God does not condone the practice of polygamy
Polygamy is condemned by Paul when he addressed the qualifications for deacons and Elders. “Elders and deacons are to be the husbands of ONE wife”!
in Genesis 2, God gives the definition of marriage as one man and one woman. Jesus would later repeat this definition. Paul required that for a person to be a leader in the church, they could only be the husband of one wife (in 2 Timothy, Titus). Paul also defined marriage as one man having one wife (1 Corinthians 7)
There are people in the Bible who engage in polygamy. But God never told them to do that, nor does God redefine marriage to allow for multiple spouses. Just because people did it does not mean that God approved of it.
People in the Bible murder, but God still has a law again that. People in the Bible lie and steal, but God still has laws against those. Don’t confuse, what people did with what God commanded. Pologamy is forbidden
SOME BIBLE VERSES ON MONOGAMY
1 Timothy 3:2
New International Version (NIV)2 Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
“no Christian, whether an overseer or not, would have been allowed to practice polygamy.”
1 Corinthians 7:2-3
New King James Version (NKJV)
2 Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. 3 Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband.
Deuteronomy 17:14–20 NLT
17 The king must not take many wives for himself, because they will turn his heart away from the Lord. And he must not accumulate large amounts of wealth in silver and gold for himself.
All throughout the Bible are examples of men and women who are married, like Jesus’s earthly parents: Mary and Joseph. In Gen. 1:18 it says, “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph…” The Bible speaks of keeping marriage holy and pure between a man and woman.
#1) Solomon Solom was punished for practice pologamy
God Forbid a King to Pratice of Pologamy
1 Kings 11:3
says Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines violating the principle of monogamy that he was given through the law of Moses. Consider that Solomon at one time was the wisest man in the world and fell forgot his own counsel and the wisdom of Scripture. God had given clear instructions for anyone who would be king: no amassing of horses, no multiplying of wives, and no accumulating of silver and gold
(Deuteronomy 17:14-20 NLT).
17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. 18 When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites.19 It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees 20. and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left.
These commands were designed to prevent the king from trusting in military might, following foreign gods, and relying on wealth instead of on God. Any survey of Solomon’s life will show that he broke all three of these divine prohibitions!
Thus, Solomon’s taking of many wives and concubines was in direct violation of God’s Word. Just as God had predicted, “As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God” (1 Kings 11:4). To please his wives, Solomon even got involved in sacrificing to Milcom (or Molech), a god that required “detestable” acts to be performed (1 Kings 11:7-8).
God allowed Solomon to make the choice to disobey, but Solomon’s choice brought inevitable consequences. “So the Lord said to Solomon, ‘Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates’” (1 Kings 11:11). God showed mercy to Solomon for David’s sake (verse 12), but Solomon’s kingdom was eventually divided. Another chastisement upon Solomon was war with the Edomites and Aramians (verses 14-25).
God punished Solomon
So the LORD said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant. 12“Nevertheless I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father David, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13“However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.”
Solomon was not a puppet king. God did not force him to do what was right. Rather, God laid out His will, blessed Solomon with wisdom, and expected the king to obey. In his later years, Solomon chose to disobey, and he was held accountable for his decisions.
It is never God’s will that anyone sin, but He does allow us to make our own choices. The story of Solomon is a powerful lesson for us that it does not pay to disobey. It is not enough to start well; we must seek God’s grace to finish well, too. Life without God is a dead-end street. Solomon thought that having 1,000 wives and concubines would provide happiness, but whatever pleasure he derived was not worth the price he paid. As a wiser Solomon said, “God will bring every deed into judgment” (Ecclesiastes 12:14).
#2) ABRAHAM was punished for practice polygamy
Their sinful relationships had consequences. When Abraham decided to practice polygamy (with Hagar, Genesis 16:3), fierce family tensions arose. Hagar eventually gave birth to a son. Abraham thought that this new son (Ishmael) would become his heir. God, however, did not recognize Ishmael as the heir. Instead, God gave Abraham a son through the proper means, thus Isaac was born.
Abraham and Sarah (Gen. 21:8-21), Abraham obeying God’s command to send Hagar away. Genesis 25:6 states, however, that Abraham’s concubines’ (plural) sons were sent away, his other concubine being Susanna, as referenced in the ancient Austrian Chronicle
Nevertheless, we all must REAP what we sow — even though God forgives our sins upon repentance. God refused to approve this adulterous act of Abraham. He rejected the illegitimate son, Ishmael, from the birthright. This transgression produced jealousy between the women. It resulted in trouble, controversy, suffering.n Genesis 21:8-21 is the record of Hagar’s departure from Sarah and Abraham. God ordered Abraham to send away the concubine Hagar and her son, and Abraham obeyed. This was at the time Isaac was weaned. Abraham had, after this, no more relations with Hagar, or his other concubine, Susanna, who is mentioned in the ancient Austrian Chronicle — see Genesis 25:6 where you will read that Abraham’s concubines’ sons were sent away.
jealousy of the two women, Sarah and Hagar, over the one man, Abraham? The Jews are the children of Sarah, through Isaac, born later by a miracle.
#3) Jacob was punished for polygamy
As we know Jacob cheated Esau by taking the bless of his brother. Although he deserved this bless, but it still was a sin. Bless is all from GOD. That’s why Jacob should’ve trusted GOD and not do it by himself.
Jacob was forced to run to his uncle Lavan, because Esau wanted kill him. He liked Rachel, daughter of Lavan. He worked 7 years for her. But when he married, his uncle Lavan gave him Leah instead Rachel. That was a punishment for Jacob. GOD punished Jacob.
Jacob cheated Isaac by coming instead of Esau and Lavan cheated Jacob by giving Leah instead of Rachel.
As he stole the Birthright from Esau by unfair means, and received Isaac’s blessing by a lying deception, so his father-in-law, Laban, deceived Jacob. Laban supplanted Jacob’s promised and loved wife, Rachel, with his elder daughter Leah. Leah was foisted on Jacob by fraud. According to God’s marriage laws, Jacob could have rejected her — put her away as soon he discovered the deception. In that event, he would never have been truly married to Leah — GOD would not have bound them as one flesh. But when Jacob accepted her as his wife, she became his ONLY true wife, in God’s sight, as long as they both live!
But Jacob was not yet converted. He leaned to his own understanding. He did not seek wisdom from God, nor did he seek to OBEY God. He did what seemed right to him, in his own selfish interest. So Jacob lived in polygamy with both wives, and also had children by their two personal maids.
But you read of Jacob’s conversion in Genesis 32:24-30. He then put idolatry out of his household (Gen. 35:2-4). God appeared to him, changed his name to ISRAEL (“Overcomer,” or “Prevailer with God”), and reconfirmed the PROMISES. Then God took Rachel, his second wife (Gen. 35:19), leaving only his first and true wife Leah.
So, following his conversion, Jacob had but his one original wife. Jacob had repented. He lived no more in polygamy after his conversion.
**Jacob has shown them that he is a doer, a decisive person, a strong man. He could be useful, thinks Laban. A month goes by, and one evening Laban brings up the matter of staying.
Laban isn’t blind. He has observed how Jacob looks at his daughter and she at him. He sees a man utterly entranced. So he brings up the matter of wages.
“Just because you are kin doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be paying you for your work,” he begins. “Let’s determine some basis to pay you wages for watching my flocks.”
Jacob has no doubt been thinking about this very thing. He has no money for a bride price, but he must have this enchanting girl, “lovely in form, and beautiful” (29:17).
“I’ll work seven years for you in return for your younger daughter Rachel,” he ventures.
Laban couldn’t have hoped for more. Seven years of labor just for a bride price? That was far too generous. He must love her! But Laban doesn’t let on.
“It’d be better for me to give her to you than some other man,” he says with feigned resignation. “Stay with me.” And so Jacob stays and works seven years for the love of his life, “but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her” (29:20).
At the end of seven years — and I’m sure Jacob has been counting — he says to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to lie with her” (29:21). That’s a pretty direct way to talk to the father-of-the-bride!
Laban calls all his friends for a sumptuous feast to celebrate the event. The party goes long into the night. But Laban sends Leah, not Rachel, to Jacob’s tent to enjoy a night of intimacy. The scripture is terse: “When morning came, there was Leah!” (29:25). What a shock!
#4 ) David was punished for polygamy
In this story, many folks see King David lusting after Bat-Sheva, the wife of Uriah the Hittite.
Uriah or Urijah (Hebrew: , Modern Uriyya Tiberian ʼÛriyyā ; “my light is Yahweh”) “flame of God”
Uriah was a soldier in King David’s army. He is fighting the King’s battle when King David takes his wife Bathsheba behind his back. After she becomes pregnant, King David has Uriah recalled from the battle and orders him to sleep with his wife, in order to cover up his sin. Afterwards, when Uriah refuses to sleep with Bathsheba King David Has Uriah killed in battle. After Uriah’s death, King David marries Bathsheba.
Most folks understand that King David committed adultery and murder. These are the sins that they see King David committing.
Nothing could be farther from the truth.
If we apply the principle of midda keneged midda, measure for measure, we get an entirely different picture. Further, if we examine the Sages, we see that there is more to this story than first meets the eye.
The Sages record that King David required that all of his soldiers were required to give their wives a “get”, a divorce, before they went off to battle. This was done so that if the soldier failed to return from the battle, and his body was not found, then the wife would not become an “aguna”, a woman who could not remarry. If she was legally divorced, then she could remarry if her husband did not return after a reasonable amount of time.
Kethuboth 9b Everyone who goes out into the war of the House of David writes for his wife a deed of divorce, for it is written, And to thy brethren shalt thou bring greetings, and take their pledge. What [is the meaning of], ‘and take their pledge’? R. Joseph learnt: Things which are pledged between him and her.
Therefore, we know that Uriah had given his wife a “get” and was legally divorced. Therefore, we know that King David did not commit adultery. We can know that King David did not commit adultery because the Torah proscribes that the one who commits adultery is to be stoned to death:
Vayikra (Leviticus) 20:10 And the man that committeth adultery with [another] man’s wife, [even he] that committeth adultery with his neighbour’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
Since HaShem did not cause this to happen, we can know that King David did not commit adultery.
Did King David lust, sexually, after Bathsheba? No! King David did NOT lust after Bathsheba. He had entirely conquered that evil inclination. The story makes it sound like Bathsheba was taking a bath on her roof without any covering. Nothing could be further from the truth. Bathsheba was coming out from the mikveh, the ritual baptism that women must immerse in, every month. As she exited the mikveh house, her exalted spiritual state attracted King David. He prophetically saw that he was to father Solomon with this women. That is why he took her.
It is also instructive to note that the union of King David with Bathsheba produced Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived.
2 Shmuel (Samuel) 12:24 And David comforted Bath-sheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and HaShem loved him.
It is apparent that King David was destined to marry Bathsheba. It seems that his timing was off a bit.
Sanhedrin 107a Rab Judah said in Rab’s name: One should never [intentionally] bring himself to the test, since David king of Israel did so, and fell. He said unto Him, ‘Sovereign of the Universe! Why do we say [in prayer] “The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,” but not the God of David?’ He replied, ‘They were tried by me, but thou wast not.’ Then, replied he, ‘Sovereign of the Universe, examine and try me’ — as it is written, Examine me, O Lord, and try me. He answered ‘I will test thee, and yet grant thee a special privilege; for I did not inform them [of the nature of their trial beforehand], yet, I inform thee that I will try thee in a matter of adultery.’ Straightway, And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed etc. R. Johanan said: He changed his night couch to a day couch, but he forgot the halachah: there is a small organ in man which satisfies him in his hunger but makes him hunger when satisfied. And he walked upon the roof of the king’s house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. Now Bath Sheba was cleansing her hair behind a screen, when Satan came to him, appearing in the shape of a bird. He shot an arrow at him, which broke the screen, thus she stood revealed, and he saw her. Immediately, And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bath Sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? And David sent messengers, and took her, and she came unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanliness: and she returned unto her house. Thus it is written, Thou host proved mine heart; thou hast visited me in the night; thou host tried me, and shalt find nothing; I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress. He said thus: ‘Would that a bridle had fallen into the mouth of mine enemy [i.e., himself], that I had not spoken thus.’
Raba expounded: What is meant by the verse, To the Chief Musician, A Psalm of David. In the Lord put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain? David pleaded before the Holy One, blessed be He: ‘Sovereign of the Universe! Forgive me that sin, that men may not say, “Your mountain [sc. the king] has been put to flight by a bird.
Although under David’s order to return home and see his wife, Uriah repeatedly refused to leave his post or leave the King’s presence to see her. Contact between the couple could have hidden the adulterous nature of her pregnancy by David. As a result of this murder, David was rebuked by the prophet Nathan; furthermore, later turmoil in David’s household and throughout the kingdom of Israel, including the death of Bathsheba’s baby and the insurrection of prince Absalom, was contemporarily explained as punishment for the sins of adultery and murder.
Did David cause the murder of Uriyya the Hittite? The Tanakh says no.
According to Second Samuel, King David was tempted upon seeing Bathsheba bathe in her courtyard from the roof of his palace. He had her brought to his chambers and had sex with her, resulting in a pregnancy. Informed that her husband was Uriah, David summoned Uriah from battle to meet him, suggesting that he go home and “wash his feet,” meaning to spend time at home and attend to his wife.
Uriah refused, claiming a code of honor with his fellow warriors while they were in battle. It was common for warriors in preparation for battle to abstain from sex, as a practice of discipline. After repeatedly refusing to see his wife Bathsheba, David sent Uriah to his commanding officer Joab with a letter that ordered to put Uriah in the front of the battle and have the soldiers move away from him so that he would be killed.
How can this be? To understand this part, we must look carefully at the text to understand what is going on:
2 Shmuel (Samuel) 11:8-9 And David said to Uriah, Go down to thy house, and wash thy feet. And Uriah departed out of the king’s house, and there followed him a mess [of meat] from the king. But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and went not down to his house.
Notice that Uriyya disobeyed a DIRECT ORDER of the King. So, King David gives him a second chance:
2 Shmuel (Samuel) 11:10-12 And when they had told David, saying, Uriah went not down unto his house, David said unto Uriah, Camest thou not from [thy] journey? why [then] didst thou not go down unto thine house? And Uriah said unto David, The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? [as] thou livest, and [as] thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing. And David said to Uriah, Tarry here to day also, and to morrow I will let thee depart. So Uriah abode in Jerusalem that day, and the morrow. And when David had called him, he did eat and drink before him; and he made him drunk: and at even he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but went not down to his house.
At this point King David has no choice. Uriah has disobeyed a direct order of the king. The penalty for this offense is death.
2 Shmuel (Samuel) 11:14-17 And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent [it] by the hand of Uriah. And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die. And it came to pass, when Joab observed the city, that he assigned Uriah unto a place where he knew that valiant men [were]. And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell [some] of the people of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hittite died also.
King David knows that Uriah has an evil heart,[5] never the less, one MUST obey the King no matter what. Not wishing to publicly shame Uriah, King David has him killed in battle in an honorable manner. Notice that Joab does not protest in the least. Joab knew that the order of the King, as the chief justice, must be obeyed.
Ok, so now we know that King David did NOT commit adultery with Bath-Sheba and that he did not cause Uriah to be murdered. What we need to know is: What was King David’s sin?
King David was also the chief Hakham, the chief Judge. Nathan the prophet naturally came to the King for a judgment.
David, being a great Torah scholar and Sage, renders a judgment in keeping with Torah. HaShem agreed to this judgment, EXCEPT for the death penalty:
2 Shmuel (Samuel) 12:13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against HaShem. And Nathan said unto David, HaShem also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
The prophet Nathan soon after confronted David about this murder, by first telling him a story of a rich man and a poor man: The rich man had many sheep, while the poor man had only one little ewe, whom he cared for greatly. A traveler approached the rich man for food, whereby the man took the poor man’s ewe and dressed it to give to the traveler.
Hearing this story, David grew angry and replied: “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.”
Nathan replied, “You are the man!
Nathan then informs David that his child with Bathsheba must die. Indeed, their first child dies after seven days. David and Bathsheba later had a second son, the future King Solomon.
David was punished for pologamy ; as well as; trying to cover up having sex bathsheba with Uriah’s wife resulted in pregnancy. which then lead to Uriah being sentenced to death by battle.
read more below
The HOUSE OF DAVID, at that time consisted solely of these plural WIVES, and his children. This was a tremendous, super SIN. God was meting out tremendous super punishment. Now notice the next verse:
“Thus saith the Eternal, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house… .” His own house included his wives and children. What evil? God has just said the sword will now come upon his house — his family. God continues: “… and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbor, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.”
Notice — this was to be done in the sight of THIS sun in broad daylight. God continues: “For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.The Septuagint Version translates it “this sun” here, as in the preceding verse. This was done publicly by Davids own son Absalom, II Samuel 16:21-22.
David repented. “And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Eternal” (I Samuel 12:13). You will read of David’s private prayer of repentance to God in the 51st Psalm — the prayer of a really broken and contrite heart. It was real repentance. David turned from polygamy.
The next words in this text in II Samuel 12 are: “And Nathan said unto David, The Eternal also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.” However, the son to be born of this adultery was to die.
“And David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in ward, and fed them, but went not in unto them. So they were shut up unto the day of their death, living in widowhood” (II Sam. 20:3).
Just as David kept the ten concubines “in widowhood” — that is, he had no relations with them, for they had been defiled by his son Absalom.
David had truly repented. He practiced polygamy NO MORE! When David was becoming old, he went “fully after the Eternal” (I Kings 11:6). He was “a man after God’s own heart,” because his heart was right. He did repent. He had been a warrior. In his younger life he went after many women. He had sown his “wild oats.” BUT HE REPENTED!
#5) Lamech god did not like polygamy
-Genesis 4:19 Then Lamech took for himself two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah. Part of the immorality which had led God to flood the earth, was the polygamy practiced by Lamech and his generation.
#6 Esau was punished for polygamy /being a profane person
Genesis 26:34(NIV)
Esau took his wives from the women of Canaan: Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite—
Rom 9:13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. Heb 12:16 Lest there [be] any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
Mal 1:3 And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness. Obadiah 1:18 Jacob will be a fire and Joseph a flame; Esau will be stubble,and they will set him on fire and destroy him.There will be no survivors from Esau.”The Lord has spoken.
#7)Gideon, God does not approve of polgamy
Had many wives (Jud 8:30) and by them many sons. God does not like polygamy..Scripture shows forth a story of terrible violence and death that results from many sons, by different mothers all competing for kingship and heritage. Scripture tells the terrible story:
At the heart of this murderous and internecine conflict was polygamy. Brothers who competed for kingship, power and inheritance, and brothers who lost little love on each other since they were by different mothers. Abimelech’s loyalty was not to his brothers, but to his mother, and her clan. Thus he slaughtered his brothers to win power. Gideon left behind him seventy sons, a feeble, sadly degenerated race, with one exception, that of Abimelech, who seems to have had much of the courage and energy of his father, yet of restless and unscrupulous ambition. He gathered around him a band who slaughtered all Gideon’s sons, except Jotham, upon one stone.
Now Gideon had seventy sons, his direct descendants, for he had many wives. His concubine who lived in Shechem also bore him a son, whom he named Abimelech. At a good old age Gideon, son of Joash, died and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. Abimelech, son of Jerubbaal (i.e. Gideon), went to his mother’s kinsmen in Shechem, and said to them and to the whole clan to which his mother’s family belonged, “Put this question to all the citizens of Shechem: ‘Which is better for you: that seventy men, or all Jerubbaal’s sons, rule over you, or that one man rule over you?’ You must remember that I am your own flesh and bone.” When his mother’s kin repeated these words to them on his behalf, all the citizens of Shechem sympathized with Abimelech, thinking, “He is our kinsman.” They also gave him seventy silver shekels from the temple of Baal of Berith, with which Abimelech hired shiftless men and ruffians as his followers. He then went to his ancestral house in Ophrah, and slew his brothers, the seventy sons of Jerubbaal (Gideon), on one stone. Only the youngest son of Jerubbaal, Jotham, escaped, for he was hidden. (Judges 9:1-5).
#8) Elkanah was punished for polygamy
God punished Elkanah for pologamy..his wife hannah could not have kids, in result Elkanah had unhappy marriage.
1Now there was a certain man of Ramathaimzophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite: 2And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. 3And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice to the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there. 4And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions: 5But to Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the LORD had shut up her womb. 6And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb. 7And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat. 8Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weep you? and why eat you not? and why is your heart grieved? am not I better to you than ten sons?
#9) Rehoboam
God had forbidden to practice polygamy”
Deuteronomy 17:14:20 nlt
17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. 18 When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. 19 It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law
”King Rehoboam ” he had eighteen legitimate wives, and thirty concubines;—This royal harem, though far smaller than his father’s, was equally in violation of the law, which forbade a king to “multiply wives unto himself
God only allowed Rehoboam small kingdom (judah and benjiman were his two tribes), he went out of the right way unto unrighteous and irreligious practices, and he despised the worship of God, till the people themselves imitated his wicked actions: for so it usually happens, that the manners of subjects are corrupted at the same time with those of their governors, which subjects then lay aside their own sober way of living, as a reproof of their governors’ intemperate courses, and follow their wickedness as if it were virtue; for it is not possible to show that men approve of the actions of their kings, unless they do the same actions with them.
Agreeable whereto it now happened to the subjects of Rehoboam; for when he was grown impious, and a transgressor himself, they endeavored not to offend him by resolving still to be righteous. But God sent Shishak, King of Egypt, to punish them for their unjust behavior towards him
So when Shishak had taken the city without fighting, because Rehoboam was afraid, and received him into it, yet did not Shishak stand to the covenants he had made, but he spoiled the temple, and emptied the treasures of God, and those of the king, and carried off innumerable ten thousands of gold and silver, and left nothing at all behind him and when they besought God to give them victory and deliverance, they could not persuade God to be on their side. But Shemaiah the prophet told them, that God threatened to forsake them, as they had themselves forsaken his worship. When they heard this, they were immediately in a consternation of mind; and seeing no way of deliverance, they all earnestly set themselves to confess that God might justly overlook them, since they had been guilty of impiety towards him, and had let his laws lie in confusion. So when God saw them in that disposition, and that they acknowledge their sins, he told the prophet that he would not destroy them, but that he would, however, make them servants to the Egyptians, that they may learn whether they will suffer less by serving men or God. Rehoboam reigned in great quietness, though not without fear, as being always an enemy to Jeroboam,
http://www.biblestudy.org/bibleref/history-of-the-jews/death-of-david-to-death-of-ahab-chapter10.html
#10) Jeroboam was the worse king out of all the kings he had a sin named after him
“The Sin of Jeroboam”
a. You have done more evil than all who were before you: Saul was a bad man and a bad king. Solomon was a good king but a bad man. Though both men were bad, Jeroboam was far worse. He became the measuring line for the bad kings of Israel to come.
Jeroboam guilty of the sin of the flesh Polygamy just like Solomon is what drew him away from God.
Jeroboam king of 10 tribes also name his son Abijah.,
Abijah the son of Jeroboam never got to be king. He fell sick and died, because God cursed abijah with some deadly disease as a punishment of Jeroboam’s sin.
the house of Jeroboam; consisted of idolatry and wickedness.
. (12-16) The immediate judgment and the distant judgment.
But Jeroboam failed to exploit his remarkable opportunity. Rather, he instituted an idolatrous form of worship as the official religion of the new kingdom. In spite of God’s warnings, Jeroboam refused to turn from his idolatrous ways.
So the LORD said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant. 12“Nevertheless I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father David, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13“However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.”
Here was God speaking through the prophet and He gave Jeroboam a magnificent promise, that He would bless him with an enduring kingdom like David.
But as in every promise of God there is an “If” statement, a demand from the Living God for righteousness in the follower. It has not changed brothers and sisters He still promises and demands, are you listening?
God pronounced a sobering final edict against Jeroboam: “Because I exalted you from among the people, and made you ruler over My people Israel, and tore the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it to you; and yet you have not been as My servant David, who kept My commandments and who followed Me with all his heart, to do only what was right in My eyes; but you have done more evil than all who were before you, for you have gone and made for yourself other gods and molded images to provoke Me to anger, and have cast Me behind your back—therefore behold! I will bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam …” (1 Kings 14:7-10)
A Legacy of Tragedy
Summarizing Jeroboam’s and his successors’ rule, the Bible says: “Then Jeroboam drove Israel from following the Lord, and made them commit a great sin. For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they did not depart from them, until the Lord removed Israel out of His sight, as He had said by all His servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away from their own land to Assyria, as it is to this day” (2 Kings 17:21-23
So Jeroboam’s sins had far-reaching consequences. They led to the removal of God’s blessings on the 10-tribed nation because not one of Israel’s kings who followed Jeroboam initiated the necessary reforms that would have led the nation back to God’s way of worship. Instead, all continued in his sins (2 Kings 3:3
; 10:29; 13:2; etc.). God does not give us a choice on how we are to worship Him (Deuteronomy 12:32
). He gives us a choice of whether we will worship Him according to the instructions He has given.
Israel was instructed to worship the Eternal God, not two golden calves. God’s people were told that the Feast of Tabernacles was to be observed in the seventh month of the year, not the eighth month. Not one of Israel’s kings restored the true worship of God. The result was a horrific national captivity for all 10 tribes.
Many in the mainstream Christian world have not learned this vital lesson from the life of King Jeroboam. The practices he set in motion—substituting his own days, methods and kinds of worship for those God commanded—have continued down to this day.
God tells us in His Word when and on which days we are to worship. He does not want us to invent our own special festivals or borrow them from the pagan practices of yesteryear
a. Ahijah could not see: As it turned out, there was no reason for the wife of Jeroboam to wear a disguise. Old age made Ahijah unable to see.
b. The LORD had said to Ahijah, “Here is the wife of Jeroboam, coming to ask you something about her son”: The woman’s disguise and Ahijah’s blindness didn’t matter, because God told Ahijah the truth of the matter.
Disguise yourself, that they may not recognize you as the wife of Jeroboam: This was a familiar pattern for Jeroboam. In his time of need, he turned to the true God and men of God. He knew that idols could not help him in any true crisis. Yet he also knew that he had rejected God and His prophets, and so he told his wife to wear a disguise.
“Arise therefore, go to your own house. When your feet enter the city, the child shall die. And all Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he is the only one of Jeroboam who shall come to the grave, because in him there is found something good toward the LORD God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam. Moreover the LORD will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam; this is the day. What? Even now! For the LORD will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land which He gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the River, because they have made their wooden images, provoking the LORD to anger. And He will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who sinned and who made Israel sin.”
So the LORD said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant. 12“Nevertheless I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father David, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13“However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.”
Here was God speaking through the prophet and He gave Jeroboam a magnificent promise, that He would bless him with an enduring kingdom like David. But as in every promise of God there is an “If” statement, a demand from the Living God for righteousness in the follower. It has not changed brothers and sisters He still promises and demands, are you listening?
Jeroboam must follow God’s ways to receive the full promise of God, there is not other way, there is no shortcut, obedience is what God wants and He will get.
1 Kings 12 — The Sin of Jeroboam
Jeroboam, a ruler of the northern kingdom of Israel, is given special attention in the Old Testament. No less than twenty-one times he is charged with having caused Israel to sin (cf. 1 Kings 14:16). What was his transgression that merited such attention?
He was an innovator. He practiced what the apostle Paul would call “will-worship” (Colossians 2:23). His presumptuous activities are detailed in 1 Kings 12.
First, he corrupted the worship of Jehovah by instituting golden calves as objects of divine adoration (v. 28).
Second, he changed the place of service from Jerusalem to the cities of Bethel and Dan — under the guise of convenience (vv. 27-30).
Third, Jeroboam appointed priests from among tribes other than that of Levi (v. 31) — a practice unauthorized, since the law had spoken “nothing” about priests from Israel’s other tribes (cf. Hebrews 7:14). This is a perfect example illustrating the fact that the “law of silence” is indeed a reality in the scriptural scheme of things!
Fourth, the king altered the time of the feast of the tabernacles from the seventh month, fifteenth day, to the eighth month, fifteenth day (v. 32).
All of this he had “devised of his own heart” (v. 33). He was a high-handed rebel who well deserved the wrath of God. And all of his spiritual kin are not extinct!
Thus, in your margin in connection with chapter 12 note: Sin of Jeroboam: Changed the object, place, priesthood, and time of worship.
Jeroboam did not listen he
https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/1147-1-kings-12-the-sin-of-jeroboam
#11) “Abijah” God had forbidden to practice polygamy
Abijah took to himself fourteen wives, and became the father of twenty-two sons, and sixteen daughters was also equally in violation of the law, which forbade a king to “multiply wives unto himself
Deuteronomy 17:14:20 NLT
17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. 18 When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. 19 It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law
King Rehoboam (Abijah farther) had appointed Abijah, whom he had by Maachah, to be his successor in the kingdom, and entrusted him already with the treasures and the strongest cities.This preference seems to have been given to Abijah solely from the king’s doting fondness for his mother and through her influence over him. It is plainly implied that Abijah was not the oldest of the family.( King ABIJAH of JUDAH ) was the son of Rehoboam, the grandson of Solomon and the great-grandson of David.
#12) King Joash it was forbidden to practice polygamy
Joash - 2 Chronicles
King Jehoiada chose two wives for him, and he had sons and daughters. He in violation of the law, which forbade a king to “multiply wives unto himself
Deuteronomy 17:14:20 nlt
17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. 18 When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. 19 It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law
#13) King Ahab it was forbidden to practice polygamy
Ahab -2 Kings 10:1
Ahab had seventy sons - As he had several wives, he might have many children.
Deuteronomy 17:14:20 nlt
17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. 18 When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. 19 It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law
14) KING Jehoiachin it was forbidden to practice polygamy
2 Kings 24 (NIRV)
Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin to Babylon as his prisoner. He also took the king’s mother from Jerusalem to Babylon. And he took Jehoiachin’s wives, his officials and the most important men in the land.
Deuteronomy 17:14:20 nlt
17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. 18 When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. 19 It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law
15) king Belshazzar it was forbidden to practice polygamy
Belshazzar- Daniel 5:2
Belshazzar the king had wives and his concubines
Deuteronomy 17:14:20 nlt
17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. 18 When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. 19 It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law
16) Shaharaim committed adultery… God does not like polygamy
Adultery is a Sin against God and One’s Spouse
Adultery is not only a sin against one’s mate, but an attack on the sanctity of marriage
Luke 16:18 ESV
“Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.
GOD’S WORD® Translation (©1995)
I can guarantee that whoever divorces his wife for any reason other than her unfaithfulness is committing adultery if he marries another woman.”
Shaharaim One of the ancestors of King Saul. He had three wives, Hushim, Baara and Hodesh.
Sons were born to Shaharaim in Moab after he had divorced his wives Hushim and Baara
Hushim bore him Abitub and Elpaal but was later banished together with baara. Hodesh bore him seven sons.
#17 ) Ashur WAS NOT A Polygamist
1 Chronicles 4:5(KJV)
5 And Ashur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.
The Talmud claims that Miriam was married to Caleb, and with him, she gave birth to Hur, who valiantly tried to prevent the building of the Golden Calf. Later generation descendants of Miriam include Bezalel, the chief artisan of the Tabernacle, and King David. But Caleb and Miriam’s names never appear together in the Torah. Multiple women are identified as Caleb’s wife — none of them named Miriam. In one passage, Caleb’s wife is identified as being named Ephrath. In another passage, his wife is named Azubah. The Talmud says that Ephrath and Azubah are other names for Miriam. And, in yet another passage, someone named Ashur is said to have had two wives, Helah and Naarah. The Talmud identifies Ashur as Caleb and says that Helah and Naarah are both Miriam.
A royal family from Miriam, because David descended from Miriam. As it is written: And Caleb the son of Hezron begot Azubah his wife-and of Jerioth-and these were her sons: Jasher, and Shobab and Ardon (I Chron. II, 18). Miriam, she was married to Caleb, and thereby entered the family tree of Judah.’Azubah’ is Miriam; and why was she so called? Because all had forsaken her.He begot’? But she was his wife! This is to teach you, said R. Johanan, that if one marries a woman for the sake of heaven, he is regarded as if he had given birth to her. ‘Jerioth’-because her face was like the curtains of (yeri’oth) the tabernacle. And these are her sons’-do not pronounce it banehah (her sons) but bonehah (her builders).’Jasher’ is Caleb, because he rectified (yashir) his ways. Shobab,’ because he disciplined (shibbeb) himself. ‘Ardon,’ because he chastised (ridah) his soul. ’And Azubah died’-to teach us that she was ill and was treated as if already dead, Caleb too forsaking her. ‘And Caleb took unto him Ephrath,’ this is Miriam.And why was she called Ephrath? Because Israel were fruitful (paru) and increased, thanks to her. What is meant by ’and he took unto him’? When she was healed, he treated her as though he were now marrying her, placing her in the litter, on account of his great joy in her. Similarly, you will find in another place that Miriam is called by two names on account of the incident that happened to her. Thus it says: And Ashur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Nelah and Naarah (ib. IV, 5). ’Ashur’ is Caleb, because ’Ashur’ was the son of Hezron.Why was he called Ashur? Because he made his face black (hishhiru).
Why Ashhur called the father of Tekoa? ‘Tekoa’- he fixed [taka’] his heart on his Father in heaven.
Miriam :Some of these names related to her skin affliction: “Azubah” (2:18)—for all forsook her (azvuha) at the beginning; “Jerioth” (idem)—because her face was like curtains (yeri’ot); “[he] had two wives” (4:5)—Miriam became like two wives; “Helah and Naarah” (idem)—she was not both Helah and Naarah, rather, she was first Helah (helah, an invalid) and later, Naarah (na’arah, a young girl) (BT Sotah 11b–12a; Ex. Rabbah 1:17).
Other names teach of Miriam’s beauty: “Ardon” (2:19)—because her face was like a rose (vered); “Zereth” (4:7)—because she became the rival (zarah) of her fellow women; “Zohar” (idem; literally, brilliance)—because her face was [as beautiful] as noon; “Ethnan” (idem)—for whoever saw her took a present (etnan) to his wife (BT Sotah loc. cit.; Ex. Rabbah loc. cit.).
Her other names are “Aharhel” (4:8)—for all the women went out after her (ahareha) at the Song at the Sea; and “Ephrath” (2:19)—because the Israelites were fruitful and multiplied (peru u-rebu) in her time (and perhaps with her help, as well, as a midwife) (Ex. Rabbah loc. cit.).
The name Ephrath is the basis of the Rabbinical connection of Miriam with the Davidic dynasty (i.e., the royal line that she merited), since David is called (I Sam. 17:12): “the son of a certain Ephrathite” (Sifrei on Numbers, 72; BT Sotah loc. cit.; Ex. Rabbah loc. cit.).
history on Miriam
Miriam was about 6 years old when Pharaoh commanded that all Israelite baby boys be killed at birth. Miriam boldly rebuked her father for this action, saying: “Your act is worse than Pharaoh’s! He decreed that only male children not be permitted to live.
It was Miriam who kept watch as Moses was set adrift on the Nile in his basket. And when Pharaoh’s daughter retrieved Moses from the water, it was Miriam who boldly and cleverly offered to arrange for a Hebrew wet nurse to take care of the infant. In this way, Miriam arranged for Moses to be brought back to his mother, Yocheved, who nursed and raised her son.
This is the story of Miriam’s rebellion against her father.
And so, at the young age of 6, Miriam saved the Jewish people.
Miriam was also expressed in the entire people’s waiting seven days until she was healed (see below).
Then Miriam the prophetess, who was also Aaron’s sister.In Deuteronomy, Miriam speaks out again, but this time she’s punished for it.
This time, the object of her criticism is not her father, but her brother Moses. Still, the subject is the same: wives and conjugal obligations.
Miriam learns that Moses has been neglecting his wife Zipporah: He has not had relations with her since he began communicating with God, and is behaving as though being a prophet means that the only person he’s beholden to is God. Miriam discusses the issue with Aaron, and they are in agreement: They reason that although they, too, are prophets, they haven’t distanced themselves from interpersonal relationships the way Moses has, and perhaps Moses ought to take a lesson from them.
Then Miriam the prophetess, who was also Aaron’s sister. Miriam and Aaron questioned, “Is it but through Moses alone that the Lord has spoken? Has He not spoken to us as well?” God reacts swiftly: He calls a meeting with the three siblings, during which he chastises Miriam and Aaron .Hence, as punishment, Miriam is struck with leprosy. Num. 12:14) (Sifrei on Numbers, 106; Sifrei Zuta 12:14–15)
Only Miriam. Not Aaron. Why is Miriam the one punished, when both Aaron and Miriam issued the same criticism? Some rabbis reasoned that it’s because Miriam initiated the conversation. Others reason that it’s because Aaron was the high priest, and a physical affliction would prevent him from doing his job.
In the midrashic expansion, Aaron spoke with Moses and persuaded him to forgive them and to pray for Miriam’s recovery. He reminded him that they were all siblings and had come forth from the same womb (Num. 12:12): “who emerges from his mother’s womb.” Moses did not need Aaron’s plea, and, in any event, wanted to help her (Sifrei on Numbers, 105; Sifrei Zuta 12:12–13). According to another exegetical tradition, Moses drew a circle, stood within it, and declared that he would not budge until Miriam was healed (Avot de-Rabbi Nathan, version A, chap. 9). Moses’s prayer was efficacious to the extent that she did not require an additional isolation period of seven days. A single such period sufficed.Moses’s prayer was succinct (Num. 12:13): “O God, pray heal her!” T
Num. 12:16 relates that the people waited for Miriam seven days and only then renewed their journeying. The midrash views (Her recovery) this was Miriam’s reward for waiting for Moses at the riverbank (M Sotah 1:9).
Miriam prophesied that her mother would give birth to a son who would deliver Israel. When Moses was born and the house was filled with light, Amram rejoiced and praised Miriam because her prophecy had come to pass. However, once Moses was cast into the river, Amram charged her with making a false prediction. Therefore Miriam stood at a distance, by the riverbank, to know whether her prophecy would be fulfilled
Just to let you know there is no loop hole, its a sin to lust any man single or married that lust women commits adultery. furthermore, its also a sin to have threesomes (orgies).
so any cases of polygamy in the bible were committing adultery because they all lusted for other women making them concubines or having multiply wives.. they also committed another sin greed.
God forbid the practice of polygamy.. polygamy was not ok then and still forbidden in 2013 pologamy is illegal, a man can only have one wife. if a man has mutiply wives he will either go to jail, or pay a fine , or both go to jail and pay a fine..
references
http://www.jewishjournal.com/passover/article/four_questions_of_miriam
http://www.evanwiggs.com/articles/The%20Sin%20of%20Jeroboam.htm
http://www.betemunah.org/fathers.html
http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/miriam-midrash-and-aggadah
http://www.letusreason.org/Biblexp185.htm
http://giveshare.org/family/polygamy.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamech
http://rcg.org/articles/ttap.html
