Little Faith-Building Discoveries I: On Marriage and Monogamy
Dear Brothers, there've always been little seemingly "grey" areas in the Bible which have always been a source of great distress to me. But God is faithful! And in His time, He reveals more of who He is and what He wants to be like in Him. =)
False Claim #1: The Judaeo-Christian God approves of polygamy in the Old Testament, hence the Christian doctrine of monogamous marriage and relationship of fidelity and loyalty are bogus teachings. God's morality is not absolute. Look at examples like Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon.
Truth: God DOES approve of monogamy! Scripture is absolutely clear and unambiguous in Deuteronomy 17:17where the Law describes the King of Israel, his model and exemplary behaviour (note: at this point of writing, there WASN'T even a King of Israel yet) "He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold." God is a god of truth, and unchanging, unwavering standards of holiness, and likewise, His leaders and children are to be as such. Gen 2:24 makes it clear that God intends ONE man to be witih ONE woman in holy matrimony" For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh."
Abraham: Abraham lay with Hagar to father Ishmael under Sarah's recommendation, in the hope of fulfilling GOd's covenant with Abraham. This may seem like God approves polyogamy, but this is not so. Biblical characters don't always act in accordance with God's will, and this is an example. We understand the ramifications of Abraham's sins when we see his subsequent anguish in having to "sacrifice" his only TWO sons- by leaving Ishmael in the wilderness and sacrificing Isaac on Mt. Moria. Imagine Abraham's pain and suffering as a father having to be heartless and cold to please God. Yet, it could be suggested that this is a result of his sin in not trusting God to fulfil His own promise, as well as taking a second wife and thus bringing sin into the family.
Jacob: We see another clear example when we think of Jacob's 4 wives- again, we remember that it was Jacob's intention to love only woman- Rachel, but because of Lot's dishonesty and the ungodly competition between Rachel and Leia that Jacob took 4. In additoin, we see Jacob consquently punished for this violation of the marriage committment in the disharmony between his sons, who fought amongst themselves: selling Joseph to Egypt and deceiving their father with his bloody coat. A dysfunctional family was birthed as sin started from the father and found its way into the lives of the 13 brothers- plus, Jacob, in his old age, suffered great pain TWICe when he too, lost his beloved sons JOseph and Benjamin at differnet points. The sin of the father persisted even into the life of Judah, who had an incestrous relationship with his daughterinlaw, Tamar. "the sins of teh father will be punished to the 3rd and 4th generation"
David- the "man after God's heart" had 8 wives. Although he was indeed highly favoured in God's eyes, he too sinned when he lusted after Bathsheeba when he already had multiple consorts, resulting in GOd punishing him with the death of his firstborn, as well as the family strife that persisted in the incestrous relationship with Amnom and Tamar. David's latter half of life proved to be extremely problematic, with his family rife with strife and conflict.Amnon and Tamar's sinful account is only one of them. The revenge-murder of Amnon by Absalom and ABbsalom's attempt to take the throne in David's old age further reflects the poor family fabric in David's home, a result of his personal sins. Polygamy was doubtlessly one of these sins.
Solomon- another polygymous King, who began well in God's eyes- the "wisest man in the world" However, with his taking of multiple wives (ultimately totalling approx 700 wives and 300 concubines) he became a poor ruler in his latter years, led into the worship of false gods and turning from the True God. If anything, this should be another clear Biblical example of God's disapproval with polygamy.
In contrast, the examples of Isaac (see previous post), Ruth and Boaz, Adam and Eve, etc demonstrate the kinds of relationships that God desire us to have.
God is a God of Truth, who does not lie or change His mind. Numbers 23:19
His mercies are new every morning! Lam 3:22-23
Amen.
False Claim #1: The Judaeo-Christian God approves of polygamy in the Old Testament, hence the Christian doctrine of monogamous marriage and relationship of fidelity and loyalty are bogus teachings. God's morality is not absolute. Look at examples like Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon.
Truth: God DOES approve of monogamy! Scripture is absolutely clear and unambiguous in Deuteronomy 17:17where the Law describes the King of Israel, his model and exemplary behaviour (note: at this point of writing, there WASN'T even a King of Israel yet) "He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold." God is a god of truth, and unchanging, unwavering standards of holiness, and likewise, His leaders and children are to be as such. Gen 2:24 makes it clear that God intends ONE man to be witih ONE woman in holy matrimony" For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh."
Abraham: Abraham lay with Hagar to father Ishmael under Sarah's recommendation, in the hope of fulfilling GOd's covenant with Abraham. This may seem like God approves polyogamy, but this is not so. Biblical characters don't always act in accordance with God's will, and this is an example. We understand the ramifications of Abraham's sins when we see his subsequent anguish in having to "sacrifice" his only TWO sons- by leaving Ishmael in the wilderness and sacrificing Isaac on Mt. Moria. Imagine Abraham's pain and suffering as a father having to be heartless and cold to please God. Yet, it could be suggested that this is a result of his sin in not trusting God to fulfil His own promise, as well as taking a second wife and thus bringing sin into the family.
Jacob: We see another clear example when we think of Jacob's 4 wives- again, we remember that it was Jacob's intention to love only woman- Rachel, but because of Lot's dishonesty and the ungodly competition between Rachel and Leia that Jacob took 4. In additoin, we see Jacob consquently punished for this violation of the marriage committment in the disharmony between his sons, who fought amongst themselves: selling Joseph to Egypt and deceiving their father with his bloody coat. A dysfunctional family was birthed as sin started from the father and found its way into the lives of the 13 brothers- plus, Jacob, in his old age, suffered great pain TWICe when he too, lost his beloved sons JOseph and Benjamin at differnet points. The sin of the father persisted even into the life of Judah, who had an incestrous relationship with his daughterinlaw, Tamar. "the sins of teh father will be punished to the 3rd and 4th generation"
David- the "man after God's heart" had 8 wives. Although he was indeed highly favoured in God's eyes, he too sinned when he lusted after Bathsheeba when he already had multiple consorts, resulting in GOd punishing him with the death of his firstborn, as well as the family strife that persisted in the incestrous relationship with Amnom and Tamar. David's latter half of life proved to be extremely problematic, with his family rife with strife and conflict.Amnon and Tamar's sinful account is only one of them. The revenge-murder of Amnon by Absalom and ABbsalom's attempt to take the throne in David's old age further reflects the poor family fabric in David's home, a result of his personal sins. Polygamy was doubtlessly one of these sins.
Solomon- another polygymous King, who began well in God's eyes- the "wisest man in the world" However, with his taking of multiple wives (ultimately totalling approx 700 wives and 300 concubines) he became a poor ruler in his latter years, led into the worship of false gods and turning from the True God. If anything, this should be another clear Biblical example of God's disapproval with polygamy.
In contrast, the examples of Isaac (see previous post), Ruth and Boaz, Adam and Eve, etc demonstrate the kinds of relationships that God desire us to have.
God is a God of Truth, who does not lie or change His mind. Numbers 23:19
His mercies are new every morning! Lam 3:22-23
Amen.
posted by leb at 4:54 PM
2 Comments:
i don't know about god changing his mind, but i do think the bible, especially in the book of isaiah, talks about god growing and learning from the past ... i know i do, i know jesus did, i know the community does, i know the earth does ... stands to reason god is getting better and better too.
peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape'
I must respectfully disagree with the idea that god grows and learns. The Bible makes clear statements regarding the immutability of who God is and how He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Consider the implications of a metamorph-God who is inconsistent, untrue to His promises, and constantly in a state of flux. How is He any different from you or I then?
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