Why does God allow Polygamy in the Old Testament?
Rev Charlie (April 2022)
Polygamy is the practice of having more than one wife or husband at the same time and there are many examples in the Old Testament of men who had multiple wives and concubines; not least King Solomon who had seven-hundred wives and three-hundred concubines!
One of the amazing things about the Bible is that it brings us face to face with the flaws and failings of its heroes (with the exception of Jesus who was and is perfect). Often when we read about the exploits of Biblical characters, we are left to discern whether their actions were morally upright and we have all of Scripture to help us with that.
We see God’s intention for marriage in Genesis 2: 24, ‘That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh’, a verse quoted by Jesus himself. By definition, marriage is a lifelong, monogamous union between a man and a woman.
The first case of polygamy in the Bible comes in Genesis 4: 19, ‘Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah.’ Lamech was a singularly evil character, who boasted of his vengeful violence. His violent nature and polygamy are described, but not prescribed. That is to say, Lamech’s deeds are not given as an example to follow.
If we look at other examples of polygamy in the Bible, we see that it invariably leads to discord, pain and broken relationships. Abraham was persuaded by his wife Sarah to take her slave girl as a concubine in order to produce an heir. This arrangement led to jealousy, resentment and a divided family. Jacob married Leah and her sister Rachel, but this was, at least in part, the result of their father’s deceit and it led to a bitter rivalry between the two sisters. King David had multiple wives, but as his story unfolds, it emerges that lust was his Achilles heel and his extended family was dysfunctional to say the least! We also have the example given above, King Solomon, whose wives led him astray (1 Kings 11: 3).
In many ways the Bible invites us into a conversation and gives us the tools to critique the behaviour of the characters we encounter. Whenever polygamy is mentioned, it is the result of and the catalyst for sinful behaviour, which leads to all manner of problems, thus enabling us to further understand why this is not God’s design for human relationships.
Some have argued that the Law of Moses makes provisions for polygamy and therefore sanctions it. For example, Deuteronomy 21: 15-17 rules that a man with two wives cannot show preferential treatment to the son of his favourite wife. However, it is important to understand that much of the Law in Deuteronomy is case law. In this instance, it is not legislating in favour of polygamy, rather it is directing Israel’s leaders how to respond to the kind of situation that they might encounter in a deeply broken and sinful society.
We do not have any words from Jesus about polygamy, however, there are three injunctions in the New Testament that require a church leader to be faithful to his wife (1 Timothy 3: 2, 12; Titus 1: 6).
I recently met (online), with a group of Christian leaders in Indonesia. After giving their names, the men in the group all added, ‘husband to just one wife.’ In their Muslim context, they were keen to distance themselves from the normative (or at least acceptable) practices of the surrounding culture. Given the current trajectory of Western culture, it is likely that governments will come under mounting pressure to legalise polygamy. The state of Utah has already decriminalised it, showing that these conversations are in fact already taking place. It is therefore important to understand what we can learn about this subject from the Bible.
