Polygamy is in the Bible

[Neopatriarch]

I responded to your response to me. What is it you do not understand about that?

So you agree with me, that Deuteronomy 17:17 is not where "...God disapproved of kings committing polygamy." Is that right?

That was my question after all. Remember when I wrote, "...Where was that? Certainly not Deuteronomy 17:17. That verse merely limits kings to less than a great many wives. Hardly, disapproval."

So now it sounds like you want to run to some other text. Is that right?

 

[Bradley D]

"He must not take many wives for himself, lest his heart go astray" (Deut 17:17).

The law said kings should not have many wives. But it did not work out that way. Also when a king made peace with another kingdom quite often they would marry a daughter of the other kingdom as an agreement to peace. Caused a lot of problems including the bringing in of false gods/idols.

 

[marke]

So you agree with me, that Deuteronomy 17:17 is not where "...God disapproved of kings committing polygamy." Is that right?

That was my question after all. Remember when I wrote, "...Where was that? Certainly not Deuteronomy 17:17. That verse merely limits kings to less than a great many wives. Hardly, disapproval."

So now it sounds like you want to run to some other text. Is that right?

God does not approve of divorce, but He allows it. God does not approve of polygamy but He allows it.

 

[Neopatriarch]

God does not approve of divorce, but He allows it. God does not approve of polygamy but He allows it.

God hates divorce. He said so in Malachi. Nothing like that was ever said about polygyny.

But this really doesn't address my question to you about Deuteronomy 17:17 though. Have your thoughts changed about it?

 

[Neopatriarch]

"He must not take many wives for himself, lest his heart go astray" (Deut 17:17).

The law said kings should not have many wives. But it did not work out that way. Also when a king made peace with another kingdom quite often they would marry a daughter of the other kingdom as an agreement to peace. Caused a lot of problems including the bringing in of false gods/idols.

Great stuff.

So do you recognize that Deuteronomy creates an unspecified upper limit that otherwise did not exist?

In the next verses, we read,
Deuteronomy 17:18-19 “And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them,

It would make little sense to create a limit and turn around and place a greater limit upon him in the next breath. No such limit existed within God's Law.

“By the law of Moses (Deuteronomy 17:17) the kings (of Israel) are forbidden to have too great a number of wives, lest they should carry them into a violation of the law: by this the legislator tacitly permits them and all others, to have more than one wife, otherwise the command would be superfluous.” -Barbeyac

So in short, Deuteronomy 17:17 is not a good argument against polygamy because it “tacitly” permits polygyny among the people of God.

 

[marke]

God hates divorce. He said so in Malachi. Nothing like that was ever said about polygyny.

But this really doesn't address my question to you about Deuteronomy 17:17 though. Have your thoughts changed about it?

Let every man be persuaded in his own mind. I believe God opposes polygamy and I have seen nothing in the Bible indicating He does approve of such perversion of the marriage family unit.

1. 1 Timothy 3:2
   A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, ofgood behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
   In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
2. 1 Timothy 3:12
   Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.
   In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
3. Titus 1:6
   If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.

Malachi 2:14
Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.

Proverbs 5:18
Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.

 

[Neopatriarch]

Let every man be persuaded in his own mind.

Okay, so it sounds like you have dropped Deuteronomy 17:17 from your monogamy-only position. I'll accept your silence as reluctant acceptance.

 

[Neopatriarch]

A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife

Moses had a wife. Abraham had a wife. David had a wife. Would you allow them to be bishops in your church?

 

[Neopatriarch]

Malachi 2:14
Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.

Why do you suppose the author doesn't just say wife? How does the person in this text deal treacherously with her according to the text?

Malachi 2:16 “For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the LORD, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the LORD of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.”

So contextually, this isn't about polygamy but divorce. Right? But elsewhere God does speak to the issue of taking another wife.

Exo 21:10
If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, or her marital rights.

This doesn't sound like he is forbidding taking another wife.

Context is king.

 

[marke]

Okay, so it sounds like you have dropped Deuteronomy 17:17 from your monogamy-only position. I'll accept your silence as reluctant acceptance.

You can not use misunderstood or misinterpreted verses in the Bible to overrule other verses.

 

[marke]

Moses had a wife. Abraham had a wife. David had a wife. Would you allow them to be bishops in your church?

What do OT prophets and kings have to do with leadership roles in the NT church?

 

[marke]

Why do you suppose the author doesn't just say wife? How does the person in this text deal treacherously with her according to the text?

Malachi 2:16 “For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the LORD, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the LORD of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.”

So contextually, this isn't about polygamy but divorce. Right? But elsewhere God does speak to the issue of taking another wife.

Exo 21:10
If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, or her marital rights.

This doesn't sound like he is forbidding taking another wife.

Context is king.

You make a huge error. Nothing in the passage leads us to believe God meant the passage to teach us that He condones polygamy.

 

[Neopatriarch]

Hey marke,

Now that you have surrendered Deuteronomy 17:17 as a defense of your monogamy-only position let's deal with this article you cut and pasted.

If God is opposed to polygamy, then why does 2 Samuel 12:8 say that God gave David wives?

That is an excellent question! And one your article never wrestles with.

I do believe God is opposed to polygamy.

Truth is what matters. Right? It doesn't matter what you or I believe, the real question is what the Bible teaches in its pages. At least, that is the way Christians look at it. I am assuming you're a Christian marke. Please correct me if I am wrong.

God’s creation account indicates that God intended for one man to marry one woman, and become one flesh for one lifetime.

The phrase "one man and one woman" does not exist in the Bible in any context. It is a replacement by liberal Christians for the actual words "male and female".

Genesis 1:27
So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

This speaks to what we call heterosexuality. When you supplant the text with extra-Biblical phrases like you've done here, even more, liberal Christians make it about monogamy (one man and one woman), then so-called LGBT Christians come along screaming, "We believe in monogamy too." (Rev. Ruth Jensen-Forbell, lesbian) Eventually, churches split over the issue.

Jesus even quotes that definition in Matthew 19 and upholds it as valid.

Male and female marriages are valid. There are no other kinds in the scripture. David married Michal. (male and female) David married Abigail (male and female). Abigail is not married to Michal. They are both declared to be wives by the text, and thus one flesh with him.

He adds his own commentary by claiming that monogamous marriage is a God-ordained institution.

That is a lie. The word "monogamy" is not in the text and this seriously bares a false witness against it.

parts of Scripture are descriptive, not prescriptive. And the Bible often records what happened, not necessarily what should happen.

Absolutely, so perhaps you will look to God's Law when making further judgments.

Lastly, I think it is interesting that your cut and paste ends where the writer is engaging in the same error about Deuteronomy that you did. One would think that would have ruined your confidence in his ability to exegete the scripture.

I see the little bell, indicating responses. I will bet that is you.
Embrace the truth within scripture,

Robert

 

[Neopatriarch]

What do OT prophets and kings have to do with leadership roles in the NT church?

I am just curious if you would allow these men to serve right now, wives in tow, as bishops/overseers in your church? and why not?

 

[Neopatriarch]

You make a huge error. Nothing in the passage leads us to believe God meant the passage to teach us that He condones polygamy.

What could the Bible say to make you believe God does condone polygamy?

 

[Neopatriarch]

You make a huge error. Nothing in the passage leads us to believe God meant the passage to teach us that He condones polygamy.

I am making a comparison between the two, as you tried to do with this text about divorce. You keep trying to treat them the same, God does not. God hates divorce. You cannot honestly say that about polygamy. For some reason, you think he is coy in the matter of polygamy.

 

[Neopatriarch]

You can not use misunderstood or misinterpreted verses in the Bible to overrule other verses.

I agree. You made a serious error. I am sure it will take you a while to unwrap other false doctrines you have embraced because of it.

 

[marke]

I am just curious if you would allow these men to serve right now, wives in tow, as bishops/overseers in your church? and why not?

I do not think there are any Bible-believing churches today that would allow a polygamist to hold any position of respect in the church.

 

[Neopatriarch]

I do not think there are any Bible-believing churches today that would allow a polygamist to hold any position of respect in the church.

Why not? They each have one wife.

 

[Bradley D]

So in short, Deuteronomy 17:17 is not a good argument against polygamy because it “tacitly” permits polygyny among the people of God.

True. Later in the NT epistles the apostle Paul promoted that leaders of the church be married only to one wife. That seems to have brought in the concept of no polygamy in the church except for the Mormons.