Judges 3:5-9 And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites: And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods.
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New Testament:
13 And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.
If the unbelieving mate is pleased to dwell with the believing mate as the believing mate follows God, then allow the unbelieving mate to do so. Basically this says: The unbeliever is to dwell with the believer allowing the believer to serve God as that believer sees fit. It does not say for the believer to dwell with the unbeliever but for the unbeliever to dwell with the believer. The believer would continue to live as a believer. If the believer is able to do that and the unbeliever lives in peace as the believer follows God, then do not put away that unbeliever.
But if the unbeliever fusses at the believer as the believer tries to follow God, it will not be peaceful and that is another matter.
14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.
15 But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.
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Judges 3:7 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgat the Lord their God, and served Baalim and the groves.
We do have many examples in the Bible where the unbeliever causes the believer to fall away from God. Beware! The believer must continue to believe in God and to serve God. Otherwise there will be a penalty and you will not be able to stand against the enemies of God and you will go under with the unbelievers.
The apostle Paul said: O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? (Galatians 3:1)
Judges 3:8 Therefore the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and HE sold them into the hand of Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushanrishathaim eight years. (8 year penalty)
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Judges 3:9 And when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.
We can be drained by unbelievers and find ourselves slipping a little and the fire of the love we have for God and for Bible dimming. When we cry to God, asking God for wisdom ... "What is happening to me?" ... God will give us HIS wisdom so we can make corrections and rekindle the flame for the Word of God.
We continually keep ourselves, day by day, in the love of God by thinking on God and by thinking on that good thing that God has done for us. Just think of what you were before you were born again and how God rescued you and changed your life and brought you out from the wisdom of men and from the ways of this world and set you in HIS ways and freed you from worldly ways of bondage!
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