Marriage with an Alien

God has spoken concerning this subject, and the duty of every son and daughter is to search the Scriptures and become instructed in the matter. They will find marriage with the alien positively forbidden; and also, the reasons given. God knowing what is in the heart of man, and recognizing the weakness of the flesh, hedged his sons and daughters about by giving Israel strict commandment concerning it. Deut. vii: 3 “When the Lord thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, … thou shalt make no covenant with them, … neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.” Then follow the God-given reasons; “For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they serve other gods; so will the anger of the Lord be kindled against thee and destroy thee suddenly.”

The second reason is given in verse 6, as follows, (and as forcibly to God’s sons and daughters of this generation, as when spoken to Israel after the flesh): “For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God. The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.” This reason should appeal to the hearts of brother and sister, having accepted the gracious invitation of God to his kingdom and glory. In so doing we have become a separated people. As Peter says (first epistle xi: 9): “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” Now if this was one of the reasons given by God to Israel after the flesh, why they should refrain from marriage with the alien, does not the same reason apply to Israel after the spirit?

God’s command is clearly given in II Cor. vi: 17,18, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be MY SONS AND DAUGHTERS, saith the Lord Almighty.” A brother and sister having obeyed this command, and separated themselves from the false systems of the “Mother of Harlots,” and her daughters, would it not be an inconsistent step to turn back and select a companion from their midst? Thus forming a companionship which is constant and for life, and exerting an influence from which they cannot escape. It would not only be inconsistent but sinful, and in direct disobedience to the Spirit through Paul (II Cor. vi: 14): “Be ye not unequally yoked (or joined) together with unbelievers; for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” The truth should hold the first place in the affections, and the question should be asked, Will this alliance help me to the kingdom of God, or will it prove a stumbling-block in my path? The result of Israel’s disobedience proved God’s wisdom in the matter, and we see the same evil result in our day and generation arising from the same disobedience, namely, the marriage of a brother or sister with an alien from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers from the covenants of promise;” for in many cases the brother or sister has grown indifferent toward the truth, or else has given it up altogether.

What was King Solomon’s sin? Let Nehemiah answer (xiii: 26): “Did not Solomon, king of Israel, sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved by his God, and God made him king over Israel; nevertheless, even him did outlandish women cause to sin.” This was Solomon’s sin, he disobeyed God and married women outside of the land, and they caused that strong, wise king to sin. This disobedience of God’s command was the foundation of the downfall of the king of Israel. The reader may say, We admit that Israel after the flesh was commanded not to marry the alien, and we recognize the evil results of their disobedience; but does the command extend to spiritual Israel? What stronger language could be used than in Paul’s command (II Cor. vi: 14): “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers.” And again in I Cor. vi: 19, 20 “What, know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

15^th verse, “Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.” The spirit word designates the false systems of religion in the earth as harlot systems, and unclean.

When God’s sons and daughters are drawn aside after them he calls them fornicators. In this light a brother or sister joined by marriage to an individual of these false systems of religion can be said to take the members of Christ and make them the members of an harlot. “For two saith he shall be one flesh.”

How easily the child of God can avoid all this confusion, by obeying God’s command, and “marry only the Lord?”

Brethren, better take warning from Israel’s experience, through their disobedience of this commandment of God. It has been recorded for our admonition (I Cor. x: 11): “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples or types, and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the end of the world is come.”

From the beginning this restriction concerning marriage seems to have been understood by God’s people. Before the flood the sons of God, the descendants of Seth, commenced to intermarry with the daughters of men. This intermarrying resulted in God’s way being corrupted in the earth, and brought the flood of water which destroyed the world. What a comment of the great mistake. “Sons of God took them wives of all they chose.”

It is impossible for a people to be developed on the strong basis of the truth, when this commandment of God is ignored and disobeyed. The result will be inevitable, and indifference and coldness will take the place of love and zeal in the body. It will be impossible to remain a separate, clean and holy people with this sin practiced in our midst without rebuke and warning. Some of our teachers are growing lax concerning it. I would give a word of warning to the young in Christ. If you hope for God’s blessing, heed his commandment concerning this important step in your life, and “marry only in the Lord.”

Reading carefully I Cor. vii, I can discern Paul’s teaching to “Marry only in the Lord” pervading the whole chapter. The inference is too strong to be put aside. Why should the believers ask Paul if they should put away their unbelieving husbands and wives, if they were at liberty to turn around and marry unbelievers? But it was the commandment not to marry unbelievers that suggests the question that Paul answers in this chapter. No, says Paul, if the truth find you in the married state, if the unbelieving husband or wife be pleased to dwell with you peaceably, put them not away. “Ye are bought with a price, be not ye servants of men. Brethren, let every man wherein he is called, therein abide with God.”

As a servant, or a freeman, or in the married state, in which they were bound by the law as long as the husband or wife lived; but if released by death, they would be at liberty to marry again when they pleased, with this restriction, “only in the Lord.”

There is but one case in the Scriptures where marriage with the alien is seemingly condoned by Yahweh. This is the marriage of Moses. Miriam, in a spirit of rebellion, mentions the fact of Moses marrying the Ethiopian woman. She is rebuked for finding fault with Moses, the God-appointed leader. But this cannot be brought forward as testimony in favor of marrying with the alien, as this occurred before the law was given, and in court such testimony would not be admitted, it would avail nothing, being counted as Post De facto evidence. Looked at from God’s standpoint, it was a parallel case with the believers in Paul’s day, whom the truth had found in the married state. God did not require them to put them away. So with Moses, God did not require him to put away his wife, he having married her during his exile of forty years for his people, and before he was made leader of the people of God. But Miriam’s reference to the matter proves that before the law was given there existed even then a restriction concerning marriage with the alien. But after their entrance into the land and under the Divine law, marriage with the alien was strictly prohibited.

Paul’s exhortation to husbands and wives, in Eph. v., can only be read with this understanding, that love and solicitude for their united walk in the truth dwelt in the heart of both. Such a union Paul takes as a type of Christ and the ecclesia. “Wives submit yourselves unto your own husbands as unto the Lord, for the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the ecclesia, and he is the Saviour of the body, therefore as the ecclesia is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be unto their own husbands in everything.” A sister would never place herself in a position, by marrying an alien, that she could not obey Paul’s words of exhortation. The 25^th verse is to brethren, “Husbands love your wives even as Christ also loved the ecclesia and gave himself for it.” Now we cannot imagine Paul giving this command to a brother with an alien wife. What calls forth Christ’s love to the ecclesia? Is it no obedience to the truth, and our union with him as the head? The union of two hearts with the truth holding the first place in their affections could alone furnish the type given by Paul, of Christ’s love and solicitude for the ecclesia.

Brethren and sisters, God is not mocked. As we sow we shall reap. If we sow to the flesh we shall of the flesh reap corruption, and if we sow to the Spirit we shall of the spirit reap life everlasting.

J. W. Tichenor

The Christadelphian Advocate. November 1896, pgs. 253–256.