UNEQUALLY YOKED
DEUTERONOMY 7:3 YOU SHALL NOT INTERMARRY WITH THEM, GIVING YOUR DAUGHTERS TO THEIR SONS OR TAKNG THEIR DAUGHTERS FOR YOUR SONS
2 CORINTHIANS 6:14-DO NOT BE YOKED TOGETHER WITH UNBELIEVERS. FOR WHAT DO RIGHTEOUSNESS AND WICKEDNESS HAVE IN COMMON? OR WHAT FELLOWSHIP CAN LIGHT HAVE WITH DARKNESS?
LET’S START WITH DEFINING WHAT A YOKE IS. A YOKE IS DEVICE USED TO JOIN TOGETHER TWO ANIMALS AROUND THE NECK FOR FARMING. SPIRITUALLY A YOKE CAN’T BE SEEN BUT THE FRUIT OF IT CAN.
WHAT HAVE YOU JOINED YOURSELF WITH THAT WAS FORBIDDEN BY GOD
OFTEN TIMES WE HEAR THE TERM “FREE WILL” AND THIS RELATES TO YOUR DECISIONS. I FOUND THE TERM ‘FREEWILL” IN THE BIBLE 17 TIMES. IT SPEAKS OF “FREEWILL” OFFERINGS TO GOD. THERE WAS A SCRIPTURE IN EZRA 7 THAT SPOKE OF FREEWILL AS CHOICE (FREELY, VOLUNTARILY).
FREE WILL OR FREEWILL COMES WITH A COST IF IT GOES AGAINST THE WILL OF GOD
FOR EXAMPLE DEUTERONOMY 28:30 YOU SHALL BETROTH A WIFE BUT ANOTHER MAN SHALL LIE WITH HER THIS WAS THE CONSEQUENCE OF DISOBEDIENCE
THROUGHOUT SCRIPTURE WE SEE GOD GIVING US INSTRUCTIONS WITH REWARDS/CONSEQUENCES TO FOLLOW.
THERE’S A PHRASE I’VE HEARD OFTEN “GOD DOES NOT CHOSE YOUR MATE”. WHICH IS TOTALLY CONTRADICTING SCRIPTURE. JEREMIAH 29:11 FOR I KNOW THE PLANS AND THOUGHTS THAT I HAVE FOR YOU SAYS THE LORD, PLANS FOR PEACE AND WELL BEING AND NOT FOR DISASTER, TO GIVE YOU A FUTURE AND A HOPE.
PEACE IN THIS SCRIPTURE MEANS COMPLETENESS, SOUNDNESS, SAFETY, HEALTH, PROSPERITY, QUIET, TRANQUILITY, CONTENTMENT, FRIENDSHIP OF HUMANS AND WITH GOD.
IF YOUR LIFE DOES NOT LOOK LIKE THIS, ARE YOU LIVING IN GOD’S PLAN OR YOUR “FREEWILL” ????
GOD TELL US WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE MARRY OUTSIDE OF HIS WILL. DEUTERONOMY 7:3-4 YOU SHALL NOT INTERMARRY WITH THEM; YOU SHALL NOT GIVE YOUR DAUGHTER TO HIS SON, NOR SHALL YOU TAKE HIS DAUGHTER FOR YOUR SON. 4 FOR THEY WILL TURN YOUR SONS AWAY FROM FOLLOWING ME TO SERVE OTHER GODS; THEN THE ANGER OF THE LORD WILL BE KINDLED AND BURN AGAINST YOU AND HE WILL QUICKLY DESTROY YOU.
THAT’S PRETTY CLEAR ISN’T BUT THANK GOD FOR HIS MERCY BECAUSE MANY OF US DIDN’T GET THE FULL CONSEQUENCE OF WHAT WE DESERVED FOR DISOBEYING HIM.
IN 2021/22 I WAS DATING A GUY WHO CAME FROM A CHRISTIAN BACKGROUND BUT HE DECIDED TO GO AN ALTERNATE ROUTE. I KNEW THIS BUT I ALSO WASN’T IN RIGHT STANDING WITH GOD SO I DIDN’T CARE. HE PRACTICED THE NEW AGE SPIRITUALITY USING SOUND BOWLS, TRUSTING IN HIS OWN POWER AND NOT GOD’S. JUST AS GOD SAID “THEY WILL TURN YOU AWAY FROM FOLLOWING ME”, IT HAPPENED. I BEGIN TO QUESTION THE EXISTENCE OF CHRIST. LISTENING TO A TEACHER WHO SPOKE ABOUT JESUS BEING IN US AS THOUGH HE IS JUST A ‘THOUGHT’ AND NOT THE MESSIAH. DURING THE TIME WE DATED I FELT THE CONSEQUENCE OF MY DECISIONS- MY FINANCES, MY CHILDREN, MY MIND….. ROMANS 8:28 ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR THOSE THAT LOVE THE LORD……
2022 WAS THE YEAR I REDEDICATED MY LIFE TO CHRIST
NOW LET’S GET BACK TO GOD’S PLANS FOR US.
I WAS READING THE BOOK OF JUDGES THIS MONTH. THERE I LEARNED ABOUT SAMSON. GOD REVEALED THE PLAN FOR SAMSON BEFORE HE WAS BORN. IN JUDGES 14 SAMSON DECIDES TO MARRY A PHILISTINE. DEUTERONOMY 7:3 “YOU SHALL NOT INTERMARRY WITH THEM” BUT HE DID. IT GOES ON TO SAY HOW SAMSON MAD A “BET” WITH HIS FRIENDS IF THEY COULD FIGURE OUT A RIDDLE HE WOULD GIVE THEM FINE GARMENTS……WELL THEY COULDN’T FIGURE IT OUT SO THEY CONVINCED HIS WIFE TO MANIPULATE HIM INTO GIVING HER THE ANSWER. SHE THEN TOLD HER PEOPLE THE ANSWER TO THE RIDDLE. THEREFORE BETRAYING HER HUSBAND……SAMSON WENT OUT TO FIGHT TO GET THE GARMENTS HE PROMISED FOR SOLVING THE RIDDLE. TO HIS SURPRISE WHEN HE CAME BACK HIS WIFE WAS GIVEN TO HIS “COMPANION”. IN OTHER WORDS HIS WIFE WAS NOW HIS “FRIEND’S WIFE”. REMEMBERING DEUTERONOMY 28:30 YOU SHALL BETROTH A WIFE BUT ANOTHER MAN SHALL LIE WITH HER.
LATER IN JUDGES 16 SAMSON FINDS HIMSELF A HARLOT (HOOKER/PROSTITUTE) AND HE SLEPT HER. PROVERBS 23:27-28 FOR A PROSTITUTE IS A DEEP PIT, AND AN IMMORAL WOMAN IS A NARROW WELL. SHE LURKS AND LIES IN WAIT LIKE A ROBBER WHO WAITS FOR PREY, AND SHE INCREASES THE FAITHLESS AMONG MEN. SCRIPTURE THEN GOES ON TO SAY HE FELL IN LOVE WITH A WOMAN NAMED DELILAH. NOW I’M NOT CLEAR IF THIS HARLOT WAS DELILAH OR IF THESE WERE 2 DIFFERENT WOMEN.
DELILAH WAS USED BY THE PHILISTINES TO FIND OUT WHAT SAMSON’S STRENGTH WAS. TIME AND TIME AGAIN SHE SET HIM UP TO ULTIMATELY BE KILLED. HE WAS ABLE TO OVERCOME THE PHILISTINES SEVERAL TIMES UNTIL HE GAVE INTO HER MANNERS OF MANIPULATION AND TOLD HER WHERE HIS TRUE STRENGTH WAS. DELILAH SHARED THIS WITH THE PHILISTINES, NEEDLESS TO SAY SAMSON DIED BUT NOT BEFORE TAKING HIS ENEMIES WITH HIM.
SAMSON WAS ORDAINED BY GOD TO BE STRONG AND FIGHT AGAINST THE PHILISTINES HE WAS NOT TO MARRY THEM OR “YOKE” HIMSELF TO THEM. SAMSON’S WIFE AND DELILAH BOTH MANIPULATED HIM FOR ANSWERS. BOTH OUTCOMES WERE NOT IN HIS FAVOR AND ONE LEAD TO HIS DEATH.
SOME WOULD SAY SAMSON WAS GULLIBLE OR EASILY DECEIVED BY THE WOMEN HE LOVED. AND I’M SURE MANY OF US CAN RELATE TO THAT.
JOHN 10:10 THE THIEF DOES NOT COME EXCEPT TO STEAL, AND TO KILL AND TO DESTROY.
NO MATTER HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR “FREEWILL” THERE’S A PRICE TO PAY, GOOD OR BAD, IT DEPENDS ON IF IT ALIGNS WITH THE WILL OF GOD.
I TRULY BELIEVE THAT IN GOD’S PLAN FOR US IT INCLUDES EXACTLY WHO WE ARE TO MARRY. ALTHOUGH HIS PLAN IS CLEAR, IT DOESN’T MEAN THE DEVIL WON’T SEND DISTRACTIONS AND COUNTERFEITS TO PERVERT TO WILL OF GOD.
THINK ABOUT THE UNFORTUNATE STORIES OF SPOUSES KILLING EACH OTHER AND BECAUSE WE KNOW THE ENEMY COMES TO KILL, STEAL AND DESTROY, I BELIEVE THOSE MARRIAGES WERE NOT GOD’S PLAN.
PRAY FOR GOD’S PERFECT WILL TO BE MADE MANIFEST ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN.