113. All the characters in Divine Comedy 2 have gone. They have left their mark for good or evil in the world. Only God remains from all in the cast. No matter what the characters managed to do or to change in their lifetimes, (whether it be to help introduce gay marriage, polygamy or even polyamory, meaning open relationships with more than one person at a time) His view on marriage will still be the same, Gen 2:24  Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Job the Old Testament character placed God in the dock to ply Him with all sorts of questions as to why he had suffered when he was such a righteous person. But the time came when God reversed the roles, placed Job in the dock and said in effect, “Now it’s my turn to question you. Just who do you think you are? I’m your creator. You have to answer to me.” Job confronted with his human weakness blurted out before God, Job 42:2  “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. 3)  ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 4)  ‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.’ 5)  I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; 6)  therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

Divine Comedy 2 will only end happily for those who humble themselves before God as Job did. We may put God in the dock and question His view on marriage and judge Him (and those who follow Him) as guilty of discrimination. But He has told us as our Creator that He will not “extend” His revealed concept of marriage to any other relationship. As His creatures, dependent on Him for even our next breath, neither should we! The time will come for all of us when He will place us in the dock, not to ascertain our views, but to judge us according to His!

Blog No.117.  Jim Holbeck. Posted on Saturday 30^th March 2013