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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: I have been very busy, so answering everyone has been a luxury I have been afforded these past few days. If I may, I have backed off from using words like "endorse" and "ideal" since such words can be carried to the extreme, depending upon who you find yourself talking to. That is why I have maintained my position against God's allegedly having "condemned" polygamy. The numerous attempts by various individuals to place me on the defensive by asking questions that stretch my words beyond the extreme are exactly what I have avoided for obvious reasons. It makes no sense to defend what one never said in the first place. Now, Steve, the vigor of my defense does not automatically mean that I am assuming that God fully endorses polygamy for all men. I have repeatedly stated that polygamy is NOT for all men since I know that all men could not/would not handle such a family structure. Not all men have a desire for more than one wife. However, as some have indicated to me before, for anyone to assume that a man desires more than one wife strictly on the basis of lust is just as idiotic as saying that a man's desire for one wife is based strictly on the basis of lust. We ALL know that this is not a general rule for all men. It is astounding to say the least just how heartless men in this country can be toward the many single, believing sisters who admit on a regular basis that they cannot find a decent, reliable man to love. Many men in this country of ours are simply dysfunctional as REAL men. I know that there are those who would argue aginst this, but then all one has to do is perform a general consensus among different churches and find out that it is quite true that women in churches outnumber men. I am not presenting this as an apologetic FOR polygamy since only the word of God can answer that issue. However, the rabbid bias against polygamy might be better tempered if due consideration were given to those who DO seek a loving family to become a part of, but simply cannot find a godly man to fill that void. Most men simply do not care at all what many of the single sisters are going through. Feminism has done more harm than good in our culture. I also realize that my words may very well be twisted out of context by some....again. I have mentioned the above concerning the many single sisters because it is part of what is NOT being considered in the midst of all this anti-polygamy rhetoric. That is essentially what I have been getting all along so far, rather than clear Biblical teaching to back the anti-polygamy position. I have already dealt with the "husband of one wife" issue in Titus and 2 Timothy, and I have also dealt with the elusive, and outright non-existent command of only one wife for each man sinply based upon what Adam was given. And yet the nonsensical arguments continue to surface, even to the extent of accusing me personally of living in sin and lust. (I am not talking about you, Steve.) If personal attacks (ad hominem) are the final resort of those who fail to realize that their case is weak at best, then it is only logical to leave those individuals hanging without due consideration. Now, Steve, to address your reference in James, the word of God is right. If polygamy is wrong for you, then by all means avoid it in your own life. But to try and force God's word into conformity to your own personal conscience concerning polygamy simply because it does not set well with you personally (consdiering that the Word of God clearly does not condemn polygamy), well, I find that to be highly questionable. Don |