Polygamy Revisited.

Marriage was instituted in Paradise when man was in innocence Genesis 2:18-24; it is most evident from Gen 2:24 (Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh) that monogamy was the original law of marriage and not polygamy. This law was violated when corrupt usages began to be introduced Gen 4:19, (And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah and the name of the other Zillah). Polygamy was acknowledged in the Mosaic Law and made the basis of legislation, and continued to be practised all down through the period of Jewish histroy to the Captivity, after which there is no instance of it on record. The Law of Moses regulated but did not prohibit polygamy; a man might have many wives. Though King Saul had at least two wives (Ahinoam, Rizpah), Abraham had three wives (Sarah, Hagar, and Keturah), Moses had two wives (Zipporah and the Ethiopian woman), Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines and David had at least eight wives (Michal, Abigail, Ahinoam, Bathsheba, Maacah, Haggith, Abital, and Eglah) plus Saul’s wives, but that was not God’s standard, they allowed circumstances and situations to push them into polygamy knowing well that it was totally against the Law of God.

From the aforementioned, it is to be understood that God created man and woman in the Garden of Eden, not man and women. It is man and his wife that were naked, not man and his wives, girlfriends or concubines. Note that, a man shall cleave unto his wife so they can be one flesh, not that he shall cleave to wives. It is therefore a thing of pity to find that more and more women are going into polygamy for baseless reasons. There is no shortage of men as is the popular believe, some religion believe that by marrying many wives they are helping to reduce the number of women in need of marriage partners and that by so doing such women are prevented from committing sins of adultery and fornication. Marrying them also ensure that they are not prostituting themselves.

All in all, God frown on Polygamy, this is evident in the biblical definition of marriage as a physical and spiritual life-long covenant between a man and a woman before God and society. Contrary to the circular definition as polygamous, cohabitation, civil union, open marriage, serial monogamy and same sex marriage. All the above-mentioned worldly marriage is associated with consequences. A man married to more than one wife is surely digging his own grave because he will surely lack peace in his life and home. The women involved in such relationship will constantly undergo emotional turmoil.

Beware of polygamy, those in it has no good testimony, they always have a sad tale to tell.

Further Reading, Here.

Shalom!