This fits in well with what we have been discussing. I would have
just sent the link but could not find one to send.
DAILY DEVOTIONAL MONDAY OCTOBER 17, 2005
(Genesis 1:27, 2:24, 4:19, Deuteronomy 17:17, 1 Kings 11:3, 1 Timothy
3:2,12)
Why did God bless men in the Bible who had multiple wives? When you
read
God's Word, you read about great men of faith, men who lived their
lives for
God like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Solomon. These men did great
things for
God and are used as examples of how to live a Godly life. These men
were
also richly blessed by God. However, they all had one glaring issue
that
cannot be ignored. They all had multiple wives! This fact often
confuses
people who are curious how these great men of God could be so blessed
but
living in blatant rebellion to God in this area of their life. The
reality
is, they forfeited many of the blessings they should have had because of
this sin in their life.
The Bible is perfectly clear about God's Holy Institution of
Marriage. It
is one man, with one woman, for one lifetime. God created Adam and
Eve, not
Adam and Eve and Julie. Or Adam and Eve, Julie, Cathy, and Susan.
God's
plan for marriage was one man and one woman. In Genesis 2:24 God's
intention is clearly presented when He says, "they shall be one
flesh." In
giving the qualifications for a king in Deuteronomy Chapter 17, Verse
17,
God clearly states that the king was not to have multiple wives. In
giving
the qualifications for those who lead the church in 1 Timothy 3:2 and
12 and
in Titus 1:6, the Bible states that these men are to have only one wife.
This passage in the Greek is not only speaking of someone who has not
been
divorced, but makes it clear that having multiple wives disqualified
someone
to be in a leadership position..
You actually don't have to get very far into human history to see
God's plan
for marriage perverted. The first Biblical account of men taking
multiple
wives is recorded in Genesis 4:19 where a man named Lamech took two
wives.
Having multiple wives throughout history has always been a mark of
nations,
people groups, who lived their lives in rebellion to the God of the
Bible.
Sadly, some have tried to justify polygamy by pointing to men of God
in the
Bible like Abraham and others who had multiple wives. They are 100%
wrong
and there is NO WAY to justify polygamy by using the Bible.
Let me make sure you understand something perfectly clear. God never
permitted at any time for men to have multiple wives. When we read
about
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Solomon, and others taking multiple wives, we
also
read about the consequences of this sin in their life. Don't forget
what I
tell you often. Our obedience to God and His Word brings blessings, our
rebellion to God and His Word brings consequences! There will ALWAYS be
consequences when you choose to live in rebellion to God. Even great
men of
God like Abraham, like Solomon, were not immune to the consequences when
they chose to sin against God.
One of the things I love about God's Word is that it does not try to
hide
the failings of men who did great things for God in their life. Look at
David. His sin with Bathsheba could have been omitted, but God
allowed his
sin to be exposed to all of the generations through His Word. The
consequences of Abraham's sin in taking another wife are still being
felt in
the world today since the Jewish people are directly linked back to
his son
with Sarah, Isaac, and the Arab people directly linked back to his
son with
Hagar, Ishmael. When you read about Abraham having to send Hagar and
her
son away due to the conflict with Sara and Isaac, I am not sure we
can begin
to fully comprehend the human emotions of such a tragic event.
Then you have Solomon. As I have shared with you in the past in
speaking of
Solomon and his summation of what this life is about in Ecclesiastes
12:13,
I have carefully studied his life. Solomon is a very complex
individual and
a classic study of someone who gets so caught up in the success and
allure
of this world they forsake God. Solomon followed God since his youth,
became the King of Israel, finished building the Temple of God in
Jerusalem
started by his father David. He is probably best known for his
incredible
wisdom. As you read about the life of Solomon you can see the hand and
blessings of God upon him.
Despite having God's favor and blessings, Solomon allowed the temporal
things of this world to take priority over his commitment to God. Being
allowed by God to gain victory over the enemies of Israel, Solomon
took part
in a custom of that day where the conquering king, Solomon, was given
the
daughter of the defeated king to be his wife. So Solomon not only began
taking multiple wives (against God's admonition in Deuteronomy
17:17), these
were women from heathen nations that did not know or honor the God of
Israel
and brought their false gods with them into the marriage. Over time,
Solomon ended up with 700 wives and 300 concubines. (Personal
observation:
It is clear that by this time in his life, Solomon used up all of his
wisdom, since having one wife is a full time commitment. 700? The
thought
makes my head hurt.)
One reason God says in His Word in 2 Corinthians 6:14 "do not be yoked
together with unbelievers" is because of the negative influence your
unbelieving spouse will have on your faith. Solomon was a great
example of
a man who knew, followed, and served God, but became influenced by
the false
gods and idols of his foreign wives. This is exactly why God told the
children of Israel to not take "strange wives," or wives from nations
that
worshipped false gods. At a time in his life when Solomon should
have been
enjoying the blessings of God, instead he was dealing with the
consequences
of his rebellion to God from having multiple and foreign wives. His
life
actually ends with little fanfare and rather sadly due to his sin. SIN
ALWAYS COSTS, AND ALWAYS COSTS MORE THAN WE EXPECT TO PAY!
In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller
