SOME THOUGHTS
ON
"IS POLYGAMY SCRIPTURAL"
by
James Robertson
To all who call
themselves by the name of Christ and truly seek to serve
Him with all their hearts, all their souls, all their minds and all
their
strength.
Greetings in the
Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,
Recently a Christian TV programme was broadcast on the subject of "Is Polygamy Scriptural" and viewers comments were invited. The following Sunday the same programme broadcast viewers' comments, one of which supported the view that scripture permitted a man to have more than one wife and one opposed it. The commentary on the viewers' comments offered an interpretation to support the view that scripture did not permit a man to have more than one wife.
This document analyses the arguments presented in favour of
and against the thesis that scripture
prohibits a man from having more than one wife.
1. THE BASIC
ELEMENTS OF THE PROGRAMME
The following is a summary of the programme and what followed.
a. THE PANEL DISCUSSION AND INTERVIEWS
In the body of the Television programme reference was made to
the fact that the new
constitution of the Republic of South Africa permits polygamy.
Interviews were
conducted with two family units, one comprising a man with three wives
and another with
two wives. Both interviewees expressed themselves in favour of this
lifestyle and stated
that one wife would not be able to conduct all the business of the
family in support of the
husband. Both of these men professed to be Christian and one stated
that his conduct was
permitted by scripture.
The program included a discussion panel one member of which
was a woman Professor
who argued in favour of men having more than one wife on the basis that
there were more
women than men in society. The church representative who argued against
a man having
more than one wife based his argument on Matthew 19:5-6:
5 "and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?
6 "So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate." (NKJ)
He stated that since this scripture referred to "two" it could obviously not mean three.
Other than this there was almost no reference to scripture in
the program, even though it
claimed to be a Christian program.
The programme closed without a definitive conclusion although
most viewers probably
concluded that the programme had demonstrated that it was a good thing
for a man to
have more than one wife other than from consideration of the scripture
referred to above.
b. THE VIEWER'S COMMENTS
In the viewer's comments part of the programme the following week only two views were broadcast. The first was from a woman objecting to the apparent conclusion that it was acceptable for a man to have more than one wife and the second from a man who presented a number of scriptures and arguments to the effect that he claimed that scripture clearly permitted a man to have more than one wife, that "the doctrine of enforced monogamy" was keeping millions of people out of the kingdom of God and was a stumbling block to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He went on to assert that "enforced monogamy" was a "doctrine of demons" and "heresy of the worst kind".
c. THE COMMENTARY
The commentary on the viewer's contributions offered a number of scriptures and an interpretation based on which it was concluded that those who argued that scripture permitted a man to have more than one wife were clearly mistaken and that their arguments were "difficult to back up".
The conclusion of
this commentary was that scripture did NOT
permit a man to have more than one wife and that by implication the
constitution of the Republic of South Africa was contrary to the Word
of God on this issue and that furthermore the people interviewed on
the programme the previous week were living in sin. This is a far
reaching conclusion which seems worthy of careful consideration
before it is accepted.
2. WHY SHOULD WE
CONSIDER THIS INTERPRETATION?
You may ask why you should read this discourse and why you
should concern yourself with
whether scripture permits a man to have more than one wife versus the
claims that scripture
prohibits a man from having more than one wife.
In the first
instance the conclusion reached on the programme effectively
passed a judgement on the people interviewed the previous week and on
the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. By extension it
passed
a judgement on a life style common to millions of South Africans and
others around the world. If this judgment is correct then millions and
possibly billions of people are potentially facing eternal hell fire on
the
day of judgment and need to be warned. However, if the protagonists of
scripture permitting a man to have more than one wife are to be
believed
there is another group of people who could be facing judgment.
As with previous discussions in this series it is apparent
that there can only be one correct
interpretation and those who advance the alternative school of thought
may potentially face
serious consequences on the Day of Judgment.
From a scriptural perspective, this discussion is important
for a wide variety of reasons:
a. 1 John 5:3 states : For
this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.
And
His commandments are not burdensome. (NKJ)
Surely if we love God we will not seek to alter His Word.
b. Proverbs 30:5-6 states: 5
Every word of God is pure; he is a shield to those who put
their trust in Him. 6 Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and
you be found a
liar. (NKJ)
Surely no one would want to add to the word of God and find
themselves rebuked on the
Day of Judgment?
c. Revelation 21:8 states: "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all
liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." (NKJ)
If by adding to the word of God one is found a liar (Proverbs
30:6) then one is condemned
to a part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone and therefore
one should
certainly not want to add to the Word of God.
From a different perspective, appendix E, page 65, titled "WOW! So that's how Jesus loves me!", written by John & Helen Gardiner and published in the October 1999 issue of Joy Magazine, recently came to my attention. This article presents a powerful argument in support of marriage being a "prophetic statement" concerning the relationship between the church and the Lord Jesus Christ. It also provides a powerful argument as to why Satan is seeking to destroy marriage. It would appear that this aspect provides another, more positive reason why the analysis presented in this document is important.
3. THE PANEL
DISCUSSION AND INTERVIEWS
The following is a verbatim transcript of the programme. In presenting this transcript all names have been removed. The objective is to analyze the content and not the people who were responsible for delivering the content. In this way I hope to avoid a situation in which anyone speaks against The Lord's anointed.
Interviewer 1:
"Polygamy, the practice of having two or more wives or husbands at the same time is dismissed by most Christians as unbiblical. The previous South African Government went so far as to outlaw the practice until the constitution was amended in 1994.
"But long before 1994 many African independent churches endorsed polygamy and held and blessed wedding ceremonies of a bigamist or polygamist nature, much to the dismay of Christians who felt that this practice was not in line with the Word of God and despite the fact that these marriages were not legally recognized.
"Constitutional law now makes provision for polygamy on the basis that it is part of customary law.
"But the disagreement amongst Christians is still as strong today as it ever was. In trying to get to grips with the issue of multiple marriage partners we have in the studio two Christian leaders and a theologian with an unconventional view point. Professor 1...... a theology lecturer at the University of ......... has written extensively on the subject of polygamy and maintains that polygamy is a worthwhile alternative to the ever increasing rate of divorce."
Theology Professor:
"Good evening, hello I1......"
Interviewer 1:
"Pastor 1........ of the .......... church is adamant that polygamy is not in line with the teachings of the Bible and therefore cannot be an option for God fearing Christians."
Pastor 1:
"Good evening I1......"
Interviewer 1:
"And we would like to welcome back in the studio, inculturation crusader Reverend 1........ of the ......... Churches who says that there is no scripture that blatantly prohibits polygamy and that as an african traditional practice it should be accepted as part of inculturation in the church. Welcome back."
Reverend 1:
"Good evening I1......."
Interviewer 1:
"Pastor 1....... I would like to start with you. Can you give me your views on polygamy and Christianity?"
Pastor 1:
"I really believe that Polygamy should not be accepted as part of Christian teachings."
Interviewer 1:
"Why is that?"
Pastor 1:
"Well if people are already in a polygamous situation. I mean they should be accepted in the church but they should be told that in the order of creation that's not the ideal."
Interviewer 1:
"Professor ......., your views are very, very unconventional."
Theology Professor:
"No they are not. We have been talking about polygamy for the past 500 hundred years now ever since the Puritans decided that polygamy should be obligatory because they wanted every woman to house her sexuality in a marriage.
Interviewer 1:
"Reverend 1...... what's your opinion?"
Reverend 1:
"Well I should think that in today's situation the Christian Church is bound really to minister to all people including polygamists."
Interviewer 1:
"But is polygamy not against Christian teachings? Pastor 1......, you say that it is?"
Pastor 1:
"I will still maintain that in the order of creation God created humans male and female He did not create many Eve's for one Adam."
Theology Professor:
"But what then about all the Patriarchs who had more than one wife?
"Let's look at polygamy from a woman's point of view. The recent debate on polygamy started off with a question. What are we going to do with all the women who are single or divorced and who do not have access to regular relationships. They become mistresses or they become very lonely. What are we going to do with the 200 women to every 70 men we have?"
Interviewer 1:
"Christians in far rural area have less difficulty in accepting polygamy as a normal part of practising Christianity within the context of their own culture. This is mainly because of the strong indigenous cultural heritage and tradition among these communities."
Interviewer 2:
"...... visited the rolling hills of Kwa-Zulu Natal and found that polygamy is alive and well in South Africa ..............
................ the culture in rural Natal is just as rich
with Polygamy still as popular
today as it was before Christianity was introduced in South Africa.
"Many people who've embraced Christianity here feel that polygamy does not clash with their Christian beliefs.
"I met up with two polygamist families in the Natal South Coast to find out more about their way of life.
"Mr M1.... originally had four wives, one of them died and now he is left with only three. I met him at his home in ......., Natal to find out how he handles his polygamous marriage.
"I asked him why he married many women.
Mr M1....:
"I married them because I loved them. It was a need I had to marry them. I loved women so much I wanted to have six wives. I was unable to marry six, but I really would have liked to.
"There is a provision that's there in the Bible that a man can marry as many women as he likes. IF he loves them. It's there in the Bible, even though I can't quote it now. But it's there.
Interviewer 2:
"When Mr M1....'s first wife was told that a second wife was coming she was for a while overwhelmed by heartbreak and disappointment but had to learn to accept and live with it."
Mr M1....'s First Wife:
"I was heart broken but that passed when he got married."
"He did say he was going to marry a second wife. And then came the third. Without communicating with me whatsoever. When he just said she will be joining us, and she did. I just kept quiet because there was nothing I could do. I was sad. But there was nothing I could do. I had to live with it."
Interviewer 2:
"Mrs M1.... the second wife feels very happy in her marriage. I asked her why she decided to marry an already married man."
Mr M1....'s Second Wife:
"Well I loved him. With all other unmarried men around I loved HIM."
Interviewer 2:
"I asked her what she thought of Christians who say polygamy is against God's will, that it's unscriptural."
Mr M1....'s Second Wife:
"Well I hear what they say. Indeed it's so. But I married this man before he became a Christian. And I was also just a girl. I went to church but I was not a believer. After he married all three of us, that's when he became a believer. He went to the preachers and asked them. 'What shall I do because I hear the Word of God inside me. But I have many wives.' And the Christians said, 'It's OK. You can bring your wives along with you. Because they are like your children now.'"
Interviewer 2:
"Mrs M1.... the third and youngest wife says their family is as happy and united as any other."
Mr M1....'s Third Wife:
"Here at home it is like we are each others children. Even when we sit together with him we are like his children. I don't know what to aliken it to. If you would watch us when we are together we are like children, especially me because I am the youngest. It's like I am their child."
Interviewer 1:
"Reverend 1...... do you not think that polygamy is degrading to women?"
Reverend 1:
"What I think really is degrading to women is monogamy. For an example, earlier we spoke about the divorce rate. If you check statistics does that happen mostly in polygamous union or does it happen in monogamous unions?"
Interviewer 1:
"Professor 1...... I have a feeling you've got a comment on that."
Theology Professor:
"Most men, and by men I refer to Western men. Are polygamous. They are either serial polygamists who say, well I'll marry this woman, divorce her, marry, divorce, marry, divorce. Or they anyway have mistresses."
Interviewer 1:
"Pastor 1...... what are the draw backs of polygamy?"
Pastor 1:
"The very first drawback is that polygamy dehumanizes. It dehumanizes the woman because in a polygamous situation the man is in charge. He says how many women he wants or even declares whoever decides. But in a proper christian marriage the man is there for the vision, the dream, that that woman has of marriage."
Interviewer 1:
"Despite the drawbacks, polygamy is still popular even in today's monogamous climate. Let's go back to Kwa-Zulu Natal and find out why."
Interviewer 2:
"I met Mr M2...., a traditional healer and Zionist minister who's married to two sisters. He says that polygamy is popular in the area because it is convenient for men."
Mr M2....:
"Polygamy is popular in this area because there is a lot of work to do in the homes. And instead of hiring a person, rather get more wives."
Interviewer 2:
"Mr M2....'s first wife says with their husbands healing practice and church duties, two wives are necessary."
Mr M2....'s First Wife:
"Most of the time there is a lot of work here at home. Two wives are needed. If it happens that our husband admits a patient and the patient has to spend the night. Then he might need to be attended to in the middle of the night. It will help the patient. Maybe our husband is busy fixing the remedy in his chemist. Then we are busy helping this patient. Things like that. There is a lot of work here at home. Two wives are needed."
Interviewer 2:
"Mrs M2...., the second wife, who is the older sister to Mr M2....'s first wife says the only form of marriage she has ever known to exist is a polygamous one."
Mr M2....'s Second Wife:
"I am from a polygamous family. My father had four wives. Our mother had five children. Other wives had two or three children each. So I grew up with polygamy that's why I say I don't wish I was his only wife."
Interviewer 1:
"Pastor 1...... why would you say that polygamy is still so popular?"
Pastor 1:
"Well, I beg to differ with that concept. For me, polygamy is dying, is waning. But I should think that those who want to still engage in polygamy they do so because of human weakness and permissiveness. Should I say?"
Theology Professor:
"Is it human weakness and permissiveness?"
Reverend 1:
"Not at all. I don't think really permissiveness could be ascribed to polygamy because in the first place polygamy is not about debauchery. It's not a question of people going head hunting for sex partners."
Interviewer 1:
"What is the reason for it? Really? Can you give me a brief.."
Reverend 1:
"The reason for polygamy is customary. It's from a consensus. And it does not in fact include only male persons it includes also females."
Interviewer 1:
"Genesis chapter 2 verse 24 says 'a man shall leave his mother and father and be united to his wife and they shall become one flesh'. How then do Christian polygamists maintain a strong and healthy union with all their wives?"
Interviewer 2:
"I asked Mr M2...... how he manages to give equal attention to both his wives."
Mr M2....:
"I easily manage because I know which days I spend with who in a week. I spend three nights with one and three nights with the other."
Mr M2....'s Second Wife:
"When he is with my sister I am happy. When he is with me my sister is happy. I don't ever wish I was the only one married to him because I would probably share him with other women anyway."
Mr M1....:
"What happens is that my heart leads. It does not happen that my wives decide. Even I don't just decide. But there is this thing God created called the heart. My heart leads me to whichever of my wives I wish to be with."
Interviewer 1:
"Professor 1......, the Bible says that a man marries his wife and they become one flesh. How then can a polygamist Christian reconcile with that?"
Theology Professor:
"Well becoming one flesh is just a term for sexual intercourse so a man becomes one flesh with his one wife and becomes one flesh with his other wife. We must not underestimate the power of women, or the ability of women, for sisterhood in polygamous marriages."
Pastor 1:
"I really don't believe that a person can really give himself completely over to his wife if there are other women. I mean people are complaining about mistresses at the moment. What about if there is another woman who is sharing the same husband legally with the knowledge of the community."
Interviewer 1:
"Reverend 1...... your comment?"
Reverend 1:
"I believe that polygamy is marriage. It is a marriage of agreement not a marriage of convenience as much as monogamy is. I see absolutely no passage, Biblical scripture that says that polygamy is a sin. It is a problem for me."
Interviewer 1:
"Professor 1......?"
Theology Professor:
"Well I would just say in conclusion that if we say that marriage is the only adult relationship between people. Then I would say that we should open up marriage so that we can adhere to the dreams of women who say we want to be married we don't want to be promiscuous we want to enter into marriage and therefore give us a chance."
Interviewer 1:
"Thank you all for joining us.
"Ecclesiastes chapter 4 verse 12 says 'though one may be over powered two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken'. In the case of marriage could a cord of four strands be even stronger? Or does it break the balance? What do you think? Please write in and share your views with us on the subject."
4.
VIEWERS CONTRIBUTIONS AND COMMENTARY ON THE
CONTRIBUTIONS
The following
Sunday, contributions from viewers were broadcast. The following is a
transcript of the programme segment. Again names have been removed.
Interviewer
2:
"V1...... of .......... emailed us with this response to last weeks program on polygamy."
Viewer 1:
"Pardon the criticism but in your efforts to present unbiased and broad minded discussions of subjects your direction as a religious program is lost. Or have I misunderstood your intentions. Of course sociological arguments abound for polygamy but theology, even by a theologian seemed absent.
"Must Christianity embrace everything as acceptable for the sake of multi-culturalism? If not, then where must the line be drawn?"
Interviewer 2:
"V1....... We did our best to present all sides of the story but that does not mean that we at ...... agree with or endorse them. As far as we are concerned the Bible, God's Word, is the last word on the subject and
if our program got
viewers reaching for their Bibles to see what God has to say on the
matter then
we achieved our goal.
"If it didn't well here are some of the scriptures which we think should be considered very carefully before people start embracing polygamy.
Reader 1 with Matthew 19:4-6 displayed on
screen:
"'Haven't you read,' he replied 'that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh?'"
Reader 2 with 1 Corinthians 7:2 displayed on
screen:
"But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband."
Reader 3 with 1 Timothy 3:2 displayed on
screen:
"Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife."
Interviewer 2:
"V2...... of ....... has some very different interpretations of scripture on the subject of multiple marriage partners. V2...... claims that while scripture permits a man to have more than one wife it does not permit polygamy.
"So what's the difference? You ask. Well the true definition of polygamy is that a man can have more than one wife and that a woman can have more than one husband. V1...... says the scripture does not allow for this. He claims that a man can have more than one wife. But a woman who wants more than one husband - can forget it!"
Viewer 2 recording:
"Does scripture permit a man to have more than one wife?
"Deuteronomy 21:15 states: 'If a man has two wives, one loved and the other unloved, ....'
"Clearly in this, and dozens of other scriptures, God permits a man to have more than one wife!
"What are the implications of enforced monogamy?
"Millions of non-Christians cannot accept monogamy as being from God and reject Christ.
"Monogamy has destroyed the fabric of family life in many nations.
"Millions of men and women fail to live within the yoke of monogamy.
"The crucial scriptural importance of virginity is disregarded and adultery is condoned.
"Many Christian women cannot find husbands; as prophesied in Isaiah 4:1.
"Enforced monogamy is a stumbling block to the Gospel of Jesus Christ that is sending millions of souls to hell!
"1 Timothy 4 prophesies that in these days many will give heed to doctrines of demons and forbid people to marry. Surely this relates to forbidding marriage to more than one wife?
"Clearly, enforced monogamy is heresy of the worst kind!"
Interviewer 2:
"Well, that's quite a strong statement V1...... But we believe that you have made some assumptions which may be a little difficult to back up with scriptural proof. Scriptures simply mentioning polygamy cannot automatically be assumed to justify polygamy.
Genesis 2:24 displayed on screen:
"For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and be united to his wife and they will become one flesh"
Interviewer 2 while Genesis 2:24 is displayed:
"We must remember that the first union in the Bible between Adam and Eve reveals that the first marriage ordained by God was a monogamous one. Polygamy first appeared in the corrupt line of Cain where Lamech took two wives."
Genesis 4:19 displayed on screen:
"Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah."
Interviewer 2:
"Under the judges and monarchy the rule of man, NOT God, Israel shifted towards a looser form of polygamy but it is clear that the most common form of marriage was monogamy and amongst the commoners no cases of polygamy are found in the books of Samuel or Kings."
The following note displayed on screen:
"EZEKIAL 16:1-63 relates an allegory of Israel as the ONE bride of the ONE true God."
Interviewer 2 while the above note displayed:
"The image of a monogamous marriage was in the minds of the prophets who represented Israel as the one wife chosen by the one God and you can read up about this allegory in Ezekial 16."
Ephesians 5:23 displayed on screen:
"For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body..."
Interviewer 2 while Ephesians 5:23 is
displayed:
"This is paralleled in the new testament picture of the church as the one bride of the one Lord Jesus."
Interviewer 2:
"Jewish writings over the time of the Talmudic period show the high regard held for monogamous marriages.
"That's all from me, .......... and ............ God Bless."
5.
ANALYSIS OF THE DISCUSSION AND INTERVIEWS
Since we are concerned with what The Lord's view on this matter is and this view must be determined strictly from the Holy Scriptures I will analyze the scriptures used in the discussion and interviews first.
The first thing
that is striking about the debate is that, while two of the delegates
were
ordained ministers and one was a Professor of Theology, very few
scriptures were cited by
either side. In fact, from the discussion one could be forgiven for
thinking that scripture was
almost entirely silent on what must surely be a key aspect of doctrine.
There is an enormous
difference between a man being permitted to have more than one wife and
his not being so
permitted by scripture, particularly when two families have been
interviewed who could be
living in serious sin if the argument that polygamy is not permitted by
scripture is valid.
A number of
references, direct and indirect are made to scripture:
a.
POLYGAMY IS NOT IN LINE WITH THE TEACHINGS OF THE BIBLE
Interviewer
1:
"Pastor 1........ of the .......... church is adamant that polygamy is not in line with the teachings of the Bible and therefore cannot be an option for God fearing Christians."
This delegate held
a clear cut view that scripture only permits monogamy. At this point
no scripture was offered to support this view so it is difficult to
analyze effectively.
b.
THERE IS NO SCRIPTURE WHICH PROHIBITS A MAN TAKING MORE
THAN ONE WIFE
Interviewer
1:
"And we would like to welcome back in the studio, inculturation crusader Reverend 1........ of the ......... Churches who says that there is no scripture that blatantly prohibits polygamy and that as an african traditional practice it should be accepted as part of inculturation in the church. Welcome back."
Reverend 1:
"I believe that polygamy is marriage. It is a marriage of agreement not a marriage of convenience as much as monogamy is. I see absolutely no passage, Biblical scripture that says that polygamy is a sin. It is a problem for me."
The more detailed
analysis of the scriptures presented in the analysis of the commentary
in section 8, page 18 seems to convincingly support this view.
c.
MONOGAMY IS THE ORDER OF CREATION
Pastor
1:
"Well if people are already in a polygamous situation. I mean they should be accepted in the church but they should be told that in the order of creation that's not the ideal."
Pastor 1:
"I will still maintain that in the order of creation God created humans male and female He did not create many Eve's for one Adam."
This argument does
not explicitly quote a scripture which states that God only intended
a man to have one wife it infers this from the story of creation.
This speaker also
presented a double standard. Either a man having more than one wife
is sin and sin is sin and therefore NO person should have more than one
wife OR it is not
sin in which case any man can have more than one wife provided he can
afford it and he
takes care of those wives in the manner which The Lord intended.
The argument of the "order of creation" argument immediately presents some difficulty. Since The Lord only created one man and one woman it seems apparent that the first generation of children MUST have intermarried. In other words, brothers had to marry sisters. However, today it is illegal for a man to marry his sister, it is referred to as incest. Furthermore in Leviticus 20:17 this is expressly forbidden:
17 'If
a man takes his sister, his father's daughter or his mother's daughter, and sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness, it
is a wicked thing. And they shall be cut off in the sight of their people. He has uncovered his sister's nakedness. He shall bear his guilt. (NKJ)
This scripture leaves us with a number of imponderables regarding other aspects of the "order of creation" argument but it does seem to indicate that what The Lord permitted at the time of creation changed subsequently. Accordingly, since The Lord is absolutely explicit about prohibiting a man from marrying or having sex with his sister, thus bringing to an end any dispensation there might have been flowing from creation, the very least we should conclude is that He would do a similar thing if He changed the situation regarding a man having more than one wife. Deuteronomy 21:15
states:
15 "If a man has two wives, one loved and the other unloved, ...." (NKJ)
Exodus 21:10 states :
10 "If he takes another wife, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, and her marriage rights." (NKJ)
This seems clear
enough. A man is permitted to take another wife subject to certain
conditions regarding the provision for the first wife. Appendix D, page
51 lists further
scriptures which support this view. Accordingly, even if The Lord did
initially create
man to have only one wife, he subsequently made provision for a man to
have more than
one wife.
It therefore appears that the "order of creation" argument is overridden by scripture.
d.
THE BIBLE PERMITS A MAN TO MARRY AS MANY WOMEN AS HE LIKES
In direct
contradiction to the opinion of Pastor 1, Mr M1 states:
Mr
M1....:
"There is a provision that's there in the Bible that a man can marry as many women as he likes. IF he loves them. It's there in the Bible, even though I can't quote it now. But it's there.
This presents a
stark contrast. In this brief space of time viewers saw two men who
both
claimed to serve the same God and read the same Bible make directly
contradictory
statements about it.
As noted in the
previous section there are many scriptures which appear to support the
view of Mr M1, some of these are listed in appendix D, page 51. At the
very least we
must conclude from this that Mr M1 has some reasonable basis for his
belief, even if, as
Pastor 1 states there are other provisions in scripture.
e.
GENESIS 2:24 CLEARLY STATES THAT A MAN CAN ONLY HAVE ONE
WIFE
In support of the
argument against polygamy the first interviewer quoted Genesis 2:24:
Interviewer
1:
"Genesis chapter 2 verse 24 says 'a man shall leave his mother and father and be united to his wife and they shall become one flesh'. How then do Christian polygamists maintain a strong and healthy union with all their wives?"
Interviewer 1:
"Professor 1......, the Bible says that a man marries his wife and they become one flesh. How then can a polygamist Christian reconcile with that?"
Theology Professor:
"Well becoming one flesh is just a term for sexual intercourse so a man becomes one flesh with his one wife and becomes one flesh with his other wife. We must not underestimate the power of women, or the ability of women, for sisterhood in polygamous marriages."
This debate, however, seemed to revolve around the question "How then do Christian polygamists maintain a strong and healthy union with all their wives?" The implication seems to be that "one flesh" in some manner relates to relationship. However, 1 Corinthians 6:16 seems to support the view of the Theology Professor that "one flesh" relates to sexual intercourse and by implication of 1 Corinthians 6:16 is seems quite clear that a man can become one flesh with more than one woman:
16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For "the two," He says, "shall become one flesh." (NKJ)
The interviews with the two families certainly seem to support the view that a man can indeed "maintain a strong and healthy union with all their wives". It does not seem that there is any basis in this scripture, as presented, to argue that a man may only have one wife.
f.
ECCLESIASTES 4:12
Interviewer
1:
"Ecclesiastes chapter 4 verse 12 says 'though one may be over powered two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken'. In the case of marriage could a cord of four strands be even stronger? Or does it break the balance? What do you think? Please write in and share your views with us on the subject."
It is unclear what
the point of citing Ecclesiastes 4:12 is. It does not immediately
appear
to say anything about marriage and, if it does, it would seem to
suggest that a marriage
of three strands, a man plus two wives, is preferable and stronger than
a marriage with one
wife. By extension the argument that a cord of four strands would be
stronger still would
appear to be valid.
g.
CONCLUSION - SCRIPTURAL ANALYSIS OF DISCUSSION AND INTERVIEWS
From the basic
analysis of the discussion and interviews which included very few
direct
references to scripture and no in depth analysis it is not possible to
draw a definitive
conclusion. However, it does appear that the scriptures cited in
support of monogamy do
not stand much scrutiny and that some scriptures which seem to indicate
that The Lord
has explicitly provided for a man to have more than one wife have been
identified.
Furthermore it seems notable the extent to which those opposed to a man having more than one wife seem to use terms like "permissiveness" which are subjective, judgmental and contrary to the evidence presented in the video footage. Any doctrine of any import should be able to clearly and unambiguously stand on scriptures which do not require explanation and excuses and should not require judgmental labels to back it up.
6.
WHAT IS POLYGAMY?
In the viewers
responses and the surrounding commentary reference was made to the
definition of polygamy. In order to further consider the subject of the
Television program
systematically it is important that we define the meaning of the word
polygamy. From
reference to the Oxford dictionary we find:
polygamy
: Having more than one wife or (less usually) husband at once;
polyandry : polygamy in which woman has more than
one husband
polygyny : polygamy in which man has more than one
wife
From scripture it
is apparent that God created woman to marry only one man through the
creation of the virginity of woman as discussed in section 9.e, page
33. A woman who has
sex with more than one man is variously described in scripture as an
adulteress or a harlot.
Deuteronomy 22:22
states:
22 "If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then both of them shall die-- the man that lay with
the woman, and the woman; so
you shall put away the evil from Israel.
This is quite
unambiguous, adultery involves a man (any man, marital state
unspecified) lying
with a very specific woman, a woman married to a husband and the
penalty for adultery is
death to both guilty parties.
Romans
7:1-3 states:
1 Or do
you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that
the
law has dominion over a man as long as he lives?
2 For the
woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as
he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her
husband.
3 So
then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she
will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies,
she is free from that
law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man.
(NKJ)
Adultery is clearly
a woman who marries another man while her husband lives!
Therefore, the generic form of polygamy, or "many either sex" which includes polyandry and general fornication, is an abomination in the sight of God. This is something which it seems that many spiritually sensitive Christian immediately discern and therefore
the use of the word
polygamy should be avoided when discussing this subject.
The form of marriage which the Television debate effectively revolved around was therefore, in fact, "polygyny" NOT polygamy. Nevertheless, this
is a latin term which may have connotations other than the form of
marriage ordained in
scripture and therefore it is proposed that for the balance of this
document the focus will be
on defining scriptural marriage rather than on examining words which do
not occur in
scripture.
7. THE VIEWER'S COMMENTARY
a.
THE PROGRAMME LACKED SCRIPTURAL CONTENT AND THEOLOGICAL
DEBATE
The first viewer
quoted stated:
Viewer 1:
"Pardon the criticism but in your efforts to present unbiased and broad minded discussions of subjects your direction as a religious program is lost. Or have I misunderstood your intentions. Of course sociological arguments abound for polygamy but theology, even by a theologian seemed absent."
From consideration
of the analysis presented in section 5 one must agree with this viewer.
It does indeed seem remarkable that a TV programme which claims to be
presenting a
Christian view on such an extremely important subject as marriage
presents so little
scripture. This was rectified in the commentary that followed.
b.
ENFORCED MONOGAMY IS HERESY
The viewer whose
commentary was broadcast and is quoted above, concluded by stating:
"Clearly, enforced monogamy is heresy of the worst kind!"
This is a strong statement against "enforced monogamy". Does it have validity?
If it
does and millions are indeed being kept from saving faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ and millions of others are in sin then surely there
is a responsibility on every person who calls themselves by the name
of Christ, to carefully examine the facts.
8.
ANALYSIS OF THE COMMENTARY
The commentary on the program and the second viewers' opinion canvassed a number of scriptures.
In addition it was clearly stated that "the Bible, God's Word, is the last word on the subject". The commentary also suggested that the second viewer's opinion was based on "some assumptions which may be a little difficult to back up with scriptural proof" and then proceeded to offer further scriptures.
The scriptures used
in the commentary are analyzed below using the same techniques applied
in previous documents produced by the author:
a.
MATTHEW 19:4-6
Matthew
19:4-6 was quoted:
4 And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,'
5 "and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?
6 "So then, they are no longer two but
one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate." (NKJ)
It was argued that
since this scripture explicitly refers to two it cannot refer to three
or
more.
This scripture
indeed says that the two become one flesh, however, 1 Corinthians 6:16,
cited previously, clearly proves that a man can become one flesh with
more than one
woman:
16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For "the two," He says, "shall become one flesh." (NKJ)
If we consider the stated arithmetic of "they are no longer two but one flesh" we find something which, at first glance, is not immediately apparent, that is:
1 + 1 = 1
this is in stark
contrast to conventional arithmetic which states that:
1 + 1 = 2 in other words - The Lord's arithmetic is different to ours
if we then apply some basic algebraic notation to the formula of 1 + 1 = 1 in Matthew 19:5 and 6 we can substitute "(1 + 1)" for 1 and thus we see that:
(1 + 1) + 1 = 1
in other words, if
a man is one flesh with one woman and he joins himself to another
woman he and his first woman become one flesh with the second woman. By
extension:
(((((1 + 1) + 1) +
1) + 1) + 1) = 1
and therefore no
matter how many women he joins himself to they are still ONE!
in strict algebraic
terms we can state:
(1 + 1)n
= 1
that is, one man joined to "n" women is still one flesh
with all of them!
In
other words if by adding one to one the answer is one then no
matter how many times you add one to one the answer is STILL one!
Clearly Matthew 19:4-6 says nothing about a man NOT having more than one wife, nor do any of the other scriptures which refer to "two become one".
b. 1
CORINTHIANS 7:2
1 Corinthians 7:2 was cited as evidence that a man should have his "own" wife:
2
Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own
wife,
and let each woman have her own husband. (NKJ)
The interpretation of this scripture hinges on the words for "own wife" and "each woman".
THE WORD TRANSLATED "OWN" IN "HIS OWN WIFE"
The Greek word translated "his own" is Strong's number 1438 heautou, (heh-ow-too') (including all other cases); for which Strong's definition is:
from
a reflexive pronoun otherwise obsolete and the genitive case (dative
case or accusative case) of 846; him- (her-, it-, them-, also [in
conjunction
with the personal pronoun of the other persons] my-, thy-, our-,
yourself-)
(selves), etc.:
KJV-- alone, her (own, -self), (he) himself, his
(own), itself, one (to)
another, our (thine) own (-selves), + that she had, their (own, own
selves),
(of) them (-selves), they, thyself, you, your (own, own conceits, own
selves, -selves).
It does not appear
that this word provides much guidance on this subject.
THE WORD TRANSLATED "WIFE" IN "HIS OWN WIFE"
The word translated "wife" in the phrase "his own wife" is "guniaka", Strong's number 1135. On closer investigation it transpires that the Greek word for woman, women, wife and wives is always Strong's number 1135 "gune" from which it would appear that "guniaka" is a special case of "gune" and for none of these cases is there any indication of singular or plural.
Strong's Definition of 1135 gune (goo-nay');
probably from the base of 1096; a woman; specially, a wife:
KJV-- wife, woman.
Thayer's Definition of 1135 gune-
1) a woman of any age, whether a virgin, or married, or a widow
2) a wife;
used of a betrothed woman
With
regard to the Greek word translated WIFE, WIVES, Vines states:
1. gune ^1135^ denotes (1) "a woman, married or unmarried" (see WOMAN); (2) "a wife," e. g., <Matt. 1:20; 1 Cor. 7:3,4>; in <1 Tim. 3:11>, RV, "women," the reference may be to the "wives" of deacons, as the KJV takes it.
With regard to the Greek word WOMAN, (there
is no separate reference for
Women since the same root is translated in both forms) Vines states:
1. gune ^1135^, for which see also WIFE, is used of a "woman" unmarried or married, e. g., <Matt. 11:11; 14:21; Luke 4:26>, of a "widow"; <Rom. 7:2>; in the vocative case, used in addressing a "woman," it is a term not of reproof or severity, but of endearment or respect,
Appendix A, page 39, contains more comprehensive analysis of both "gune" (Greek) and the Hebrew word "ishshah" for wife, wives, woman and women from Vine's Expository Dictionary. From consideration of this text you will see that there is absolutely no basis on which to interpret any scripture with either the word "ishshah" or the word "gune" as indicating singular or plural, married or unmarried unless other words in the context clearly make this visible. Appendix B, page 42, lists many New Testament scriptures containing the Greek word "gune" as an indication of the extent to which the word is translated interchangeably to signify a single woman or many women and to signify a woman or a wife. It seems clear that there is no basis to conclude that any scripture containing the word "gune" can be used to determine if a man is permitted more than one wife unless OTHER words make this explicit.
It therefore appears that the word translated "wife" in 1 Corinthians 7:2 does not provide any basis for the argument presented in the commentary. In fact, it seems quite reasonable to conclude that 1 Corinthians 7:2 could be equally correctly translated as:
"Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own WIVES [Greek gune],"
This applies to the
word wife (singular) in all other verses of scripture. This does not
therefore signify monogamy.
THE WORD TRANSLATED "EVERY WOMAN"
The word translated "every woman" in 1 Corinthians 7:2 is the Greek word hekastos-, Strong's number 1538 which Thayer defines as:
each,
every
In other words, it appears that the word "woman" has been added by the translators to improve the English readability. In any event, the Greek word for woman, if it were present, as demonstrated above, can also be translated women or wives and therefore this phrase also does not support the argument that scripture prohibits a man from having more than one wife.
c. 1
TIMOTHY 3:2
1 Timothy 3:2 was
cited as evidence that church leaders should only have one wife and
therefore, seemingly by extension, that what was good for church
leaders should also be
good for their flock. This verse, together with 1 Timothy 3:12 and
Titus 1:6 seem to
represent three of the key scriptures on which the doctrine of enforced
monogamy is based
and from which it is argued that Jesus changed the law.
1
Timothy 3:1-16 states:
1 This
is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he
desires
a good work.
2 A
bishop then must be blameless, the
husband of one wife, temperate,
sober-minded, of good behaviour, hospitable, able to teach;
3 not
given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not
quarrelsome, not covetous;
4 one who
rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all
reverence
5 (for
if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how
will he take care of the church of God?);
6 not a
novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same
condemnation
as the devil.
7
Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside,
lest he
fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
8
Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to
much
wine, not greedy for money,
9 holding
the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience.
10 But
let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being
found
blameless.
11
Likewise their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate,
faithful in all
things.
12 Let
deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and
their
own houses well.
13 For
those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good
standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
14 These
things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly;
15 but if
I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct
yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God,
the pillar
and ground of the truth.
16 And
without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was
manifested
in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among
the
Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory. (NKJ)
Titus 1:4-11 states:
4 To
Titus, a true son in our common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God
the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.
5 For
this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the
things that
are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you--
6 if a
man is blameless, the husband
of one wife, having faithful children
not accused of dissipation or insubordination.
7 For a
bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not
quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money,
8 but
hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy,
self-controlled,
9 holding
fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by
sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.
10 For
there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers,
especially
those of the circumcision,
11 whose
mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things
which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain. (NKJ)
Seemingly this is
definitive, these passages clearly state that a Bishop (or overseer), a
Deacon and an elder must all be the husband of one wife?
However, if we consider the Greek word translated "one" we find that it is the word mia (mee'-ah) number 3391.
Strong Defines 3391 mia (mee'-ah);
irregular feminine of 1520; one or
first:
KJV-- a (certain), + agree, first, one, X other.
There is certainly a great difference between "one" and "first". If we apply the latter interpretation does that not mean that the Bishop, Deacon or Elder must be the "husband of his first wife"? In other words, he should NOT BE
DIVORCED or
have put away his wife! Does this not, in turn, suggest that he should
have the love of
God shed abroad in his heart to the extent that, if necessary, he can
love even a difficult
wife through times of difficulty and tension and bring her out on the
other side? Would
such a man not be well suited to dealing with typical tensions and
difficulties in the body
of Christ?
Can this
interpretation be confirmed?
Matthew 28:1:
1 In
the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the
week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. (KJV)
Here mia is applied
to the first day of the week.
Matthew 26:69:
69 Now
Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him,
saying,
Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. (KJV)
Here we see another interpretation of mia "a" damsel, could we read the passages in Timothy and Titus to say that a Bishop, etc should be the husband of "a" wife - in other words they must be married? In other words, if a man does not
know
how to lead a family with at least one wife, he cannot lead a
congregation? If we consider
the case of the one interviewee, his wives assisted him in his healing
ministry as a
traditional healer.
Mark 12:42:
42 And
there came a certain poor widow, and she threw
in two mites, which
make a farthing. (KJV)
There are several passages where mia is translated "certain". It certainly is not uniformly translated "one".
Luke 24:1:
1 Now
on the first day of the week, very
early in the morning, they, and certain
other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they
had
prepared. (NKJ)
John 20:1:
1 On
the first day of the week Mary
Magdalene went to the tomb early, while
it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the
tomb.
(NKJ)
Acts 4:32:
32 Now
the multitude of those who believed were of
one heart and one soul;
neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own,
but
they had all things in common. (NKJ)
In this case one is used to relate to a group of people who were "one". So it would appear that mia can also signify a group of people who are of one heart - presumably this could apply to a man with several wives who are of "one" heart with him?
1
Corinthians 16:2:
2 On
the first day of the week let each
one of you lay something aside, storing
up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. (NKJ)
Titus 3:10:
10
Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition,
(NKJ)
Here we see two chapters further on in the SAME book of the Bible the translators have translated mia as "first" not one! Can it not reasonably
be argued that the translators
filtered the translation through the doctrine of monogamy that
prevailed at the time
they translated the scriptures? A complete set of scriptures containing the word "mia" are contained in Appendix C, page 47.
This interpretation of mia is supported by Vines with regard to "FIRST":
mia ^3391^, a grammatically feminine form of heis, "one," is translated "first" in certain occurrences of the phrase "on the first day of the week," e. g., <Luke 24:1; 1 Cor. 16:2>; cf. A, and see DAY; also in <Titus 3:10>, of a "first" admonition to a heretical man. See ONE.
D. Noun. (from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words)
(Copyright (C) 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
Seemingly these
words and these passages of scripture cannot be used to construct a
doctrine of enforced monogamy? Not even for pastors!
If we apply the information concerning "gune" to the scriptures concerning "one" wife, we find the following to be possible:
1
Timothy 3:2
2 A
bishop then must be blameless, the husband of [first
wives / a wife] one
wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behaviour,
hospitable, able to teach;
(NKJ)
1
Timothy 3:12
12 Let
deacons be the husbands of [first
wives / a wife] one wife,
ruling their
children and their own houses well. (NKJ)
Titus 1:6
6 if a
man is blameless, the husband of [first
wives / a wife] one wife,
having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination.
(NKJ)
It would seem
reasonable to apply such an interpretation to a society where it was
common place for a man to have more than one wife. A more appropriate
translation
might then be "still married to his first wives", if indeed the intention is not that a bishop, deacon or elder should be married and have AT LEAST one wife!.
As best I can determine, in Jesus' day there was virtually no such thing as an adult woman who was not married unless she was a widow (seems to include those legitimately divorced) or a harlot. It would appear that a thirty year old virgin was to all intents and purposes unheard of. It seems that girls reached puberty at about twelve years old, at which time they were regarded as "virgins" - women ready for intercourse but not yet married. Subsequently they were betrothed and thereafter married. Since a man was permitted to have more than one wife there was absolutely no statistical reason for her not to marry and since marriages were arranged by the parents there was no emotional reason.
d.
GENESIS 2:24
Genesis 2:24 was
cited as indicating that The Lord intended a man to have only one wife
at the time of creation before the fall and that therefore the perfect
state for marriage is for
a man to have only one wife.
This argument has already been addressed to a point in previous sections. However, the Genesis 2:24 argument falls into the same trap as 1 Corinthians 7:2, the word for wife here is the Hebrew "ishshah" which, as in the Greek, signifies one or many and so this verse could also read "joined to his WIVES". I have consulted Jewish scholars on this subject and they assure me that there is no way the original Hebrew prescribes monogamy.
Equally, as with
Matthew 19:4-6 above, which cites Genesis 2:24, the 1 + 1 = 1 argument
applies to Genesis 2:24. See also the discussion in appendix
F, page 74 on virginity
which convincingly demonstrates that The Lord intended man to be able
to have more
than one wife from creation and BEFORE the fall.
e. THE "CORRUPT LINE OF CAIN" AND GENESIS 4:19
Reference was made to a man having more than one wife for the first time in "the corrupt line of Cain" in the case of Lamech in Genesis 4:19. It seems that this remark was intended to suggest that in some way Lamech is not a model for good Christians. Perhaps this is so, perhaps not, we are expressly told not to judge others. Matthew 7:1-2 states:
1 "Judge not, that you be not judged.
2 "For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. (NKJ)
But, if we take account of the viewers' position it would seem that whether Lamech was righteous or not is not the point. If the viewer is correct and scripture does not prevent a man having more than one wife then there are millions, if not billions of people out there who are not living in accordance with this ideal of one wife, who have more than one wife as depicted on the Television program who it is alleged are living in sin and who the viewer alleges cannot accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ as a result of an allegedly ungodly hurdle.
This would appear to include Moslems and Jews who know that the books of Moses permit a man to have more than one wife and that God never changes. The author has personally encountered a situation in Malawi where the church allows a Moslem convert with four wives to keep all his wives but prevents a Moslem convert with one wife from taking more than one wife -- result, many do not accept Christ! It would seem, based on the analysis thus far, that this activity might be making the Word of God of no effect! If this is correct, it would appear possible that many millions of souls could indeed be burning in hell, as alleged, as a consequence of the doctrine of "enforced monogamy".
f. NO
COMMONERS WITH MORE THAN ONE WIFE IN SAMUEL AND KINGS
It was suggested in the commentary that there are no "commoners" in Samuel or Kings who had more than one wife. The implication seemed to be that somehow commoners were more Godly than Royalty and that the fact that Royalty in the books of Samuel and Kings clearly had more than one wife did not in any way signify that The Lord approved.
However, 1 Samuel
1:1-2 states:
1 Now
there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim, of the mountains of
Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu,
the
son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.
2 And he
had two wives: the name of one was
Hannah, and the name of
the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.
(NKJ)
There is nothing to
indicate that Elkanah was not a commoner, in fact, at the time of
Elkannah there was no such thing as Royalty in Israel. It would seem
that this argument
is disproved in chapter 1 verse 2 of the first book! Furthermore,
Samuel, Kings and
Chronicles are ABOUT THE KINGS OF ISRAEL so it would seem reasonable
NOT to
expect to find many references in those books to commoners!
In this case one
could be hard pressed not to question the integrity and / or the
scriptural
knowledge of the person who made that statement.
On further
inspection of the books of Samuel and Kings we find a number of other
instances of men with more than one wife. These include David:
1
Samuel 25:43 states:
43 David
also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and so both of them were his wives.
(NKJ)
At this point, before he became king, in fact while a fugitive and therefore presumably a "commoner" by most peoples definition, David had two wives in addition to his first wife.
2
Samuel 5:13 states:
13 And
David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he had
come from Hebron. Also more sons and daughters were born to David. (NKJ)
This was shortly
after his arrival in Jerusalem as King of the united kingdom after he
had
reigned as king over Judah for seven years in Hebron.
David is repeatedly
referred to as a man after God's own heart (Acts 13:22, 1 Samuel 13:14, etc). In a case such as this one has to ask how any person who fears God can speak out against a man having more than one wife when David, a man with a significant number of wives and concubines is referred to as a man after God's own heart?
It seems that God
has said that it is HIS heart to have more than one wife and yet the
person who wrote the commentary speaks against it.
Since Samuel was
raised, let us consider also 2 Samuel 12:7-8:
"Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man! Thus
says the LORD
God of Israel: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 'I
gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more!" (NKJ)
Here we see that God says that HE gave David Saul's WIVES and yet the commentator says God is opposed to a man having more than one wife! Is this not blatant hypocrisy bordering on blasphemy!
Since Kings was
also raised, let us consider 1 Kings 15:5:
"because David did what was right
in the eyes of the LORD, and
had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all
the days
of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite." (NKJ)
David did what was
right in the eyes of the LORD all the
days of his life EXCEPT IN
THE MATTER OF URIAH THE HITTITE. It seems hard to conceive how anyone
who
reads that verse can ever again speak against a man having more than
one wife. Is there
not a possibility that if one speaks against a man whom God refers to
as a man after His
own heart that it may cause one to face the most fearful judgment?
Similarly, Abraham
is referred to as the friend of God (James 2:23) and had more than one
wife, Moses is referred to as the Man of God (Ezra 3:2, Joshua 14:6,
etc) and had more
than one wife. It increasingly would seem that no person who fears God
can claim that
it is against the will of God for a man to have more than one wife.
g.
IT IS CLEAR THAT THE MOST COMMON FORM OF MARRIAGE WAS
MONOGAMY
It was stated in
the commentary:
Interviewer
2:
"Under the judges and monarchy the rule of man, NOT God, Israel shifted towards a looser form of polygamy but it is clear that the most common form of marriage was monogamy and amongst the commoners no cases of polygamy are found in the books of Samuel or Kings."
I have been unable to locate any scripture which indicates that "the most common form of marriage was monogamy". As best I can determine scripture is entirely silent and the commentator seems to be adding to the Word of God.
h.
EZEKIAL 16
Reference was made
to Ezekial 16:1-63 indicating monogamy as the ideal as seen by the
prophets.
On closer
inspection we see that this passage refers only to the unfaithfulness
of Judah. Ezekial 23 takes the metaphor further and describes God as
also being married to Samaria
(Israel) AS WELL. In other words, God, Himself, describes Himself as
married to two
women!
Again one is forced
to question the integrity and / or scriptural knowledge of someone
who could cause such a statement to be broadcast on National Television.
i.
EPHESIANS
Reference was made to EPHESIANS 5:23 as a parallel to the verses in Ezekial as an indication that it is God's will for a man to have only one wife. On closer inspection, however, it turns out that the whole of Ephesians 5:22-33 turns on "gune", in other words these verses could just as well refer to "wives" as wife. Seemingly, Ephesians 5:22-33 could be translated:
22 Wives,
submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
23 For
the husband is head of the wife [wives],
as also Christ is head of the
church; and He is the Savior of the body.
24
Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives
be to their
own husbands in everything.
25
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ
also loved the church and gave
Himself for her,
26 that
He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,
27 that
He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or
wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without
blemish.
28 So
husbands ought to love their own wives as
their own bodies; he who loves
his wife [wives]
loves himself.
29 For no
one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as
the
Lord does the church.
30 For we
are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.
31 "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife [wives], and the two shall become one flesh." (Authors note: take account of
the discussion of 1 + 1 = 1 in
section 8.a, page 18)
32 This
is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
33
Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife
[wives] as
himself, and let the wife [wives]
see that she [they]
respects her husband. (NKJ) (Authors note: "she" is a translators addition)
THE BODY OF CHRIST COMPRISES "MANY" BODIES
Furthermore, it
seems that the Ephesians 5 argument ignores the parallel that the bride
(singular) which is the church comprises many bodies 1 Corinthians
12:12 states:
12 For as
the body is one and has many members, but
all the members
of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is
Christ. (NKJ)
This is supported by other scriptures - "we who are many are one body", in the same way it would seem that many wives are all one flesh or one body with the husband. Ephesians 5:31-32 seemingly makes this absolutely clear:
31 "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."
32 This
is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. (NKJ)
It certainly seems clear that there is a direct parallel between the Bride of Christ comprising many bodies and a man being "one flesh" with a number of wives.
Furthermore,
Revelation clearly refers to seven churches. It certainly seems that
God has
provided a perfect pattern of the bride of Christ in marriage between a
man and his
WIVES. It would seem irrational and illogical to argue that the many
people who are the
church are one body but that Genesis 2:24 and Ephesians 5:23 dictate
monogamy. It
would certainly seem possible that this could cause a person who
considers themselves
to be logical to stumble over any doctrine which states that scripture
prevents a man
having more than one wife.
j. "MONOGAMY WAS HIGHLY REGARDED DURING THE TALMUDIC PERIOD"
It was stated that "during the Talmudic period monogamy was highly regarded". This is an interesting statement since Jesus condemned the scribes and Pharisees whose Talmudic law made the word of God of no effect (Matthew 23 and many other verses).
In addition, it
appears that many Jews know that the Bible permits a man to have more
than one wife, for example, The Living Torah, in a footnote to Exodus
21:10 states:
another
wife, Polygamy (sic) was permitted
by Torah Law. It was only
forbidden later by a ban pronounced by all European rabbis under the
leadership of Rabbenu Gershom (circa 965-1029).
Apart from the fact that this text uses the term polygamy to describe polygyny (a man having more than one wife) a widespread semantic error referred to in more detail in section 6, page 16, it makes it quite clear that scriptural marriage in which a man can have more than one wife, was still practised by the Jews until about 1,000 years after the death of Jesus Christ. Maurice Lamm, in his book, "The Jewish Way in Love and Marriage", published by Jonathan David Publishers, Inc, Middle Village, New York 11379 in 1980 reports that this ban was "renewed for all Jews by Israel's Chief Rabbi when it expired in 1950. Known as the 'Cherem de Rabbenu Gershom,' it is in force regardless of the wishes of the husband or the consent of the wife."
From considering
other sources regarding the systematic distancing of the Gentile church
from the Jewish roots of Christianity as a consequence of Roman
influence as early as 300
AD resulting in steadily increasing persecution of Jews, it appears
that the Rabbinical
decree was as a consequence of increasing persecution by the Roman
church seeking to
enforce the proclamation by Justinian enforcing monogamy about three
hundred years
earlier.
From conversations
with a few Jews on this matter it appears that the rabbinical decree
is widely known as is the fact that monogamy is a Roman heresy
instituted by the
Christian church. It seems that in at least some Jewish quarters this
is taken as a further
indication that Jesus Christ could not possibly be the Messiah. This,
in turn, must surely
be a contributor to the difficulty that most Jews have in accepting
conversion to
Christianity.
Other documents
indicate that monogamy was outlawed in the Christian religion by the
emperor Justinian in the sixth century, apparently after he married a
reformed prostitute.
Taking account of
this information one is obliged to ask why, if the Bible has always
prescribed monogamy, it was necessary for the Jews AND the Christians
to outlaw it?
Accordingly it
would seem that the Talmudic argument also does not provide a basis to
establish that scripture prevents a man from having more than one wife
nor does it
prescribe enforced monogamy.
k.
CONCLUSION : THE
COMMENTARY
On the
basis of the above information it would appear that the
arguments presented in the commentary include a number of
scripture references which either indicate that the person writing the
commentary was either not very knowledgeable of scripture or was
being deliberately misleading. Other arguments appear to be
irrational and still others seem to reflect an inadequate knowledge of
the Greek or Hebrew sources.
Accordingly it seems necessary to conclude that the commentator failed to prove in any material form that scripture prescribes "enforced monogamy" or prohibits a man having more than one wife.
9. THE VIEWER'S OPINION
Let us now consider
the opinions expressed by the viewer, as reported in section 7,
page 17.
a.
SCRIPTURES WHICH EXPLICITLY PERMIT A MAN TO HAVE MORE THAN
ONE WIFE
The viewer stated:
"Deuteronomy 21:15 states: "If a man has two wives, one loved and the other unloved, ...."
"Clearly in this, and dozens of other scriptures, God permits a man to have more than one wife!"
Is this the case?
Exodus 21:10 states :
10 "If
he takes another wife, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing,
and
her marriage rights." (NKJ)
This seems clear
enough. A man is permitted to take another wife subject to certain
conditions. Appendix D, page 51 lists further scriptures which support
this view.
If one is seeking
to be even handed in considering both cases one has to ask why the
person who prepared the Television commentary did not address these
scriptures.
b.
MILLIONS REJECT CHRIST BECAUSE OF MONOGAMY
The viewer stated:
"Millions of non-Christians cannot accept monogamy as being from God and reject Christ.
On the face of it
this may be rather difficult to prove. However, the author has
encountered a situation in Malawi where it was reported that Moslem men
who were on
the point of making a decision for Christ decided not to accept Jesus
Christ as Lord when
they realized that they would not be permitted to take further wives if
they did. If this is
extrapolated across the many parts of the world where men have had more
than one wife
throughout history it is not difficult to conclude that this statement
could be correct.
c.
MONOGAMY HAS DESTROYED THE FABRIC OF FAMILY LIFE
The viewer stated:
"Monogamy has destroyed the fabric of family life in many nations.
Again this statement initially appears difficult to prove. However, if we consider the example in Malawi, by implication those men who converted to Christianity without the traditional number of wives would not have taken further wives and this could conceivably have resulted in an imbalance. One of the panel members on the original Television programme asserted that there were more women than men in society and that enforced monogamy forced many women to go without husbands. It is alleged that many of these women then turn to prostitution or have "affairs" with married men breaking up their marriages. There are also reports of missionaries informing new converts that they must get rid of all but their first wife with resultant heartbreak and social dislocation.
If these reports
are correct, which I have not been able to validate in any meaningful
way,
it appears possible that enforced monogamy could indeed be contributing
to the break-down of family life. Conceivably this could then be
contributing to the spread of AIDS
in Africa?
d.
MANY CANNOT ACCEPT THE YOKE OF MONOGAMY
The viewer stated:
"Millions of men and women fail to live within the yoke of monogamy.
Casual inspection of the newspapers, television "soap operas", magazines and the like confirms that many men and women have sexual relationships with more than one partner. The furore during 1999 with regard to the sexual relationship of a powerful world leader with one of his female aids also supports this view.
On the face of it
there can be little doubt that a large proportion of men have sexual
relations with more than one woman during their lives which implies
that they have a
desire for more than one wife. The high divorce rate inside and outside
the church,
reportedly in excess of 60% indicates a form of serial polygamy which
must also support
this conclusion.
e.
THE SCRIPTURAL IMPORTANCE OF VIRGINITY IS DISREGARDED AND
ADULTERY IS CONDONED
The viewer stated:
"The crucial scriptural importance of virginity is disregarded and adultery is condoned.
In the commentary on the viewer's opinion all that was said ignored the issue of virginity.
Deuteronomy
22:13-21 states:
13 "If any man takes a wife, and goes in to her,
and detests her,
14 "and charges her with shameful conduct, and brings a bad name on her, and says, 'I took this woman, and when I came to her I found she was not a virgin,'
15 "then the father and mother of the young woman shall take and bring out the evidence of the young woman's virginity to
the elders of the city at the gate.
16 "And the young woman's father shall say to the elders, 'I gave my daughter to this man as wife, and he detests her;
17 'now he has charged her with shameful conduct, saying, "I found your daughter was not a virgin," and yet these are the evidences of my daughter's virginity.' And they shall spread the cloth before
the elders of the city.
18 "Then the elders of that city shall take that man and punish him;
19 "and they shall fine him one hundred shekels of silver and give them to the father of the young woman, because he has brought a bad name on a virgin of Israel. And she shall be his wife; he cannot divorce her
all his days.
20 "But if the thing is true, and evidences of virginity are not found for the young woman,
21 "then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with
stones, because she has
done a disgraceful thing in Israel, to play the harlot in her father's house; so you shall put away the evil from among you.
This passage of
scripture clearly identifies that a woman must be a virgin when she
gets
married. If she is not she is a harlot and is to be put to death. If
she is not put to death it
does not mean that she will not have a part in the lake of fire and
brimstone, as will any
other man who has sex with her. Appendix F, page 74, offers a detailed
analysis of this
and related scriptures and reveals that the act of a man penetrating a
virgin, thereby
causing the flow of blood from her hymen, is the actual act of cutting
the marriage
covenant. A woman can only cut covenant once and therefore she can only
marry once.
Virginity is a female attribute and is associated with a physical piece of flesh. It can only be taken once and it can be taken by a man who already has a wife. Once a woman has lost her virginity she cannot marry another man unless she is a widow or divorced for porneia (fornication - both spiritual and physical), scripture is quite clear. Therefore it is quite clear that The Lord created man and woman from the outset for a man to have more than one wife. This scripture taken on it's own clearly demonstrates that a woman cannot have more than one husband unless the first husband dies or the woman is divorced for scripturally acceptable conditions relating to "porneia" or treachery on the part of the husband as laid down in Matthew 5, Matthew 19 and elsewhere.
It therefore seems
clear that virginity is a spiritual safety seal. A man having sex with
a
virgin marries her and a man having sex with a woman who is not a
virgin commits
adultery in almost all cases. It also seems apparent that man has no
corresponding safety
seal and that a man is therefore capable of consummating marriage with
many virgins. Since the woman is no longer free to
marry after she has lost her
virginity, by extension, God created man to be able to have more than
one wife from before the fall of Adam and Eve!
In considering the
subject of adultery, consider 1 Corinthians 6:9:
9 Know
ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither
fornicators, nor idolaters, nor
adulterers, nor effeminate, nor
abusers of themselves with mankind, (KJV)
Surely
any doctrine which is causing people to become unwitting
adulterers or adulteresses is to be avoided at all costs?
f.
CHRISTIAN WOMEN CANNOT FIND HUSBANDS AS PROPHESIED IN
ISAIAH 4:1
The viewer stated:
"Many Christian women cannot find husbands; as prophesied in Isaiah 4:1.
Isaiah
4:1-3 states:
1 And in
that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, "We will eat our own food and wear our own apparel; only let us be called by your name, to take away our reproach."
2 In that
day the Branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious; and the
fruit
of the earth shall be excellent and appealing for those of Israel who
have escaped.
3 And it
shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem
will
be called holy-- everyone who is recorded among the living in
Jerusalem. (NKJ)
The "Branch" referred to in the second verse is widely accepted as the Messiah, Jesus Christ and the rest of Isaiah 4 must surely refer to His coming. The use of Jerusalem here, in Revelation and elsewhere is widely regarded as referring to the spiritual church or true church of the Lord Jesus Christ which endures to the end. The
implication of
Isaiah 4:1 is therefore that at the end of the age, arguably the
present
age, there will be seven times more women in the body of Christ than
men and those women will be desperate for Godly husbands!
A casual inspection
of most of the Christian congregations around the country will reveal
that there are considerably more women than men. In some cases one can
count as many
as ten women to one man! Many of those women are desperately seeking a
mature
Christian husband without success, many others are trapped in marriages
to unbelieving
husbands, some of whom abuse them terribly. Others are trapped in
situations where
unscrupulous men take advantage of them and then dump them.
It does indeed seem
reasonable to conclude that The Lord desires all those women who
have chosen Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour to have Christian
husbands. We serve a
compassionate God, not a legalistic demonic god who condemns his
followers to hell on
earth, that is the god of this world NOT the God who is the Father of
the Lord Jesus
Christ!
The reality is that
over 60% of the church is divorced AND remarried - that makes them
polygamists in the TRUE sense of the word and then the commentator
speaks against
polygamy and polygyny. Surely that is gross HYPOCRISY?
g.
ENFORCED MONOGAMY IS A STUMBLING BLOCK TO THE GOSPEL
SENDING MILLIONS TO HELL
The viewer stated:
"Enforced monogamy is a stumbling block to the Gospel of Jesus Christ that is sending millions of souls to hell!
As with a number of
the earlier opinions, this is difficult to prove definitively. However,
if many people are rejecting the Gospel of Jesus Christ on the grounds
of not being able
to accept enforced monogamy and if the disregard for virginity which is
highlighted above
is real, which it is, then it seems reasonable to conclude that there
are indeed many souls
in hell who might otherwise have been in heaven.
Given that Jesus
said in Luke 15:7:
7 "I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. (NKJ)
Consequently, if
the doctrine of enforced monogamy is not scriptural, which this
analysis
seems convincingly to demonstrate AND if it is keeping even one soul
out of heaven, then
surely any person who loves the Lord Jesus Christ should have no
difficulty in accepting
that a man may have more than one wife?
h.
ENFORCED MONOGAMY IS A DOCTRINE OF DEMONS
The viewer stated:
"1 Timothy 4 prophesies that in these days many will give heed to doctrines of demons and forbid people to marry. Surely this relates to forbidding marriage to more than one wife?
1 Timothy 4:1-3
states:
1 Now
the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will
depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and
doctrines of demons,
2 speaking
lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared
with a hot iron,
3 forbidding
to marry, and commanding to abstain
from foods which God
created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know
the truth.
(NKJ)
Based
on the analysis thus far it certainly seems that enforced
monogamy is NOT scriptural. It would also appear that the person
who prepared the commentary was either extremely ignorant of
scripture or was speaking lies in hypocrisy. Certainly they were
forbidding people to marry.
It would therefore appear that the viewer's claim regarding this prophesy was confirmed through the commentary.
i.
ENFORCED MONOGAMY IS HERESY OF THE WORST KIND
The viewer stated:
"Clearly, enforced monogamy is heresy of the worst kind!"
From
consideration of the discussion thus far it certainly seems that
the doctrine of enforced monogamy is, indeed, heresy. If it is indeed
committing the number of souls to hell that has been suggested, which
appears likely to be the case, then it would appear that we must
conclude that enforced monogamy IS INDEED heresy of the worst
kind!
10.
CONCLUSION
A reasonably
comprehensive analysis of the scriptural case for and against polygamy
and
enforced monogamy in contrast to a man being permitted to have more
than one wife
(polygyny), has been presented.
It is concluded that there is overwhelming scriptural evidence to support the view that it is indeed scriptural and in fact probably God's own heart and plan, that a man should have more than one wife.
It is further
concluded that there is considerable evidence to suggest that millions,
if not
billions, of people are being kept out of the Kingdom of God or at the
very least consigned
to a part in the lake of fire and brimstone. Consequently it is
concluded that the doctrine of
enforced monogamy is, indeed, heresy of the worst kind!
At the
end of the day, every person has a constitutional right to an
informed decision, they also have a scriptural right not to be lied to
about something as fundamental as marriage. Equally, those who are
deceived and propagate this heresy have a right to be afforded the
opportunity to repent before they find themselves before the Judgment
Seat of Christ with the eternal damnation of millions of souls charged
to
their account.
It seems that everyone who reads this document has an awesome
responsibility to publish these truths!
May The Lord bless
you and keep you;
The Lord make His
face shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up
His countenance upon you, and give you peace.
JAMES
ROBERTSON
Email: james@end-time-issues.org.za
Cell:
083-251-6644; Phone: +27 +11 791-2327; Fax: +27 +11 791-5004.
NOTE: The word "Yahweh1" is used in this document to reflect the fact that the correct translation of the Hebrew word generally translated "The Lord" in the King James Version and many others is, in fact, "Yahweh". Yahweh is the proper name for our God and occurs 6,828 times in the Old Testament. Vines states:
"LORD
The divine name YHWH
appears only in the Bible. Its precise meaning is much debated.
God chose it as His personal name by which He related
specifically to His chosen or
covenant people." (from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, (Copyright (C) 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
By way of analogy, my proper name is "James" and I have the designation of "husband" to my wife, it would not be indicative of a meaningful marriage relationship if my wife were to constantly refer to me as "husband" rather than "James". In the same way, it is not indicative of a meaningful relationship with our God to refer to Him as "Lord" rather than "Yahweh" when He has given us His name to use and uses it throughout scripture.
For more information refer to the book "The Sacred Name" published by Qadesh La Yahweh Press, available on the internet at:
http://www.yahweh.org/publications/pdf1/sacrednm.pdf
APPENDIX
A
TEXT FROM VINE'S EXPOSITORY DICTIONARY
REGARDING THE WORDS FOR
WIFE
/ WIVES / WOMAN / WOMEN
Vine's with regard to the Hebrew links to Woman when searching for Wife. There is no separate reference to wives or women as both are translations of the same root word:
WIFE
refers to WOMAN, WIVES and WOMEN
'ishshah ^802^, "woman; wife; betrothed one; bride; each." This word has cognates in Akkadian, Ugaritic, Aramaic, Arabic, and Ethiopic. It appears about 781 times in biblical Hebrew and in all periods of the language.
This noun connotes one who is a female human being regardless of
her age or virginity. Therefore, it appears in correlation to "man" (ish): "...she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man" <Gen. 2:23>. This is its meaning in its first biblical usage: "And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man ['adam], made he a woman, and brought her unto the man" <Gen. 2:22>. The
stress here is on identification of womanhood rather than a
family role.
The stress on the family role of a "wife" appears in passages such as <Gen. 8:16>: "Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee."
In one special nuance the word connotes "wife" in the sense of a woman who is under a man's authority and protection; the emphasis is on the family relationship considered as a legal and social entity: "And Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered..." <Gen. 12:5>.
In <Lam. 2:20> 'ishshah is a synonym for "mother": "Shall the women eat their [offspring, the little ones who were born healthy]?" In <Gen. 29:21> (cf. <Deut. 22:24>) it appears to connote "bride" or "betrothed one": "And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her." <Eccl. 7:26> uses the word generically of "woman" conceived in general, or womanhood: "And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets..." (cf. <Gen. 31:35>).
This word is used only infrequently of animals: "Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female" <Gen. 7:2>.
This word can also be used figuratively describing foreign warriors and or heroes as "women," in other words as weak, unmanly, and cowardly: "In that day shall Egypt be like unto women: and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the Lord of hosts..." <Isa. 19:16>.
In a few passages 'ishshah means "each" or "every": "But every woman shall borrow of her neighbor, and of her that sojourneth in her house..." <Exod. 3:22>; cf. <Amos 4:3>. A special use of this nuance occurs in passages such as <Jer. 9:20>, where in conjunction with re`ut ("neighbor") it means "one" (female): "Yet hear the word of the Lord, O ye women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth, and teach your daughters wailing, and every one her neighbor lamentation."
(from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words)
(Copyright (C) 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
With
regard to the Greek words WIFE, WIVES, Vines states:
1. gune ^1135^ denotes (1) "a woman, married or unmarried" (see WOMAN); (2) "a wife," e. g., <Matt. 1:20; 1 Cor. 7:3,4>; in <1 Tim. 3:11>, RV, "women," the reference may be to the "wives" of deacons, as the KJV takes it.
2. gunaikeios ^1134^, an adjective denoting "womanly, female," is used as a noun in <1 Pet. 3:7>, KJV, "wife," RV, "woman."#
Note: In <John 19:25> the article stands idiomatically for "the wife (of)"; in <Matt. 1:6>, the article is rendered "her that had been the wife (of)."
(from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words)
(Copyright (C) 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
With
regard to the Greek word WOMAN, (there is no separate reference for
Women since
the same root is translated in both forms) Vines states:
1. gune ^1135^, for which see also WIFE, is used of a "woman" unmarried or married, e. g., <Matt. 11:11; 14:21; Luke 4:26>, of a "widow"; <Rom. 7:2>; in the vocative case, used in addressing a "woman," it is a term not of reproof or severity, but of endearment or respect, <Matt. 15:28; John 2:4>, where the Lord's words to His mother at the wedding in Cana, are neither rebuff nor rebuke. The question is, lit., "What to Me and to thee?" and the word "woman," the term of endearment, follows this. The meaning is "There is no obligation on Me or you, but love will supply the need." She confides in Him, He responds to her faith. There was lovingkindness in both hearts. His next words about "His hour" suit this; they were not unfamiliar to her. Cana is in the path to Calvary; Calvary was not yet, but it made the beginning of signs possible. See also <4:21; 19:26>.
In <Gal. 4:4> the phrase "born of a woman" is in accordance with the subject there, viz., the real humanity of the Lord Jesus; this the words attest. They declare the method of His incarnation and "suggest the means whereby that humanity was made free from the taint of sin consequent upon the Fall, viz., that He was not born through the natural process of ordinary generation, but was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit... To have written `born of a virgin' would have carried the argument in a wrong direction... Since that man is born of woman is a universal fact, the statement would be superfluous if the Lord Jesus were no more than man" (Notes on Galatians, by Hogg and Vine, pp. 184f.).
2. gunaikarion ^1133^, a diminutive of No. 1, a "little woman," is used contemptuously in <2 Tim. 3:6>, "a silly woman."#
3. presbuteros ^4245^, "elder, older," in the feminine plural, denotes "elder women" in <1 Tim. 5:2>. See ELDER, A, No. 1.
4. presbutis ^4247^, the feminine of presbutes, "aged," is used in the plural and translated "aged women" in <Titus 2:3>.#
5. theleia ^2338^, the feminine of the adjective thelus, denotes "female," and is used as a noun, <Rom. 1:26,27>. See FEMALE.
(from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright (C) 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
APPENDIX
B
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
INCLUDING THE GREEK WORD
1135 "GUNE" WIFE / WIVES / WOMAN / WOMEN
Following are many scriptures all of which contain the Greek word "gune". Readers are encouraged to observe the extent to which gune is variously translated and the English usage is determined by the context. There are a number of instances where the singular can be replaced with the plural. Note also the extent to which woman and wife, women and wives can be interchanged.
Matt 1:20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. (NKJ)
Matt
1:24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the
Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, (NKJ)
Matt 5:28 "But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (NKJ)
Matt 5:31 "Furthermore it has been said, `Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' (NKJ)
Matt 5:32 "But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery. (NKJ)
Matt
9:20 And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years
came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. (NKJ)
Matt 9:22 But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well." And the woman was made well from that hour. (NKJ)
Matt 11:11 "Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. (NKJ)
Matt 13:33 Another parable He spoke to them: "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened." (NKJ)
Matt 14:3 For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. (NKJ)
Matt
14:21 Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides
women and children. (NKJ)
Matt 15:22 And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed." (NKJ)
Matt 15:28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour. (NKJ)
Matt
15:38 Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and
children. (NKJ)
Matt 18:25 "But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. (NKJ)
Matt 19:3 The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?" (NKJ)
Matt 19:5 "and said, `For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? (NKJ)
Matt 19:8 He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. (NKJ)
Matt 19:9 "And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery." (NKJ)
Matt 19:10 His disciples said to Him, "If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry." (NKJ)
Matt 22:24 saying: "Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. (NKJ)
Matt 22:25 "Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother. (NKJ)
Matt 22:27 "Last of all the woman died also. (NKJ)
Matt 22:28 "Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her." (NKJ)
Matt
26:7 a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly
fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table.
(NKJ)
Matt 26:10 But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. (NKJ)
Matt 27:19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, "Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him." (NKJ)
Matt
27:55 And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to
Him, were there looking on from afar, (NKJ)
Matt 28:5 But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. (NKJ)
Mark
5:25 Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, (NKJ)
Mark
5:33 But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to
her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole
truth. (NKJ)
Mark 6:17 For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for he had married her. (NKJ)
Mark 6:18 For John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." (NKJ)
Mark
7:25 For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about
Him, and she came and fell at His feet. (NKJ)
Mark
7:26 The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept
asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. (NKJ)
Mark 10:2 The Pharisees came and asked Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" testing Him. (NKJ)
Mark
10:7 `For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be
joined to his wife, (NKJ)
Mark 10:11 So He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. (NKJ)
Mark 12:19 "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. (NKJ)
Mark 12:19 "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. (NKJ)
Mark 12:20 "Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring. (NKJ)
Mark 12:22 "So the seven had her and left no offspring. Last of all the woman died also. (NKJ)
Mark 12:23 "Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? For all seven had her as wife." (NKJ)
Mark
14:3 And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at
the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly
oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head.
(NKJ)
Mark
15:40 There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary
Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and of
Joses, and Salome, (NKJ)
Luke 1:5
There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest
named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the
daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. (NKJ)
Luke 1:13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. (NKJ)
Luke 1:18 And Zacharias said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years." (NKJ)
Luke
1:24 Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid
herself five months, saying, (NKJ)
Luke 1:42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! (NKJ)
Luke 3:19 But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, (NKJ)
Luke 4:26 "but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. (NKJ)
Luke 7:28 "For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." (NKJ)
Luke 7:37 And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, (NKJ)
Luke 7:39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, "This man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner." (NKJ)
Luke 7:44 Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. (NKJ)
Luke 7:44 Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. (NKJ)
Luke 7:50 Then He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace." (NKJ)
Luke 8:2
and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities--
Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven
demons, (NKJ)
Luke 8:3 and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance. (NKJ)
Luke
8:43 Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had
spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by
any, (NKJ)
Luke
8:47 Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came
trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the
presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she
was healed immediately. (NKJ)
Luke
10:38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village;
and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her
house. (NKJ)
Luke 11:27 And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!" (NKJ)
Luke
13:11 And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity
eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself
up. (NKJ)
Luke 13:12 But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity." (NKJ)
Luke 13:21 "It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened." (NKJ)
Luke 14:20 "Still another said, `I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' (NKJ)
Luke 14:26 "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. (NKJ)
Luke 15:8 "Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? (NKJ)
Luke 16:18 "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery. (NKJ)
Luke 17:32 "Remember Lot's wife. (NKJ)
Luke 18:29 So He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, (NKJ)
Luke 20:28 saying: "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. (NKJ)
Luke 20:28 saying: "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. (NKJ)
Luke 20:29 "Now there were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and died without children. (NKJ)
Luke 20:32 "Last of all the woman died also. (NKJ)
Luke 20:33 "Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she become? For all seven had her as wife." (NKJ)
Luke 22:57 But he denied Him, saying, "Woman, I do not know Him." (NKJ)
Luke
23:27 And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who
also mourned and lamented Him. (NKJ)
Luke
23:49 But all His acquaintances, and the women who followed Him from
Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things. (NKJ)
Luke
23:55 And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after,
and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. (NKJ)
Luke 24:22 "Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. (NKJ)
Luke 24:24 "And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see." (NKJ)
John 2:4 Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come." (NKJ)
John 4:7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." (NKJ)
John 4:9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. (NKJ)
John 4:9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. (NKJ)
John 4:11 The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? (NKJ)
John 4:15 The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw." (NKJ)
John 4:17 The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have well said, `I have no husband,' (NKJ)
John 4:19 The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. (NKJ)
John 4:21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. (NKJ)
John 4:25 The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When He comes, He will tell us all things." (NKJ)
John 4:27 And at this point His disciples came, and they marvelled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?" (NKJ)
John
4:28 The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and
said to the men, (NKJ)
John 4:39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did." (NKJ)
John 4:42 Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world." (NKJ)
John 8:3
Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in
adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, (NKJ)
John 8:4 they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. (NKJ)
John 8:9
Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out
one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And
Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. (NKJ)
John 8:10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" (NKJ)
John 16:21 "A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. (NKJ)
John 19:26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold your son!" (NKJ)
John 20:13 Then they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him." (NKJ)
John 20:15 Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, "Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away." (NKJ)
Acts
1:14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication,
with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His
brothers. (NKJ)
Acts 5:1
But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a
possession. (NKJ)
Acts 5:2 And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles' feet. (NKJ)
Acts 5:7
Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing
what had happened. (NKJ)
Acts
5:14 And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of
both men and women, (NKJ)
Acts 8:3
As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and
dragging off men and women, committing them to prison. (NKJ)
Acts
8:12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning
the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men
and women were baptized. (NKJ)
Acts 9:2
and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he
found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he
might bring them bound to Jerusalem. (NKJ)
Acts
13:50 But the Jews stirred up the devout and prominent women and the
chief men of the city, raised up persecution against Paul and
Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. (NKJ)
Acts
16:1 Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple
was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman
who believed, but his father was Greek. (NKJ)
Acts
16:1 Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple
was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman
who believed, but his father was Greek. (NKJ)
Acts
16:13 And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside,
where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke
to the women who met there. (NKJ)
Acts
16:14 Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of
purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord
opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. (NKJ)
Acts
17:4 And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the
devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul
and Silas. (NKJ)
Acts
17:12 Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the
Greeks, prominent women as well as men. (NKJ)
Acts
17:34 However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius
the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with
them. (NKJ)
Acts
18:2 And he found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had
recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla (because
Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome); and he came
to them. (NKJ)
Acts
21:5 When we had come to the end of those days, we departed and went on
our way; and they all accompanied us, with wives and
children, till we were out of the city. And we knelt down on the shore
and prayed. (NKJ)
Acts 22:4 "I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, (NKJ)
Acts
24:24 And after some days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who
was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith
in Christ. (NKJ)
Acts
24:24 And after some days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who
was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith
in Christ. (NKJ)
Rom 7:2
For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as
long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released
from the law of her husband. (NKJ)
1 Cor 5:1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles-- that a man has his father's wife! (NKJ)
1 Cor
7:1 Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: It is good for
a man not to touch a woman. (NKJ)
1 Cor
7:2 Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his
own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. (NKJ)
1 Cor
7:3 Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and
likewise also the wife to her husband. (NKJ)
1 Cor
7:4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband
does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over
his own body, but the wife does. (NKJ)
1 Cor
7:10 Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is
not to depart from her husband. (NKJ)
1 Cor
7:11 But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be
reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife.
(NKJ)
1 Cor
7:12 But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife
who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not
divorce her. (NKJ)
1 Cor
7:13 And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is
willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. (NKJ)
1 Cor
7:14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the
unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your
children would be unclean, but now they are holy. (NKJ)
1 Cor
7:16 For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband?
Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your
wife? (NKJ)
1 Cor
7:27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed
from a wife? Do not seek a wife. (NKJ)
1 Cor
7:29 But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on
even those who have wives should be as though they had none, (NKJ)
1 Cor
7:33 But he who is married cares about the things of the world-- how he
may please his wife. (NKJ)
1 Cor
7:34 There is a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried
woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy
both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the
things of the world-- how she may please her husband. (NKJ)
1 Cor
7:39 A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if her
husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes,
only in the Lord. (NKJ)
1 Cor
9:5 Do we have no right to take along a believing wife, as do also the
other apostles, the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas? (NKJ)
1 Cor
11:3 But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the
head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. (NKJ)
1 Cor
11:5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered
dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head
were shaved. (NKJ)
1 Cor
11:6 For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is
shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered.
(NKJ)
1 Cor
11:7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the
image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. (NKJ)
1 Cor
11:8 For man is not from woman, but woman from man. (NKJ)
1 Cor
11:9 Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man. (NKJ)
1 Cor
11:10 For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on
her head, because of the angels. (NKJ)
1 Cor
11:11 Nevertheless, neither is man independent of woman, nor woman
independent of man, in the Lord. (NKJ)
1 Cor
11:11 Nevertheless, neither is man independent of woman, nor woman
independent of man, in the Lord. (NKJ)
1 Cor
11:12 For as woman came from man, even so man also comes through woman;
but all things are from God. (NKJ)
1 Cor
11:13 Judge among yourselves. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God
with her head uncovered? (NKJ)
1 Cor
11:15 But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair
is given to her for a covering. (NKJ)
1 Cor
14:34 Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not
permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also
says. (NKJ)
1 Cor
14:35 And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own
husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in church.
(NKJ)
Gal 4:4
But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son,
born of a woman, born under the law, (NKJ)
Eph 5:22
Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. (NKJ)
Eph 5:23
For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the
church; and He is the Savior of the body. (NKJ)
Eph 5:24
Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be
to their own husbands in everything. (NKJ)
Eph 5:25
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and
gave Himself for her, (NKJ)
Eph 5:28
So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who
loves his wife loves himself. (NKJ)
Eph 5:31 "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." (NKJ)
Eph 5:33
Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as
himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
(NKJ)
Eph 5:33
Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as
himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
(NKJ)
Col 3:18
Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. (NKJ)
Col 3:19
Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them. (NKJ)
1 Tim
2:9 in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest
apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or
gold or pearls or costly clothing, (NKJ)
1 Tim
2:10 but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good
works. (NKJ)
1 Tim
2:11 Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. (NKJ)
1 Tim
2:12 And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a
man, but to be in silence. (NKJ)
1 Tim
2:14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into
transgression. (NKJ)
1 Tim
3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife,
temperate, sober-minded, of good behaviour, hospitable, able to teach;
(NKJ)
1 Tim
3:11 Likewise their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate,
faithful in all things. (NKJ)
1 Tim
3:12 Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and
their own houses well. (NKJ)
1 Tim
5:9 Do not let a widow under sixty years old be taken into the number,
and not unless she has been the wife of one man, (NKJ)
Titus
1:6 if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful
children not accused of dissipation or insubordination. (NKJ)
Heb
11:35 Women received their dead raised to life again. And others were
tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better
resurrection. (NKJ)
1 Pet
3:1 Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if
some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by
the conduct of their wives, (NKJ)
1 Pet
3:5 For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in
God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own
husbands, (NKJ)
Rev 2:20 "Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. (NKJ)
Rev 9:8 They had hair like women's hair, and their teeth were like lions' teeth. (NKJ)
Rev 12:1
Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with
the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of
twelve stars. (NKJ)
Rev 12:4
His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the
earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to
give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. (NKJ)
Rev 12:6
Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared
by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two
hundred and sixty days. (NKJ)
Rev
12:13 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he
persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. (NKJ)
Rev
12:14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she
might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished
for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.
(NKJ)
Rev
12:15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after
the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood.
(NKJ)
Rev
12:16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth
and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of
his mouth. (NKJ)
Rev
12:17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make
war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments
of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (NKJ)
Rev 14:4
These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are
virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes.
These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the
Lamb. (NKJ)
Rev 17:3
So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a
woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of
blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. (NKJ)
Rev 17:4
The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and
precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden
cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. (NKJ)
Rev 17:6
I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood
of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marvelled with
great amazement. (NKJ)
Rev 17:7 But the angel said to me, "Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. (NKJ)
Rev 17:9 "Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. (NKJ)
Rev 17:18 "And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth." (NKJ)
Rev 19:7 "Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready." (NKJ)
Rev 21:9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, "Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife." (NKJ)
APPENDIX
C
ALL SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
INCLUDING THE GREEK WORD
3391 "MIA" ONE / FIRST / ETC
The following passages all include the greek word mia, not all of them refer to "one".
Matt 5:18 "For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. (NKJ)
Matt 5:19 "Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (NKJ)
Matt 5:36 "Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. (NKJ)
Matt 17:4 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." (NKJ)
Matt 19:5 "and said, `For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? (NKJ)
Matt 19:6 "So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate." (NKJ)
Matt 20:12 "saying, `These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.' (NKJ)
Matt 21:19 And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again." And immediately the fig tree withered away. (NKJ)
Matt 24:41 "Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. (NKJ)
Matt 26:40 Then He came to the disciples and found them asleep, and said to Peter, "What? Could you not watch with Me one hour? (NKJ)
Matt 26:69 Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, "You also were with Jesus of Galilee." (NKJ)
Matt 28:1
Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary
Magdalene
and the other Mary came to see the tomb. (NKJ)
Mark 9:5 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah"-- (NKJ)
Mark 10:8 `and the two shall become one flesh'; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. (NKJ)
Mark 12:42
Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans.
(NKJ)
Mark 14:37 Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour? (NKJ)
Mark 14:66
Now as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of
the high priest
came. (NKJ)
Mark 16:2
Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to
the tomb when
the sun had risen. (NKJ)
Luke 5:12
And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of
leprosy: who
seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou
wilt, thou canst make me
clean. (KJV)
Luke 5:17
And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching,
that there were Pharisees
and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of
Galilee, and Judaea, and
Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them. (KJV)
Luke 8:22
Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a
ship with his disciples: and
he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And
they launched forth. (KJV)
Luke 9:33 Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah"-- not knowing what he said. (NKJ)
Luke 13:10
Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. (NKJ)
Luke 14:18 "But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, `I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.' (NKJ)
Luke 15:8 "Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? (NKJ)
Luke 16:17 "And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail. (NKJ)
Luke 17:22 Then He said to the disciples, "The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. (NKJ)
Luke 17:34 "I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left. (NKJ)
Luke 17:35 "Two women will be grinding together: the one will be taken and the other left. (NKJ)
Luke 20:1
Now it happened on one of those days, as He taught the people in the
temple and
preached the gospel, that the chief priests and the scribes, together
with the elders, confronted
Him (NKJ)
Luke 22:59 Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, "Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean." (NKJ)
Luke 24:1
Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and
certain other
women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had
prepared. (NKJ)
John 10:16 "And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. (NKJ)
John 20:1
On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early,
while it was still
dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. (NKJ)
John 20:19
Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, "Peace be with you." (NKJ)
Acts 4:32
Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul;
neither did
anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they
had all things in common.
(NKJ)
Acts 12:10
When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to
the iron gate
that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and
they went out and went down
one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. (NKJ)
Acts 19:34 But when they found out that he was a Jew, all with one voice cried out for about two hours, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians!" (NKJ)
Acts 20:7
Now on the first day of the week, when the
disciples came together to break bread,
Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his
message until midnight.
(NKJ)
Acts 21:7
And when we had finished our voyage from Tyre, we came to Ptolemais,
greeted the
brethren, and stayed with them one day. (NKJ)
Acts 24:21 "unless it is for this one statement which I cried out, standing among them, `Concerning the resurrection of the dead I am being judged by you this day.'" (NKJ)
Acts 28:13
From there we circled round and reached Rhegium. And after one day the
south wind
blew; and the next day we came to Puteoli, (NKJ)
1 Cor 6:16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For "the two," He says, "shall become one flesh." (NKJ)
1 Cor 10:8
Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one
day twenty-three thousand fell; (NKJ)
1 Cor 16:2
On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside,
storing up as
he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. (NKJ)
2 Cor
11:24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. (NKJ)
Gal 4:24
which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one
from Mount Sinai
which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar-- (NKJ)
Eph 4:4
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope
of your calling;
(NKJ)
Eph 4:5
one Lord, one faith, one baptism; (NKJ)
Eph 5:31 "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." (NKJ)
Phil 1:27
Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that
whether I come and
see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast
in one spirit, with one mind
striving together for the faith of the gospel, (NKJ)
1 Tim 3:2
A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate,
sober-minded,
of good behaviour, hospitable, able to teach; (NKJ)
1 Tim 3:12
Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and
their own houses
well. (NKJ)
Titus 1:6
if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful
children not accused of
dissipation or insubordination. (NKJ)
Titus 3:10
Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, (NKJ)
Heb 10:12
But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat
down at the right
hand of God, (NKJ)
Heb 10:14
For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being
sanctified. (NKJ)
Heb 12:16
lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one
morsel of food
sold his birthright. (NKJ)
2 Pet 3:8
But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day
is as a thousand
years, and a thousand years as one day. (NKJ)
2 Pet 3:8
But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day
is as a thousand
years, and a thousand years as one day. (NKJ)
Rev 6:1 Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, "Come and see." (NKJ)
Rev 9:12
One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these
things. (NKJ)
Rev 9:13
Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns
of the golden
altar which is before God, (NKJ)
Rev 13:3
And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his
deadly wound
was healed. And all the world marvelled and followed the beast. (NKJ)
Rev 17:12 "The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. (NKJ)
Rev 17:13 "These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. (NKJ)
Rev 17:17 "For God has put it into their hearts to fulfil His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. (NKJ)
Rev 18:8 "Therefore her plagues will come in one day-- death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her. (NKJ)
Rev 18:10 "standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, `Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.' (NKJ)
Rev 18:17 `For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.' Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance (NKJ)
Rev 18:19 "They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, `Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate.' (NKJ)
APPENDIX
D
VARIOUS SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
TO
MORE THAN ONE WIFE
In recognition of
challenges presented in the commentary concerning scriptures regarding
a man
having more than one wife not being definitive, this appendix offers
additional scriptural support
for the fact that God permits a man to have more than one wife.
Above all, not
matter how much you may have difficulty in accepting this principle, I
urge you
to submit to the Word of God as the final authority, NOT the teachings
of man.
1.
EXPLICIT COMMANDMENTS REGARDING MORE THAN ONE WIFE
a.
DEUTERONOMY 21:15-17 STATES:
15 "If
a man has two wives, one loved and the other
unloved, and they have
borne him children, both the loved and the unloved, and if the
firstborn son is of
her who is unloved,
16 "then it shall be, on the day he bequeaths his possessions to his sons, that he must not bestow firstborn status on the son of the loved wife in preference to the son of the unloved, the true firstborn.
17 "But he shall acknowledge the son of the unloved wife as the firstborn by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his. (NKJ)
This scripture
explicitly deals with a situation in which a man has two wives. It was
recorded
by Moses in a portion of scripture (variously named the Pentateuch by
Western Christians,
the Torah by Jews and the Tawratt by Moslems) where Christians, Jews
and Moslems alike
agree that the scripture is inspired by God. As best I understand,
there are more people in the
world who believe that the five books of Moses are inspired by God than
any other passage
of scripture. This must carry weight in this situation.
2.
SCRIPTURES WHICH EXPRESSLY REFER TO MORE THAN ONE WIFE
This section
presents a further selection of scriptures with explicit reference to
two or more
wives. These scriptures are presented over and above those cited in the
body of this discourse
and are offered simply to assist you to appreciate the weight of
scripture which is behind what
is presented here.
a.
GENESIS 4:19
19 Then
Lamech took for himself two wives: the
name of one was Adah, and the name
of the second was Zillah. (NKJ)
This is the first
explicit reference to a man having more than one wife and apparently
occurs between about 200 and 500 years after the creation of Adam.
There is no
indication that this was anything special or unusual or that it
represented some departure
from what occurred prior to that time.
b.
GENESIS 17:15-23
15 Then God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.
16 "And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her."
17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, "Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?"
18 And Abraham said to God, "Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!"
19 Then
God said: "No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him.
20 "And
as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will
make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget
twelve
princes, and I will make him a great nation.
21 "But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year."
22 Then
He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.
23 So Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God had said to him. (NKJ)
In this scripture, we see God appearing in manifest form, many believe this was Jesus, and speaking to Abraham face to face. Not only does He not rebuke Abraham for taking Hagar as a concubine, which surely He would have done had the taking of a second wife or concubine have been contrary to God's Word, He does not even caution Abraham that it was not "His best". He even goes on to bless Ishmael and to declare that he will be the father of twelve princes. A statement which probably indicates that Ishmael was likely to take more than one wife!
Surely we must
accept from this scripture alone that God is not in the least opposed
to a
man having more than one wife? Could we not at least gain the
impression that God
might even favour such an arrangement?
c.
GENESIS 22:20-24
20 Now it came to pass after these things that it was told Abraham, saying, "Indeed Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor:
21 "Huz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram,
22 "Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel."
23 And Bethuel begot Rebekah. These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham's brother.
24 His
concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah,
Gaham, Thahash,
and Maachah. (NKJ)
Here we see that in Abraham's immediate family it was common for a man to have more than one wife. Note that Abraham's father had more than one wife as well, that was why Sarai was his half-sister!
d.
GENESIS 25:6
6 But
Abraham gave gifts to the sons of the concubines which
Abraham had; and
while he was still living he sent them eastward, away from Isaac his
son, to the
country of the east. (NKJ)
Here we see that
ultimately Abraham had several concubines and yet James 2:23-24
states:
23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." And he was called
the friend of God.
24 You
see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. (NKJ)
So we see that it is possible for a man to have more than one wife or a wife and several concubines and yet be called "the friend of God". Dare we speak evil of Abraham, or call him an adulterer, and not fear the wrath of God against us for speaking against His covenant partner and friend?
Dear reader, please
understand, these are not matters to be taken lightly, they are not
matters in which we can hide behind uncertainty with regard to the
interpretation of
scripture. These are Words of God that are yea and amen! We dare not
speak against him
whom God has called His friend without opening ourselves up to the most
awful
judgement and granting Satan an enormous foothold in our lives!
e.
GENESIS 25:12-17
12 Now this is the genealogy of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's maidservant, bore to Abraham.
13 And
these were the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according
to their
generations: The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; then Kedar, Adbeel,
Mibsam,
14
Mishma, Dumah, Massa,
15 Hadar,
Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.
16 These
were the sons of Ishmael and these were their names, by their towns and
their settlements, twelve princes according to their nations.
17 These
were the years of the life of Ishmael: one hundred and thirty-seven
years;
and he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people. (NKJ)
Here we see that God's promise to Abraham with regard to Ishmael having twelve son's is fulfilled, quite possible through several wives.
f.
GENESIS 30:1-27
1 Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said to Jacob, "Give me children, or else I die!"
2 And Jacob's anger was aroused against Rachel, and he said, "Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?"
3 So she said, "Here is my maid Bilhah; go in to her, and she will bear a child on my knees, that I also may have children by her."
4 Then
she gave him Bilhah her maid as wife, and Jacob went in to her.
5 And
Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.
6 Then Rachel said, "God has judged my case; and He has also heard my voice and given me a son." Therefore she called his name Dan.
7 And Rachel's maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.
8 Then Rachel said, "With great wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and indeed I have prevailed." So she called his name Naphtali.
9 When
Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took Zilpah her maid and
gave her to Jacob as wife.
10 And Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son.
11 Then Leah said, "A troop comes!" So she called his name Gad.
12 And Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son.
13 Then Leah said, "I am happy, for the daughters will call me blessed." So she called his name Asher.
14 Now Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, "Please give me some of your son's mandrakes."
15 But she said to her, "Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son's mandrakes also?" And Rachel said, "Therefore he will lie with you tonight for your son's mandrakes."
16 When Jacob came out of the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, "You must come in to me, for I have surely hired you with my son's mandrakes." And he lay with her that night.
17 And
God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a
fifth son.
18 Leah said, "God has given me my wages, because I have given my maid to my husband." So she called his name
Issachar.
19 Then
Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son.
20 And Leah said, "God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons." So she called his name Zebulun.
21
Afterward she bore a daughter, and called her name Dinah.
22 Then
God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb.
23 And
she conceived and bore a son, and said, "God has taken away my reproach."
24 So she
called his name Joseph, and said, "The LORD shall add to me another son."
25 And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, "Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my country.
26 "Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know my service which I have done for you."
27 And Laban said to him, "Please stay, if I have found favor in your eyes, for
I have
learned by experience that the LORD has blessed me for your sake." (NKJ)
In this passage, not only do we see the chronology of Jacob taking his two concubines, and also see some of his marital challenges, we see that both of his first two wives voluntarily offered him their maids as concubines. In addition, we see that throughout the passage reference is made to God. In verse 27 we clearly see that "the
Lord has blessed". Again, how can we dare to presume that God had frowned on Jacob's marriage to Laban's two daughters AND their two hand maids?
g.
GENESIS 32:32
22 And
he [Jacob] arose that night and took his two
wives, his two female
servants, and his eleven sons, and
crossed over the ford of Jabbok.
23 He
took them, sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had.
24 Then
Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until
the breaking of
day.
25 Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob's hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him.
26 And He
said, "Let Me go, for the day breaks." But he said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me!"
27 So He said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob."
28 And He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed."
29 Then Jacob asked, saying, "Tell me Your name, I pray." And He said, "Why is it that you ask about My name?" And He blessed him there.
30 And
Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: "For
I have seen God face
to face, and my life
is preserved."
31 Just
as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip.
32 Therefore to this day the children of Israel do not eat the muscle that shrank, which is on the hip socket, because He touched the socket of Jacob's hip in the muscle that shrank. (NKJ)
Here we seek Jacob
wrestling with God face to face, receiving the name Israel (central to
the entire balance of scripture) and being blessed by God. How can we
presume to
suggest that God in any way frowned on Jacob / Israel for having more
than one wife? Is that not presumption bordering on blasphemy?
h. 1
SAMUEL 1:1-2
1 Now
there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim, of the mountains of
Ephraim,
and his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son
of Tohu, the
son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.
2 And he
had two wives: the name of one was Hannah, and the name
of the other
Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. (NKJ)
Here we see that Samuel, one of the great prophets of scripture, was the son of a man who had two wives. Later in this passage we read that God answered Hannah's prayers and granted her a child (Samuel) whom she dedicated to God and whom God spoke to clearly when he was still a child AND throughout his life. Dare we suggest that Samuel was "illegitimate" or a "bastard" - the terms that would be applied to him today?
i. 1
SAMUEL 13:13-14
13 And Samuel said to Saul, "You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you. For now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.
14 "But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought
for Himself a
man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you." (NKJ)
In this passage, God, speaking through Samuel, informs Saul that God has rejected him and informs him that God has chosen "a man after His own heart", who we learn later is David. Subsequently, long after David's death, God, speaking through Paul, reported in Acts 13:21-23 says:
21 "And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.
22 "And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, 'I have found David the
son of Jesse, a man
after My own heart, who will do all My will.'
23 "From this man's seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior-- Jesus-- (NKJ)
Here we see that despite all his eleven (?) wives and ten (?) concubines and despite a number of errors of which David was quick to repent, God referred to David as "a man after His own heart" about one thousand years after David's death! Surely it is utter foolishness to suggest that David was an adulterer, as some have done?
I Kings 15:4-5 also records after David's death:
4 Nevertheless for David's sake the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, by setting up his son after him and by establishing Jerusalem;
5 because
David did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, and
had not turned aside from
anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in
the matter
of Uriah the Hittite. (NKJ)
How dare we suggest
that David was an adulterer or had adultery in his heart from his
youth because he had several wives. Few other men in history have
received an accolade
like this from the Living God!! Has the reverent fear of God and His
judgment departed
from the church that people think that they can speak against David?
j. 1
SAMUEL 27:3
3 So
David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, each man with his
household,
and David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal's widow. (NKJ)
k. 1
SAMUEL 30:5-8
5 And David's two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess,
and Abigail the widow of
Nabal the Carmelite, had been taken captive.
6 Now
David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him,
because the
soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his
daughters. But
David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.
7 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, "Please bring the ephod here to me." And Abiathar brought the ephod to David.
8 So
David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?" And He answered him, "Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all." (NKJ)
Here we see that at a relatively early stage of his life David already had two wives. At this time he "inquired of the LORD" and the LORD "answered him". Surely if David were sinning by having two wives God would have taken this opportunity to point this sin out to him? Instead, we read in 1 Samuel 30:18
18 So
David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David
rescued his two wives. (NKJ)
So God not only answered him, but He granted David's petition!
l. 2
SAMUEL 5:13
13 And David
took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he
had
come from Hebron. Also more sons and daughters were born to David. (NKJ)
At this time, God
did not see fit to warn or rebuke David in any way. However, after the
incident with Bathsheba, we read in 2 Samuel 12:5-14, after God sent
Nathan the prophet
to David:
5 So David's anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, "As the LORD lives, the man who has done this shall surely die!
6 "And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity."
7 Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.
8 'I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your keeping, and
gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that
had been too little, I also would have given you much more!
9 'Why
have you despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight?
You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his
wife to be
your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon.
10 'Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.'
11 "Thus says the LORD: 'Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and
give them to your
neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.
12 'For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.'"
13 So David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.
14 "However, because by
this deed you have given great occasion to the
enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die." (NKJ)
God clearly and unambiguously rebukes David, He also states that HE (GOD) GAVE DAVID SAUL'S WIVES! How can we call David an adulterer after this?
God also makes it quite clear to us that David's adultery had given the enemies of the Lord occasion to blaspheme. How much more has the heresy of monogamy and false adultery, giving rise to wholesale fornication, given even those who would serve the Lord occasion to blaspheme. Indeed what a great burden of
judgment awaits those who
in this age with access to Bibles in numerous translations insist on
perpetuating the heresy of monogamy!
In addition, God is quite specific about David's sin and about the penalties that David would pay. Can we doubt for a moment that David's plurality of wives was NOT adultery but that his intercourse with another man's wife WAS? In 2 Samuel 16:21 we see God's judgement on David fulfilled through his OWN son!
21 And
Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Go in to your father's concubines, whom he has left to keep the house; and all Israel will hear that you are abhorred by your father. Then the hands of all who are with you will be strong."
22 So
they pitched a tent for Absalom on the top of the house, and Absalom went in to his father's concubines in
the sight of all
Israel. (NKJ)
In 2 Samuel 20:3 we read about David's subsequent actions:
3 Now
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
seclusion and
supported them, but did not go in to them. So they were shut up to the
day of their
death, living in widowhood. (NKJ)
It would appear that David had such respect for the commandment of the Lord after his rebuke through Nathan that he set aside his concubines because of their forced adultery through rape rather than again incur the wrath of God! Would that most Christians had this reverence for the Word of God with regard to their treatment of the consequences of casual adultery and "one night stands"!
m. I
KINGS 11:1-4
1 But
King Solomon loved many foreign
women, as well as the daughter of
Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites,
Sidonians, and Hittites--
2 from the nations of whom the LORD had said to the children of Israel, "You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods." Solomon clung to these in love.
3 And he
had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and
his wives turned away his heart.
4 For it
was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after
other
gods; and his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart
of his
father David. (NKJ)
In this passage it is quite clear that Solomon's error was to marry foreign wives, against the commandment of the Lord. NOT that he had more than one wife. He also multiplied wives (hundreds of them) which is directly contrary to Deuteronomy 17:15-17.
15 "you shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother.
16 "But he
shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the LORD has said to you, 'You shall not return that way again.'
17 "Neither
shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn
away; nor shall
he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself. (NKJ)
However, in the light of other scriptures in this section it does not seem reasonable to conclude that "multiply wives" refers to two wives, it certainly applies to seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines! Surely it would be stretching a point to apply Deuteronomy 17:17 to David, as an example, seeing as there is NO indication of even the slightest rebuke to David?
In addition, we note that Solomon also "multiplied horses" and "multiplied silver and gold for himself" in direct contradiction of this scripture.
In addition, the word "love" in I Kings 11:1 is the word "'ahab", Strong's number 157:
'ahab (aw-hab');
or 'aheb (aw-habe'); a primitive root; to have affection for (sexually or otherwise):
KJV-- (be-) love (-d, -ly, -r), like, friend.
This is far removed from the "agape" love of God described in 1 Corinthians 13 in section 2, page 78. This must surely be lust not love? Is this not the curse of our age? And is the fact that the root word of this love is "ahab" perhaps more than a coincidence seeing that the indications are that much of the false doctrine of monogamy appears to owe it's source to Jezebel and Ahab?
n. 1
CHRONICLES 4:5
5 And
Ashhur the father of Tekoa had
two wives, Helah and Naarah. (NKJ)
Here we see a
specific reference to a man with two wives in Chronicles. Careful
reading
of Chronicles will reveal that the majority of significant
personalities in Chronicles had
more than one wife. In fact, it is probably correct to say that it was
the norm among the
majority of Israelite leaders.
o. 2
CHRONICLES 11:21
21 Now
Rehoboam loved Maachah the granddaughter of Absalom more than all
his
wives and his concubines; for he took eighteen wives and sixty
concubines, and begot twenty-eight
sons and sixty daughters. (NKJ)
Another example of
a leader who had more than one wife.
p.
ESTHER 2:8-18
8 So it was, when the king's command and decree were heard, and when many young women were gathered at Shushan the citadel, under the custody of Hegai, that Esther also was taken to the king's palace, into the care of Hegai the custodian of the women.
9 Now the young woman pleased him, and she obtained his favor; so he readily gave beauty preparations to her, besides her allowance. Then seven choice maidservants were provided for her from the king's palace, and he moved her and her maidservants to the best place in the house of the women.
10 Esther
had not revealed her people or family, for Mordecai had charged her not
to reveal it.
11 And every day Mordecai paced in front of the court of the women's quarters, to learn of Esther's welfare and what was happening to her.
12 Each young woman's turn came to go in to King Ahasuerus after she had completed twelve months' preparation, according to the
regulations for the
women, for thus were the days of their preparation apportioned: six
months with
oil of myrrh, and six months with perfumes and preparations for
beautifying
women.
14 In the evening she went, and in the morning she returned to the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king's eunuch who kept the concubines. She would not go in to
the king again unless the king delighted in
her and called for her by name.
15 Now when the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his daughter, to go in to the king, she requested nothing but what Hegai the king's eunuch, the custodian of the women, advised. And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her.
16 So
Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth
month,
which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
17 The
king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained grace
and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so he
set the royal crown upon
her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.
18 Then
the king made a great feast, the Feast of Esther, for all his officials
and
servants; and he proclaimed a holiday in the provinces and gave gifts
according
to the generosity of a king. (NKJ)
Here we see that
Esther must have been at least the 366 th woman to lie with King
Ahaseurus, in all probability many more went before her. According to
modern doctrine
this would make the king a wholesale adulterer and Esther an
adulteress. Yet God used
Esther to save His people and, in verses 4:7-17 and 5:1-3 we read:
7 And Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king's treasuries to destroy the Jews.
8 He also
gave him a copy of the written decree for their destruction, which was
given at Shushan, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to
her, and that he
might command her to go in to the king to make supplication to him and
plead
before him for her people.
9 So
Hathach returned and told Esther the words of Mordecai.
10 Then
Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a command for Mordecai:
11 "All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king, who has not been called, he has but one law: put all to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may live. Yet I myself have not been called to go in to the king these thirty days."
12 So they told Mordecai Esther's words.
13 Then Mordecai told them to answer Esther: "Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king's palace any more than all the other Jews.
14 "For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet
who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"
15 Then
Esther told them to reply to Mordecai:
16 "Go,
gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me;
neither
eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast
likewise. And
so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I
perish!"
17 So
Mordecai went his way and did according to all that Esther commanded
him.
CHAPTER 5
1 Now it happened on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king's palace, across from the king's house, while the king sat on his royal throne in the royal house, facing the entrance of the house.
2 So
it was, when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, that she
found
favor in his sight, and the king held out to Esther the
golden scepter that was in
his hand. Then Esther went near and touched the top of the scepter.
3 And the king said to her, "What do you wish, Queen Esther? What
is your
request? It shall be given to you-- up to half the kingdom!" (NKJ)
Here we see that it appears that God placed Esther in the court as queen, for "such a time as this" in order to save His people. Surely He would not have placed her there in this fashion were it to have required her to commit a sin as serious as adultery?
We
also note that He heard her prayers although we know from John 9:31
that God
"does not hear sinners":
John 9:30-33
reporting the conversation between the blind man to whom Jesus granted
his sight, and the Pharisees, states:
30 The man answered and said to them, "Why, this is a marvellous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes!
31 "Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is
a worshipper of
God and does His will, He hears him.
32 "Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind.
33 "If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing." (NKJ)
Can we not infer
from this scripture that Esther was a worshipper of God AND did His
will, otherwise God would not have heard her prayer? If this is the
case, surely we must
draw the same conclusion regarding Abraham, Jacob, David and others? In
other words,
THEY WERE IN THE WILL OF GOD WHEN THEY TOOK ADDITIONAL WIVES!!!
q.
SONG OF SOLOMON 6:8
8 There
are sixty queens and eighty
concubines, and virgins
without
number.
9 My
dove, my perfect one, is the only one, the only one of her mother, the
favorite
of the one who bore her. The daughters saw her and called her blessed,
the queens
and the concubines, and they praised her. (NKJ)
Song of Solomon is perhaps not a particularly good source of information on this subject given Solomon's apparently flagrant sins of multiplying foreign wives, horses and silver and gold, referred to above. However, it is important to note that Song of Solomon is generally cited in the Christian Church as the authoritative scripture on marriage, love and romance and is quite widely quoted. Surely
it is gross hypocrisy to cite the
writings of a man who had numerous wives and concubines and
THEN preach against a man having more than one wife? Surely
scripture is quite explicit about the fate of hypocrites?
r.
DANIEL 5:2
2 While
he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and
silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the
temple which
had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his
wives, and his concubines
might drink from them. (NKJ)
From this scripture we gather that Belshazzar had wives AND concubines. In the same passage verse 5:23 we read how Daniel offers Belshazzar the interpretation of the writing of the "finger of God" on the wall in the banquet hall:
23 "And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives
and your
concubines, have drunk wine from
them. And you have praised the gods of silver
and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or
know; and
the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you
have not
glorified. (NKJ)
Surely God would
have added in a rebuke for having more than one wife if that were
another major sin?
3.
INFERENCE OF MANY WIVES BASED ON NUMBER OF OFFSPRING
A careful reading
of scripture will also reveal many instances where, although the number
of
wives of a man are not explicitly defined, the number of children borne
to that man are
suggestive of there having been more than one wife. Each of the
instances below are from the
book of Judges. The judges were ordained by God and were anointed by
Him to Judge. Accordingly, since they were required to judge according
to the Law of Moses it would seem
reasonable to conclude that they were more or less in the will of God
most of the time and it
is therefore perhaps even more notable that they had the number of
children which they did:
a.
JUDGES 8:30
30
Gideon had seventy sons who were his own offspring, for
he had many wives.
(NKJ)
b.
JUDGES 12:8-9
8 After
him, Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel.
9 He had thirty
sons. And he gave away thirty
daughters in marriage, and
brought in thirty daughters from elsewhere for his sons. He (NKJ)
c.
JUDGES 12:13-14
13 After
him, Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite judged Israel.
14 He had
forty
sons and thirty grandsons, who
rode on seventy young donkeys. He
judged Israel eight years. (NKJ)
APPENDIX
E
WOW! SO THAT'S HOW JESUS LOVES ME!
The following article was published in the October 1999 issue of Joy Magazine, Box 377, Merrivale 3291, South Africa, email: joymag@iafrica.com. The article is titled "WOW! So that's how Jesus loves me!" and was written by John & Helen Gardiner. This article came to my attention in January 2000 and provides a powerful additional focus to why the subject of this documents is so important. While the author's of this article clearly do not yet share the revelation contained in this document, it is apparent that what is contained in this article and what is contained in this document are, of necessity, complimentary in Yahweh's scheme of things.
"THE Lord began speaking to us recently about marriage - and giving us some understanding of why so many marriages are in a mess or out of order, and even why so few Christian marriages are what they could be.
Daily we seem to hear of people suffering the most terrible
abuse and
unhappiness and fear within marriages, and hear of more and more
Christian
marriages ending in the cataclysm of divorce.
Something that
God purposed to be one of His greatest
sources of joy and blessing to people often ends up as a
curse and misery.
The Lord began to
reveal that the reason why marriage is
under such incredible attack is because of what He meant
it to be.
You see, God
purposed marriage to be a prophetic sign and
a wonder.
Yet the enemy so often succeeds in making it a laughing stock
instead of a
prophetic signpost that points the way to something much deeper.
Ephesians 5:21-33 says: "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Saviour."
"Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless."
"In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no-one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church - for we are members of his body."
"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.' This is a profound mystery - but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband."
Paul says this is a great or profound mystery he's speaking about. The only other great or profound mystery is found in 1 Timothy 3:16 "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached to the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory."
Whenever scripture speaks of a mystery, it is something that
can only be
understood by divine revelation - how much more so a great mystery? However, these mysteries are something God wants us to understand - because if we don't, the enemy will run riot in that area of ignorance in our lives.
So Paul is saying, "When I'm talking about marriage, I'm talking about Christ and the church." He is saying that every time you look at a Christian marriage you should be able to say: "A-ha - so that's how Jesus loves His church, and that's how we as the church should respond to Him!
Marriage was made by God to be a sign that shows the world how much Jesus loves His church. Yet how many of us can say we've seen even a handful of marriages in our lifetimes that have been this?
Marriages where you look at the way the husband loves his wife, and you can say "Wow! That's how Jesus loves me as part of his church." Or you look at the wife and are able to say "Yes, I see now, I understand now how I as a Christian need to submit to Jesus in love."
Because this man and this woman have painted a prophetic
picture for you,
you now have a greater understanding of this great mystery!
Now do you begin to see why satan hates marriage - and
especially Christian
marriages - with such a passion?
Why he will do everything within his power to pervert, make a mockery of, and destroy marriages? Because every time he does that he's not just causing misery in the lives of the people concerned, he is also destroying and pulling down something that God purposed to be a prophetic signpost.
When there are problems in a marriage, you're not just dealing with difficult people, you're dealing with all the hoards of hell trying their utmost to make a mockery of a prophetic statement that God wanted to make.
Those who are in difficult marriage situations, or who have areas of their marriage that are out of order, must wake up to this truth. It's not just that you and your spouse cannot get along with each other - it's also because you have powerful demonic forces working against your marriage becoming a prophetic sign and statement!
You need to start pulling down those demonic strongholds over
your
relationship. Not just in your spouse! But strongholds in you and over
your
relationship that cause both of you to react and allow friction and
division to
rush in.
Every area of marriage was purposed to be a prophetic sign.
If you want to
understand what idolatry does to the heart of God, then look at what
sexual
infidelity does to a marriage.
If you want to gain a clearer understanding of what it does to God when we have other gods other things that elicit our love and devotion - then look at what adultery does to a marriage. It's a prophetic sign!
You will often find in a marriage the same extremes as you
find in the church.
Lust in marriage is the same as spiritual licentiousness in the church
- the
same as just binging and going overboard on grace with no boundaries.
Then, at the other end of the scale you get frigidity in
marriage - which is the
same as legalism and a religious spirit in the church - cold, hard,
truth with no
love.
You often get these two forces at work in the same marriage, just as you get them at work in the church, and they're both just as destructive. Lust in a marriage and licentiousness in the church are just as destructive as frigidity in marriage and legalism in the church.
You also find rebellion and reaction against God's order and authority are a problem in both marriage and in the church. Just as you also get domination, manipulation and control both in marriage and in the church.
We have got to start waking up to what marriage is meant to
be, and why so
pitifully few are what they should be!
People get married so lightly without really understanding what they're doing. Few people who go into marriage realise they are entering into something that was meant to be a blood covenant.
This is why virginity is so important.
God's purpose for marriage was that on the wedding night the marriage covenant would be sealed with blood. Again, this is a prophetic picture of Jesus' blood covenant with us. Yet how many marriages are that today?
We want to say to any young people (both male and female!) reading this: Your virginity is one of the most precious gifts God has given you. Don't ever let the devil snatch it away from you.
In biblical times if a man took away a woman's virginity they stoned him to death. Nowadays, they label him a superstud or a loverboy or something like that!
God purposed marriage to be a blood covenant, and it is our firm belief that if you have two people entering into a marriage as virgins, and with an understanding of the awesomeness and sacredness of what they're doing on their wedding night, then God will honour that covenant and protect that marriage supernaturally. If those getting married are not virgins, they at least need to have an understanding of this awesome covenant relationship they're entering into.
God cannot fully bless and anoint and rebuke the devourer
over many
marriages today because they were never established on the foundation
of
covenant. People went through all the man-made rituals of the wedding
ceremony, but never entered into a true covenant with each other.
If you look at
the average wedding ceremony today, much
of what goes on has its roots in the occult.
The veil was originally believed to ward off evil spirits. Confetti was also originally purposed to chase away evil spirits. Tradition has it that it's bad luck
for the groom to see the bride before the wedding ceremony, and that it
is
good luck for the bride to wear something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue. Then there's the whole ritual of catching the garter and bouquet and the lucky souls who catch
them.
The average wedding table is filled with lucky horseshoes or wishbones, and then the lucky couple are sent on their way to the strains of "Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye..."
All this "good luck" is just a smokescreen to distract people away from the real meaning of the ceremony - that it was meant by God to be a time of two people cutting covenant with each other before their God.
The average wedding ceremony today is a total mockery of what God intended. You get two people who've been sleeping together for years going through a silly little ritual that has no real binding upon their souls. And then people wonder why the whole thing ends up in the divorce courts two years down the road!
God wants us to begin to understand the sacredness of
marriage.
If you look at what marriage entailed in biblical times, you
begin to understand
just how much points to Jesus - and why Jesus even said some of the
things
He said.
At marrying age, the young man might be attracted to a young
woman, or his
parents might have chosen an appropriate bride for him. The procedure
could
be followed by one of three different parties:
The father making the arrangements for his son, as Samson's father did for him in Judges 14: 1-10.
An agent working on behalf of the father, as Eliezer did on
behalf of Abraham
in Genesis 24:1-67.
Or it could be done by the young man himself.
For illustration's sake, an example of the last possibility will be used.
A young man went to the home of his potential bride-to-be. He
carried three
things with him: a large sum of money in order to pay the price for his
bride,
a betrothal contract called a Shitre Erusin, and
a skin of wine.
Of course, anyone arriving with these things would immediately arouse the curiosity of the household! The man approached the girl's father and older brothers. The contract was laid out, and the bride-price was discussed.
Finally, a glass of wine was poured. If the father approved,
then the young
lady was called in. If she also approved, then she would drink the
wine. In
doing so, she committed herself to this man, agreeing to follow the
contract
that now was a legal document between the two.
They would be called husband and wife at this time, and their
union could
only be dissolved by a divorce. However, their status was that of
betrothed,
rather than that of fully married. This is where we as the church are
today: the
contract has been signed, the price has been paid in full. We are
betrothed.
After the wine had been drunk, the man made the statement that he would go to his father's house and prepare a place for her. This place was known as the chadar (chamber, or a bed with a canopy).
The young Jewish bridegroom would make the following speech
as he was
leaving: "In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." Does that sound familiar to you? Our
Lord Jesus spoke
those same words of us in John 14:2-3!
From the time that the Shitre Erusin
was ratified, the young woman was
consecrated, kiddushin, set apart to her husband. That's how we as Christians should be.
She has been bought with a price and her body is no longer
her own. 1
Corinthians 6:20 says "You were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your body" and 1 Corinthians 7:23 says "You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men."
She must spend her time preparing to live as a wife and
mother in Israel. Her
days of waiting for her wedding are spent in learning how to please her
husband.
Meanwhile, the young man returned to his father's home, and the chadar
went under construction.
The room is provided with every comfort, as they will retire
here for a whole
week following their wedding ceremony. We see this seven day period in:
Genesis 29:22-28. Laban says - "Finish this daughter's bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work.' And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife." And read Judges
14:10-18, too.
The young man, if asked when the day of his wedding would be,
replied, "No man knows except my father." In Israel the father had to be
satisfied that
every preparation had been made by his son before he gave him
permission
to go and get his bride. Jesus spoke these same words of His wedding
day.
The groom secured two close friends to assist him in securing
his bride and
during the actual ceremony. These two are known as "the friends of the bridegroom." They functioned as the two witnesses required
for a Jewish
wedding. One of them was to assist the bride, and to lead her to the
ceremony, while the other was stationed with the groom. He performed a
special task when the couple retired into the chadar
after the ceremony.
During the ceremony, known as Kiddushin,
a second contract was brought
forth called a Ketubah. This marriage contract
was witnessed by the friends
of the bridegroom and turned over to the parents of the bride. It
contained the
promises that the groom pledged to his wife.
As at all weddings, focus was centred on the bride and groom.
For this one
day they were looked at as king and queen. Every effort was made, and
no
expense was spared to ensure their joy. On this day, tradition says,
their sins
were forgiven. They stood pure, without spot or blemish as they were
united.
Ephesians 5:25-32, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, And to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless."
Following the ceremony, the bride and groom entered the chadar.
Here the
groom gave gifts to the bride (Genesis 34:12 & Genesis 24:53).
The couple spent seven days under the chupah,
or literally in the chamber.
The friend of the bridegroom stood at the door. All the guests of the
wedding
assembled outside, waiting for the friend of the bridegroom to announce
the
consummation of the marriage covenant, which was related to him by the
groom.
John 3:26-30: "They came to John and said to him, 'Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan - the one you testified about - well, He is baptising, and everyone is going to him. 'To this John replied, 'A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, "I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him. "The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less."
At this signal, great rejoicing broke forth in a week long
celebration, until the
two emerged from the chupah to begin the actual
wedding feast.
Revelation 19:4-9: "The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried: 'Amen, Hallelujah!' Then a voice came from the throne, saying: 'Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!'
"Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: 'Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.' (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) Then the angel said to me, 'Write: "Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!" And he added, 'These are the true words of God."
Do you begin to understand the enormity of what we're touching here? You need to start looking at marriage through new eyes!
Even as the first trump (shofar) announced the betrothal, so the last trump announced the wedding. Today, when the shofar is blown in churches we are reminded that we are betrothed - and that there's a wedding feast yet to come!
In Psalm 45 we are brought to the biblical portrayal of not
only the wedding
of the Messiah but also His coronation. The guests are assembled, and
gifts
are distributed.
Isaiah 61:10 - 62:5 shows the glory of the bride and groom
bedecked in all
their wedding finery: "For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will bestow. You will be a crown of splendour in the Lord's hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God. No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Heplizibah, and your land Beulah; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be married. As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you."
But we've left the best for last...
Before the wedding the groom required three days to prepare.
We know that
one day is as a thousand years to the Lord. And just as with working
out the
three days of the death and resurrection of Jesus, we know that the
Jewish
method of measuring days is different to ours.
So, we are on the brink of the third millennium, the third
day. Yes, the third
day is almost upon us. Our bridegroom has been preparing Himself for
three
days. He is fully prepared and fully expectant, longing to be with His
bride.
The marriage supper of the lamb could be any day now.
No one knows the exact day except the Father.
The third day is upon us - and the bridegroom is fully
prepared.
But are we?
God wants to release is out of much and into much when it
comes to our
understanding of marriage.
He wants to pull
down and smash man-made myths and
perceptions of marriage. He wants us throw out all the Mills
& Boon and Bold & Beautiful junk, and begin to come
into
a Biblical understanding of what marriage is all about.
He wants to pull down demonic strongholds over existing and past and future marriages - strongholds of lust and frigidity, strongholds that have been established because the enemy has done everything in his power to make a mockery of God's prophetic purposes.
Some of you are sitting in marriages with things over you,
some of you who
are divorced are still bound by hurts and bitterness, others are
sitting under
things that keep you from being released into marriage - because of
fear and
demonic oppression.
There are some to whom God would say: "I've kept you from marriage. You've fought and kicked and got angry because you've never got married, but it's been My grace that has kept you and protected you from entering into something that would just be a pale, weak, wishy-washy counterfeit of what I've really purposed for you."
And as those strongholds come down, you will begin to find
marriages
restored and unsaved partners coming to the Lord. Good marriages will
become even better as they are elevated into the realm of becoming
prophetic statements. Becoming a sign and a wonder that people will
look at and
say, "So that's how Jesus loves his betrothed, so that's how we as the church should submit and respond to Jesus!"
Father, in Jesus' name forgive me for taking marriage so lightly, forgive me for my perverted and wrong understandings of what marriage is meant to be. And Father as You forgive me, I pray that you will deliver me from every stronghold that is over my life in the area of marriage. Strongholds that have come down through the generations, as well as strongholds that I have allowed to become established through my own fears and sin.
"Lord I ask you to give me a revelation in my heart of Your purpose for marriage - so that my marriage (or future marriage) will become the prophetic sign and wonder to the world that You purposed it be. I ask You to do this in the precious and powerful name of Jesus through the power of Your holy Spirit."
With acknowledgements to Greg Killian for his
information on Biblical wedding
ceremonies.
Reproduced by kind
permission of the author.
APPENDIX
F
HOW DOES SCRIPTURE DEFINE THE MARRIAGE COVENANT?
AND
HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO VIRGINITY
The following
appendix examines what the scriptures say concerning virginity and the
marriage
covenant in some detail.
1.
VIRGINITY : WHAT IS MARRIAGE
In
order to define marriage, let us see what the Bible says. Deuteronomy
22:13-21
states:
13 "If any man takes a wife, and goes in to her,
and detests her,
14 "and charges her with shameful conduct, and brings a bad name on her, and says, 'I took this woman, and when I came to her I found she was not a virgin,'
15 "then the father and mother of the young woman shall take and bring out the evidence of the young woman's virginity to the elders of the city
at the gate.
16 "And the young woman's father shall say to the elders, 'I gave my daughter to this man as wife, and he detests her;
17 'now he has charged her with shameful conduct, saying, "I found your daughter was not a virgin," and yet these are the evidences of my daughter's virginity.' And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of
the city.
18 "Then the elders of that city shall take that man and punish him;
19 "and they shall fine him one hundred shekels of silver and give them to the father of the young woman, because he has brought a bad name on a virgin of Israel. And
she shall be his wife; he cannot divorce her all his days.
20 "But if the thing is true, and evidences of virginity are not found for the young woman,
21 "then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father's house, and the
men of her city shall stone her to death with stones, because
she has done a disgraceful thing in Israel, to play the harlot in her father's house; so you shall put away the evil from among you.
Deuteronomy 22:14 in Lamsa's translation states:
14 And
give an occasion of speech against her, charging
her with adultery,
and bring an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when
I lay
with her, I found her not a virgin.
(LAM)
This translation
clearly equates the lack of virginity with evidence of adultery.
Deuteronomy
22:14 in the New International Version states:
14 and slanders her and gives her a bad name, saying, "I married this woman, but when
I approached her, I did not find proof of her virginity," (NIV)
This translation
more clearly indicates that the man approached the young woman to
consummate the marriage but, presumably on inspection, found her not to
be a virgin.
Deuteronomy
22:19 in the King James Version states:
19 And
they shall amerce him in an hundred shekels of silver, and give them
unto the
father of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a
virgin of
Israel: and she shall be his wife; he
may not put her away all his days.
(KJV)
Consider
also Deuteronomy 22:28-29 in the King James version:
28
If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and
lay hold on
her, and lie with her, and they be found;
29 Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he
may not
put her away all his days. (KJV)
Supplementing
this scripture, Exodus 22:16-17 states:
16 "If a man entices a virgin who is not betrothed, and lies with her, he shall surely pay the bride-price for her to be his wife.
17 "If
her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall
pay money
according to the bride-price of virgins. (NKJ)
a.
VIRGINITY IS A PRE-REQUISITE FOR GODLY MARRIAGE
These scriptures
give rise to the following comments:
i. The evidence of the woman's virginity is without doubt a cloth used to collect the blood shed from the young woman's hymen when she was penetrated in sexual intercourse the first time.
ii. I do not believe that there is any disagreement that the word "virgin" in the context of a woman refers to a woman who has never had sexual intercourse and, in scriptural terms, whose hymen is intact.
iii. It is equally clear that the man who accuses his bride of not being a virgin after he "goes into her" or "approaches" her is married to her and this marriage cannot be dissolved if he has brought a false accusation.
iv. BUT if his accusation is correct then the young woman is defined by the Word of God as a "harlot" and is sentenced to die immediately.
v. If a man takes a virgin forcibly he is responsible for her for life, he may never put her away or "divorce" her.
vi. If a man
entices a virgin and lies with her, her father may refuse to permit her
to marry
the man when the father first hears about it, if the father does not
refuse to permit her
to marry then they are considered to be married. If the father does not
permit her to
marry it would appear that Deuteronomy 22:13-21 prohibits her
from ever remarrying.
b.
VIRGINITY IS SACRED
The following
interpretation can be derived from this:
i. Virginity is
sacred and Holy, it is not negotiable in the sight of God.
ii. A woman who is
not a virgin is only eligible to marry if she is a widow or divorced
on scripturally acceptable grounds (refer Matthew 5:31-32,
Matthew 19:3-10, Mark
10:2-12 where Jesus makes it quite clear that there are certain
specific conditions
under which sexual union with a scripturally divorced woman is not
adultery, see also
the discussion on divorce in section 17, page 71.
iii. A woman who
was a harlot or adulteress is only eligible to marry if she has come to
salvation and / or she has come to true repentance of her sin and
deliverance
therefrom. She must be divorced in the sight of God from the man who
took her
virginity and any man to whom she may have been technically (legally)
married in the
sight of the world. Such a woman should only be married by a man who is
absolutely
certain that God has released her for marriage.
c.
SOME ASIDES REGARDING VIRGINITY
There are some side
issues necessary to fully understand this scripture and therefore to
avoid misinterpreting it in the current age:
i. The virgin
referred to in this passage of scripture was typically approximately
twelve
and a half years old and was on the point of commencing menstruation or
had only
just commenced. This is confirmed in the Talmud and other sources. The
Talmud,
Steinsaltz Edition, Volume IX, Tractate Ketubot Part III,
published by Random House
New York, pages 1 to 13 repeatedly defines a virgin as being a girl
between the age
of twelve and twelve and a half years corresponding to the point at
which a girl
allegedly attains sexual maturity and is regarded as an adult woman.
Accordingly, the physical factors which can give rise to perforation of the hymen in older virgins would not have been experienced. Note that so-called "child brides" were still common in the Middle East until recently. I have met a woman of Lebanese descent whose parents' generation frequently married brides in the age group 12 to 15.
I mention this, not
with a view to stimulating controversy about the acceptable age of
a girl at marriage but to overcome any difficulty that modern readers
may have with
this scripture based on the tendency for modern, athletically active,
young women to
damage their hymens before marriage. It is important to understand that
it is spiritual
folly to marry a woman with a damaged hymen unless one is absolutely
certain that
God has declared her free to marry. Failing this the man will be
committing adultery.
ii. To the best of
my knowledge, the hymen, like the foreskin, serves no known
biological purpose of material significance. It only serves as a
warning to the
bridegroom to the effect that "if this seal is broken, do not marry".
We must therefore ask the question, "Why did God create woman with a hymen?" And surely, the answer can only be "To warn the bridegroom of impending spiritual danger if it is damaged or absent!".
d.
THE CRITICAL CONCLUSIONS : SEXUAL INTERCOURSE WITH A VIRGIN
IS MARRIAGE AND WOMAN WAS CREATED FROM THE BEGINNING
TO
HAVE ONLY ONE HUSBAND
The critical
conclusions that can be derived from this scripture are:
i. Since
God created woman to lose her virginity only once, she was
only intended to marry once and therefore to only marry one man,
in other words, biblical marriage IS sexual intercourse with a virgin!
ii. Since it is
equally clear that once a man has penetrated a virgin and taken her
virginity, he is married to her, we must conclude that God permits a
man to marry
more than one wife since it is perfectly possible for a man to take the
virginity of more
than one woman.
iii. God ordained
woman to be this way from creation NOT after the fall of Adam and
Eve. There is no scripture to indicate that after the fall God
re-engineered Eve and
added the hymen as an after-thought!
iv. Therefore, whatever acceptable sexual states God foresaw for woman at creation, as measured by this unique "seal of virginity" must still surely prevail in our fallen state although God did introduce divorce for certain critical cases of spiritual or sexual fornication or treachery.
Appendix D, page
51, contains many more examples of scriptures which support the fact
that The Lord permits a man to have more than one wife.
e.
VIRGINITY : CAVEATS
The above
discussion on virginity is intended to highlight the importance of
virginity in
the sight of God. At the same time, current social practice presents us
with a situation in
which women typically marry at an age considerably older than twelve
and a half years,
use tampons and participate in activities which give rise to a greatly
increase likelihood
of the hymen being innocently perforated before marriage. This
introduces some serious
complexity in the life of any God-fearing man since it is apparent from
scripture that
adultery is a very serious sin which leads to the guilty parties having
a part in the lake of
fire and brimstone if not repented of. Consequently
a man faced with the
prospect of consummating a marriage with a woman with a perforated
hymen would be well advised to earnestly seek the Lord for
absolutely unambiguous confirmation that God will permit him to
marry her and that he will not be committing adultery.
I am also advised
that in older women where the hymen is intact it may become tough
with the result that great pain is experienced in first intercourse but
the hymen does not
tear and no blood is shed. However, in such an instance there should be
little or no doubt
that the woman is a virgin.
2.
WHAT IS THE MARRIAGE COVENANT?
I think it is
generally accepted within the church that marriage is a covenant
relationship,
however, there are diverse explanations of the nature and form of this
covenant and how it
comes into existence. This section seeks to understand the true
scriptural marriage covenant.
a.
COVENANT REQUIRES THE SHEDDING OF BLOOD
What
is the actual sign of the marriage covenant? Hebrews 9:18-20 states:
18 Therefore
not even the first covenant was dedicated without
blood.
19 For
when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the
law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool,
and
hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,
20 saying, "This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you." (NKJ)
Clearly a covenant
cannot be dedicated without blood.
b.
COVENANT REQUIRES THE CLEAVING / SPLITTING OR CUTTING OF
SOME LIVING CREATURE
Referring
to Genesis 15:4-21 we read concerning Abram:
4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir."
5 Then He brought him outside and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be."
6 And
he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.
7 Then He said to him, "I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it."
8 And he said, "Lord GOD, how shall I know that I will inherit it?"
9 So He said to him, "Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon."
10 Then
he brought all these to Him and cut
them in two, down the
middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut
the birds in two.
11 And
when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
12 Now
when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold,
horror and great darkness fell upon him.
13 Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.
14 "And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
15 "Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age.
16 "But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete."
17 And it
came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold,
there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed
between those
pieces.
18 On
the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: "To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates--
19 "the Kenites, the Kenezzites, and the Kadmonites,
20 "the Hittites, the Perizzites, and the Rephaim,
21 "the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites." (NKJ)
This is the passage
(verse 6) where Abram believed God and it was accounted to him for
righteousness as referred to in Galatians 3:6:
just as
Abraham "believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness."
(NKJ)
and
in Romans 4:9-12 we read:
9 Does
this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the
uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted
to Abraham for
righteousness.
10 How
then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not
while circumcised, but while uncircumcised.
11 And he
received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the
faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he
might be the father of
all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that
righteousness
might be imputed to them also,
12 and
the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the
circumcision,
but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham
had
while still uncircumcised. (NKJ)
In this passage
there appears to be a clear correlation between the covenant under
which
Christians now walk and the covenant that God cut with Abram in
Genesis 15:4-21. There is also a correlation with a subsequent
covenant cut between God and Abraham by
way of circumcision, as discussed in section 3, below.
However
there is another principle contained in Genesis 15, specifically in
verse 10:
Then he brought all these to Him and cut
them in two, down the middle,
and placed each piece opposite the other; . . . .
in
verse 17 we read:
. . . .
.a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between
those pieces.
The smoking oven and burning torch are widely regarded as being manifestations of the presence of God since verse 18 states that "On
the same day the LORD made a covenant
with Abram,". So it would appear that God passed between the halves of the animals in making the covenant.
Is there
confirmation of this interpretation in scripture?
Jeremiah
34:18 states:
'And I will give the men who have transgressed My covenant, who have not performed the words of the covenant which they made
before Me, when they cut the
calf in two and passed between the parts of it-- (NKJ)
It appears clear in
this case that the covenant made with God by the Princes of Judah and
others referred to in the subsequent verses involved cutting a calf in
two and passing
between the parts of it. Essentially the same actions that we see in
Genesis 15:10 to 18.
However, there is
more to it. The Living Torah, a modern Jewish translation by Rabbi
Aryeh Kaplan, published by Maznaim Publishing Corporation, New York and
Jerusalem,
translates Genesis 15:10:
[Abram]
brought all these for Him. He split them in half, and placed
one half
opposite the other.
Here we see the word translated "cut" in the New King James Version, translated split.
The
footnote to Genesis 15:10 in the Living Torah states:
"split them . . . This was the way of
making a covenant (Rashi). Indeed, the words b'rith (covenant) and bathar (split) appear to be closely related
(.....) It symbolized that just as the two halves of the animal were
really one,
so were the two people making the covenant. Moreover, just
as one side
cannot live without the other, so the two cannot live without each other
(.....). It was also seen as a malediction; anyone
violating the oath would
be torn asunder like the animals (.....)."
In this one note we
begin to see the deeper meaning embodied in
Deuteronomy 22:13-30,
cited above, revealed:
i. The covenant is
made by splitting or cutting some living thing and shedding blood.
ii. People who make
a blood covenant become one and cannot live without one another.
iii. A person who
breaks covenant is to be put to death.
This is confirmed by a variety of independent sources who have studied the blood covenant in scripture and also in pagan practice. Refer teachings by Kenneth Copeland on "Covenant Made by Blood : Hesed - Agape", ISBN 0-88114-790-7, published by Kenneth Copeland Ministries.
The
Oxford English Dictionary defines:
"split
... Break forcibly, be broken into parts esp. longitudinally or with
the
grain or plane of cleavage; ..."
Consider also the physical reality of a "meat cleaver" as something that cleaves or cuts into the meat.
c.
THE MARRIAGE COVENANT IS CUT WHEN A MAN CLEAVES INTO HIS
VIRGIN WIFE
Bringing this
together Genesis 2:21-25 in the King James Translation states:
21 And
the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and
he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
22 And
the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman,
and brought her unto the man.
23 And
Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she
shall
be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
24
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave
unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
25 And
they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
(KJV)
Thus we see the man cleaving or splitting his wife, forcibly breaking apart her hymen on the plane of cleavage, shedding blood. He then proceeds to "walk" or "pass between" the two halves completing the covenant act.
The
imagery is vivid and powerful. If we put aside our prudery for
a moment and wonder at the physical appearance of the external
female sexual organ, we should be even further amazed at the
imagery which our God has encapsulated in what superficially is an
organ whose structure and design makes no earthly sense. It is not
intended to, it faithfully recreates the two halves of the covenant
animal, even to the hair covering the animal! Surely we must
conclude that God knew the end from the beginning and designed
woman to be symbolic of His covenant with Man!
Taking it further,
He symbolically recreates the cutting of the covenant every time a wife
who truly loves her husband and gives herself totally to him
experiences sexual orgasm
coupled with a flood of blood into the labia minora!
How
can we conclude other than that the sexual act is the most
sublimely holy representation of the act of covenant? How can we be
other than appalled at how this symbolism has been lost and distorted?
The sexual act is an act of such enormous spiritual significance - is
it
any wonder that Satan has expended the energy that he has to deceive
us for so long?!
How can we for a
moment suggest that there is another purpose for virginity?
d.
THE FEMALE SEXUAL ORGAN IS THE SYMBOL OF THE
MARRIAGE
COVENANT
Clearly every time a covenant minded man sees his wife's sexual organ he is instinctively reminded of his covenant with her. Clearly it is an abomination for any other man to have sight of the outward symbol of that covenant, let alone to penetrate it, thus breaking the covenant.
Surely the symbolic portrayal of the female sexual organ, aroused and provocatively displayed in the form of the blood red "heart" (), used on Valentine's day cards, to say "I love you" and as a seemingly innocuous symbol of love throughout our society represents one of the most effective devices that Satan has used to distract us totally from the true meaning of the love that God intended to exist between man and woman? Do you realise that every time you see a red heart, Satan is tricking you subliminally to contemplate woman's most private AND most Holy part! As one gains an understanding of the "one flesh bond" it becomes apparent that, in a very real sense this is the door to her heart.
Remember that 1
Corinthians 12:23-24 states:
23 And
those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these
we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts
have greater modesty,
24 but
our presentable parts have no need. But God
composed the
body, having given greater honor to that part
which lacks it, (NKJ)
e.
THE CLOSE CORRELATION BETWEEN THE CHRISTIAN COVENANT AND
THE MARRIAGE COVENANT
BUT
WAIT - IT GOES FURTHER!
Ephesians 5:22-33
in the King James Version states:
22
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23 For
the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the
head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24
Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to
their own
husbands in every thing.
25
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and
gave
himself for it;
26 That
he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That
he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or
wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without
blemish.
28 So
ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his
wife
loveth himself.
29 For no
man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it,
even as the Lord the church:
30 For we
are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
31 For
this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and
shall be joined
unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
32 This
is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the
church.
33
Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even
as
himself; and the wife see that she reverence
her husband. (KJV)
Surely here we see one of the most perfect examples of God's infinite attention to detail, His wonder and His majesty. We see the blood covenant between Christ and His bride the church, neatly tied in to the blood covenant between a man and his wife both demonstrated symbolically by the covenant cut by walking between the halves of the animal that has been "cleaved".
If I return for a
moment to the three points made earlier:
i. The covenant is
made by splitting or cutting some living thing and shedding blood:
1) Between man and
man - an animal.
2) Between man and
woman - the hymen of the woman.
3) Between
man and God - the precious Blood of our Lord and
Saviour, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, shed on the cross at Calvary
by the crown of thorns, the lashes, the nails and the spear all of
which cleaved into His flesh.
ii. People who make
a blood covenant become one and cannot live without one another:
1) Between man and
man - spiritual curses come into effect, something which our
generation is woefully ignorant of, but that is a subject for another
discourse.
2) Between man and woman - the one flesh bond, a powerful spiritual bond which literally unites and ties them together "until death do us part".
3) Between man and
God - the born again reality, a powerful spiritual force in which
the Spirit of Jesus comes to live within the Temple of the Believer who
believes
in their heart and confesses with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord.
iii. A person who
breaks covenant is to be put to death:
1) Between man and
man, long since lost. Numbers 30:2 states:
2 "If a man vows a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth. (NKJ)
Today a man's word is seldom his bond. Yet there are still potentially eternal consequences since Revelation 21:8 is quite clear that "ALL liars" will have their part in the lake of fire and brimstone.
2) Between man and woman, long since lost in the natural but as I understand it spiritual death still results from unrepented adultery. Today adultery hardly seems to be regarded as serious sin, even in the church. Many preach that it is easily "repented" of. In reality, the covenant bond can only be broken by the death of one spouse unless God, in His mercy and in response to humble petition in the name of Jesus, cuts the tie. But He will only do this as a consequence of persistent treachery on the part of one spouse.
But the offender
who does not repent in this life will have their part in the lake of
fire and brimstone!
3) Between man and
God the penalty REMAINS ETERNAL SEPARATION FROM
GOD - REAL DEATH. Nothing has changed even though modern man and the
church make light of this. People are breaking covenant with God all
the time and
turning their backs on Him to go to Hell, they just do not realize it.
The deception
that it is not serious for people to break their word and for people to
commit
adultery has given rise to a far worse deception, that it is acceptable
to betray and
disobey God!!
3. A
KEY CONTRAST : THE FORESKIN
In contrast to the
verses from Deuteronomy 22:13-30 cited above in the discussion on
virginity and the sacredness and scriptural importance of the hymen,
consider what Genesis 17:9-14 says about the foreskin of man:
9 And God said to Abraham: "As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.
10 "This is My covenant which you shall keep,
between Me and you and your
descendants after you: Every
male child among you shall be circumcised;
11 "and you
shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it
shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.
12 "He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant.
13 "He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
14 "And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant." (NKJ)
This is just the
first of numerous scriptures on the subject of circumcision and the
removal
of the foreskin.
a.
THE FORESKIN SERVES NO USEFUL PURPOSE
In
Genesis 17:9-14 cited above, we see certain parallels with the
previous passage on
virginity. In particular:
i. Blood is shed by
the cutting of flesh - the foreskin in this case versus the hymen in
the
previous.
ii. The flesh that
is cut off in this case again appears to serve no useful anatomical or
biological purpose. It is apparently redundant and can therefore be
removed without
any long term harm. In fact, males who are not circumcised have,
particularly in
earlier generations, been prone to infection under the foreskin. It is,
to a point a
liability and a health hazard if not removed.
iii. If the man is not circumcised he is cut off from his people. David referred to Goliath as an "uncircumcised Philistine" (1 Samuel 17:26 and 36) signifying that Goliath did not have a covenant with God and was therefore not entitled to His protection and His promises while David did.
b.
THE FORESKIN IS ONLY USEFUL FOR CUTTING COVENANT WITH GOD
The only
interpretation that can be placed on the foregoing conclusions is that
the foreskin
was created for a specific purpose, to signify covenant with God.
c.
SOME ASIDES REGARDING THE FORESKIN
i. It would seem to
be intentional on the part of God that He chose to place the sign of
His covenant on an organ which man was obliged to take notice of on a
daily basis
and could therefore be constantly reminded of his covenant with God.
ii. The presence or
absence of a foreskin has no relevance with regard to marriage and
virginity. God did not provide any safety mechanism comparable to the hymen to warn a bride that a man was not a "virgin".
iii. Therefore, if
God ever intended a man to be restricted to one wife he was grossly
unjust in providing a fail safe mechanism to protect men against
adultery and
providing no such mechanism to protect women!
d.
THE CRITICAL CONCLUSION : NOTHING IN CREATION PREVENTS A
MAN FROM CONSUMMATING MARRIAGE WITH MORE THAN ONE
WOMAN
These
two passages regarding virginity and the foreskin bring us
directly to what you may regard as a rather shocking conclusion:
i. There is nothing in scripture which prevents a man from consummating
marriage with more than one woman. Therefore, God
created man and woman from the outset for a man to be married
to several women at the same time.
ii. Therefore, the current doctrine of the church regarding a man
only having one wife is not correct.