- The first man to take more than one wife was the godless man Lamech (Genesis 4:19–24).
- Some of the Old Testament patriarchs did practice polygamy, and it never honored God. For example, Abram married Hagar in addition to Sarai. The results of this polygamy are truly tragic, as is the case with other instances of adultery and polygamy in Scripture. Abram slept with Hagar and she bore him a son. God promised that Hagar’s son would become the father of a great nation because he was a son of Abram, though not the son of the promise (which would eventually be Isaac). God promised that Ishmael would be a “wild donkey of a man” and that he would be a warrior in hostility with his brothers who would descend from Abram. Ishmael was born to a Hebrew father and Egyptian mother and became the father of the Arab nations that to this day are in hostility with Jews and Christians alike, as promised.
- The disaster of polygamy is illustrated by Lamech and Adah and Zillah in Genesis 4:19–24, Esau and Mahalath and other wives in Genesis 28:6–9, and Jacob and Leah and Rachel in Genesis 29:15–30. None of these occurrences was godly or good.
- The Bible repeatedly shows that polygamy is wrought with favoritism, fighting, jealousy, and mistreatment (e.g., Genesis 35:22; 38:18–28; 2 Samuel 3:2–5; 13:1–29; 15–18; 1 Kings 11:1–4).
- The New Testament church elders who serve as the pattern for Christian families are to be one-woman men and not polygamists (1 Timothy 3:2, 12).
- God’s intention is that each man would have one wife (Genesis 2:18; Matthew 19:4–6).
- Marriage is ultimately a picture of Jesus’ loving relationship with the church (Ephesians 5:22–33; Revelation 19:6–9). Jesus is faithful to one bride, the church, as the pattern for all marriages.
Is Polygamy Biblical?
Mark Driscoll recently wrote an article answering the question, "Is polygamy biblical?" It is thoroughly biblical and persuasive. His main point is that "just because something is in the bible does not mean that God approves of it. Here are his seven reasons why polygamy is sinful and harmful.
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I truly appreciate your willingness to discuss this topic and open a forum for comments. I would like to point out that there is a significat community of Christian believers who hold to the view that Christian plural marriage is valid and scriptural.
ReplyDeleteYou can find out more by visiting www.biblicalfamilies.org . Perhaps this will help in the discussion process.
If you think that article by Driscoll is "persuasive", you should try actually reading the BIBLE!
ReplyDeleteWhile Driscoll evidently has no problem speaking for Him, and putting words in His mouth, some people find the actions of the Bereans more persuasive (Acts 17:10-11) and prefer to "search it out for themselves.
See a detailed point-by-point rebuttal of that bit of "tripe" here:
http://www.biblicalfamilies.org/forum2/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=997
And should you care to read an article which actually cites Scripture in context, please feel free to take a look here as well:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.helium.com/items/1655657-polygyny-is-never-prohibited-in-the-bible
There are many of us who once accepted the pagan-based 'Church' tradition that God changed His mind about marriage, but were "teachable" enough to study His Word for ourselves and discover -- as Jeremiah 16:19 prophesied -- that we had been lied to.
The Bible says that "iron sharpens iron", while Driscoll calls those of us who believe God instead of him "cultists" and "perverts", and allows no rebuttal.
As Doc points out in the first post above, Biblical Families is a site which welcomes discussion, because we are not afraid to read His Truth for ourselves. Try it.
It's a wonder that someone like Driscrol who can't tolerate anything that isn't 'now' would regurgitate such old, traditional, and dogmatic arguments against polygamy. That guy is rebelling against anything traditional that is good, but if there is tradition that needs changing he's parroting it worse than the rest.
ReplyDeleteHello Jon,
ReplyDeleteI love the name of your site, "Homo Unius Libri". I feel that this same conviction is what actually changed my view about what I term "Biblical Marriage". Today, after years of study on the subject (Bible College and Seminary Graduate), I know longer can hold to a "monogamy only" viewpoint. Like the great reformer, Martin Luther, I have come to believe that polygyny is a Biblical option. The points that you shared in the above article are actually quite easily answered. However, time and space would not allow that kind of discussion. Anyway, blessings to you, my friend.