DCLM Daily Manna Saturday June 13th 2026 A Dangerous Misstep

Interactive World Report 2024 indicates that the number of people living in foreign countries has increased three-fold since 1970. This trend has been encouraged by globalisation and uneven regional development. Like Jacob and his family in today’s text, the search for greener pastures has uprooted many people, sometimes with disastrous consequences.

In the text, Jacob’s daughter, Dinah, finds herself in a foreign land. The inquisitive nature of the youth propelled her to explore the land. Sadly, she was ambushed and defiled by Shechem, the son of Hamor, a prince of the Hivites. Hamor quickly proposed a marriage alliance with Israel to redeem the situation. The offer appears attractive enough to appease Jacob: a fat dowry, an opportunity for investments and blending with a prominent Canaanite family. Simeon and Levi, the brothers of Dinah, deceptively prescribed circumcision as a religious ritual to cement the marriage alliance but used it as a tool to revenge their sister’s defilement.

Many families have faced a similar dilemma as Jacob and his children today. Some spinsters and bachelors, born and raised in the church, in their desperation to settle down and raise a family, feel that it is better to marry just anyone rather than remain single for life. There are also those who, in their careless moments, have ended up with an unplanned pregnancy. They are often faced with the dilemma of following Hamor’s face-saving option or obeying God’s commandment on marriage.

However, the scriptural standard remains clear: a Christian should not be unequally yoked with an unbeliever in marriage, time and circumstances notwithstanding. Believers are peculiar people, and marrying unbelievers would erase their distinct identity. And as God warned the children of Israel under Moses, an unequal yoke can lead believers to turn from following God; thereby, provoking His anger. Believers should trust and obey God when choosing a spouse and during the entire marriage process. DCLM Daily Manna Saturday June 13th 2026 A Dangerous Misstep