Unequally Yoked? 1 Kings 11:1-4

Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, "You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods." Solomon clung to these in love. He had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. (1 Kings 11:1-4 ESV)


 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,

and I will be their God,

and they shall be my people.

Therefore go out from their midst,

and be separate from them, says the Lord,

and touch no unclean thing;

then I will welcome you,

and I will be a father to you,

and you shall be sons and daughters to me,

says the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:14-18, ESV)

1 Kings 11 is a biblical example of why one should not date an unbeliever. If you date an unbeliever with the reasoning that you will be able to "change" him or her.. You need to back it on up and hop back over the friends only line. Chances are you will not change them and you will fall. Imagine standing up and trying to hold or pull another person up. No matter how strong you are, you will eventually fall. Dating relationships  typically are deep relationships, and a deep relationship apart from the Body of Christ holds not accountability. God's word tells us we are not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers. There are no excuses for a believer to even think for a second they can date an unbeliever.  And an unbeliever includes those who say they are Christians but show no fruit..    And I've been in those shoes before.  I've dated an unbeliever thinking "I can change him- I can show him Jesus."  I thought I was invincible and I could date anybody and stand firm. But I quickly realized this was not the case as I was not being encouraged or built up any longer, and the chains of sin began wrap around me.   Praise God my experience with this only lasted about 3 months, and my conviction led me to awakening and repentance realizing my need for God in every dimension of my life.  I praise Him for pulling me out of that miry pit before I got too deep.   Our God cares and that's why He has given us the Word.

God told Solomon not to enter marriage with the foreign women because they would turn his heart after their gods.  Solomon married them anyway and clung to them, and these women did turn his heart after other gods.  He did what was evil in sight of the Lord and God tore the kingdom of Israel from Solomon's hands leaving only one tribe in Israel of the twelve tribes for Solomon to reign for the sake of David and Jerusalem. (1 Kings 11:9-13)


God's command to Solomon is true for us today.  And the consequences are tough.  Our decisions we make over who we allow ourselves to date and marry can affect generations to come. Be wise. Be alert. And be of sound mind.

 Be sober-minded;be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. (1 Peter 5:8-9, ESV)

Girls, if you are struggling with the temptation to date an unbeliever or are already in a dating relationship with an unbeliever and not sure how to pull out and stay out of the miry pit it's sucked you into, I would love to talk with you, cry with you, and help hold you accountable.  I'm a message away :).  God loves you, and He's won the battle for you if you'll only surrender it to Him.  And I love you as my sister in Christ.





With much much love,

Allison