What other scriptures warn against being led astray by foreign influences? Solomon’s Warning Signpost (Nehemiah 13:26) “Did not Solomon king of Israel sin on account of such women? … yet foreign women drew him into sin.” Foundational Alerts in the Law • Exodus 34:12-16 – “Be careful not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land you are entering, lest they become a snare in your midst.” • Deuteronomy 7:3-4 – “Do not intermarry with them … for they will turn your sons away from Me to worship other gods.” • Numbers 25:1-3 – Israel’s men “indulged in sexual immorality with the daughters of Moab … So Israel joined in worshiping Baal of Peor.” Historical Proof: When Israel Ignored the Warnings • 1 Kings 11:1-4 – “Solomon loved many foreign women … they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” • Ezra 9:12 – “Therefore, do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters for your sons.” • Psalm 106:35-36 – “They mingled with the nations and adopted their customs. They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them.” Wisdom Books: Street-Level Counsel • Proverbs 1:10 – “My son, if sinners entice you, do not yield to them.” • Proverbs 13:20 – “The companion of fools will be destroyed.” • Proverbs 7:25 – “Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways.” Prophets Calling for Separation • Isaiah 2:6 – “They are filled with the practices from the East … and clasp hands with the children of foreigners.” • Jeremiah 10:2 – “Do not learn the way of the nations.” • Hosea 7:8 – “Ephraim mixes with the nations; Ephraim is a flat cake not turned over.” New Testament Reinforcement • 2 Corinthians 6:14-17 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers … ‘Come out from among them and be separate,’ says the Lord.” • 1 Corinthians 15:33 – “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’” • Colossians 2:8 – “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception … rather than on Christ.” • James 4:4 – “Friendship with the world is hostility toward God.” • 1 John 2:15-17 – “Do not love the world or anything in the world.” • Revelation 18:4 – “Come out of her, My people, so that you will not share in her sins.” Key Takeaways for Today • The pattern is consistent: covenant with God requires separation from influences that deny Him. • Compromise often begins with close relationships—marriage, business ties, friendships. • The heart is the battlefield; external partnerships eventually shape inner loyalties. • Both Old and New Testaments urge decisive distance from ideas, practices, and people that pull believers away from wholehearted devotion to the Lord. |
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