Can judge force husband to keep wife ....

No. Under HMA, in divorce petition, the judge cannot force the petitioner to take back the wife.  But he prevailed upon you and your counsel by persuasing power.  If your divorce petition is pending, continue to persue it while wife is staying in matrimonial home.  You cannot throw her away from matrimonial home and if you do so with muscle power, she will file domestic violence case.  So,  take up the divorce case seriously and try to succeed in it.

Insistence of your own counsel and pursuasive power of Judge worked.

As suggested by Mr. Samarpan 'take up the divorce case seriously and try to succeed in it.'

UNDERSTAND THAT JUDGE IS TRYINGTO MEDIATE BETWEEN YOU AND HER. HE GENTLY STOKING YOUR OLD FEELINGS O F LOVE AND OTHER GENTLE EMOTIONS WHICH YOU HAVE HAD TOWARDS EACH OTHER AND TRYING RAPROACHMENT FOR  YOU BOTH. BUT NO ONE INCLUDING THE JUDGE CAN'T FORC DOWN THINGS  YOUR THROAT IF YOU  ARE  DEAD AGANST  BEING LIVING TGETHER AND WANT DIVORCE ONLY AT ANY C0ST. NEXT HEARING YOU TELL THE JUDGE THAT I  WANT DSIVORCE AT  ANY COST . /FO RALL PRACTICAL PURPOSES THIS MARRIAGE IS OVR. IFYOU APPRECIATE THIS ANSWER PLEASE GIVE ME  all my profile likes.