Pegg
Jehovah our God is One
Have you ever wondered why Christians dont practice polygamy? Afterall, the mosaic law seems to make the practice allowable, which it does, but does that mean that God approves of the practice? Does this in itself make the practice good for mankind? Is it good for women? Is it good for men?
By examining the hebrew scriptures and Jesus words we can see that polygamy is not a practice that God agrees with, nor one that is fitting for a person professing reverence for God.
Jehovah is the originator of marriage. The book of Genesis records the first marriage in this way:
Genesis 2:18 Then Jehovah God said: “It is not good for the man to continue to be alone. I am going to make a helper for him, as a complement of him.”+19 Now Jehovah God had been forming from the ground every wild animal of the field and every flying creature of the heavens, and he began bringing them to the man to see what he would call each one; and whatever the man would call each living creature,*that became its name.+20 So the man named all the domestic animals and the flying creatures of the heavens and every wild animal of the field, but for man there was no helper as a complement of him. 21 So Jehovah God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he was sleeping, he took one of his ribs and then closed up the flesh over its place. 22 And Jehovah God built the rib that he had taken from the man into a woman, and he brought her to the man.+
23 Then the man said:
“This is at last bone of my bones
And flesh of my flesh.
This one will be called Woman,
Because from man she was taken.”+
24 That is why a man will leave his father and his mother and he will stick to*his wife, and they will become one flesh.+
The first marriage was to be a binding union and it was monogamous. That is Gods standard.
Polygamy was introduced by a son of Cain. His name was Lamech...he was a murderer who did not survive the flood of Noahs day.
Polygamy was also practiced by the wicked angels who sinned in the days of Noah and who left their heavenly home and came to the earth and co-habited with women. Genesis 6:1, 2, says: “Now it came about that when men started to grow in numbers on the surface of the ground and daughters were born to them, then the sons of the true God began to notice the daughters of men, that they were good-looking; and they went taking wives for themselves, namely, all whom they chose.”
But the righteous ones in the earth did not practice polygamy. Noah and his 3 sons did not follow the practice of polygamy during their lifetime. The bible says of Noah " “Noah found favor in the eyes of Jehovah. . . . Noah was a righteous man. He proved himself faultless among his contemporaries. Noah walked with the true God.” (Genesis 6:8, 9)
So from genesis, we are told that wicked angels and wicked men practiced polygamy. Righteous ones and those who walked with God were faultless and they were monogamous.
Its also interesting to see that, while polygamy was practiced by the Isrealites, the scriptures paint a negative picture of it.
It describes the friction and strife that arose in the families of Abraham and Jacob as a result of the practice. (Genesis 16:1-4; 29:18–30:24)
If polygamy was a good thing, it should produce good fruits...but when you read the accounts about various ones who were in polygamous marriages, there is a lot of friction, tension and heartache among them. Hence, polygamy is not something which benefits human relationships.
We also see that God's Law included this directive to each king: “He should . . . not multiply wives for himself, that his heart may not turn aside.”
This is the one clear reference in the Hebrew scriptures where God says 'no' to polygamy. We can ask why it was only the king who had this specific command (not that any of them complied with it) but it certainly raises questions about whether God wanted his people practicing polygamy. If the leader sets the right example, the people will hopefully follow that example. By requesting the kings not to practice polygamy, could it be that God was hoping the people would follow that example? Very likely. Othewise it wouldnt make sense that he was the only one not permitted to practice it.
Its also notable that the king was said to sit on Jehovahs throne. So he was Gods earthly representative. So the hebrew scriptures show us that God did not want his visible representative to be a polygamist. He obviously wanted someone who would uphold his own righteous standards.
Jesus, as the Messiah sent by God, did uphold Gods righteous standards. He taught his followers to look beyond the law and see the principles behind that law. The principle of 'love your neighbour as yourself' when applied to your marriage mate, makes polygamy out of the question for men because no man wants his wife to marry another man. No man is willing to share his bed with another man. So the christians knew that it would not be right for a man to bring another woman into the marriage union.
This is why the requirements for christians was that they should be married to only one woman. And they should love their wives as they loved themselves.
By examining the hebrew scriptures and Jesus words we can see that polygamy is not a practice that God agrees with, nor one that is fitting for a person professing reverence for God.
Jehovah is the originator of marriage. The book of Genesis records the first marriage in this way:
Genesis 2:18 Then Jehovah God said: “It is not good for the man to continue to be alone. I am going to make a helper for him, as a complement of him.”+19 Now Jehovah God had been forming from the ground every wild animal of the field and every flying creature of the heavens, and he began bringing them to the man to see what he would call each one; and whatever the man would call each living creature,*that became its name.+20 So the man named all the domestic animals and the flying creatures of the heavens and every wild animal of the field, but for man there was no helper as a complement of him. 21 So Jehovah God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he was sleeping, he took one of his ribs and then closed up the flesh over its place. 22 And Jehovah God built the rib that he had taken from the man into a woman, and he brought her to the man.+
23 Then the man said:
“This is at last bone of my bones
And flesh of my flesh.
This one will be called Woman,
Because from man she was taken.”+
24 That is why a man will leave his father and his mother and he will stick to*his wife, and they will become one flesh.+
The first marriage was to be a binding union and it was monogamous. That is Gods standard.
Polygamy was introduced by a son of Cain. His name was Lamech...he was a murderer who did not survive the flood of Noahs day.
Polygamy was also practiced by the wicked angels who sinned in the days of Noah and who left their heavenly home and came to the earth and co-habited with women. Genesis 6:1, 2, says: “Now it came about that when men started to grow in numbers on the surface of the ground and daughters were born to them, then the sons of the true God began to notice the daughters of men, that they were good-looking; and they went taking wives for themselves, namely, all whom they chose.”
But the righteous ones in the earth did not practice polygamy. Noah and his 3 sons did not follow the practice of polygamy during their lifetime. The bible says of Noah " “Noah found favor in the eyes of Jehovah. . . . Noah was a righteous man. He proved himself faultless among his contemporaries. Noah walked with the true God.” (Genesis 6:8, 9)
So from genesis, we are told that wicked angels and wicked men practiced polygamy. Righteous ones and those who walked with God were faultless and they were monogamous.
Its also interesting to see that, while polygamy was practiced by the Isrealites, the scriptures paint a negative picture of it.
It describes the friction and strife that arose in the families of Abraham and Jacob as a result of the practice. (Genesis 16:1-4; 29:18–30:24)
If polygamy was a good thing, it should produce good fruits...but when you read the accounts about various ones who were in polygamous marriages, there is a lot of friction, tension and heartache among them. Hence, polygamy is not something which benefits human relationships.
We also see that God's Law included this directive to each king: “He should . . . not multiply wives for himself, that his heart may not turn aside.”
This is the one clear reference in the Hebrew scriptures where God says 'no' to polygamy. We can ask why it was only the king who had this specific command (not that any of them complied with it) but it certainly raises questions about whether God wanted his people practicing polygamy. If the leader sets the right example, the people will hopefully follow that example. By requesting the kings not to practice polygamy, could it be that God was hoping the people would follow that example? Very likely. Othewise it wouldnt make sense that he was the only one not permitted to practice it.
Its also notable that the king was said to sit on Jehovahs throne. So he was Gods earthly representative. So the hebrew scriptures show us that God did not want his visible representative to be a polygamist. He obviously wanted someone who would uphold his own righteous standards.
Jesus, as the Messiah sent by God, did uphold Gods righteous standards. He taught his followers to look beyond the law and see the principles behind that law. The principle of 'love your neighbour as yourself' when applied to your marriage mate, makes polygamy out of the question for men because no man wants his wife to marry another man. No man is willing to share his bed with another man. So the christians knew that it would not be right for a man to bring another woman into the marriage union.
This is why the requirements for christians was that they should be married to only one woman. And they should love their wives as they loved themselves.
