Would God join together a Christian and a person who worships a false god?

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TheLearner

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#1
Jesus says "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

Would God join together a Christian and a person who worships a false god?
 
M

morefaithrequired

Guest
#2
So a narcissist who worships him or herself is worshipping a false god?
i wouldnt want to marry a hardcore narcissist anyway.
 

presidente

Senior Member
May 29, 2013
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#5
Jesus says "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

Would God join together a Christian and a person who worships a false god?
Marriage is for mankind. God instituted it with Adam and Eve. Pagans can be married. Jews can be married. Christians can be married.

The Bible teaches against becoming unequally yoked with an unbeliever, but it does not teach that such a thing cannot occur (and I do not think yokes are exclusively about marriage.)

Paul advised staying with an unbelieving spouse in the hopes of winning the spouse. He said the children are sanctified in such a case. Peter advised a wife of a man who did not obey the word to be submissive, respectful, and pure so that she might win him.

Many people have come to Christ through the witness of a believing spouse. In missions context, this happens a lot.
 

TheLearner

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#6
where does it say that God himself joined together a believer with an unbeliever?

The problem with mixed religious marriages:

1 Kings 11:8 He also built places of worship where all his foreign wives could burn incense and offer sacrifices to their own gods.

God's Solution:

Ezra 10 Good News Translation (GNT)
The Plan for Ending Mixed Marriages
10 While Ezra was bowing in prayer in front of the Temple, weeping and confessing these sins, a large group of Israelites—men, women, and children—gathered around him, weeping bitterly. 2 Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, of the clan of Elam, said to Ezra, “We have broken faith with God by marrying foreign women, but even so there is still hope for Israel. 3 Now we must make a solemn promise to our God that we will send these women and their children away. We will do what you and the others who honor God's commands advise us to do. We will do what God's Law demands. 4 It is your responsibility to act. We are behind you, so go ahead and get it done.”

5 So Ezra began by making the leaders of the priests, of the Levites, and of the rest of the people take an oath that they would do what Shecaniah had proposed. 6 Then he went from in front of the Temple into the living quarters of Jehohanan son of Eliashib, and spent the night[a] there grieving over the unfaithfulness of the exiles. He did not eat or drink anything.

7 A message was sent throughout Jerusalem and Judah that all those who had returned from exile were to meet in Jerusalem 8 by order of the leaders of the people. If any failed to come within three days, all their property would be confiscated, and they would lose their right to be members of the community. 9 Within the three days, on the twentieth day of the ninth month, all the men living in the territory of Judah and Benjamin came to Jerusalem and assembled in the Temple square. It was raining hard, and because of the weather and the importance of the meeting everyone was trembling.

10 Ezra the priest stood up and spoke to them. He said, “You have been faithless and have brought guilt on Israel by marrying foreign women. 11 Now then, confess your sins to the Lord, the God of your ancestors, and do what pleases him. Separate yourselves from the foreigners living in our land and get rid of your foreign wives.”

12 The people shouted in answer, “We will do whatever you say.” 13 But they added, “The crowd is too big, and it's raining hard. We can't stand here in the open like this. This isn't something that can be done in one or two days, because so many of us are involved in this sin. 14 Let our officials stay in Jerusalem and take charge of the matter. Then let anyone who has a foreign wife come at a set time, together with the leaders and the judges of his city. In this way God's anger over this situation will be turned away.” 15 No one was opposed to the plan except Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah, who had the support of Meshullam and of Shabbethai, a Levite.

16 The returned exiles accepted the plan, so Ezra the priest appointed men from among the heads of the clans and recorded their names. On the first day of the tenth month they began their investigation, 17 and within the next three months they investigated all the cases of men with foreign wives.

The Men Who Had Foreign Wives
18 This is the list of the men who had foreign wives:

Priests, listed by clans:
Clan of Joshua and his brothers, sons of Jehozadak: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah. 19 They promised to divorce their wives, and they offered a ram as a sacrifice for their sins.

20 Clan of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah

21 Clan of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah

22 Clan of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah

Levites
23 Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (also called Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer

Musicians
24 Eliashib

Temple guards
Shallum, Telem, and Uri

Others
25 Clan of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah, and Benaiah

26 Clan of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah

27 Clan of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza

28 Clan of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai

29 Clan of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth

30 Clan of Pahath Moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh

31-32 Clan of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah

33 Clan of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei

34-37 Clan of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel, Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi, Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu

38-42 Clan of Binnui: Shimei, Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph

43 Clan of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah

44 All these men had foreign wives. They divorced them and sent them and their children away.
 

TheLearner

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#7
does this relate?

Tobit 4:12
‘Beware, my son, of every kind of fornication. First of all, marry a woman from among the descendants of your ancestors; do not marry a foreign woman, who is not of your father’s tribe; for we are the descendants of the prophets. Remember, my son, that Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, our ancestors of old, all took wives from among their kindred. They were blessed in their children, and their posterity will inherit the land.
 

TheLearner

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#8
1 Kings 11 Good News Translation (GNT)
Solomon Turns Away from God
11 Solomon loved many foreign women. Besides the daughter of the king of Egypt he married Hittite women and women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Sidon. 2 He married them even though the Lord had commanded the Israelites not to intermarry with these people, because they would cause the Israelites to give their loyalty to other gods. 3 Solomon married seven hundred princesses and also had three hundred concubines. They made him turn away from God, 4 and by the time he was old they had led him into the worship of foreign gods. He was not faithful to the Lord his God, as his father David had been. 5 He worshiped Astarte, the goddess of Sidon, and Molech, the disgusting god of Ammon. 6 He sinned against the Lord and was not true to him as his father David had been. 7 On the mountain east of Jerusalem he built a place to worship Chemosh, the disgusting god of Moab, and a place to worship Molech, the disgusting god of Ammon. 8 He also built places of worship where all his foreign wives could burn incense and offer sacrifices to their own gods.

9-10 Even though the Lord, the God of Israel, had appeared to Solomon twice and had commanded him not to worship foreign gods, Solomon did not obey the Lord but turned away from him. So the Lord was angry with Solomon 11 and said to him, “Because you have deliberately broken your covenant with me and disobeyed my commands, I promise that I will take the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your officials. 12 However, for the sake of your father David I will not do this in your lifetime, but during the reign of your son. 13 And I will not take the whole kingdom away from him; instead, I will leave him one tribe for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I have made my own.”

Solomon's Enemies
14 So the Lord caused Hadad, of the royal family of Edom, to turn against Solomon. 15-16 Long before this, when David had conquered Edom, Joab the commander of his army had gone there to bury the dead. He and his men remained in Edom six months, and during that time they killed every male in Edom 17 except Hadad and some of his father's Edomite servants, who escaped to Egypt. (At that time Hadad was just a child.) 18 They left Midian and went to Paran, where some other men joined them. Then they traveled to Egypt and went to the king, who gave Hadad some land and a house and provided him with food. 19 Hadad won the friendship of the king, and the king gave his sister-in-law, the sister of Queen Tahpenes, to Hadad in marriage. 20 She bore him a son, Genubath, who was raised by the queen in the palace, where he lived with the king's sons.

21 When the news reached Hadad in Egypt that David had died and that Joab the commander of the army was dead, Hadad said to the king, “Let me go back to my own country.”

22 “Why?” the king asked. “Have I failed to give you something? Is that why you want to go back home?”

“Just let me go,” Hadad answered the king. And he went back to his country.[a]

As king of Edom, Hadad was an evil, bitter enemy of Israel.

23 God also caused Rezon son of Eliada to turn against Solomon. Rezon had fled from his master, King Hadadezer of Zobah, 24 and had become the leader of a gang of outlaws. (This happened after David had defeated Hadadezer and had slaughtered his Syrian allies.) Rezon and his gang went and lived in Damascus, where his followers made him king of Syria. 25 He was an enemy of Israel during the lifetime of Solomon.

God's Promise to Jeroboam
26 Another man who turned against King Solomon was one of his officials, Jeroboam son of Nebat, from Zeredah in Ephraim. His mother was a widow named Zeruah. 27 This is the story of the revolt.

Solomon was filling in the land on the east side of Jerusalem and repairing the city walls. 28 Jeroboam was an able young man, and when Solomon noticed how hard he worked, he put him in charge of all the forced labor in the territory of the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim. 29 One day, as Jeroboam was traveling from Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh met him alone on the road in the open country. 30 Ahijah took off the new robe he was wearing, tore it into twelve pieces, 31 and said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself, because the Lord, the God of Israel, says to you, ‘I am going to take the kingdom away from Solomon, and I will give you ten tribes. 32 Solomon will keep one tribe for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen to be my own from the whole land of Israel. 33 I am going to do this because Solomon has rejected me and has worshiped foreign gods: Astarte, the goddess of Sidon; Chemosh, the god of Moab; and Molech, the god of Ammon. Solomon has[d] disobeyed me; he has done wrong and has not kept my laws and commands as his father David did. 34 But I will not take the whole kingdom away from Solomon, and I will keep him in power as long as he lives. This I will do for the sake of my servant David, whom I chose and who obeyed my laws and commands. 35 I will take the kingdom away from Solomon's son and will give you ten tribes, 36 but I will let Solomon's son keep one tribe, so that I will always have a descendant of my servant David ruling in Jerusalem, the city I have chosen as the place where I am worshiped. 37 Jeroboam, I will make you king of Israel, and you will rule over all the territory that you want. 38 If you obey me completely, live by my laws, and win my approval by doing what I command, as my servant David did, I will always be with you. I will make you king of Israel and will make sure that your descendants rule after you, just as I have done for David. 39 Because of Solomon's sin I will punish the descendants of David, but not for all time.’”

40 And so Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but he escaped to King Shishak of Egypt and stayed there until Solomon's death.

The Death of Solomon
41 Everything else that Solomon did, his career, and his wisdom, are all recorded in The History of Solomon. 42 He was king in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years. 43 He died and was buried in David's City, and his son Rehoboam succeeded him as king.
 

TheLearner

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#9
Short edition: "All these men had foreign wives. They divorced them and sent them and their children away. " form God's direction through Ezra. 10 Ezra the priest stood up and spoke to them. He said, “You have been faithless and have brought guilt on Israel by marrying foreign women. 11 Now then, confess your sins to the Lord, the God of your ancestors, and do what pleases him. Separate yourselves from the foreigners living in our land and get rid of your foreign wives.”
 
Feb 28, 2016
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#10
yes, of course He brings together His chosen where ever they happen to be in their lives -
most don't even know that they are 'called and chosen' and Yeshua surely knows their hearts,
and will do Hid bidding as He sees fit, when, where, how...
 

presidente

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May 29, 2013
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#11
where does it say that God himself joined together a believer with an unbeliever?

The problem with mixed religious marriages:

1 Kings 11:8 He also built places of worship where all his foreign wives could burn incense and offer sacrifices to their own gods.

God's Solution:

Ezra 10 Good News Translation (GNT)
The Plan for Ending Mixed Marriages
10 While Ezra was bowing in prayer in front of the Temple, weeping and confessing these sins, a large group of Israelites—men, women, and children—gathered around him, weeping bitterly.
Let's back up to chapter 9.

Ezra 9
1When these things were done, the leaders came to me, saying, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, with respect to the abominations of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. 2 For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, so that the holy seed is mixed with the peoples of those lands. Indeed, the hand of the leaders and rulers has been foremost in this trespass.”

All Israelites were forbidden in the Torah from marrying Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and Amorites and priests were forbidden from marrying any foreigners, including those groups and also Ammonites, Moabites, and Egyptians.

But Israelites who were not priests could marry Egyptians. (They were specifically allowed to marry distant captive virgins taken in battle.)

Some of the culprits in this case were priests and may have been the ones to marry the Egyptians and descendants of Lot.

Ezra's example could be a reason some of the Corinthians may have been wondering if they should divorce unbelievers. Paul advised against it.

Many Christians are also Gentiles. The Bible doesn't tell Lebanese Christians not to marry fellow Canaanite Christians or Egyptian Christians not to marry fellow Egyptian Christians. The Torah did not say it was okay for Jews to marry monotheistic Canaanites either.
 

laughingheart

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Sep 21, 2016
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#12
What about Esther and Xerxes? God's ways are beyond our comprehension. We try, and our best path is obedience to His word, but how he accomplishes His goals sometimes confounds our understanding.
I am sure that as a devout Jewish woman Esther dreamed of having an observant Jewish husband and being able to have children and raise them in a godly home. The palace was a place of moral decay, intrigue and worldliness at its darkest. We know her story and celebrate the victory but what of the woman? She didn't get to leave. She would have spent the rest of her life in that setting, her life dependent on the whims of a madman. It would never seem to be God's will that this woman marry that man and her life be stuck there.
You have studied deeply and I agree that we should only marry others Christians. In thinking of Esther, there may be others who have ended up unequally yoked and despair, and yet, I believe there is every possibility that God can use it for his glory in some way. We should seek to avoid such a pairing but if we are there, we can pray for God's best. These are my thoughts to add to the discussion.
 

presidente

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#13
I don't know that Esther's husband was a madman. If the name refers to Xerxes, he certainly was a conqueror, and such people may not always be easy to get along with. Authorizing Haman to commit genocide showed some major moral deficiency, IMO.

Something we need to keep in mind is that we can say God joined together Adam and Eve. He instituted marriage. But we also see in the Torah that the delegated authority to make marriage happen was in the hands of either the groom or his father and the father of the bride, at least in the case of virgin brides. The Jews had a tradition of the bride consenting also-- and there is a passage that shows an example of it when Rebecca consented to her marriage.

There are people who think that when a priest or preacher says 'What God hath joined together, let not man put assunder", that the priest or preacher is exercising some clerical power of God to join people. But the Bible does not teach this. Boaz took the widow Ruth in a real estate and inheritance transaction. The elders were there as witnesses and there is no indication they performed the ceremony. A man would wed by giving the father of a virgin a bride price. Later, he would come collect her with an entourage (at least in the time of Christ) and there would typically be a wedding feast. Even the New Testament scriptures mention marrying and giving in marriage. Fathers gave in marriage in the Bible.

I cringed a bit when I saw people getting married in '50's Hollywood movies when someone performs a ceremony supposedly set in Old Testament times and the officiant says something like, "Do you take her as your wife according to the law of Moses?"

The ancient pagan Romans had a ceremony where the bride and groom stood before a priest and spoke some words. A woman marrying Gaius might say, "Where you are Gaius, I am Gaia." There was also a custom involving a ring on the ring finger.

My guess is that Christian Romans developed a custom based on their own fame of reference a Christian priest/elder perform the ceremony instead of going through pagan ceremony. Other people-groups had their own customs. But Rome and Christian Roman culture became influential and eventually had the weight of religious authority behind it. The east was ruled by an imported Roman city into Constantinople which inherited Roman legal and social traditions.

From what I have read from Edersheim, in the first century, the synagogue was not led by someone called a 'rabbi' (falsely so called since this is a title reserved for the Messiah.) From other readings I gather that the legal cult, a Pharisee wing of it which valued Hillel, refocused Judah on Torah study and the synagogue some time after the temple was destroyed. Now, we see the Jewish religious leader performing wedding ceremonies, and I suspect this was influenced by the predominant culture.

Another aspect to this is that the restrictions on Hebrews for marrying were ethnic. They were not allowed to intermarry with the seven nearby nations. If I were a Messianic Jew seeking to observe Torah, not eating pork an not turning on the lights on Shabbat, I probably would not marry a Christian who is an ethnic Lebonese person. As a Christian, if I were in that situation, I would not marry an unbelieving Jew. These are two sets of restrictions.
 

TheLearner

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#14
What about Esther and Xerxes? God's ways are beyond our comprehension. We try, and our best path is obedience to His word, but how he accomplishes His goals sometimes confounds our understanding.
I am sure that as a devout Jewish woman Esther dreamed of having an observant Jewish husband and being able to have children and raise them in a godly home. The palace was a place of moral decay, intrigue and worldliness at its darkest. We know her story and celebrate the victory but what of the woman? She didn't get to leave. She would have spent the rest of her life in that setting, her life dependent on the whims of a madman. It would never seem to be God's will that this woman marry that man and her life be stuck there.
You have studied deeply and I agree that we should only marry others Christians. In thinking of Esther, there may be others who have ended up unequally yoked and despair, and yet, I believe there is every possibility that God can use it for his glory in some way. We should seek to avoid such a pairing but if we are there, we can pray for God's best. These are my thoughts to add to the discussion.
what about plural marriage since the kings did that too.
 

TheLearner

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#15
1 Kings 11 Good News Translation (GNT)
Solomon Turns Away from God
11 Solomon loved many foreign women. Besides the daughter of the king of Egypt he married Hittite women and women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Sidon. 2 He married them even though the Lord had commanded the Israelites not to intermarry with these people, because they would cause the Israelites to give their loyalty to other gods. 3 Solomon married seven hundred princesses and also had three hundred concubines. They made him turn away from God, 4 and by the time he was old they had led him into the worship of foreign gods. He was not faithful to the Lord his God, as his father David had been. 5 He worshiped Astarte, the goddess of Sidon, and Molech, the disgusting god of Ammon. 6 He sinned against the Lord and was not true to him as his father David had been. 7 On the mountain east of Jerusalem he built a place to worship Chemosh, the disgusting god of Moab, and a place to worship Molech, the disgusting god of Ammon. 8 He also built places of worship where all his foreign wives could burn incense and offer sacrifices to their own gods.

9-10 Even though the Lord, the God of Israel, had appeared to Solomon twice and had commanded him not to worship foreign gods, Solomon did not obey the Lord but turned away from him. So the Lord was angry with Solomon 11 and said to him, “Because you have deliberately broken your covenant with me and disobeyed my commands, I promise that I will take the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your officials. 12 However, for the sake of your father David I will not do this in your lifetime, but during the reign of your son. 13 And I will not take the whole kingdom away from him; instead, I will leave him one tribe for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I have made my own.”

Solomon's Enemies
14 So the Lord caused Hadad, of the royal family of Edom, to turn against Solomon. 15-16 Long before this, when David had conquered Edom, Joab the commander of his army had gone there to bury the dead. He and his men remained in Edom six months, and during that time they killed every male in Edom 17 except Hadad and some of his father's Edomite servants, who escaped to Egypt. (At that time Hadad was just a child.) 18 They left Midian and went to Paran, where some other men joined them. Then they traveled to Egypt and went to the king, who gave Hadad some land and a house and provided him with food. 19 Hadad won the friendship of the king, and the king gave his sister-in-law, the sister of Queen Tahpenes, to Hadad in marriage. 20 She bore him a son, Genubath, who was raised by the queen in the palace, where he lived with the king's sons.

21 When the news reached Hadad in Egypt that David had died and that Joab the commander of the army was dead, Hadad said to the king, “Let me go back to my own country.”

22 “Why?” the king asked. “Have I failed to give you something? Is that why you want to go back home?”

“Just let me go,” Hadad answered the king. And he went back to his country.[a]

As king of Edom, Hadad was an evil, bitter enemy of Israel.

23 God also caused Rezon son of Eliada to turn against Solomon. Rezon had fled from his master, King Hadadezer of Zobah, 24 and had become the leader of a gang of outlaws. (This happened after David had defeated Hadadezer and had slaughtered his Syrian allies.) Rezon and his gang went and lived in Damascus, where his followers made him king of Syria. 25 He was an enemy of Israel during the lifetime of Solomon.

God's Promise to Jeroboam
26 Another man who turned against King Solomon was one of his officials, Jeroboam son of Nebat, from Zeredah in Ephraim. His mother was a widow named Zeruah. 27 This is the story of the revolt.

Solomon was filling in the land on the east side of Jerusalem and repairing the city walls. 28 Jeroboam was an able young man, and when Solomon noticed how hard he worked, he put him in charge of all the forced labor in the territory of the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim. 29 One day, as Jeroboam was traveling from Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh met him alone on the road in the open country. 30 Ahijah took off the new robe he was wearing, tore it into twelve pieces, 31 and said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself, because the Lord, the God of Israel, says to you, ‘I am going to take the kingdom away from Solomon, and I will give you ten tribes. 32 Solomon will keep one tribe for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen to be my own from the whole land of Israel. 33 I am going to do this because Solomon has rejected me and has worshiped foreign gods: Astarte, the goddess of Sidon; Chemosh, the god of Moab; and Molech, the god of Ammon. Solomon has[d] disobeyed me; he has done wrong and has not kept my laws and commands as his father David did. 34 But I will not take the whole kingdom away from Solomon, and I will keep him in power as long as he lives. This I will do for the sake of my servant David, whom I chose and who obeyed my laws and commands. 35 I will take the kingdom away from Solomon's son and will give you ten tribes, 36 but I will let Solomon's son keep one tribe, so that I will always have a descendant of my servant David ruling in Jerusalem, the city I have chosen as the place where I am worshiped. 37 Jeroboam, I will make you king of Israel, and you will rule over all the territory that you want. 38 If you obey me completely, live by my laws, and win my approval by doing what I command, as my servant David did, I will always be with you. I will make you king of Israel and will make sure that your descendants rule after you, just as I have done for David. 39 Because of Solomon's sin I will punish the descendants of David, but not for all time.’”

40 And so Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but he escaped to King Shishak of Egypt and stayed there until Solomon's death.

The Death of Solomon
41 Everything else that Solomon did, his career, and his wisdom, are all recorded in The History of Solomon. 42 He was king in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years. 43 He died and was buried in David's City, and his son Rehoboam succeeded him as king.
 

TheLearner

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#16
Ezra 10 Good News Translation (GNT)
The Plan for Ending Mixed Marriages
10 While Ezra was bowing in prayer in front of the Temple, weeping and confessing these sins, a large group of Israelites—men, women, and children—gathered around him, weeping bitterly. 2 Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, of the clan of Elam, said to Ezra, “We have broken faith with God by marrying foreign women, but even so there is still hope for Israel. 3 Now we must make a solemn promise to our God that we will send these women and their children away. We will do what you and the others who honor God's commands advise us to do. We will do what God's Law demands. 4 It is your responsibility to act. We are behind you, so go ahead and get it done.”

5 So Ezra began by making the leaders of the priests, of the Levites, and of the rest of the people take an oath that they would do what Shecaniah had proposed. 6 Then he went from in front of the Temple into the living quarters of Jehohanan son of Eliashib, and spent the night[a] there grieving over the unfaithfulness of the exiles. He did not eat or drink anything.

7 A message was sent throughout Jerusalem and Judah that all those who had returned from exile were to meet in Jerusalem 8 by order of the leaders of the people. If any failed to come within three days, all their property would be confiscated, and they would lose their right to be members of the community. 9 Within the three days, on the twentieth day of the ninth month, all the men living in the territory of Judah and Benjamin came to Jerusalem and assembled in the Temple square. It was raining hard, and because of the weather and the importance of the meeting everyone was trembling.

10 Ezra the priest stood up and spoke to them. He said, “You have been faithless and have brought guilt on Israel by marrying foreign women. 11 Now then, confess your sins to the Lord, the God of your ancestors, and do what pleases him. Separate yourselves from the foreigners living in our land and get rid of your foreign wives.”

12 The people shouted in answer, “We will do whatever you say.” 13 But they added, “The crowd is too big, and it's raining hard. We can't stand here in the open like this. This isn't something that can be done in one or two days, because so many of us are involved in this sin. 14 Let our officials stay in Jerusalem and take charge of the matter. Then let anyone who has a foreign wife come at a set time, together with the leaders and the judges of his city. In this way God's anger over this situation will be turned away.” 15 No one was opposed to the plan except Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah, who had the support of Meshullam and of Shabbethai, a Levite.

16 The returned exiles accepted the plan, so Ezra the priest appointed men from among the heads of the clans and recorded their names. On the first day of the tenth month they began their investigation, 17 and within the next three months they investigated all the cases of men with foreign wives.

The Men Who Had Foreign Wives
18 This is the list of the men who had foreign wives:

Priests, listed by clans:
Clan of Joshua and his brothers, sons of Jehozadak: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah. 19 They promised to divorce their wives, and they offered a ram as a sacrifice for their sins.

20 Clan of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah

21 Clan of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah

22 Clan of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah

Levites
23 Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (also called Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer

Musicians
24 Eliashib

Temple guards
Shallum, Telem, and Uri

Others
25 Clan of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah, and Benaiah

26 Clan of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah

27 Clan of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza

28 Clan of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai

29 Clan of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth

30 Clan of Pahath Moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh

31-32 Clan of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah

33 Clan of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei

34-37 Clan of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel, Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi, Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu

38-42 Clan of Binnui: Shimei, Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph

43 Clan of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah

44 All these men had foreign wives. They divorced them and sent them and their children away.



Tobit 4:12
‘Beware, my son, of every kind of fornication. First of all, marry a woman from among the descendants of your ancestors; do not marry a foreign woman, who is not of your father’s tribe; for we are the descendants of the prophets. Remember, my son, that Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, our ancestors of old, all took wives from among their kindred. They were blessed in their children, and their posterity will inherit the land.
 

Butterflyyy

Well-known member
Oct 31, 2019
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#18
Jesus says "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

Would God join together a Christian and a person who worships a false god?
Generally the answer is no, it says, "Do not be unequally yoked," in the Bible.
 

Butterflyyy

Well-known member
Oct 31, 2019
1,626
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#19
Ezra 10 Good News Translation (GNT)
The Plan for Ending Mixed Marriages
10 While Ezra was bowing in prayer in front of the Temple, weeping and confessing these sins, a large group of Israelites—men, women, and children—gathered around him, weeping bitterly. 2 Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, of the clan of Elam, said to Ezra, “We have broken faith with God by marrying foreign women, but even so there is still hope for Israel. 3 Now we must make a solemn promise to our God that we will send these women and their children away. We will do what you and the others who honor God's commands advise us to do. We will do what God's Law demands. 4 It is your responsibility to act. We are behind you, so go ahead and get it done.”

5 So Ezra began by making the leaders of the priests, of the Levites, and of the rest of the people take an oath that they would do what Shecaniah had proposed. 6 Then he went from in front of the Temple into the living quarters of Jehohanan son of Eliashib, and spent the night[a] there grieving over the unfaithfulness of the exiles. He did not eat or drink anything.

7 A message was sent throughout Jerusalem and Judah that all those who had returned from exile were to meet in Jerusalem 8 by order of the leaders of the people. If any failed to come within three days, all their property would be confiscated, and they would lose their right to be members of the community. 9 Within the three days, on the twentieth day of the ninth month, all the men living in the territory of Judah and Benjamin came to Jerusalem and assembled in the Temple square. It was raining hard, and because of the weather and the importance of the meeting everyone was trembling.

10 Ezra the priest stood up and spoke to them. He said, “You have been faithless and have brought guilt on Israel by marrying foreign women. 11 Now then, confess your sins to the Lord, the God of your ancestors, and do what pleases him. Separate yourselves from the foreigners living in our land and get rid of your foreign wives.”

12 The people shouted in answer, “We will do whatever you say.” 13 But they added, “The crowd is too big, and it's raining hard. We can't stand here in the open like this. This isn't something that can be done in one or two days, because so many of us are involved in this sin. 14 Let our officials stay in Jerusalem and take charge of the matter. Then let anyone who has a foreign wife come at a set time, together with the leaders and the judges of his city. In this way God's anger over this situation will be turned away.” 15 No one was opposed to the plan except Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah, who had the support of Meshullam and of Shabbethai, a Levite.

16 The returned exiles accepted the plan, so Ezra the priest appointed men from among the heads of the clans and recorded their names. On the first day of the tenth month they began their investigation, 17 and within the next three months they investigated all the cases of men with foreign wives.

The Men Who Had Foreign Wives
18 This is the list of the men who had foreign wives:

Priests, listed by clans:
Clan of Joshua and his brothers, sons of Jehozadak: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah. 19 They promised to divorce their wives, and they offered a ram as a sacrifice for their sins.

20 Clan of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah

21 Clan of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah

22 Clan of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah

Levites
23 Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (also called Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer

Musicians
24 Eliashib

Temple guards
Shallum, Telem, and Uri

Others
25 Clan of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah, and Benaiah

26 Clan of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah

27 Clan of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza

28 Clan of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai

29 Clan of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth

30 Clan of Pahath Moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh

31-32 Clan of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah

33 Clan of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei

34-37 Clan of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel, Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi, Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu

38-42 Clan of Binnui: Shimei, Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph

43 Clan of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah

44 All these men had foreign wives. They divorced them and sent them and their children away.



Tobit 4:12
‘Beware, my son, of every kind of fornication. First of all, marry a woman from among the descendants of your ancestors; do not marry a foreign woman, who is not of your father’s tribe; for we are the descendants of the prophets. Remember, my son, that Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, our ancestors of old, all took wives from among their kindred. They were blessed in their children, and their posterity will inherit the land.
Tobit is NOT in the Bible 😐
 

TheLearner

Well-known member
Jan 14, 2019
8,221
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Brighton, MI
#20
Tobit is NOT in the Bible 😐
So, it reflects historically how people thought biblically between the testaments. It was accepted as Scripture before Luther.

Matt.. 7:12 – Jesus’ golden rule “do unto others” is the converse of Tobit 4:15 – what you hate, do not do to others.
Matt. 11:25 – Jesus’ description “Lord of heaven and earth” is the same as Tobit 7:18 – Lord of heaven and earth.
Matt. 22:25; Mark 12:20; Luke 20:29 – Gospel writers refer to Tobit 3:8 and 7:11 regarding the seven brothers.
Rev. 1:4 – the seven spirits who are before his throne is taken from Tobit 12:15
Rev. 8:3-4 – prayers of the saints presented to God by the hand of an angel follows Tobit 12:12,15.
Rev. 19:1 – the cry “Hallelujah” at the coming of the new Jerusalem follows Tobit 13:18.
Rev. 21:19 – the description of the new Jerusalem with precious stones is prophesied in Tobit 13:17.

“‘For even now the angel of God.’ He shows also, that when Susannah prayed to God, and was heard, the angel was sent then to help her, just as was the case in the instance of Tobias [Tobit 3:17] and Sara

https://www.scripturecatholic.com/deuterocanonical-books-new-testament/

So Calvin (a) acknowledges that Baruch was a prophet, (b) cites Baruch as Scripture, and (c) suggests that 1 Corinthians 10:19-24 borrows from Baruch 4. http://shamelesspopery.com/four-surprising-facts-about-john-calvin-and-the-apocrypha/

The Reformers quote those books as Scripture: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/davearmstrong/2015/12/calvins-citations-of-the-apocrypha.html https://www.patheos.com/blogs/davearmstrong/2015/12/calvins-citations-of-the-apocrypha.html And, yes the Church Fathers sometimes quotes those books.

Many Christians read them for Edification