Polygamy, the Bible, and Ethics
First, the Bible’s teaching on monogamy is very clear. Jesus’ teaching is simply a restatement and direct application of Genesis 2 in it’s plainest, simplest meaning. Second, most of the Bible’s presenation of polygamy, though usually lacking in direct moral criticism, still portrays polygamy as a deeply troubled and troubling institution. Lamech, the first polygamist, is presented as a violent, arrogant, vengeful person, and his multiple wives seem to be as much an expression of his arrogance as his violence is. Likewise, many of the deepest conflicts and struggles of faith in the patriarchal stories are rooted in polygamy and the practise of keeping concubines. Ishmael’s birth, for example, could not have taken place had Abraham not participated in the ancient custom of concubinage, nor would Sarah have offered that alternative. This story actually stresses that the highest path of faith for Abraham and Sarah was strict monogamy, and God clearly assumes that all along. David and Solomon’s marriages also underline the pain and tragedy generated by men marrying many wives. Absalom’s revolt involves a humiliation of David by taking David’s “harem,” a humiliation that simply could not have occurred on such a scal
We also see in the Bible that God somehow finds a way to use people, even when their marital life is broken and undermined by the culture in which they live. I wouldn’t ever condone polygamy or serial divorce/remarriage, but the Old Testament’s compassion for people trapped in this system is worth meditating on as we approach the bruised and broken marriages in today’s world, and the wounded covenant-keeping capacities to which these broken marriages point. God knew David was embedded and even trapped in a social reality not of his making, and David lacked the vision and trust to transcend it for a higher vision of God’s will. Somehow, God used David despite this, just as he uses us in our blind entrapment in some of the sins of our culture. We might also remember that David might not have read Genesis. Books were not widespread, and from several biblical stories it seems that often the lawbooks were lost, forgotten, ignored--even by “good guys” like Samuel. We don’t really know how much teaching David really had access to. The OT stories underline and portray dramatically the main problem with polygamy. Polygamy rejects the central fact of biblical marriage, namely, that it is an eternal, indissoluble bond between two persons that cannot be duplicated. Our total allegiance and love for one and only one God is lived out practically by a total allegiance and love with one and only one person. Humans always want to “keep their options open” rather than focus on keeping covenant, and monogamy is the human laboratory where we learn that all-exclusive allegiance to one person, come what may. The Bible generally portrays polygamy as a massively complicated and conflict-ridden insitution. So why is the OT so tolerant of it? T
Some topics in this essay:
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David Solomon’s,
,
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Bible God,
God David,
Abraham Sarah,
Maybe OT,
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exclusively commited,
people trapped,
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reason polygamy,
broken marriages,
portrays polygamy,
genesis 1,
polygamy practised,
sexual social,
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Approximate Word count = 1182
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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