Under Gods Command
Disobedience and defeat
Judges 3:5-7 The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. They took their daughters in marriage and gave their own daughter to their sons, and served their gods. The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs.
The Israelites discovered that relationships affect faith. The men and women of the surrounding nations were attractive to the Israelites. Soon they intermarried, and the Israelite accepted their pagan gods. This was clearly prohibited by God (Exodus 24:15-17; Deuteronomy 7:1-4). By accepting these gods into their homes, the Israelites gradually began to accept the immoral practices associated with them. Most Israelites didn’t start out determined to be idolaters; they just added the idols to the worship of God. But before long they found themselves absorbed in pagan worship.
Lets bring it home: A similar danger faces us. We want to befriend those who don’t know God but through those friendships we can become entangled in unhealthy practices. Friendships with unbelievers are important, but we must accept people without compromising or adopting their patterns of behavior.
Under Gods command 