In an inspiring story titled “He Just Became the First Person to Run Every Street in Chicago, Covering More Than 4,000 Miles in 680 Days” published by Runner’s World over the weekend, it was reported that Joabe Barbosa ran every block of the Windy City’s 234 square miles—with an infectious smile on his face…
Past Wrigley Field and the United Center, around the perimeter of O’Hare International Airport and through the University of Chicago campus in Hyde Park, there is not a single block within the city’s 234 square miles Barbosa has not covered on foot.
“The streets aren't going to run themselves,” he has said more than once, as if seeing it through were a matter of civic duty. After 680 days of averaging roughly 8.7 miles per day, Barbosa has made himself responsible for every one of them.
Barbosa, 25, is no stranger to outlandish pursuits. A clinical psychology doctoral student at Roosevelt University, he owns three Guinness World Records, including “Fastest Time to Travel to All Chicago Subway Stations,” and has lately found a particular satisfaction in creating additional obstacles for himself, among them running one half marathon in rain boots and another in a giant inflatable bee costume.
And, you know, Barbosa isn’t the only person who’s “no stranger to outlandish pursuits”. I wouldn’t hesitate to say that King Solomon, in fact, holds the record for them—when we take into consideration that “outlandish” in that day described foreigners who didn’t follow the laws of Israel—having amassed 700 wives and 300 concubines, totaling 1,000 women. The majority of these wives were foreign, primarily of royal birth, and included princesses from neighboring nations like Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and the Hittites.
Sadly, as wise as King Solomon was, 400 or so years after his death, he was used by Nehemiah as an example of what NOT to do and as a reminder that even the “smartest” man could be given over to temptation by “outlandish” women if he wasn’t careful.
"Moreover, in those days I saw men of Judah who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab. Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of one of the other peoples, and did not know how to speak the language of Judah. I rebuked them and called curses down on them. I beat some of the men and pulled out their hair. I made them take an oath in God’s name and said: “You are not to give your daughters in marriage to their sons, nor are you to take their daughters in marriage for your sons or for yourselves. Was it not because of marriages like these that Solomon king of Israel sinned? Among the many nations there was no king like him. He was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel, but even he was led into sin by foreign women. Must we hear now that you too are doing all this terrible wickedness and are being unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women?” One of the sons of Joiada son of Eliashib the high priest was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite. And I drove him away from me." Nehemiah 13:23-28
Unfortunately Solomon wasn’t the only man that went after “outlandish” pursuits. When Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem after an absence, he discovered the community had backslidden. Among other transgressions, Nehemiah was horrified to find that Jewish men had married women from Ashdod, Moab, and Ammon, and that their children could not even speak the language of Judah anymore. In fierce opposition, he rebuked the men, beat some of them, and pulled out their hair to force an oath that they would stop the practice. He also banished the grandson of the high priest for being allied with Sanballat.
Furthermore, to restore spiritual and moral order, he implemented aggressive reforms: cleansing the Temple, financially supporting the Levites, enforcing strict Sabbath observance, and abolishing intermarriage with surrounding pagan nations
"Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" 2 Corinthians 6:14
The lesson from all this? If Solomon, one of the wisest and most blessed men to have ever lived, sinned with unwise and ungodly relationships, then no one else should consider themselves invulnerable. This lesson is for women as well. In the words of Paul, we must be careful to never “be yoked together with unbelievers.” To do so will only lead us into darkness.
So, heed the words of Paul and refrain from outlandish pursuits, my friend. Marry only someone who believes in Christ that you may have a holy, happy, and healthy marriage in which God is both glorified and obeyed.
Heavenly Father, thank You very much for reminding us how deceitful and deadly it is to marry those who don’t align with our faith. This world tries to say that it doesn’t matter, but we see by the example of Solomon that it absolutely does. Help us to be wise in all our relationships and to yoke ourselves only with fellow believers Lord. It’s in Your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!
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