Moses’ first wife was a Black woman. When Miriam and Aaron spoke poorly of the marriage, God became very angry with them. Numbers 12:1-15, “And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman…(God responded) ‘Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?’ The anger of the LORD burned against them, and he left them. When the cloud lifted from above the Tent, there stood Miriam — leprous, like snow.”
King Solomon wrote “The Song of Solomon,” a love song. He is thought to be represented by the bridegroom, while his bride is dark-skinned. She says, “I am black but lovely…” Song of Solomon 1:5 (NASB). No judgment is given against this relationship. Additionally, the book is a picture of the love Jesus has for His church. If interracial marriage were prohibited, it would picture a forbidden union. This is certainly not the case.
Israel was commanded not to marry foreigners; however, the purpose was to prevent idolatry – there was no mention of problems with interracial marriage. Deuteronomy 7:3,4, “You shall not intermarry with them (the people the Israelites were to conquer), 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.”
The apostle Paul exhorts Christians to marry only other Christians. 2 Corinthians 6:14 (ESV), “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?” The principle again is the problem of uniting a righteous person with a worldly person. Believers love God and want to follow Jesus. Marriage with unbelievers can hurt a believer’s holy life. But nowhere in the New Testament is there a scripture about choosing a spouse with the same skin color.
Additional Resources:
Christian Questions Podcast
Episode #1132: “How Should Christians Respond to Racism? (Part I)”
Finding and adopting a godly approach to a destructive social issue
Preview Video
CQ Rewind Show Notes
Episode #849: “Does the Bible Support Racism? (Part I)
The “curse of Ham” and biblical race principles
CQ Rewind Show Notes
