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August 14 Daily Devotional

An Unbeliever's Influence

Charles and Norma Ellis

Bible Reading:

Nehemiah 13:23-31

23In those days also saw I Jews that had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab:
24And their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews' language, but according to the language of each people.
25And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves.
26Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin.
27Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to transgress against our God in marrying strange wives?
28And one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was son in law to Sanballat the Horonite: therefore I chased him from me.
29Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood, and the covenant of the priesthood, and of the Levites.
30Thus cleansed I them from all strangers, and appointed the wards of the priests and the Levites, every one in his business;
31And for the wood offering, at times appointed, and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.

Devotional:

Solomon, for all his wisdom, was led into sin through marriage with godless women. 'The foreign women caused even him to sin' (13:26 NASB). In this startling sentence God reaches back into history and uses Solomon as an example and warning. If Solomon, with all his wisdom, was made to sin by marriage with unbelievers, what can we expect from those who are less wise than Solomon? A woman of beauty and physical charm has often led a man into temptation which he could not resist. There are many Delilahs and Jezebels with us today.

Young men and women need the starkness of this verse. The believer cannot assume that he or she might be able to exert influence on a prospective marriage partner that will lead to his or her salvation. We cannot go counter to God's law for marriage, presuming on His grace! There needs to be realistic cold thinking concerning mixed marriages.

Sometimes in our world things are far too fuzzy. We forget what a hard line there is between the child of God and the unbeliever. From the day a child enters kindergarten he needs to be reminded by his parents that he is different. Especially is this the case when it comes to marriage. If a person is 'kind,' or 'decent' we feel that a Christian could perhaps settle for this. We point to cases where after marriage the unbeliever has been won to Christ. Certainly Scripture encourages us to see that this can occur, but this is not God's law. Because He sometimes does reach down in His grace and save the unbelieving partner, we cannot presume upon Him to do this. We cannot spoil His image of Himself and the Church! We must marry only in the Lord. It is as clear as that!

We need to be much in prayer for our young people. Let us remind them of Solomon!


We are happy to have obtained permission to post as our current daily devotional Heirs Together of Life: Daily Bible Reading for Husbands and Wives, published by The Banner of Truth Trust. Don't be misled by the subtitle. As the book's "Preface" indicates (see below), although Heirs Together of Life is "especially prepared for couples,"the authors declare, "Since the basis for this guide is God's Word, we believe it would have value for any reader."

Charles and Norma Ellis are husband and wife and the authors not only of Heirs Together of Life (which was first published in 1980 and continues in print today), but also of Wells of Salvation (first published in 1985, and likewise still in print today). The latter contains a series of short studies covering the entire book of Isaiah, while the former contains a series of almost 200 short studies covering the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. Both books by the Ellises can be ordered from the publisher, The Banner of Truth Trust. We trust that these daily Bible readings, posted daily on our site, will be helpful to you in your Christian walk before God. Whether married or not, all of us are members of families and members of the family of God.

Charles Ellis was educated at Wheaton College and Westminster Theological Seminary. Upon graduation from Westminster (where he earned not only a Th.B. but also a Th.M.), he was ordained to the ministry in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and pastored a number of OPC churches, including Immanuel OPC in West Collingswood, New Jersey; First OPC in Cincinnati, Ohio; Covenant OPC in East Orange, New Jersey; Knox OPC in Silver Spring, Maryland; and Lakeview OPC in Rockport, Maine. Less biographical information is available about his wife, but it is known that they served as parents of seven children. After retiring from the ministry, Charles Ellis went to be with the Lord in 2003, but he and his wife left us with a beautiful legacy in the two books they have given to the world, and we are proud to share the daily Bible readings from Heirs Together of Life here with you.

 

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