2024 Day 271 – Nehemiah 8-10
Nehemiah was working to straighten out some wrongs that the people had been doing. One of these wrongs was who they were marrying. “Shall we then listen to you and do all this great evil and act treacherously against our God by marrying foreign women?” (Nehemiah 13:27) God had given strict commands about who they could marry and why. “You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the LORD would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly.” (Deuteronomy 7:3-4) God’s reason for not marrying people from other nations had nothing to do with the way they looked or the color of their skin. His reason had to do with the negative influence that this spouse would have on His people serving Him. Paul reminds us that this negative influence can come from any type of relationship if we are not careful. “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.’” (1 Corinthians 15:33)
Today’s reading: Nehemiah 8-10