By Lindsay

When you read the Bible you come across the stories of men taking multiple wives.

Though this isn’t a common lifestyle choice in America, it raises the question 🙋‍♀️ does God approve of polygamy?

God’s Original Plan For Creation

God created Adam & Eve in the Garden of Eden, not Adam & Steve, not Eve & Elise, not Adam, Eve, Eliza & Emma.

Further, God commands us not to lust or commit adultery (Exodus 20:14, 17). As such, if you have chosen to be married, your eye should not be wandering to others.

Therefore, I personally believe God intends for those who choose to marry for one man to be married to one woman.

God’s Plans For All People

God wants the best for every single one of us. By reading the Bible everyday, doing your best to live a life that honors Him & seeking a relationship with Him, you set yourself on the path for God’s best for you.

Polygamy in the Bible

As you read through the Bible you will encounter stories of men having more than one wife. I’ve noticed a few things about these passages:

• God did not direct these men to do this.
• Based on the 10 commandments God gives us in Exodus 20:14, 17, the way these men acquire their additional wives breaks commandments.
• It never goes well.

For example, let’s discuss King David. David is an awesome guy, but he isn’t without fault.

Enter bathing Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11.

David lusts after her & ends up being intimate with her even though she is married *cringe*. In case there was any doubt about what happened:

“The woman conceived and sent word to inform David, “I am pregnant.””
‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭11:5‬ ‭CSB‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/1713/2sa.11.5.CSB

David decided to send her husband to the front lines of battle hoping to get him offed, no muss no fuss:

“In the letter he wrote: Put Uriah at the front of the fiercest fighting, then withdraw from him so that he is struck down and dies. When Joab was besieging the city, he put Uriah in the place where he knew the best enemy soldiers were. Then the men of the city came out and attacked Joab, and some of the men from David’s soldiers fell in battle; Uriah the Hethite also died.”
‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭11:15-17‬ ‭CSB‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/1713/2sa.11.15-17.CSB

His plan succeeded & he took Bathsheba to be his wife – but God was not happy with David’s choices:

“When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband, Uriah, had died, she mourned for him. When the time of mourning ended, David had her brought to his house. She became his wife and bore him a son. However, the Lord considered what David had done to be evil.”
‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭11:26-27‬ ‭CSB‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/1713/2sa.11.26-27.CSB

But God convicts David of his bad behavior in 2 Samuel 12 (this 🐑 metaphor is one of my favorites!):

“So the Lord sent Nathan to David. When he arrived, he said to him: There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very large flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing except one small ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised her, and she grew up with him and with his children. From his meager food she would eat, from his cup she would drink, and in his arms she would sleep. She was like a daughter to him. Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man could not bring himself to take one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for his guest. David was infuriated with the man and said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die! Because he has done this thing and shown no pity, he must pay four lambs for that lamb.” Nathan replied to David, “You are the man! This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I rescued you from Saul. I gave your master’s house to you and your master’s wives into your arms, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah, and if that was not enough, I would have given you even more. Why then have you despised the Lord’s command by doing what I consider evil? You struck down Uriah the Hethite with the sword and took his wife as your own wife — you murdered him with the Ammonite’s sword. Now therefore, the sword will never leave your house because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hethite to be your own wife.’ “This is what the Lord says, ‘I am going to bring disaster on you from your own family: I will take your wives and give them to another before your very eyes, and he will sleep with them in broad daylight. You acted in secret, but I will do this before all Israel and in broad daylight.’” David responded to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Then Nathan replied to David, “And the Lord has taken away your sin; you will not die. However, because you treated the Lord with such contempt in this matter, the son born to you will die.””
‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭12:1-14‬ ‭CSB‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/1713/2sa.12.14.CSB

David pays dearly; the son Bathsheba birthed him dies:

“Then Nathan went home. The Lord struck the baby that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and he became deathly ill. David pleaded with God for the boy. He fasted, went home, and spent the night lying on the ground. The elders of his house stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he was unwilling and would not eat anything with them. On the seventh day the baby died. But David’s servants were afraid to tell him the baby was dead. They said, “Look, while the baby was alive, we spoke to him, and he wouldn’t listen to us. So how can we tell him the baby is dead? He may do something desperate.” When David saw that his servants were whispering to each other, he guessed that the baby was dead. So he asked his servants, “Is the baby dead?” “He is dead,” they replied. Then David got up from the ground. He washed, anointed himself, changed his clothes, went to the Lord’s house, and worshiped. Then he went home and requested something to eat. So they served him food, and he ate. His servants asked him, “Why have you done this? While the baby was alive, you fasted and wept, but when he died, you got up and ate food.” He answered, “While the baby was alive, I fasted and wept because I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let him live.’ But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I’ll go to him, but he will never return to me.””
‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭12:15-23‬ ‭CSB‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/1713/2sa.12.15-23.CSB

Polygamy In Action: Seeking Sister Wife

I recently discovered Seeking Sister Wife on TLC. I enjoy watching this show because it supports my view that polygamy isn’t God’s plan for us.

In the first episode of each season, all the couples discuss why they believe polygamy is a good choice & why it works for their family.

By episode 2, someone is crying & jealous.

🚩 This show illustrates red flags with this life style:

• Throughout the season, the families discuss the importance of each wife having alone time with the husband. (God’s plan was Adam & Eve – no sharing schedules involved!)
• All the wives struggle with jealousy or not feeling like they are enough for their husband. (Again, not a problem in the Garden of Eden!)
• Some of the families discuss the importance of hygiene to prevent issues with the husband having multiple partners. (God’s original plan of 1 man & 1 woman eliminates STDs & STIs!)

The Take Away

God does not specifically state in scripture that men should not take multiple wives, but based on his original plan & the stories in the Bible about men who attempted polygamy, my best educated guess is that polygamy is not God’s plan for us.