Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

Daily Encouragement for the Family of God by Kenton Cheek

24 September 2024

Reading From Ezra 7-10

“And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God that is in your hand, appoint magistrates and judges who may judge all the people in the province Beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God. And those who do not know them, you shall teach. Whoever will not obey the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be strictly executed on him, whether for death or for banishment or for confiscation of his goods or for imprisonment.”

 –Ezra 7:25-26

     King Artaxerxes commissioned Ezra to instruct the exiled Israelites in the ways of Yahweh so that they would be able to worship Him properly in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem.  Following God requires mentorship and instruction.  We follow Ezra’s example in the church today by having those who are more mature in the faith preach from the pulpit, teach Bible studies and lead all manner of discipleship groups in order to increase knowledge, wisdom and understanding among our brothers and sisters.  As we share with each other, iron sharpens iron and we build each other up in the faith.

     One of the difficulties that Ezra saw for the Israelites was that many of them had intermarried with those around them who did not know or honor Yahweh.  Intermarriage was not a problem because of a blending of ethnicities.  After all, Moses married a Cushite woman, there were interracial couples such as Ruth and Boaz in the earthly family tree of Jesus, and Timothy’s parents were Jewish and Greek. It was more about people with opposing values coming together and creating lifestyles that blended the worship of Almighty God with the worship of false idols.  Compromise in matters of faith will dilute spiritual power and leave us weak.

     This intermingling creates a culture where God alone is not honored.  He is demoted in the home and placed in competition with whatever the religion of the other spouse is.  This had been the downfall of King Solomon who had 700 wives and 300 concubines, most of whom were foreign idolaters who introduced shameful and horrific infanticidal and sexually immoral pagan worship practices into Hebrew culture.  When two spouses come together in agreement to place Yahweh at the center of their household to the exclusion of all other gods, they will have stability, strength and spiritual prosperity.

“Lord, I pray that You would bless Your people with wisdom when it comes to choosing a spouse.  Your intention is for one man and one woman to come together for a lifetime and for there to be peace and unity in the home.  Be the center of our marriages and our very lives.  I pray for those who are married to unbelievers or followers of other religions.  Give those couples guidance and anoint Your sons and daughters to lead their spouses to You.  In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.”

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you^[c] are the temple of the living God. As God has said:

“I will dwell in them and walk among them.
I will be their God, And they shall be My people.”

Therefore “Come out from among them
And be separate, says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean,
And I will receive you.”
“I will be a Father to you,
And you shall be My sons and daughters,
Says the Lord Almighty.”

 –II Corinthians 6:14-18

To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called youto peace. For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

–I Corinthians 7:12-16