God, through the Holy Scripture, gave us a clear command to not be unequally yoked in marriage, but you see, the carnal mind is in enmity against God. People who are not walking in the Spirit, who just want to have their own way sometimes many choose to wrest the scripture, which is of course to their own destruction, to justify their inordinate affection when it comes to marriage.
What Exactly Does It Mean To Be Unequally Yoked In Marriage?
A yoke was used in the Bible era to join two animals together to plough farmland. It is always wise to use animals of similar temperament, strength and speed to make the process easy and smooth.
Imagine joining animals of differing tempers together. No single work will get done! Animal A wants to rest while B is rearing to go! Imagine having the animals kicking and biting at each other, will anything get done?
God cares about our well-being, that is why He gave the command that you as His child should not join yourself to an unbeliever.
Now, let's look at it together. You, a child of God have the core value of pleasing God in all things. An unbeliever has no such value! You and an unbeliever would be facing different directions every time. How will you make progress being in a life-long relationship with someone who isn't interested in facing the same direction as you? That is why marrying an unbeliever is tagged UNEQUAL YOKE.
Marriage is a yoke. It is binding. If you're with someone who doesn't care about the God whom you love and want to please, aren't you in for a really hard time?
ARE THERE INSTANCES OF UNEQUAL YOKE IN MARRIAGE IN THE BIBLE?
Last weekend I read a write-up by someone who was trying to justify why it might be not so bad for a professing believer to be unequally yoked in marriage.
I decided to write this so we can all learn together. The said writer gave some instances of God’s people getting married to the heathen in the Bible. He mentioned Joseph, Moses, Esther and Hosea.
Jesus told the Pharisees that they err, not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God. The Pharisees actually had a thorough head-knowledge of the scriptures but their hearts were not schooled by God’s Spirit to understand the principles of the scriptures.
It is an error to pick up any passage of the scripture or character without understanding the context and use that to justify what is clearly against a scriptural command. The scriptures cannot be broken and it is not self-contradictory.
Before deciding to use a character, an event or instance from the scriptures to justify an action, ask yourself the following questions.
1. Is this a principle of the scripture?
Some things are written in the scriptures to provide some context of understanding for us. It is not a scriptural principle if it is not established by clear scriptural injunctions or commands.
2. Is this the pattern of Christ?
Did Jesus by word or deed validate such as seen in the Bible and as your spirit is illuminated by the Holy Ghost?
3. Is it the practice of saints both in the Bible, in past times or in our contemporary time?
It is not enough to pick isolated characters who in their human infirmities or who due to some extraneous circumstances they found themselves in did some acts not validated by God and then use that to justify a wrong thing.
Let's consider some biblical characters, the context of their marriage and why it is unwise to use their circumstance to justify unequal yoke in marriage.
JOSEPH
Joseph’s wife was Asenath the daughter of a heathen. Who was Joseph at the time of his ‘marriage’? A slave that just left the dungeon. Did Joseph choose Asenath himself? Did he have a say in the matter? The answer is no. Please consider and be guided.
MOSES
His wife was Zipporah the daughter of a heathen priest. Who was Moses at the time? A fugitive. Did He choose to marry Zipporah himself? No. He was given by her Father who rescued him from the hard life of wandering in the wilderness. Let’s be guided.
Did God commend this marriage by rebuking Aaron and Miriam? No, he rebuked them for thinking they had the same standing/authority with God as Moses.
Read the passage very well, their complaint on his marriage was a ruse and in God’s response to them, He was completely silent about the matter of Moses’ marriage. Please be guided.
ESTHER
She became queen to a heathen king- Ahasuerus. She was more or less a slave in Babylonia.
Bible historians pegged her to be around 13 years old at the time she was chosen as one of the maidens to be made Queen and King Ahasuerus be well over 40. Clearly, a 'forced marriage' on her part.
She was one of the young fair virgins gathered for the king to choose a queen from. They were picked by officers. It wasn’t a voluntary thing.
God didn’t put Esther in the palace, neither did she put herself there, her uncle didn’t put her there either. Circumstances did.
We thank God because He is able to cause all things to work together for good. He worked with her being in the palace at that time to save the Jewish nation from genocide.
Dear sis, please be guided. Don’t walk into a demonic trap in the name of following Esther’s steps. Esther was forced by circumstances. Be guided.
HOSEA
Hosea was God’s prophet who married a pro, statute (Gomer) as instructed by God. I suggest you read this passage yourself. And please, read it carefully with understanding.
Most people have never read this passage themselves. They just go yapping about – Hosea married a harlot, a prophet married a harlot.
Hosea was given a serious assignment by God. He was asked to love the "unlovable" to demonstrate God’s, unconditional love.
Did you know ow Gomer ran away from him after having 3 children with him, and he had to go and repurchase her from the slave market? Think deeply dear brother. Is that the vision of the kind of home you want?
Please if you must quote Hosea, then do it very well. No half measures. Marry an unrepentant prostitute who will live grudgingly with you, who will prefer prostitution and slavery to the love you are showing her with all the attendant risk of HIV/Aids and other STIs.
Don’t expect God to change her heart please! He didn’t change Gomer’s heart. Just receive Hosea’s kind of grace- keep loving her till death do you part. No complaints, please!
Dear brother/sister, God’s laws are love laws. They are for our own sake. If He (in all His omnipotence and omniscience) says don’t be unequally yoked, you’d better not be! Remember, He has access to infinite possibilities of the effects of un unequal yoke in marriage that you cannot begin to imagine.
Stay guided.
Search the scriptures. You can read up on your own.
The scriptural injunctions – 1Cor 6:15-20, 2Cor 6:14-18
Joseph- Genesis 41
Moses- Exodus 2 and Numbers 12
Esther- Esther 2
Hosea – Hosea 2 and 3
Very impactful. Thanks
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading and engaging. I'm glad you got value.
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