..a King over you...whom Jehovah your God shall choose...he shall not multiply wives to himself, so that his heart does not turn away, nor silver or gold.. Deut.17:17
When we
insist opponents of polygamy produce one plain statement of Scripture
condemning it the best they can do is the passage above. This
pathetic appeal to a specific command to the Kings of Israel
further demonstrates the widespread ignorance within the Christian
community and the strained lengths taken to oppose that which God has
never opposed.
God did not see
David's plurality of
wives as being in contradiction to this edict, not once condemning him
for having more than one wife. David did not multiply wives who turned
away his heart as did his son Solomon.
In fact,
God gave David plural wives (2 Sam.12:8) so
our understanding of this passage is that the multiplication of wives is
to be seen in the context of horses, silver and gold. The King was not
to multiply these things because he had the power, influence and
finances to do so. Each could turn him from Jehovah his defender and
provider. Horses placed power in the military not God. Wives who would
lead astray from God were not to be multiplied, and silver and gold
placed confidence in money rather than God (Prov.30:8-9).
This passage does not demand the King have one horse
only.
Solomon
was lead astray by some of his wives (1Kings
11:1-4), but such wives were from the forbidden nations and
Solomon's heart was not perfect as was David's in the matter of wives.
Woe betide any of us who proceed to be unequally yoked together (2Cor.6:14).
Any believer in a monogamous marriage can be lead away by an unbelieving
spouse.
Those who desperately turn to this passage about the kings of Israel
unwittingly prove that there is not one Scripture to condemn polygamy.
