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NASB | 1 Kings 11:3 He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 Kings 11:3 He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away [from God]. |
Subject: Does God endorse polygamy? |
Bible Note: Greetings, Steve. When I addressed the issue of multiplying wives in relation to horses and chariots, the context was simply addressing multiplying, not ownership. I never said anything about ownership in relation to wives. The air castle you are pointing at has long since been blown away by the winds of reality. Your observation is similar to my stating that the dog has a bone, and then you come along and make issue with the hair on his body when his hair was not at all what I was talking about. In other words, you made issue with a non-issue. What exactly, may I ask, is your point in twisting my statement into something that I was not saying? I am simply perplexed about your motives, that's all. As to your statement that I claimed to know of a declaration made by God that polygamy was His perfect ideal for marriage is a fabrication. What I was saying is that pointing to Adam's having been given only one wife IS a historical fact, but no statement can be found in Genesis, or anywhere else for that matter, where God indicated that we are bound to having only one wife since only one was given to Adam. How do we know that Adam did not take another wife before he died at the age of 950 (I think that was his age at death)? We cannot really know one way or the other. If one is going to point to what Adam was given when he was still perfect, then we should be consistent with the ENTIRE image of his situation rather than picking and choosing which parts we deem to be valid for everyone else and which are not. He was also given a perfect garden, we were not. So? God gave king David several of his wives, you were not. So? If polygamy were a violation of God's perfect ideal for mankind, then it sounds like you are essentially accusing God of violating His own perfect ideal. Is this realistic simply because God did something that violates your personal sensibilities and conscience? I always try to give others the benefit of the doubt. Having been well schooled in philosophy, and therefore knowing how to lay out the facts and rationally paint a picture by what is given, it is quite shocking at times to behold the irrational meanderings we see at times by those who defend a position purely from the basis of emotion rather than logic, reason and fact. This is not an indictment against you personally, only an observation that it is easy for any of us to fall into the trap of unreason when our sole motivation rests purely upon emotion. I too was adamantly against a man having more than one wife.....until I allowed God's word to speak for itself rather than adding what is not there, and taking away from what is there. A good point to make here is that God's ideal for marriage is obedience to His commandments AND mutual love toward one another, regardless of its being lived out within polygamy or monogamy. Yes, there are limitations, such as a woman having more than one husband. Polyandry IS a direct violation of God's Law concerning adultery, which is defined as a man desiring and/or having sexual relations with another man's wife. To go outside of this definition by adding other dynamics such as is common today, we then stand as accusers against such men as Moses and Abraham. Redefining adultery by today's warped standards is to declare that those men, and many others of the patriarchs, died as non-repentent sinners. As for me, sir, I am not going to attempt usurping the throne of Christ by declaring to be sin what clearly is not sin. I have been guilty of this before, but have since repented. I am not saying that you made issue with sin, but I am. Sin has a clear definition within scripture that defines it as "missing the mark." If polygamy is a form of "missing the mark," (less than God's perfect will?) then you would have to logically declare it to be sin. We should therefore expect to see David, Abraham, Moses, and many others burning in the pits of Hell considering that they are never shown to have reprented of having a plurality of wives, therefore having died as non-repentent sinners. Remember, the word of God says that adulterers will not enter the Kingdom of God. Good day, my friend. In Christ Jesus Don Dean |