Why Did God Do That? Discovering God’s Goodness in the Hard Passages of ScriptureSýnishorn

Polygamy was considered normal in the culture of Bible times. Jacob, who fathered the nation of Israel, did so through four women—two wives and two concubines. Abraham’s wife, Sarah, shared her husband with her handmaiden, Hagar, who became the mother of Ishmael, the ancestor of the Arabian races (Genesis 16:3-4). We could also point to Lamech (4:19), Esau (26:34), Ashur (1 Chronicles 4:5), Gideon (Judges 8:30), and others.

Were you surprised earlier in this chapter when we mentioned that King David had eight wives? His son and successor, Solomon, had 700 wives (1 Kings 11:3). Solomon splurged big time! He also had 300 concubines, which were basically servant or slave women kept for the purpose of sexual pleasure and bearing children. Solomon's wives would eventually lead him away from God.

Many in our modern world (and especially Christians) do not believe polygamy is right or good for society. But God clearly chose to associate with polygamous men to accomplish his purposes. Does this mean he approves of polygamy? As we have already seen through our studies of David, Samson, and Jephthah, descriptive is not the same as prescriptive. Just because the Bible shares something does not mean it endorses it.

God’s model for marriage has never included multiple wives or husbands (Genesis 2:24; 1 Corinthians 7:2; 1 Timothy 3:2). In fact, the passage in 1 Kings 11, which speaks of Solomon’s many wives, explicitly recounts Solomon’s rebellion against God. In Deuteronomy 17, we read that Israel's kings are prohibited from having multiple wives (and collecting excessive amounts of gold and acquiring horses from Egypt.) Solomon willfully chose to do all these things.

Yet, didn’t God claim to give King David his multiple wives? In 2 Samuel 12:8, God said, “I gave you your master’s [King Saul’s] house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.” Here, God reminds David of how gracious he was in giving David the throne of his predecessor. Included in this transfer of power were the former wives of King Saul. In that culture, a king’s wives were symbols of prestige. Hence, God gave David all of Saul’s prestige as king. That is the point of God's statement.

Think of a Christian father whose brilliant son has just been accepted into the only university that can offer him the education he needs to succeed. The father knows his son will be required to attend certain classes that teach unchristian values. But the father pays the tuition anyway, hoping he has instilled into his son the integrity and courage to resist the negative influences that will be thrust upon him.

Or think of Jesus directing Jewish citizens to pay Roman taxes even though he knew the government supported immorality and oppression (Matthew 22:21). In a fallen culture, it is often best to work within the system yet not endorse its corruption. Similarly, God did not endorse polygamy by giving David the fullness of Saul’s kingly power and prestige. Rather, God was working according to the world’s corrupted standard so that David would be fully recognized as the new king of Israel.