# 66 Mixed Marriages

The Book of Genesis Day 66 Ge 6:1 Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. “It came to pass,” God could’ve stopped it, but He allowed it to happen. What did He allow to happen? He allowed the unequal yoking of the godly line to the ungodly line. The believer to the unbeliever. The outcome of this development was not good, but even in the early history of mankind, God was trying to show us marrying an unbeliever is not a good idea. The use of the word “men” here is to indicate the line of Cain, and the “sons of God” is used to indicate the line of Seth. Both Cain and Seth’s lineage produced offspring and one day the sons of Seth said, “hey, those Cain girls are pretty sharp, why shouldn’t we marry them?” and the first instance of being unequally yoked occurred. Now, there was no written Law of God that forbade this, but it’s important to remember that God’s written laws of moral conduct simply codified what has already been written on the heart. Ro 2:14,15 says, “for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, 15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts” The written law that forbade this intermarrying shows up in De 7:3,4 "Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son. 4 "For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods; so the anger of the LORD will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly.” This Law has a history with God and His dealings with men. As we shall see, this intermarrying of “the sons of God” and “men” (unbelievers) led to the massive turning away from God that preceded the flood, in which all but Noah and his family were “suddenly destroyed.” God has seen the downward moral tailspin that has been caused by these marital unions, and since one of the primary purposes of marriage is to raise godly offspring, He forbids it. Mal 2:15 says, “ But did He not make them one, Having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly offspring.” And this is not just some “Old Testament” thing! 2Co 6:14 reminds us, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” The Bible consistently teaches us to avoid these ungodly unions, because they more often than not result in compromise that end up in a falling away from the one true God for generations to come! I know it’s not easy, especially since the pool of marital candidates seems to be shrinking as more and more young people leave the church. Maybe that pool is shrinking because we are paying the price of ignoring God’s command concerning being unequally yoked in the first place! God desires equal yoking and as tough as it may seem, let’s not forget that God has promised to supply our need and if He can raise up stones to shout the praises of Jesus, (see Luke 19:40) he certainly can rustle up a fellow believer suitable for marriage. YOU DON’T HAVE TO SETTLE! Reflect: What are some common things that don’t mix? Do you see the problems that can occur with a “mixed” marriage? What is your reaction to the statement, “I know (he or she) isn’t a believer, but I think I can change them.” What should one do if they find themselves in a mixed marriage? 1Co 7:12, “If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. 13 And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him.” Pray: Father, thank You for this reminder early on in the Book of Genesis concerning mixed marriages. Help our young people to see the importance of this, and as parents, let us pray soon and often that our sons and daughters would be led to the mate You have chosen for them. Help those who are struggling in mixed marriages to persevere in their marriage and to continue to seek to live in that marriage in accordance with Your will.