Titus 2 Men And Women

Why NOT Be "Unequally Yoked"?
Danette Tucker

"We are studying Elohim and we are now on a question that asks, 'Why does God tell His chosen people not to be yoked with, or married to, anyone who does not believe and worship Elohim?'"-

This is a good question and one that Christians often seem to think doesn't REALLY apply to them literally.  Throughout Old Testament law, and in God's direct dealings with His people in the Old Testament, God specifically warned against His people marrying those of other nations.

Just one example of how strongly God expressed His views on this issue in the Old Testament is found in Malachi 2:11-12:-

Judah hath dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah hath profaned the holiness of the LORD which he loved, and hath married the daughter of a strange god.

The LORD will cut off the man that doeth this, the master and the scholar, out of the tabernacles of Jacob, and him that offereth an offering unto the LORD of hosts.

This raises a couple of additional questions.  One, why would God be so harsh about Jews marrying people from other races?  Where do obviously God-blessed "unequal" marriages such as Ruth and Boaz or Rahab and Salmon fit into this picture?  After considering these questions, there is still the question of whether this applies to believers today.

Our first question is why God would be so harsh about Jews marrying people from other races.  Actually, the answer to this first question also incidentally answers our second question.

The answer to this question is found partially within the Malachi passage above.  The issue was never one of racial purity.  The issue was one of spiritual authority.  Malachi says, "...and hath married the daughter of a strange god."  In the unusual cases, such as Ruth and Rahab, these women were not actually "daughters of a strange god" because they made a very definitive choice to follow Jehovah.  Old Testament law has a clearly outlined process for the conversion of non-Jews to Judaism.

Throughout the Old Testament there is testimony to the profound negative effects caused by God's people marrying "daughters of a strange god."  I think the most profound and dramatic example of this is King Solomon.  God specifically warned him against accumulating both horses and wives.  Solomon did both.  Solomon married or formed a sexual attachment with about 1000 women -- many of whom were NOT Jewish.  I'm sure he justified his disobedience as political expedience; forming alliances with other nations and "bringing peace" to his country with these unions.  But, as God knew would happen, the spiritual pollution that resulted had a profound impact -- not only on Solomon, but on the subsequent history of Israel.  The leadership of Israel after Solomon was never again stable.  There is a clearly stated Scriptural reason for this, which we will look at more closely as we answer the third question.

Our third question is whether or not this prohibition against being "unequally yoked" applies to believers.  The answer is, yes, as shown in

II Cor. 6:14-18:-
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? -

And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?-

And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.-

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,-

And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.-

This passage is fairly familiar among believers and plainly restates God's Old Testament prohibition against the union of believers with unbelievers.  This principle extends beyond marriage.  In this passage there is no limitation to marital union.  The same principle would apply to any binding union of a believer with a non-believer, such as a business partnership.

So, WHY does it matter -- both in the Old Testament and the New Testament?  At a surface look, it doesn't seem like it is really that big an issue.  For instance, in a romantic relationship it is easy to justify a marriage because "we have so much in common; he doesn't mind my religion and won't stop me from attending church; we're so much in love; we're soul-mates," etc.  But you can have every imaginable ingredient for a perfect marriage or other partnership, but if this ONE detail is not in order you WILL have problems.

The reason this is true is stated clearly in the New Testament.-

I Cor. 6:15-17-
Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.-

What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.-

But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.-

James 4:4-
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.-

This principle is also vividly illustrated in the Old Testament story of Hosea and Gomer.  God told Hosea to take a harlot as his wife SPECIFICALLY to show the parallel between sexual adultery and spiritual adultery.  God equates the two as being the same in significance.  Romans 6 gives us more insight into why this is true.

Romans 6:4-7-
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.-

For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:-

Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.-

For he that is dead is freed from sin. -

Romans 6:13-18-
Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. -

For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.-

What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.-

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?-

But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. -

Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.-

The bottom-line issue is not compatability or the potential for marital problems.  The basic issue is about spiritual authority.  When you are joined to someone who is not a believer, you are tying yourself to someone who is under the spiritual authority of Satan -- that's all there is to it.  This other person can be the nicest, most moral person who ever walked the earth.  But the unbeliever is under the absolute spiritual authority of Satan and is in bondage to sin.  The believer is under the spiritual authority of God.  And the Word says that no man can serve two masters (Mt. 6:24). 

The union of a believer with an unbeliever forces a believer into a position of spiritual adultery - it is as simple, and as significant, as that.  This fact WILL be a hindrance to the believer's walk with God and will create strain in his or her relationship with the non-believer.  Two perfectly "compatible" people would have problems because of the spiritual battle that would be going on between them, even without their knowledge.  We tend to overlook the literal nature of this battle.  Satan is real and he WILL take advantage of any opportunity to harm, hinder or otherwise distract a believer from following God wholeheartedly.  This will result, to a greater or lesser degree, in some measure of disobedience in the life of the believer and a lack of blessing that God would like to be free to give.

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