proverbs35,
About Proverbs, I believe specific scriptures should be used to interpret general ones. Solomon doesn't say to drive out a quarrelsome women. But one verses says it is better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome woman. Another says it is better to live on a rooftop. But he doesn't apply the verse about driving out the mocker as an argument to kick the wife out of the house, even though, Moses for the hardness of their hearts allowed divorce.
I would like yours and Angela's and other poster's response to this situation.
Suppose you were a social worker, a judge, or just an adult friend. A 16-year-old boy often quarreled with his parents. He tried to run away on a few occasions. On one occasion, his dad put dog poop on him, threw water on him, and hit him in the face with a towel to keep him from running away. His parents get angry at him and cuss him from time to time.
Based on that information alone, as a case worker, would you advise immediately removing the boy from the home? As a judge, with that information alone, would you remove the child from the home? As an adult confidant giving advice, would you advise the child to run away from home immediately and go to a safehouse for runaway kids who are being abused? Under any of these scenarios would you take the child out of the home or recommend the child run away without doing further research? Without asking the parents to get their side of the story?
Would you show the 16-year-old stories of abusive parents who had murdered their children and advise the boy that he could be next if he doesn't leave home? I wouldn't.
I would also tell a young person in this situation what the Bible says about children's relationships to parents, "Honor your father and your mother." The thing is, no one is probably angry at me for pointing that out. The reason is most people don't secretly hate that verse like many hate the verses about wives submitting to their husbands. If I tell a wife with an angry husband that the Bible says for wives to submit to their husbands, people lash out at me as if I am actually supporting abuse. I doubt I'd get that same visceral response I've gotten from posters for saying "Honor your father and your mother", but I could be wrong. Deep down in side, I think moms grow to like that verse. After we grow up and have kids and if we had good parents, we realize what they put up to raise us, that one makes sense.
As far as church discipline goes, I don't know if she's tried that, but she hasn't mentioned it that I've noticed in the thread. But why aren't people recommending actually obeying Jesus instead of jumping right to the topic of divorce.
I wonder if you actually read my post that mentioned it carefully. The scenario I presented was one where the wife and children left the husband as part of the church refusing to keep company with him until he repented. That does have teeth, and it can also create a way for the husband to find his way back into fellowship with church and his physical family.
Jesus said to confront the one who sinned against you face to face. If he won't listen, bring one or two others. They serve as witnesses. If he won't hear them, take it before the church. If he won't hear them, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican. This man has been involved in teaching in church. If I were in a situation where I were confronted over some sin, and the church and the church said they were going to deliver me over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, I'd certainly consider repenting over some sin.
If it's someone whose only gone to church on Christmas ever year, church discipline may not mean as much to that person.
Another problem is with the wife just leaving her husband and divorcing him to 'send him a message' with no clear path back to reconciliation. Even if the church ignores Jesus teaching on church discipline like many do (or totally re-write it, having all the discipline go through the pastor behind closed doors instead of having a confrontation with the assembly/church), at least the pastor may be able to work with her to work out some kind of path to reconciliation.
There are lots of things that can be done in a situation like that:
Separation instead of divorce.
Some agreed upon arrangement for the kids when they are separated.
Some kind of counseling for anger management or communication.
Prayer with other men.
Having a mature man as a mentor on being a husband or a mentoring couple help out.
Meeting with the spouse to pray regularly.
Entering a formal Christian counseling program (e.g. World Challenge for anger management).
Filing for divorce is not an effective 'wake up call' IMO, certainly not like this. If someone files for divorce as a 'wake up call' and then everyone else says, "he's being nice to trick you into coming back to him. See, it's a part of this cycle of abuse on this website" then that is going to seriously hinder reconciliation. If the man repents, and the family isn't restored, that a sad thing as well.
Someone else said being submissive got her dog poop wiped on her and a towel in her face. I could be wrong. It could be she was standing there sweetly talking to him in a very submissive manner. But if I had to guess, I'd guess those things happened during a heated argument, maybe one where they were both saying things that hurt the other, rather than because of submission. If he's telling her to stay and she's leaving, then that's not a case of submission leading to dog poop being wiped on her. Failingheart said she could be more submissive. Most wives could probably say that, just as husbands could say to be more loving.