Polygamy
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Hebrews 13:4 ESV
Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed
be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.
Genesis 2:24 ESV
Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and
hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
ONE flesh, not two, three, four, or five etc
Ephesians 5:25 ESV
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,
Genesis 2:18 ESV
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man
should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”
God gave one man one woman, not multiples.
Ephesians 5:33 ESV
However, let each one of you love his wife as himself,
and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
Matthew 5:28 ESV
But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful
intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Romans 12:1-2 ESV
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Matthew 19:6 ESV
So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore
God has joined together, let not man separate.
Again, ONE flesh.
1 Thessalonians 4:3 ESV
For this is the will of God, your sanctification:
that you abstain from sexual immorality;
Ephesians 5:1-33 ESV
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
Ecclesiastes 9:9 ESV
Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun.
Malachi 2:13 Another thing you do: You flood the Lord’s altar with tears. You weep and wail because he no longer looks with favor on your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands.
14 You ask, “Why?” It is because the Lord is the witness between you and the wife of your youth. You have been unfaithful to her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant.
15 Has not the one God made you? You belong to him in body and spirit. And what does the one God seek? Godly offspring. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth.
16 “The man who hates and divorces his wife,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “does violence to the one he should protect,”says the Lord Almighty.
So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful.
And Proverbs 5:15-23?
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
running water from your own well.
16 Should your springs overflow in the streets,
your streams of water in the public squares?
17 Let them be yours alone,
never to be shared with strangers.
18 May your fountain be blessed,
and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19 A loving doe, a graceful deer—
may her breasts satisfy you always,
may you ever be intoxicated with her love.
20 Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife?
Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?
21 For your ways are in full view of the Lord,
and he examines all your paths.
22 The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them;
the cords of their sins hold them fast.
23 For lack of discipline they will die,
led astray by their own great folly.
Rejoicing in the wife of your youth cannot in any way
be taken to mean go out and find other women to bed.
May she satisfy you ALWAYS. How are people so blind to this?
It bears repeating since so many remain deaf and blind
Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed
be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.
Genesis 2:24 ESV
Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and
hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
ONE flesh, not two, three, four, or five etc
Ephesians 5:25 ESV
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,
Genesis 2:18 ESV
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man
should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”
God gave one man one woman, not multiples.
Ephesians 5:33 ESV
However, let each one of you love his wife as himself,
and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
Matthew 5:28 ESV
But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful
intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Romans 12:1-2 ESV
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Matthew 19:6 ESV
So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore
God has joined together, let not man separate.
Again, ONE flesh.
1 Thessalonians 4:3 ESV
For this is the will of God, your sanctification:
that you abstain from sexual immorality;
Ephesians 5:1-33 ESV
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
Ecclesiastes 9:9 ESV
Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun.
Malachi 2:13 Another thing you do: You flood the Lord’s altar with tears. You weep and wail because he no longer looks with favor on your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands.
14 You ask, “Why?” It is because the Lord is the witness between you and the wife of your youth. You have been unfaithful to her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant.
15 Has not the one God made you? You belong to him in body and spirit. And what does the one God seek? Godly offspring. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth.
16 “The man who hates and divorces his wife,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “does violence to the one he should protect,”says the Lord Almighty.
So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful.
And Proverbs 5:15-23?
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
running water from your own well.
16 Should your springs overflow in the streets,
your streams of water in the public squares?
17 Let them be yours alone,
never to be shared with strangers.
18 May your fountain be blessed,
and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19 A loving doe, a graceful deer—
may her breasts satisfy you always,
may you ever be intoxicated with her love.
20 Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife?
Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?
21 For your ways are in full view of the Lord,
and he examines all your paths.
22 The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them;
the cords of their sins hold them fast.
23 For lack of discipline they will die,
led astray by their own great folly.
Rejoicing in the wife of your youth cannot in any way
be taken to mean go out and find other women to bed.
May she satisfy you ALWAYS. How are people so blind to this?
It bears repeating since so many remain deaf and blind
Trofimus, let's not forget Jacob, who God loved and changed his name to Israel.
Adultery is loosely defined as, "voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a person who is not his or her spouse."
Neither Abraham, Jacob nor Elkanah were adulterers though they had multiple wives.
I definitely do not support men taking more than one wife; but the bible doesn't record that act alone specifically to be a sin. The old testament scriptures specifically warns that men should be careful not to multiply wives unto themselves as Solomon did.
What I hate is, the hypocrisy of men and women at least in America today who bed multiple partners and cohabitate without any consciousness of sin.
Unfortunately I was raised in an atmosphere where a lot of children had boy friends and girl friends by the time they got to middle school; so that by the time I had gotten to high school a large percentage of teenagers were already sexually active having had multiple partners and walking in whoredom.
But would we call it whoredom when the majority of the people are doing it? I do!
Men in America should repent! I did.
I praise God that through Christ's sacrifice we are able to repent and turn away from past sins to stand without fault before the throne of God and the Lamb.
Adultery is loosely defined as, "voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a person who is not his or her spouse."
Neither Abraham, Jacob nor Elkanah were adulterers though they had multiple wives.
I definitely do not support men taking more than one wife; but the bible doesn't record that act alone specifically to be a sin. The old testament scriptures specifically warns that men should be careful not to multiply wives unto themselves as Solomon did.
What I hate is, the hypocrisy of men and women at least in America today who bed multiple partners and cohabitate without any consciousness of sin.
Unfortunately I was raised in an atmosphere where a lot of children had boy friends and girl friends by the time they got to middle school; so that by the time I had gotten to high school a large percentage of teenagers were already sexually active having had multiple partners and walking in whoredom.
But would we call it whoredom when the majority of the people are doing it? I do!
Men in America should repent! I did.
I praise God that through Christ's sacrifice we are able to repent and turn away from past sins to stand without fault before the throne of God and the Lamb.
The whole of scripture teaches one man takes one wife and they become and are to remain one flesh undivided while they live. Mcgee and Magenta have showed this throughout this post.
This does not change that the bible in God's wisdom has not counted it automatically a sin for a man to have more than one wife. There are ordinances and judgments that God has aligned because of both the adversary of God and man in conjunction with the hardness and deceitfulness of the sinful hearts of mankind.
Please don't forget, "There was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels." There are spiritual adversaries continually working past and present to destroy the Almighty's salvation plan for mankind (Eph 6:12). Blinded men participate in bringing about the adversaries schemes (1Co 2:8).
If time permit I will explain more clearly in a later post showing the example of Jacob and his walk with God and the intense agape love he showed having been strengthened by God as an over-comer and who through faith and patience inherited the promises.
A man can have 1 wife and love her all of his days and yet by placing that 1 woman on-high above God's revealed will commits the same idolatry that Solomon committed having multiple wives and concubines (see 1Ki 16:30-32). Remember Ahab?
And then another man can have 2 wives and 2 concubines and love them all their days and not be an adulterer, neither covetous, nor an idolator; even though the wife of his desire and youth had the memorials of her father's idolatry in her first course. Remember Jacob?
Enslaved by sin
Walking with God
I do not believe in promiscuity, for this regarding sexual conduct is a sin in every case.
Neither do I support divorce except in the ordinances and judgments that Christ laid out from the law.
Neither do I support Christians taking more than one wife. But there are certain instances where a man having more than one wife who becomes a Christian should not be admonished to divorce his wives and neither should he multiply any more wives after the fact.
Please bear with me a little as I will aim to explain in more detail in a later post. Also don't forget that Christ's obedience and instructions while walking the earth magnified the OT law to such a high degree that the wayward thought out of control made the thinker a criminal under the law (Isa 42:21) requiring complete and thorough reliance upon the forgiveness and saving power of the blood of Christ Jesus the Lord of Glory (Heb 10:28-31).
Mat 5:21-22
(21) Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
(22) But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
I don't see how anyone who is a Christian would advocate for more than one wife at the same time; but dealing with the topic, "Is it a sin to have more than one wife?" The bible is clear on the topic; it is not a sin to have more than one wife. But there are certain circumstances where it is a sin to have more than one wife.
This does not change that the bible in God's wisdom has not counted it automatically a sin for a man to have more than one wife. There are ordinances and judgments that God has aligned because of both the adversary of God and man in conjunction with the hardness and deceitfulness of the sinful hearts of mankind.
Please don't forget, "There was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels." There are spiritual adversaries continually working past and present to destroy the Almighty's salvation plan for mankind (Eph 6:12). Blinded men participate in bringing about the adversaries schemes (1Co 2:8).
If time permit I will explain more clearly in a later post showing the example of Jacob and his walk with God and the intense agape love he showed having been strengthened by God as an over-comer and who through faith and patience inherited the promises.
A man can have 1 wife and love her all of his days and yet by placing that 1 woman on-high above God's revealed will commits the same idolatry that Solomon committed having multiple wives and concubines (see 1Ki 16:30-32). Remember Ahab?
And then another man can have 2 wives and 2 concubines and love them all their days and not be an adulterer, neither covetous, nor an idolator; even though the wife of his desire and youth had the memorials of her father's idolatry in her first course. Remember Jacob?
Enslaved by sin
Walking with God
I do not believe in promiscuity, for this regarding sexual conduct is a sin in every case.
Neither do I support divorce except in the ordinances and judgments that Christ laid out from the law.
Neither do I support Christians taking more than one wife. But there are certain instances where a man having more than one wife who becomes a Christian should not be admonished to divorce his wives and neither should he multiply any more wives after the fact.
Please bear with me a little as I will aim to explain in more detail in a later post. Also don't forget that Christ's obedience and instructions while walking the earth magnified the OT law to such a high degree that the wayward thought out of control made the thinker a criminal under the law (Isa 42:21) requiring complete and thorough reliance upon the forgiveness and saving power of the blood of Christ Jesus the Lord of Glory (Heb 10:28-31).
Mat 5:21-22
(21) Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
(22) But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
I don't see how anyone who is a Christian would advocate for more than one wife at the same time; but dealing with the topic, "Is it a sin to have more than one wife?" The bible is clear on the topic; it is not a sin to have more than one wife. But there are certain circumstances where it is a sin to have more than one wife.
It is a sin to disobey those who are in authority over you. If it is illegal where you live, than it would sin for you to do it. If it is legal where you live, then it is not sin to do it.
But you will be much happier if you are as i am. i am married to Jesus Christ, and wear a Jesus ring on my wedding finger. i have been celibate for over 10 years now, and i have never been more happy in my life. i do all things to please Jesus Christ, i am no longer torn in trying to please Jesus and wife. i love Jesus more than life itself, i have never been happier.
^i^
††† In His Holy and Precious Name, Jesus Christ †††
DiscipleDave
But you will be much happier if you are as i am. i am married to Jesus Christ, and wear a Jesus ring on my wedding finger. i have been celibate for over 10 years now, and i have never been more happy in my life. i do all things to please Jesus Christ, i am no longer torn in trying to please Jesus and wife. i love Jesus more than life itself, i have never been happier.
^i^
††† In His Holy and Precious Name, Jesus Christ †††
DiscipleDave
Fantastic! It's very easy to flick a proverbial on button, churn out the scripture machine and randomly infer the context as conveniently 'anti polygamy'. However all that does is discredit the real meaning of God's word, blur lines and provide no real context where there's nothing to back up. "See, see! God says we're supposed to be peaceful/respect our significant other/not be sexually immoral!! See I was right! Polygamy bad!!" There's no real understanding of the scriptures unto themselves at all nor giving them their rightful place as intended by the Lord. Until they're ready to grow and study independent of their feelings, the perpetual declaration of unacceptability will abound.
God never condoned polygamy but like divorce he allowed it to occur and did not bring an immediate punishment for this disobedience.
(Deut. 17:14-17): “I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,' “you shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the LORD has said to you, 'You shall not return that way again.' “Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself.”
This is the command of God, and he has never changed it.
(Deut. 17:14-17): “I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,' “you shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the LORD has said to you, 'You shall not return that way again.' “Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself.”
This is the command of God, and he has never changed it.
What saith the word?
When first saved I supposed that the kings of Israel were granted some special favor by God. Then I read;
Deuteronomy 17:17 KJVS
Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.
I realized that these men took it upon themselves to have many wives. It was disobedience to the command based on lust of the flesh. Just like the deceived unsaved Mormon religion and Islam.
You cannot be right with God and have many wives. One has been quite enough for me for the past 51 years! Amen
When first saved I supposed that the kings of Israel were granted some special favor by God. Then I read;
Deuteronomy 17:17 KJVS
Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.
I realized that these men took it upon themselves to have many wives. It was disobedience to the command based on lust of the flesh. Just like the deceived unsaved Mormon religion and Islam.
You cannot be right with God and have many wives. One has been quite enough for me for the past 51 years! Amen
Good post: What was the law of the land when our Father Jacob was deceived into taking two wives?
Gen 29:18-21
(18) And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.
(19) And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man: abide with me.
(20) And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.
(21) And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her.
Gen 29:25-27
(25) And it came to pass, that in the morning, behold, it was Leah: and he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done unto me? did not I serve with thee for Rachel? wherefore then have you beguiled me?
(26) And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.
Do you believe Jacob sinned before God in taking more than one wife?
My concern is that hearing how some in this thread have regarded King David, they might likewise regard Jacob a sinner before God concerning the wife of his youth and half of the sons of Jacob/Israel illegitimate. But when God shows us in Revelations at the very end of the book, "The Bride," "The Lamb's Wife" he shows us those sons' names on the Gates of the city in the Kingdom of God. This would be an unfortunate thing for someone to hold on to, if their hope is in The Kingdom of God (Matt 6:33).
I contend that, Jacob by the power of the Holy Spirit walked in God's law to the best of his ability and even was careful to keep Due 21:15-17 which hadn't actually been penned by Moses yet. But Ruben's lust-driven idolatry even drove him to covet and commit adultery in defiling his father Jacob's bed (Gen 49:3-4). So God saw fit to take away his double portion for that reason and gave it to Rachel's (Jacob's beloved wife of his youth) first-born's sons of the Egyptian, Ephraim and Manasseh.
I only pen this to show that Jacob only ever intended to take one wife (even as Abraham) and circumstances outside of his immediate control caused him to have two wives in a situation a man of God never hopes for.
Lev 18:18
Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister, to vex her, to uncover her nakedness, beside the other in her life time.
And yet he covered his wives and maintained the integrity of his house within the order of God to the best of his ability. This is a man demonstrating the love of God in a very difficult situation. This is why I said in an earlier post that in certain situations where a man having more than one wife who becomes a Christian should not be admonished to divorce his wives and neither should he multiply any more wives after the fact.
Pro 4:7
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
Gen 29:18-21
(18) And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.
(19) And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man: abide with me.
(20) And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.
(21) And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her.
Gen 29:25-27
(25) And it came to pass, that in the morning, behold, it was Leah: and he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done unto me? did not I serve with thee for Rachel? wherefore then have you beguiled me?
(26) And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.
Do you believe Jacob sinned before God in taking more than one wife?
My concern is that hearing how some in this thread have regarded King David, they might likewise regard Jacob a sinner before God concerning the wife of his youth and half of the sons of Jacob/Israel illegitimate. But when God shows us in Revelations at the very end of the book, "The Bride," "The Lamb's Wife" he shows us those sons' names on the Gates of the city in the Kingdom of God. This would be an unfortunate thing for someone to hold on to, if their hope is in The Kingdom of God (Matt 6:33).
I contend that, Jacob by the power of the Holy Spirit walked in God's law to the best of his ability and even was careful to keep Due 21:15-17 which hadn't actually been penned by Moses yet. But Ruben's lust-driven idolatry even drove him to covet and commit adultery in defiling his father Jacob's bed (Gen 49:3-4). So God saw fit to take away his double portion for that reason and gave it to Rachel's (Jacob's beloved wife of his youth) first-born's sons of the Egyptian, Ephraim and Manasseh.
I only pen this to show that Jacob only ever intended to take one wife (even as Abraham) and circumstances outside of his immediate control caused him to have two wives in a situation a man of God never hopes for.
Lev 18:18
Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister, to vex her, to uncover her nakedness, beside the other in her life time.
And yet he covered his wives and maintained the integrity of his house within the order of God to the best of his ability. This is a man demonstrating the love of God in a very difficult situation. This is why I said in an earlier post that in certain situations where a man having more than one wife who becomes a Christian should not be admonished to divorce his wives and neither should he multiply any more wives after the fact.
Pro 4:7
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.