Does God condone mixed marriages?
Mixed marriage in the context of this question means marriage of two people of different races. The only way to answer this question is to look and see “what saith the scriptures.” The first marriage in the Bible that comes to mind concerning mixed marriage involves Moses.
The Scripture says: And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it. (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.) And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out. And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth. And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and he departed (Numbers 12:1-9).
Moses, one of the greatest heroes of the faith married a black, Ethiopian women. When his own brother and sister spoke against the marriage what did the LORD do? The LORD claimed Moses was faithful in all of God’s house. Miriam was chastised with leprosy.
Marriages spoken against in the Bible refer to the spiritual aspect. What does a believer have to do with an unbeliever? A saved Christian is not to marry a lost person. That is clear. However, the above question refers to racial ethnicity. Does God condone a white person marrying a black person, a brown person marrying a yellow person, a red person marrying a black person, or a red person marrying a white person? What does God think about those marriages?
Rahab and Ruth
The examples of Rahab and Ruth help in understanding how God views the issue of inter-racial marriage. Rahab was a Canaanite. The Canaanites as a nation were an ungodly people. They were the descendants of Canaan, the son of Ham. In the genealogy of Matthew 1 the same Rahab is listed here as being in the family lineage leading to Christ. Rahab, a descendant of Ham, married an Israelite (descendent of Shem).
The same example is Ruth, who was a Moabitess. She also married an Israelite, and is listed in the genealogy in Matthew 1 that leads to Christ. Prior to her marriage, she had expressed faith in the true God (Ruth 1:16). When Rahab and Ruth became children of God, there was no longer any barrier to Israelites marrying them, even though they were from different ethnic groups. They are listed as heroes of the faith and part of the royal lineage of the King of Israel.
Noah and Family
And God spake unto Noah, saying, Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee. Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth (Genesis 8:15-17).
When Noah debarked only his family was chosen to replenish the earth. That means everyone on earth is from the same family (physically, not spiritually). That means the son’s of Noah were the same ethnicity as their mother and father. However, the wives of the son’s of Noah contributed to the diversity of the races.
So, does that mean human nature is partial to diverse racial ethnicity? Racism stems from hatred of what a person does not like. If a person does not like or want to marry a person from another race that is their choice. However, if a person does not want to marry a person of another race that does not necessarily mean they are racially hateful either. A true Christian loves all people of all races and does not hate people but hates sin. The answer to the question is people naturally choose mates of their own liking. A person better have God’s okay on the marriage and they must be saved. God backed up Moses concerning his marriage and they were from two different races.
I do have to say from my experience that the “church” people who look down on people of mixed marriages certainly do not behave themselves as the scriptures teach. Once they have it in for someone they will lie about that person, deceive, backbite, and spread false rumours about the people they have falsely judged as unworthy. That certainly is not showing the love of Christ but does reveal the lies of their father the devil which abound in their actions and fruits.