Why would God prefer marriages made in error?

[jimmie]

Leviticus 20:10 And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
The law is clear as to what should happen to Adulterers and Adulteress. It is death not divorce. Yet we have multiple examples where neither death nor divorce was carried out. David & Bathsheba, David’s 10 wives who slept with Absalom, Hosea & Gomer, Reuben & Bilhah, Jimmie & wife, and the woman that was brought before Jesus that had been taken in the act of adultery. This is only accomplished through what Jesus termed “the weightier matters of the law” in Matt 23:23. All of these received mercy which is weightier than judgement. Mercy is not a safety net so that one can break the law without consequence. It can only be applied after the law is broken. It seems to me that people want to use Jesus’ words about divorce to justify getting one. I do not think that is what he had in mind. Jesus also said that divorce was allowed for the hardness of men’s hearts. Meaning that man would not show mercy and forgiveness but would rather carry out judgement.

[Elizabeth]

I like your thoughts on mercy.

The victim probably would opt for mercy rather than death of their spouse more often, and that probably rectified a lot if the cheating spouse had any conscience. But then I guess there was still the option to leave as Joseph was going to leave Mary quietly.

I just think it's important there be some repercussion in this day and age as well, otherwise you could be stuck in a marriage with an all out cheat who simply doesn't care about their spouse. Also, we need a way out to be able to love the way we're supposed to and even show mercy, otherwise it's just imprisonment. For example one hates the other, repeatedly chests because angry and resentful but neither can leave.

Also not everyone can just let go of the pain and hurt of an affair and truly forgive. G-d can't force us to forgive and the hurt may just be too much so how could marriage work then? It just seems there has to be the possibility to leave after adultry for the marriage to remain what it's supposed to be covenantally speaking.