Upon further investigation into the life of Avraham, I have discovered one of the greatest Scriptural texts that distinguishes between Adultery and Plural marriage. The text is located in B'reisheet (Genesis) Chapter 20:
Here we see Avraham traveling with Sarah, his wife and entering the land of Gerar. Out of fear of the inhabitants of the land, he tells a half-truth and describes Sarah as his sister. Sarah is described as what would be known today as a "hottie" (i.e. very attractive) and she is taken by King Avimelech to become one of his wives. Avimelech at this point has no idea that she is a married woman.
YHWH is furious! To take another man's wife is a violation of His revealed will! YHWH confronts Avimelech. B'reisheet 20: 3 But Elohim came to Avimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, See, you are but a dead man, because of the woman whom you have taken; for she is a man's wife.
The penalty for adultery is DEATH! YHWH is threatening to kill Avimelech for this sin. (Note that Avimelech is already married to many women and not a word is said about his polygamy - for all those other women are his legal wives)
Avimelech then poses a question to YHWH:
4 But Avimelech had not come near her: and he said, YHWH, will You kill also a tzadik nation?
5 Didn’t he say to me, She is my sister? And she, even said herself, He is my brother. In the integrity of my lev and innocence of my hands have I done this.
Avimelech claims to be righteous and innocent of the charges. "I was lied to by both Avraham and Sarah. My heart is pure before you. Will you also destroy the righteous?"
Pay careful attention to YHWH's answer to Avimelech.
B'reisheet 20:6 And Elohim said to him in a dream, Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your lev; for I also withheld you from sinning against Me: therefore I allowed you not to touch her.
7 Now therefore restore the man to his wife; for he is a navi, and he shall make tefillah for you, and you shall live: and if you restore her not, know that you shall surely die, you, and all that belongs to you.
YHWH agrees with him! Yes, I know you were innocent in wanting to take Sarah as another wife, you didn't know that she was married. I take adultery very seriously and it will mean your life if you don't return her to her husband, my prophet. You haven't sinned in wanting another wife. But you can't have this married woman.
Avimelech is never condemned for his polygamy or for wanting to add another spouse. The distinction here is that he was taking a woman who belonged by covenant to another patriarch.
Yahuwah later puts into place laws concerning adultery and marriage. Looking at these laws will help us to understand His mindset in this situation with Sarah.
Devarim 22:22 If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then they shall both die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shall you put away evil from Yisrael.
If a man (regardless of his marital status) has sexual relations with a married woman - they shall both be stoned to death. This is EVIL. This is unacceptable behavior for Yisra'elites. This is adultery. (The determination is based solely on the marital status of the woman)
Devarim 22:23 If a damsel that is a virgin is engaged to a husband, and a man finds her in the city, and lies with her; 24 Then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he has humbled his neighbor's wife: so you shall put away evil from among you.
This law applies to a virgin who is engaged (more accurately - betrothed). Again, it is the status of the woman that makes the determination. It doesn't matter if the man is married or not. Being a betrothed virgin is legally binding upon the maiden as belonging to another man. The law also only applies within the city. If the girl claims that she was raped, yet doesn't cry out "RAPE!", she is also found guilty and they are both stoned. Again, this is called "evil" by YHWH. How many "Christian" pastors will condemn plural marriage from the pulpit, yet give this action a free pass?
Devarim 22:25 But if a man finds an engaged damsel in the field, and the man forces her, and lies with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die. 26 But to the damsel you shall do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man rises against his neighbor, and slays him, even so is this matter: 27 For he found her in the field, and the engaged damsel cried, and there was none to save her.
Again we see an engaged (betrothed) virgin. This is a rape scenario that occurs in the field (away from the city). Here, the man (married or not) only is put to death. The girl is compared with a murder victim and it said that she has no sin worthy of death. While the adjective "evil" is not expressly used, the comparison to murder makes that point clear.
Devarim 22:28 If a man finds a damsel that is a virgin, who is not engaged, and lays hold of her, and lies with her, and they are found; 29 Then the man that lay with her shall give to the damsel's abba fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he has humbled her, he may not put her away all his days.
Wait a minute! What is this? Here we see that a virgin who is not engaged is raped by a man (married or not). There is no death penalty associated with adultery. The man's sentence? He must pay the girl's father and she becomes his wife "till death do us part". Now, before anyone goes accusing YHWH for promoting rape of innocent virgins, notice that the man is permanently stuck with this woman. What kind of wife do you think she will be to him, knowing that he raped her? Any man who has ever been in a horrible marriage can attest to the fact that a bad marriage is literally hell on earth. Such a man will be the first to spread the word of the horrible consequences of rape. But, see, that the man could have already been married, raped this virgin and now will spend the rest of his life under the weight of two simultaneous bad marriages! However, the point remains that the man would still be obligated to take a second wife. There is no mention of this being "evil" like in previous examples. Finally, to finish this section we see:
Devarim 22:30 A man shall not take his abba's wife, nor discover his abba's skirt.
Why doesn't YHWH simply say "You shall not sleep with your mother"? Because Yisra'el was a polygamous nation! Polygamy was commonplace. So, by saying "your father's wife" all bases are covered. That is why we see so many laws governing polygamy, not forbidding it.
Now the previous conversation with Avimelech makes more sense. Avimelech thought he was betrothing himself to an unmarried woman. (An innocent act - even though he was a married man). Yet, in reality, he was trying to marry a woman that was already the property of another man. YHWH takes marriage and adultery VERY seriously. So should we. Further, our definitions of marriage and adultery must line up with His person and His word!
Polygamy Advocate - Defending Torah Plural Marriage in the hope of fulfilling Yeshayahu 4:1. "And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, “We shall eat our own food and wear our own clothes; only let us be called by your name, to take away our reproach.”"
Showing posts with label Avraham. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Avraham. Show all posts
06 May 2012
Polygamist Spotlight #3 - Avraham
One of the most famous, and least understood polygamist in scripture is Avraham. This man was the first Hebrew (crossed over). According to history and legend he left his pagan father's house and set out to find and worship the One True El. Consider the following excerpt from Tom Shipley's "Man and Woman in Biblical Law"
B'reisheet 16:1-4:
1 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, bare him no children: and she had a handmaid, a Mitsrite, whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, יהוה hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. 3 And Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar her maid, the Mitsrite, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. 4 And he went in unto Hagar, and she
conceived...
Of all the examples of polygamy in Scripture, Avraham’s is one of the most relevant to the question of the lawfulness thereof. John Knox, the great Reformer, once argued that the Biblical incidents or examples of polygamy cannot inform us of the issue of law:
“The men that object the same are not altogether ignorant that examples have no strength when the question is of law. As if I should ask, what marriage is lawful? And it should be answered that lawful it is to a man, not only to have many wives at once, but it is also lawful to marry two sisters and to enjoy them both living at once, because that David, Jacob, and Solomon, servants of God, did the same. I trust that no man would justify the vanity of this reason...for examples may establish no law (emph. supp.-T.S.), but we are bound to the law written and to the commandment expressed in the same.” —John Knox, “The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women,” pg. 63-64
I have no qualm with Knox’s logic here. It is sound. An example of conduct certainly does not justify the conduct or establish any kind of norm. I trust that the reader will perceive that such is not the argument being advocated here. It is to be wished that the monogamy-only proponents would be rationally consistent in advocating this point when it comes to the example of Adam’s supposed monogamy, and confess that “examples may establish no law.”
Knox’s comments, however, treat the subject of polygamy as if it exists in isolation, apart from other textual factors which contribute to an understanding of polygamy’s legal status. For example, if all we know about the man is that he was a polygamist, then this tells us nothing about the legal status of polygamy. But if we add to the fact of polygamy the additional fact that the man was declared by יהוה Himself to be a righteous and obedient man of יהוה , then this certainly is relevant to the question of the lawfulness of polygamy. For if polygamy is disobedience against יהוה , then the man who is a polygamist cannot be declared obedient.
If polygamy is nothing but the heinous sin of adultery, then a man’s polygamy must reflect negatively upon the moral evaluation of the polygamist. But if we know that the polygamist was righteous, then a strong presumption, if not certainty, is created in favor of the proposition that polygamy is lawful. Adultery is not a peccadillo in יהוה ’s eyes. It is a “great” and heinous sin. It is a form of wickedness for which the Scripture commands the death penalty. Adultery, especially continual unrepented of adultery, cannot be simply overlooked or ignored.
John Knox’s valid logical observation that an example of conduct cannot settle a question of law is just too simplistic to answer the question of the relevance of David’s, Jacob’s, and Solomon’s polygamy. David, Jacob, and Solomon (despite later failures) were all righteous men. They were also polygamists. Moreover, when David committed murder and adultery, he was severely rebuked and punished for both of these sins. Yet nowhere was he (or anyone else) ever condemned for polygamy. How is this to be explained except by the proposition that polygamy is lawful? If it be objected that, “If the polygamy of a righteous man implies the lawfulness of polygamy, then why can’t we turn the logic right around and conclude that the polygamy of an unrighteous man implies the unlawfulness of polygamy?” We have already touched upon this question in regard to Lamech. Many aspects of the lives of the righteous and unrighteous are the same. The fact that many of the unrighteous do many of the lawful things that the righteous do does not make them righteous. The unrighteous are so by virtue of the fact that there remain other sins unrepented of. If, then, polygamy constitutes adultery, or is otherwise unlawful, then he who practices polygamy and does not repent must be counted among the unrighteous. If a polygamist is otherwise unrighteous (i.e., Lamech), this tells us nothing of the status of polygamy. But if we know both that a man is righteous and also a polygamist, then we may rationally conclude that polygamy is lawful. There is another exegetical factor in regard to Avraham and Ya'akov which makes the lawfulness of polygamy virtually certain even without any other supporting evidence.
Consider B'reisheet 18:17-19:
17 And יהוה said, Shall I hide from Avraham that thing which I do; 18 Seeing that Avraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth blessed in him? 19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of יהוה .
And one more relevant statement regarding Abraham:
Because that Avraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. —B'reisheet 26:5
יהוה’s statement to Ya'akov in B'reisheet 26:5 plainly shows that His revelation to Avraham of His laws was very extensive. Unquestionably, the proper regulation of marriage is included in this statement (e.g. Genesis 20). We are explicitly told directly from the mouth of יהוה Himself that both Avraham and his household would “keep the way of יהוה ,” and then after the fact, that Avraham had in fact done so. Now “keeping” the way of יהוה obviously excludes the notion that Avraham violated the way of יהוה , yet if we are to believe the traditional line about polygamy, then Avraham was an egregious unrepentant violator of יהוה ’s Law. And, indeed, if polygamy constitutes adultery, or is otherwise unlawful, then that conclusion is inescapable. One cannot commit a “great” sin and live in it for many years without repentance, and still be said to be obedient or righteous. The conclusion to be drawn from these considerations is inevitable: if Avraham and Ya'akov kept the way of יהוה and were also polygamists, then it follows by logical necessity that polygamy must be lawful.
Shipley does a beautiful job here of illustrating the lawfulness of polygamy through the example of Avraham. However, I think that two very important points are left out.
1) As I have pointed out several times in past posts, Avraham, who had at least three wives, is used as an example of righteousness by our Master, Yahushua.
Mattithyahu 8:11 And I say to you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Avraham, and Yitzchak, and Yaakov, in the malchut ha shamayim.
The very company of these men (at least two of the three were polygamists) is promised by our Master as a reward for the faithful. If these men were perverted adulterers, would Yahushua have made such a promise?
Rav Sha'ul, who warned many times about adultery and sexual perversion included our father, Avraham in his list of the faithful in Ivrim 11.
8 By emunah Avraham, when he was called to go out into
a place that he would later receive as an inheritance,
obeyed; and he went out, not knowing where he
was going.
9 By emunah he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a
strange country, dwelling in tents with Yitzchak and
Yaakov, the heirs with him of the same promise: 1
10 For he looked for a city that has foundations, whose
Builder and Maker is יהוה .
Avraham is sited as a man who obeyed on faith!
So we have the testimonies of יהוה, Moshe, Yahushua and Sha'ul that Avraham was a righteous, obedient man of faith. How dare anyone claim that polygamists are perverts who only want to satisfy the lusts of the flesh! Shame on you! These men were MARRIED according to יהוה . They were righteous according to יהוה. If your definitions of marriage and perversion don't align with יהוה 's, then YOU need to repent and fall in line with Him - not the other way around!
2) While not technically a polygamist, I think much can be said about Sarah in the life of Avraham. Sarah was also listed by Sha'ul in the roll call of great faith. She gave her husband her maid to be his wife in order for him to be able to produce children while in her barren condition. She obeyed her husband and called him "Adon" (Master). She is sighted as the role model for wives everywhere. So much can be said about Sarah that I want to devote an entire article about her at a later time. For now, let us all pray that women everywhere will follow her example and become obedient wives submitted to the authority of their patriarchal heads.
B'reisheet 16:1-4:
1 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, bare him no children: and she had a handmaid, a Mitsrite, whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, יהוה hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. 3 And Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar her maid, the Mitsrite, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. 4 And he went in unto Hagar, and she
conceived...
Of all the examples of polygamy in Scripture, Avraham’s is one of the most relevant to the question of the lawfulness thereof. John Knox, the great Reformer, once argued that the Biblical incidents or examples of polygamy cannot inform us of the issue of law:
“The men that object the same are not altogether ignorant that examples have no strength when the question is of law. As if I should ask, what marriage is lawful? And it should be answered that lawful it is to a man, not only to have many wives at once, but it is also lawful to marry two sisters and to enjoy them both living at once, because that David, Jacob, and Solomon, servants of God, did the same. I trust that no man would justify the vanity of this reason...for examples may establish no law (emph. supp.-T.S.), but we are bound to the law written and to the commandment expressed in the same.” —John Knox, “The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women,” pg. 63-64
I have no qualm with Knox’s logic here. It is sound. An example of conduct certainly does not justify the conduct or establish any kind of norm. I trust that the reader will perceive that such is not the argument being advocated here. It is to be wished that the monogamy-only proponents would be rationally consistent in advocating this point when it comes to the example of Adam’s supposed monogamy, and confess that “examples may establish no law.”
Knox’s comments, however, treat the subject of polygamy as if it exists in isolation, apart from other textual factors which contribute to an understanding of polygamy’s legal status. For example, if all we know about the man is that he was a polygamist, then this tells us nothing about the legal status of polygamy. But if we add to the fact of polygamy the additional fact that the man was declared by יהוה Himself to be a righteous and obedient man of יהוה , then this certainly is relevant to the question of the lawfulness of polygamy. For if polygamy is disobedience against יהוה , then the man who is a polygamist cannot be declared obedient.
If polygamy is nothing but the heinous sin of adultery, then a man’s polygamy must reflect negatively upon the moral evaluation of the polygamist. But if we know that the polygamist was righteous, then a strong presumption, if not certainty, is created in favor of the proposition that polygamy is lawful. Adultery is not a peccadillo in יהוה ’s eyes. It is a “great” and heinous sin. It is a form of wickedness for which the Scripture commands the death penalty. Adultery, especially continual unrepented of adultery, cannot be simply overlooked or ignored.
John Knox’s valid logical observation that an example of conduct cannot settle a question of law is just too simplistic to answer the question of the relevance of David’s, Jacob’s, and Solomon’s polygamy. David, Jacob, and Solomon (despite later failures) were all righteous men. They were also polygamists. Moreover, when David committed murder and adultery, he was severely rebuked and punished for both of these sins. Yet nowhere was he (or anyone else) ever condemned for polygamy. How is this to be explained except by the proposition that polygamy is lawful? If it be objected that, “If the polygamy of a righteous man implies the lawfulness of polygamy, then why can’t we turn the logic right around and conclude that the polygamy of an unrighteous man implies the unlawfulness of polygamy?” We have already touched upon this question in regard to Lamech. Many aspects of the lives of the righteous and unrighteous are the same. The fact that many of the unrighteous do many of the lawful things that the righteous do does not make them righteous. The unrighteous are so by virtue of the fact that there remain other sins unrepented of. If, then, polygamy constitutes adultery, or is otherwise unlawful, then he who practices polygamy and does not repent must be counted among the unrighteous. If a polygamist is otherwise unrighteous (i.e., Lamech), this tells us nothing of the status of polygamy. But if we know both that a man is righteous and also a polygamist, then we may rationally conclude that polygamy is lawful. There is another exegetical factor in regard to Avraham and Ya'akov which makes the lawfulness of polygamy virtually certain even without any other supporting evidence.
Consider B'reisheet 18:17-19:
17 And יהוה said, Shall I hide from Avraham that thing which I do; 18 Seeing that Avraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth blessed in him? 19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of יהוה .
And one more relevant statement regarding Abraham:
Because that Avraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. —B'reisheet 26:5
יהוה’s statement to Ya'akov in B'reisheet 26:5 plainly shows that His revelation to Avraham of His laws was very extensive. Unquestionably, the proper regulation of marriage is included in this statement (e.g. Genesis 20). We are explicitly told directly from the mouth of יהוה Himself that both Avraham and his household would “keep the way of יהוה ,” and then after the fact, that Avraham had in fact done so. Now “keeping” the way of יהוה obviously excludes the notion that Avraham violated the way of יהוה , yet if we are to believe the traditional line about polygamy, then Avraham was an egregious unrepentant violator of יהוה ’s Law. And, indeed, if polygamy constitutes adultery, or is otherwise unlawful, then that conclusion is inescapable. One cannot commit a “great” sin and live in it for many years without repentance, and still be said to be obedient or righteous. The conclusion to be drawn from these considerations is inevitable: if Avraham and Ya'akov kept the way of יהוה and were also polygamists, then it follows by logical necessity that polygamy must be lawful.
Shipley does a beautiful job here of illustrating the lawfulness of polygamy through the example of Avraham. However, I think that two very important points are left out.
1) As I have pointed out several times in past posts, Avraham, who had at least three wives, is used as an example of righteousness by our Master, Yahushua.
Mattithyahu 8:11 And I say to you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Avraham, and Yitzchak, and Yaakov, in the malchut ha shamayim.
The very company of these men (at least two of the three were polygamists) is promised by our Master as a reward for the faithful. If these men were perverted adulterers, would Yahushua have made such a promise?
Rav Sha'ul, who warned many times about adultery and sexual perversion included our father, Avraham in his list of the faithful in Ivrim 11.
8 By emunah Avraham, when he was called to go out into
a place that he would later receive as an inheritance,
obeyed; and he went out, not knowing where he
was going.
9 By emunah he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a
strange country, dwelling in tents with Yitzchak and
Yaakov, the heirs with him of the same promise: 1
10 For he looked for a city that has foundations, whose
Builder and Maker is יהוה .
Avraham is sited as a man who obeyed on faith!
So we have the testimonies of יהוה, Moshe, Yahushua and Sha'ul that Avraham was a righteous, obedient man of faith. How dare anyone claim that polygamists are perverts who only want to satisfy the lusts of the flesh! Shame on you! These men were MARRIED according to יהוה . They were righteous according to יהוה. If your definitions of marriage and perversion don't align with יהוה 's, then YOU need to repent and fall in line with Him - not the other way around!
2) While not technically a polygamist, I think much can be said about Sarah in the life of Avraham. Sarah was also listed by Sha'ul in the roll call of great faith. She gave her husband her maid to be his wife in order for him to be able to produce children while in her barren condition. She obeyed her husband and called him "Adon" (Master). She is sighted as the role model for wives everywhere. So much can be said about Sarah that I want to devote an entire article about her at a later time. For now, let us all pray that women everywhere will follow her example and become obedient wives submitted to the authority of their patriarchal heads.
13 July 2011
Biblical Plural Marriages - Right or Wrong?
This is one of the best, most well written articles I have ever been blessed enough to discover. What surprised me the most was the fact that it was written by a woman. This article is a must read for everyone because it brings to light so many scriptural truths not only on the subject of polygamy but the very essence of the issue of obedience to YHWH.
26 June 2010
Oh see how they lie!!!
Imagine my righteous anger when I read THIS article! It was written by s.a.tan's minister Herbert W. Armstrong. In the article he claims:
1) Avraham was NOT a polygamist.
2) Yitzchak had only one wife
3) Ya'akov had only one wife after conversion
4) Polygamy was a worldly custom not permitted to Israeli kings.
5) Dawid repented of polygamy
6) Concubines were not allowed
7) YHWH condemned the "sin" of polygamy
8) Polygamy was not the "original intent" of marriage
9) Yahushua is not a polygamist
Let's expose these blasphemies to the light of truth one at a time:
1) Avraham was NOT a polygamist
While Mr. Armstrong may think that all of his readers are simpletons, I have the proof of Scripture bearing testimony against him.
B'reisheet 16:3 "And Sarai, Aḇram’s wife, took Haḡar her female slave, the Mitsrite, and gave her to her husband Aḇram to be his wife, after Aḇram had dwelt ten years in the land of Kenaʽan."
Now, To me it seems plain that since Abram's 1st wife Sarai GAVE him his 2nd wife Hagar - that makes him married to two women at once! i.e. he WAS a polygamist.
Did YHWH condemn this heinous "sin?" NO!!! In fact, he was given the brit milah (covenant of circumcision) while married to BOTH of these women without a single word of "You disgusting pervert, how dare you take two wives!?!" Mr. Armstrong called Avraham "The father of the faithful" an adulterer and claimed that his son Ishmael was "illegitimate." I challenge you reading this today to find one verse of scripture that names Avraham an adulterer! This is the man that our savior promised the faithful would sit with in the reign of Elohim! I wonder if Mr. Armstrong's lies will comfort him in the lake of fire?
Revelation 21:8 “But as for the cowardly, and untrustworthy, and abominable, and murderers, and those who whore, and drug sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part is in the lake which burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death.”
Let's also not forget that Avraham had at least one more wife and at least two concubines! (See B'reisheet 25: 1-6) He definitely was a polygamist and not an adulterer!
2) Yitzchak had only one wife
While it is true that Yitzchak married only Rivkah, this doesn't condemn polygamy in the slightest. If anything, it stands as proof that monogamy is a valid form of marriage (contrary to modern FLDS teachings which state that a man must take a minimum of three wives to obtain salvation). Armstrong goes on to make an allegory concerning Yahushua and the assemblies. (more on that latter)
3) Ya'akov had only one wife after conversion
What a stretch of both logic and reason to make claims such as "Leah was Ya'akov's only true wife" when scripture tells us that he took TWO wives and two slaves who bore him children. How can he claim to know that "In YHWH's sight he wasn't married to Rachel?" This is the basis of all anti-Semitic beliefs! YHWH's chosen people came from the offspring of these four women of Ya'akov! Armstrong then purposely takes events out of chronological order. Please note that Ya'akov is blessed by YHWH by having his name changed to Yisra'el WHILE HAVING TWO WIVES AND TWO SLAVE-GIRLS WHO BORE HIM CHILDREN!!! Again, not once is he condemned or punished for polygamy! Mr. Armstrong, you are of your father the devil!
4) Polygamy was a worldly custom not permitted to Israeli kings.
What a foot-in-the-mouth argument! Assuming it is true that KINGS couldn't marry more than one woman - what about the other millions of Yisraeli men who weren't king? If YHWH had to make a special law for the king, did he forget about the common man? Since I am not King of Israel, may I have plural wives, Mr. Armstrong? However, he makes one out-of-context citation:
Devarim 17:17 “And he is not to increase wives for himself, lest his heart turn away"
So then, a king may have only one wife because it says "He is not to increase wives for himself." Strangely, he makes no mention of what comes immediately before and after that quote.
Devarim 17:16-17 “Only, he is not to increase horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Mitsrayim to increase horses, for יהוה has said to you, ‘Do not return that way again.’ “And he is not to increase wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor is he to greatly increase silver and gold for himself. "
So, there you have it! The King of Israel was limited to one wife, one horse, and one piece of silver and gold. What a moron! See how he purposely omitted these things because it throws some light on the true meaning. But the key to what is really being said lies in the previous verses:
Devarim 17:14-15 “When you come to the land which יהוה your Elohim is giving you, and shall possess it and shall dwell in it, and you shall say, ‘Let me set a sovereign over me like all the gentiles that are around me,’ you shall certainly set a sovereign over you whom יהוה your Elohim shall choose. Set a sovereign over you from among your brothers, you are not allowed to set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother."
The issue here is idolatry. No foreigner was to rule as king who was not of the covenant people. Horses were a common gift (bribe) to kings. Wives were sometimes taken for diplomatic reasons, money was also something that was used to bribe. Notice the reason for not multiplying wives was so that his heart wouldn't be turned away. This was the case with Shlomo who married many PAGAN women who turned his heart away to serve strange Elohim. (see #6 below) This was not a ban on polygamy, this was a warning not to be persuaded into idolatry. Because the king ruled the people, this special admonition was given to him because of his potential to lead all of Israel astray (as we see many times in Scripture) For another perspective on this issue read THIS article.
5) Dawid repented of polygamy
Again, with complete lies and twisting of Scripture, the liar Armstrong claims that Dawid repented for his "sin" of polygamy. The "sin" of Dawid was ADULTERY and MURDER!!! Bathsheva was the wife of Uriah. Dawid had sexual relations with a married woman. This is ADULTERY!!!! The king then had Uriah sent to the front lines where he would be abandoned and killed. This is MURDER!!! YHWH would then send Nathan HaNavi to him to tell him the story of a rich man with many flocks and herds and a poor man with one ewe. He did not say that it was wrong for the rich man to have flocks. What was wrong was that the rich man stole the poor man's one ewe and used it to have a feast. Look at the condemnation given to Dawid (who was already a polygamist)
2Shmuel 12:8-9 ‘And I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Yisra’ĕl and Yehuḏah. And if that were not enough, I also would have given you much more! ‘Why have you despised the Word of יהוה to do evil in His eyes? You have killed Uriyah the Ḥittite with the sword, and his wife you took to be your wife, and you have killed him with the sword of the children of Ammon."
Did YHWH condemn Dawid for polygamy??? NO!!! In fact he says "I gave you wives and would have given you much more!" He wasn't condemned for the wives he had given to him by YHWH! He was condemned for Adultery and Murder and punished by having his child die. This is what Dawid repented from. Adultery and murder. NOT polygamy!!! Dawid was called PERFECT by YHWH himself WHILE HE WAS A POLYGAMIST!!! The score is now YHWH's word 5 - Armstrong's lies 0!
6) Concubines were not allowed
The minister of s.a.tan, Armstrong now uses the "proofs" that Dawid put away his concubines and his son, Shlomo did evil in the sight of YHWH by taking so many wives and concubines.
2Shmuel 20:3 "And Dawiḏ came to his house at Yerushalayim. And the sovereign took the ten women, his concubines whom he had left to look after the house, and put them in a protected house and supported them, but did not go in to them. So they were shut up to the day of their death, living in widowhood."
This was done in response to what his son, Abshalom had done to them.
2Shmuel 16:21-22 "And Aḥithophel said to Aḇshalom, “Go in to your father’s concubines, whom he has left to look after the house. And all Yisra’ĕl shall hear that you have made yourself a stench to your father. And the hands of all who are with you shall be strong.” So they pitched a tent for Aḇshalom on the top of the house, and Aḇshalom went in to his father’s concubines before the eyes of all Yisra’ĕl."
His other claim is that Shlomo HaMelech did evil by being polygamous. Let's see what the Scriptures say:
1 Melachim 11:1-11 "And Sovereign Shelomoh loved many foreign women in addition to the daughter of Pharaoh: Mo’aḇite, Ammonite, Eḏomite, Tsiḏonian, and Ḥittite women; from the nations of whom יהוה had said to the children of Yisra’ĕl, “You do not go into them, and they do not go into you, for they shall certainly turn away your hearts after their mighty ones.” Shelomoh clung to these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. And it came to be, when Shelomoh was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other mighty ones. And his heart was not perfect with יהוה his Elohim, as was the heart of his father Dawiḏ. And Shelomoh went after Ashtoreth the mighty one of the Tsiḏonians, and after Milkom the abomination of the Ammonites. Thus Shelomoh did evil in the eyes of יהוה, and did not follow יהוה completely, like his father Dawiḏ. Then Shelomoh built a high place for Kemosh the abomination of Mo’aḇ, on the hill that is east of Yerushalayim, and for Moleḵ the abomination of the children of Ammon. And so he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and slaughtered to their mighty ones. Therefore יהוה was enraged with Shelomoh, because his heart had turned away from יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this word, not to go after other mighty ones. But he did not guard what יהוה had commanded. And יהוה said to Shelomoh, “Because you have done this, and have not guarded My covenant and My laws, which I have commanded you, I shall certainly tear the reign away from you and give it to your servant."
Was Shlomo's sin polygamy or idolatry? Even a third grader could answer that question. His sin was marrying pagan women out of the nations from which Israel was commanded not to marry. These pagan women turned his heart away from YHWH to follow strange elohim. Had he married 700 Israelite women, would there have been a problem? NO!!! Again, the Anti-Polygamy movement uses deliberate lies to attempt to legalize their unscriptural pagan Roman custom.
7) YHWH condemned the "sin" of polygamy
Not one verse of scripture can be given in support of this statement. I challenge you to find it! See THIS article to find out the true sin of polygamy.
8) Polygamy was not the "original intent" of marriage
I have these articles posted to deal with this topic.
9) Yahushua is not a polygamist
Lastly, Armstrong contends that Yahushua is not a polygamist. His proof texts are that Yahushua is to marry the twelve tribes of Yisrael and that ministers are to be the husband of one wife. As I was already planning articles on these very topics, I will refrain from commenting on them here.
The Anti-polygamy pagans cannot prove their side from scripture. They must make up their "facts" and twist scripture around to their own destruction. Herbert Armstrong is a perfect example of these tactics. The witness of YHWH's word proves that polygamy was NEVER condemned or called sin. The only sin here is lying!
1) Avraham was NOT a polygamist.
2) Yitzchak had only one wife
3) Ya'akov had only one wife after conversion
4) Polygamy was a worldly custom not permitted to Israeli kings.
5) Dawid repented of polygamy
6) Concubines were not allowed
7) YHWH condemned the "sin" of polygamy
8) Polygamy was not the "original intent" of marriage
9) Yahushua is not a polygamist
Let's expose these blasphemies to the light of truth one at a time:
1) Avraham was NOT a polygamist
While Mr. Armstrong may think that all of his readers are simpletons, I have the proof of Scripture bearing testimony against him.
B'reisheet 16:3 "And Sarai, Aḇram’s wife, took Haḡar her female slave, the Mitsrite, and gave her to her husband Aḇram to be his wife, after Aḇram had dwelt ten years in the land of Kenaʽan."
Now, To me it seems plain that since Abram's 1st wife Sarai GAVE him his 2nd wife Hagar - that makes him married to two women at once! i.e. he WAS a polygamist.
Did YHWH condemn this heinous "sin?" NO!!! In fact, he was given the brit milah (covenant of circumcision) while married to BOTH of these women without a single word of "You disgusting pervert, how dare you take two wives!?!" Mr. Armstrong called Avraham "The father of the faithful" an adulterer and claimed that his son Ishmael was "illegitimate." I challenge you reading this today to find one verse of scripture that names Avraham an adulterer! This is the man that our savior promised the faithful would sit with in the reign of Elohim! I wonder if Mr. Armstrong's lies will comfort him in the lake of fire?
Revelation 21:8 “But as for the cowardly, and untrustworthy, and abominable, and murderers, and those who whore, and drug sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part is in the lake which burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death.”
Let's also not forget that Avraham had at least one more wife and at least two concubines! (See B'reisheet 25: 1-6) He definitely was a polygamist and not an adulterer!
2) Yitzchak had only one wife
While it is true that Yitzchak married only Rivkah, this doesn't condemn polygamy in the slightest. If anything, it stands as proof that monogamy is a valid form of marriage (contrary to modern FLDS teachings which state that a man must take a minimum of three wives to obtain salvation). Armstrong goes on to make an allegory concerning Yahushua and the assemblies. (more on that latter)
3) Ya'akov had only one wife after conversion
What a stretch of both logic and reason to make claims such as "Leah was Ya'akov's only true wife" when scripture tells us that he took TWO wives and two slaves who bore him children. How can he claim to know that "In YHWH's sight he wasn't married to Rachel?" This is the basis of all anti-Semitic beliefs! YHWH's chosen people came from the offspring of these four women of Ya'akov! Armstrong then purposely takes events out of chronological order. Please note that Ya'akov is blessed by YHWH by having his name changed to Yisra'el WHILE HAVING TWO WIVES AND TWO SLAVE-GIRLS WHO BORE HIM CHILDREN!!! Again, not once is he condemned or punished for polygamy! Mr. Armstrong, you are of your father the devil!
4) Polygamy was a worldly custom not permitted to Israeli kings.
What a foot-in-the-mouth argument! Assuming it is true that KINGS couldn't marry more than one woman - what about the other millions of Yisraeli men who weren't king? If YHWH had to make a special law for the king, did he forget about the common man? Since I am not King of Israel, may I have plural wives, Mr. Armstrong? However, he makes one out-of-context citation:
Devarim 17:17 “And he is not to increase wives for himself, lest his heart turn away"
So then, a king may have only one wife because it says "He is not to increase wives for himself." Strangely, he makes no mention of what comes immediately before and after that quote.
Devarim 17:16-17 “Only, he is not to increase horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Mitsrayim to increase horses, for יהוה has said to you, ‘Do not return that way again.’ “And he is not to increase wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor is he to greatly increase silver and gold for himself. "
So, there you have it! The King of Israel was limited to one wife, one horse, and one piece of silver and gold. What a moron! See how he purposely omitted these things because it throws some light on the true meaning. But the key to what is really being said lies in the previous verses:
Devarim 17:14-15 “When you come to the land which יהוה your Elohim is giving you, and shall possess it and shall dwell in it, and you shall say, ‘Let me set a sovereign over me like all the gentiles that are around me,’ you shall certainly set a sovereign over you whom יהוה your Elohim shall choose. Set a sovereign over you from among your brothers, you are not allowed to set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother."
The issue here is idolatry. No foreigner was to rule as king who was not of the covenant people. Horses were a common gift (bribe) to kings. Wives were sometimes taken for diplomatic reasons, money was also something that was used to bribe. Notice the reason for not multiplying wives was so that his heart wouldn't be turned away. This was the case with Shlomo who married many PAGAN women who turned his heart away to serve strange Elohim. (see #6 below) This was not a ban on polygamy, this was a warning not to be persuaded into idolatry. Because the king ruled the people, this special admonition was given to him because of his potential to lead all of Israel astray (as we see many times in Scripture) For another perspective on this issue read THIS article.
5) Dawid repented of polygamy
Again, with complete lies and twisting of Scripture, the liar Armstrong claims that Dawid repented for his "sin" of polygamy. The "sin" of Dawid was ADULTERY and MURDER!!! Bathsheva was the wife of Uriah. Dawid had sexual relations with a married woman. This is ADULTERY!!!! The king then had Uriah sent to the front lines where he would be abandoned and killed. This is MURDER!!! YHWH would then send Nathan HaNavi to him to tell him the story of a rich man with many flocks and herds and a poor man with one ewe. He did not say that it was wrong for the rich man to have flocks. What was wrong was that the rich man stole the poor man's one ewe and used it to have a feast. Look at the condemnation given to Dawid (who was already a polygamist)
2Shmuel 12:8-9 ‘And I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Yisra’ĕl and Yehuḏah. And if that were not enough, I also would have given you much more! ‘Why have you despised the Word of יהוה to do evil in His eyes? You have killed Uriyah the Ḥittite with the sword, and his wife you took to be your wife, and you have killed him with the sword of the children of Ammon."
Did YHWH condemn Dawid for polygamy??? NO!!! In fact he says "I gave you wives and would have given you much more!" He wasn't condemned for the wives he had given to him by YHWH! He was condemned for Adultery and Murder and punished by having his child die. This is what Dawid repented from. Adultery and murder. NOT polygamy!!! Dawid was called PERFECT by YHWH himself WHILE HE WAS A POLYGAMIST!!! The score is now YHWH's word 5 - Armstrong's lies 0!
6) Concubines were not allowed
The minister of s.a.tan, Armstrong now uses the "proofs" that Dawid put away his concubines and his son, Shlomo did evil in the sight of YHWH by taking so many wives and concubines.
2Shmuel 20:3 "And Dawiḏ came to his house at Yerushalayim. And the sovereign took the ten women, his concubines whom he had left to look after the house, and put them in a protected house and supported them, but did not go in to them. So they were shut up to the day of their death, living in widowhood."
This was done in response to what his son, Abshalom had done to them.
2Shmuel 16:21-22 "And Aḥithophel said to Aḇshalom, “Go in to your father’s concubines, whom he has left to look after the house. And all Yisra’ĕl shall hear that you have made yourself a stench to your father. And the hands of all who are with you shall be strong.” So they pitched a tent for Aḇshalom on the top of the house, and Aḇshalom went in to his father’s concubines before the eyes of all Yisra’ĕl."
His other claim is that Shlomo HaMelech did evil by being polygamous. Let's see what the Scriptures say:
1 Melachim 11:1-11 "And Sovereign Shelomoh loved many foreign women in addition to the daughter of Pharaoh: Mo’aḇite, Ammonite, Eḏomite, Tsiḏonian, and Ḥittite women; from the nations of whom יהוה had said to the children of Yisra’ĕl, “You do not go into them, and they do not go into you, for they shall certainly turn away your hearts after their mighty ones.” Shelomoh clung to these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. And it came to be, when Shelomoh was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other mighty ones. And his heart was not perfect with יהוה his Elohim, as was the heart of his father Dawiḏ. And Shelomoh went after Ashtoreth the mighty one of the Tsiḏonians, and after Milkom the abomination of the Ammonites. Thus Shelomoh did evil in the eyes of יהוה, and did not follow יהוה completely, like his father Dawiḏ. Then Shelomoh built a high place for Kemosh the abomination of Mo’aḇ, on the hill that is east of Yerushalayim, and for Moleḵ the abomination of the children of Ammon. And so he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and slaughtered to their mighty ones. Therefore יהוה was enraged with Shelomoh, because his heart had turned away from יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this word, not to go after other mighty ones. But he did not guard what יהוה had commanded. And יהוה said to Shelomoh, “Because you have done this, and have not guarded My covenant and My laws, which I have commanded you, I shall certainly tear the reign away from you and give it to your servant."
Was Shlomo's sin polygamy or idolatry? Even a third grader could answer that question. His sin was marrying pagan women out of the nations from which Israel was commanded not to marry. These pagan women turned his heart away from YHWH to follow strange elohim. Had he married 700 Israelite women, would there have been a problem? NO!!! Again, the Anti-Polygamy movement uses deliberate lies to attempt to legalize their unscriptural pagan Roman custom.
7) YHWH condemned the "sin" of polygamy
Not one verse of scripture can be given in support of this statement. I challenge you to find it! See THIS article to find out the true sin of polygamy.
8) Polygamy was not the "original intent" of marriage
I have these articles posted to deal with this topic.
9) Yahushua is not a polygamist
Lastly, Armstrong contends that Yahushua is not a polygamist. His proof texts are that Yahushua is to marry the twelve tribes of Yisrael and that ministers are to be the husband of one wife. As I was already planning articles on these very topics, I will refrain from commenting on them here.
The Anti-polygamy pagans cannot prove their side from scripture. They must make up their "facts" and twist scripture around to their own destruction. Herbert Armstrong is a perfect example of these tactics. The witness of YHWH's word proves that polygamy was NEVER condemned or called sin. The only sin here is lying!
19 June 2010
The Polygamy Sin!
Many opponents of polygamy claim that it is sinful. If this is true, we certainly must speak out against evil. However, if this is a false claim, then we must speak out against lies! Either way, if you are "bible believer" you have been commanded to have your voice heard.
Yeshayahu 58:1 “Cry aloud, do not spare. Lift up your voice like a ram’s horn. Declare to My people their transgression, and the house of Yaʽaqoḇ their sins."
Where exactly does Scripture condemn polygamy?
Hmmm?
Well???
I'm waiting...
Nowhere?
Correct! There is NOT ONE single verse of scripture that says "Thou shalt not marry more than one woman at a time."
This should throw up some red flags to the thinking! If scripture NEVER ONCE condemns polygamy, what gives you the right to do so?
Let's keep a running tab of offenses as we continue our study. So far, those who claim that polygamy is sinful are guilty of:
1) Lying
Revalation 21:8b “... and all who tell lies, their part is in the lake which burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death.”
2) Adding to the word of YHWH
Devarim 4:2 “Do not add to the Word which I command you, and do not take away from it, so as to guard the commands of יהוה your Elohim which I am commanding you." Footnote: See also 12:32, Prov. 30:6, Rev. 22:18-19.
Keep those in mind as we continue.
Others have claimed that YHWH "tolerated" the sin of polygamy in "Old Testament" times.
Since when did YHWH EVER tolerate sin?
Eating forbidden fruit - Nope
Murder of Hevel - Nope
Evil hearts in Noach's time -Nope
Tower of Babel - Nope
Sodom and Gomorrah - Hell Nope!
Sin of Achan - Nope
Enslavement of Israel by Pharoah - Nope
Murmuring against Moshe - Nope
Not keeping the Sabbatical year - Nah, ahh
Idolatry - BIG 'OL NOPE
King Sha'ul not obeying the voice of the prophet - Negative
King Dawid committing Adultery and murder - Nope
Other kings of Israel not obeying Torah - Nope
Cḥananyah and his wife lying to Kepha - Nope
Moneychangers at the temple using false weights - Nope
The wicked dead at judgment - Sorry...
As you well know, I could make this list go on, and on , and on, and on...
We know that YHWH never tolerated sin of any kind! And we know He NEVER changes. Therefore, If he tolerated polygamy - it is NOT a sin! Indeed, if He did tolerate sin what would be the point of dying on the cross? His sacrifice and His blood are an immortal testimony to the fact that He DOES NOT TOLERATE SIN!!!
Let's now look at three of the many people who's name you are besmirching by suggesting that polygamy is somehow sinful.
1) Moshe - Moshe was the ONLY man ever to speak to YHWH face to face! (Shemot 33:11)
He spent 40 days and nights on Mt. Sinai with YHWH-Twice!!! (Shemot 24:18; Shemot 34:28-29 and Devarim 10:10) He is "The Lawgiver." The one who physically wrote the Torah. He is the one who received the tablets of stone on which was written the command "Thou shalt not commit adultery." The one who lead Israel across the Yam Suph. The one who was shown the pattern of the Mishkan in the heavens. The one who's face was illuminated with the glory of YHWH! The one who counseled YHWH's people in GREAT matters. The one for whom YHWH took revenge on Korach. The one that our Master said if they refuse to hear him - they will not hear anyone coming back from the dead. The one referred to as a "friend of YHWH!" This man, who knew the will of YHWH better than any other mortal man before or after him was a polygamist! If polygamy was sinful, THIS is the man who would know that. However, we see that he himself practiced polygamy.
Shemot 2:21 "And Mosheh agreed to dwell with the man, and he gave Tsipporah his daughter to Mosheh." (see also Shemot 18:1-6)
B'midbar 12:1 "Now Miryam and Aharon spoke against Mosheh because of the Kushite woman whom he had taken, for he had taken a Kushite woman."
Now, if Moshe was a sinner because of his polygamous lifestyle, we would expect to see YHWH's condemnation and punishment, but we do not. We would expect to see Yahushua and/or His talmidim distancing themselves from Moshe, but we do not. We would expect to see his name blotted out from the heavens in eternity, but we do not. In fact, we see the opposite:
Rev 15:3 "And they sing the song of Mosheh the servant of Elohim, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and marvellous are Your works, יהוה Ěl Shaddai! Righteous and true are Your ways, O Sovereign of the kadosh ones!" Those that overcome the beast will stand on a sea of glass and fire and "sing the song of Moshe" who is STILL called the "servant of Elohim!"
How DARE YOU speak evil of Moshe by calling polygamy a sin! Repent before it's too late!
Let's go one step further-
When you are reading the Torah and you see such things as the creation account of Ahdahm and Chavah, the account of Lamech, "If a man has two wives", "one flesh", "if he take another wife", "Do not multiply wives", and "do not commit adultery" keep in mind that Moshe, the kadosh POLYGAMIST servant of Elohim who's songs will be sung by the overcomers in eternity wrote those things!!!
2) Avraham - Avraham was called out of an idol worshiping family to become the first Hebrew. Most of our children sing the song "Father Abraham had many sons" which recounts YHWH's promise to Avraham to make him into a great nation that would be as numerous as the stars in the sky and the grains of sand on the shores. His faith and obediance was tested by YHWH telling him to sacrifice is son, Yitzchak. Yitzchak himself was a miracle child given to Avraham when he was 100 and his wife, Sarah was 90. He was called the "faithful friend of Elohim" and is still known as the father of the faithful. Yet some would have us believe that he is a sinner because he took three wives - Sarah, Hagar, and Keturah.
The renewed scriptures bestows upon him such titles as "Our Father", and "friend of Elohim." It says that his faith was imputed for righteousness and he is one of the examples of faith mentioned in Hebrews 11 (along with Sarah).
Another polygamist was Avraham's grandson, Ya'akov (Jacob).
3) Ya'akov - Ya'akov is the grandson of Avraham who had his name changed to Yisra'el (Prince of Elohim) as a blessing after wrestling all night with a messenger. He is the one who worked twenty years for his father-in-law in exchange for his FOUR wives Leah, Rachel, Bilhah and Zilpah along with flocks and money. Out of this polygamous houshold the twelve tribes of Israel were birthed, YHWH's chosen people. Both Avraham and Ya'akov are claimed by YHWH as His very own on numerous occasions when He declares "I am the El of Avraham, the El of Yitzchak and the El of Ya'akov" They were obviously servants of the most high. Yet, some would claim that the very chosen people of YHWH came from an adulterous, sinful patriarch!
What did our Master, Yahushua promise His faithful followers?
Mattithyahu 8:11 “And I say to you that many shall come from east and west, and sit down with Avraham, and Yitzchak, and Yaʽakov̱ in the reign of the heavens, "
Wait! He promised those who would follow Him would sit with these "sinful" polygamists as their reward???
You heard from the Master's mouth (which contained no guile). Our Master didn't seem to think of these polygamists as sinners, why would you? In fact, I would soberly warn you that unless you admit that polygamy is kosher and Holy - you will not be sitting with these men in the kingdom!
There is one more extremely lame attempt to "prove" that polygamy is sinful. The "proof" that is offered is the account of Lamech, the first named polygamist in the Torah. The argument goes like this: "Lamech is the first named polygamist in Scripture and he was a murderer, therefore polygamy is sinful because it is associated with murder and only an evil murderer would engage in polygamy" Besides the obvious logical flaws there, and the fact that we have seen examples of Kadosh, righteous men who were polygamists, let's look at the passage in context:
B'reisheet 4:18-24 "And to Ḥanoḵ was born Iraḏ. And Iraḏ brought forth Meḥuya’ĕl, and Meḥuya’ĕl brought forth Methusa’ĕl, and Methusa’ĕl brought forth Lemeḵ. And Lemeḵ took for himself two wives, the name of one was Aḏah, and the name of the second was Tsillah. And Aḏah bore Yaḇal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents, with livestock. And his brother’s name was Yuḇal. He was the father of all those who play the lyre and flute. As for Tsillah, she also bore Tuḇal-Qayin, a smith of all kinds of tools in bronze and iron. And the sister of Tuḇal-Qayin was Naʽamah. And Lemeḵ said to his wives, “Aḏah and Tsillah, hear my voice! Wives of Lemeḵ, listen to my words! For I have killed a man for wounding me, even a young man for hurting me. “For Kayin is avenged sevenfold, and Lemeḵ seventy-sevenfold.”
First things first! (pun intended) If we follow the logic (or apparent lack thereof) of the argument then we must make further conclusions:
a) The first born child mentioned in scripture was a murderer, therefore it is a sin to have children.
b) The passage above contains many "first mentions" in scripture, therefore because of their association with a "murderer": dwelling in tents is sinful, keeping livestock is sinful, playing a lyre or flute is sinful, and smithing tools in iron or bronze is sinful. Do you see how stupid that sounds?
Furthermore, from a reading of this passage, it sounds more like a case of self-defense than murder. Perhaps it is a shadow of the attacks that polygamists would suffer for years to come by the young and immature?
Those making this argument are ignorant of the very definition of sin. What is sin? It is transgression of the commands of YHWH given to us in His Torah. We are not free to define things arbitrarily as "sin." It is up to YHWH's word to do that! His word never once defines polygamy as sin. His word condones polygamy as valid. His word gives us commandments to regulate marriage including that to more than one wife. His word commands polygamy in at least one instance. His word defines sin and allows polygamy. Who are you to change that?
If polygamy is sinful, why did YHWH bless those that engaged in it?
B'reisheet 24:1 "And Avraham was old, advanced in years. And יהוה had blessed Avraham in every way." (including his marriages)
(Before Avraham had Hagar given to him, YHWH told him "“I am Ěl Shaddai – walk before Me and be perfect" Apparently Avraham didn't find it less than perfect to take a second wife, or a third)
B'reisheet 28:1-4 "And Yitzchak called Yaʽakov and blessed him, and commanded him, and said to him, “Do not take a wife from the daughters of Kenaʽan. Arise, go to Paddan Aram, to the house of Bethu’ĕl your mother’s father. And take a wife for yourself from there, from the daughters of Laḇan your mother’s brother. And Ěl Shaddai bless you, and make you bear fruit and increase you, and you shall become an assembly of peoples, and give you the blessing of Avraham, to you and your seed with you, so that you inherit the land of your sojournings, which Elohim gave to Avraham.” "
That blessing was indeed given:
B'reisheet 28:10-17 "And Yaʽakov went out from Be’ĕrsheḇa and went toward Ḥaran. And he came upon a place and stopped over for the night, for the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed and saw a ladder set up on the earth, and its top reached to the heavens, and saw messengers of Elohim going up and coming down on it. And see, יהוה stood above it and said, “I am יהוה Elohim of Avraham your father and the Elohim of Yitzchak. The land on which you are lying, I give it to you and your seed. And your seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and you shall break forth to the west and to the east, to the north and the south. And all the clans of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your seed. And see, I am with you and shall guard you wherever you go, and shall bring you back to this land. For I am not going to leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” And Yaʽakov awoke from his sleep and said, “Truly, יהוה is in this place, and I did not know it.” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of Elohim, and this is the gate of the heavens!”"
This promise was made before Ya'akov had ANY wives.
B'reisheet 32:26-29 "And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I am not letting You go until You have blessed me!” So He asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Yaʽakov.” And He said, “Your name is no longer called Yaʽakov, but Yisra’ĕl, because you have striven with Elohim and with men, and have overcome.” And Yaʽakov asked Him, saying, “Please let me know Your Name.” And He said, “Why do you ask about My Name?” And He blessed him there.
This was AFTER Ya'akov had taken FOUR WIVES and had children with each of them. So, again we see YHWH's blessing being poured out on a polygamist! Does YHWH bless sinners?
Isra'el was to be a light to the nations, an example for all the earth to follow. Are you sure that polygamy is sinful when you consider the origins of the nation of Israel through whom our Messiah came?
2Ti 3:16-17 "All Scripture is breathed by Elohim and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for setting straight, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of Elohim might be fitted, equipped for every good work."
Why would YHWH inspire polygamous men such as Moshe, Dawid, Shlomo, etc to write polygamous things such as laws governing multiple wives, polygamous poetry, etc in His Kadosh, perfect word to make us "equipped for every good work" if polygamy was somehow wrong or sinful? I'll allow the Ruach to answer that question for you.
Tehillim 33:4 "For the Word of יהוה is straight, And all His works are in truth"
Yochannan 17:17 “Set them apart in Your truth – Your Word is truth"
2Timmothy 2:15 "Do your utmost to present yourself approved to Elohim, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly handling the Word of Truth."
Ya'akov 3:2 "For we all stumble in many matters. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the entire body. "
Remember our list? Let's check it. Someone who claims that polygamy is a sin is guilty of:
1) Lying
2) Adding to the word
3) Attacking the anointed of YHWH
4) Mishandling the word of Elohim
5) False preaching
6) Spreading false doctrines
IS THERE A SIN ASSOCIATED WITH POLYGAMY????
YES!!!! There certainly is:
Yeshayahu 5:20 "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! "
The polygamy sin is calling polygamy sin!!!
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Yeshayahu 58:1 “Cry aloud, do not spare. Lift up your voice like a ram’s horn. Declare to My people their transgression, and the house of Yaʽaqoḇ their sins."
Where exactly does Scripture condemn polygamy?
Hmmm?
Well???
I'm waiting...
Nowhere?
Correct! There is NOT ONE single verse of scripture that says "Thou shalt not marry more than one woman at a time."
This should throw up some red flags to the thinking! If scripture NEVER ONCE condemns polygamy, what gives you the right to do so?
Let's keep a running tab of offenses as we continue our study. So far, those who claim that polygamy is sinful are guilty of:
1) Lying
Revalation 21:8b “... and all who tell lies, their part is in the lake which burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death.”
2) Adding to the word of YHWH
Devarim 4:2 “Do not add to the Word which I command you, and do not take away from it, so as to guard the commands of יהוה your Elohim which I am commanding you." Footnote: See also 12:32, Prov. 30:6, Rev. 22:18-19.
Keep those in mind as we continue.
Others have claimed that YHWH "tolerated" the sin of polygamy in "Old Testament" times.
Since when did YHWH EVER tolerate sin?
Eating forbidden fruit - Nope
Murder of Hevel - Nope
Evil hearts in Noach's time -Nope
Tower of Babel - Nope
Sodom and Gomorrah - Hell Nope!
Sin of Achan - Nope
Enslavement of Israel by Pharoah - Nope
Murmuring against Moshe - Nope
Not keeping the Sabbatical year - Nah, ahh
Idolatry - BIG 'OL NOPE
King Sha'ul not obeying the voice of the prophet - Negative
King Dawid committing Adultery and murder - Nope
Other kings of Israel not obeying Torah - Nope
Cḥananyah and his wife lying to Kepha - Nope
Moneychangers at the temple using false weights - Nope
The wicked dead at judgment - Sorry...
As you well know, I could make this list go on, and on , and on, and on...
We know that YHWH never tolerated sin of any kind! And we know He NEVER changes. Therefore, If he tolerated polygamy - it is NOT a sin! Indeed, if He did tolerate sin what would be the point of dying on the cross? His sacrifice and His blood are an immortal testimony to the fact that He DOES NOT TOLERATE SIN!!!
Let's now look at three of the many people who's name you are besmirching by suggesting that polygamy is somehow sinful.
1) Moshe - Moshe was the ONLY man ever to speak to YHWH face to face! (Shemot 33:11)
He spent 40 days and nights on Mt. Sinai with YHWH-Twice!!! (Shemot 24:18; Shemot 34:28-29 and Devarim 10:10) He is "The Lawgiver." The one who physically wrote the Torah. He is the one who received the tablets of stone on which was written the command "Thou shalt not commit adultery." The one who lead Israel across the Yam Suph. The one who was shown the pattern of the Mishkan in the heavens. The one who's face was illuminated with the glory of YHWH! The one who counseled YHWH's people in GREAT matters. The one for whom YHWH took revenge on Korach. The one that our Master said if they refuse to hear him - they will not hear anyone coming back from the dead. The one referred to as a "friend of YHWH!" This man, who knew the will of YHWH better than any other mortal man before or after him was a polygamist! If polygamy was sinful, THIS is the man who would know that. However, we see that he himself practiced polygamy.
Shemot 2:21 "And Mosheh agreed to dwell with the man, and he gave Tsipporah his daughter to Mosheh." (see also Shemot 18:1-6)
B'midbar 12:1 "Now Miryam and Aharon spoke against Mosheh because of the Kushite woman whom he had taken, for he had taken a Kushite woman."
Now, if Moshe was a sinner because of his polygamous lifestyle, we would expect to see YHWH's condemnation and punishment, but we do not. We would expect to see Yahushua and/or His talmidim distancing themselves from Moshe, but we do not. We would expect to see his name blotted out from the heavens in eternity, but we do not. In fact, we see the opposite:
Rev 15:3 "And they sing the song of Mosheh the servant of Elohim, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and marvellous are Your works, יהוה Ěl Shaddai! Righteous and true are Your ways, O Sovereign of the kadosh ones!" Those that overcome the beast will stand on a sea of glass and fire and "sing the song of Moshe" who is STILL called the "servant of Elohim!"
How DARE YOU speak evil of Moshe by calling polygamy a sin! Repent before it's too late!
Let's go one step further-
When you are reading the Torah and you see such things as the creation account of Ahdahm and Chavah, the account of Lamech, "If a man has two wives", "one flesh", "if he take another wife", "Do not multiply wives", and "do not commit adultery" keep in mind that Moshe, the kadosh POLYGAMIST servant of Elohim who's songs will be sung by the overcomers in eternity wrote those things!!!
2) Avraham - Avraham was called out of an idol worshiping family to become the first Hebrew. Most of our children sing the song "Father Abraham had many sons" which recounts YHWH's promise to Avraham to make him into a great nation that would be as numerous as the stars in the sky and the grains of sand on the shores. His faith and obediance was tested by YHWH telling him to sacrifice is son, Yitzchak. Yitzchak himself was a miracle child given to Avraham when he was 100 and his wife, Sarah was 90. He was called the "faithful friend of Elohim" and is still known as the father of the faithful. Yet some would have us believe that he is a sinner because he took three wives - Sarah, Hagar, and Keturah.
The renewed scriptures bestows upon him such titles as "Our Father", and "friend of Elohim." It says that his faith was imputed for righteousness and he is one of the examples of faith mentioned in Hebrews 11 (along with Sarah).
Another polygamist was Avraham's grandson, Ya'akov (Jacob).
3) Ya'akov - Ya'akov is the grandson of Avraham who had his name changed to Yisra'el (Prince of Elohim) as a blessing after wrestling all night with a messenger. He is the one who worked twenty years for his father-in-law in exchange for his FOUR wives Leah, Rachel, Bilhah and Zilpah along with flocks and money. Out of this polygamous houshold the twelve tribes of Israel were birthed, YHWH's chosen people. Both Avraham and Ya'akov are claimed by YHWH as His very own on numerous occasions when He declares "I am the El of Avraham, the El of Yitzchak and the El of Ya'akov" They were obviously servants of the most high. Yet, some would claim that the very chosen people of YHWH came from an adulterous, sinful patriarch!
What did our Master, Yahushua promise His faithful followers?
Mattithyahu 8:11 “And I say to you that many shall come from east and west, and sit down with Avraham, and Yitzchak, and Yaʽakov̱ in the reign of the heavens, "
Wait! He promised those who would follow Him would sit with these "sinful" polygamists as their reward???
You heard from the Master's mouth (which contained no guile). Our Master didn't seem to think of these polygamists as sinners, why would you? In fact, I would soberly warn you that unless you admit that polygamy is kosher and Holy - you will not be sitting with these men in the kingdom!
There is one more extremely lame attempt to "prove" that polygamy is sinful. The "proof" that is offered is the account of Lamech, the first named polygamist in the Torah. The argument goes like this: "Lamech is the first named polygamist in Scripture and he was a murderer, therefore polygamy is sinful because it is associated with murder and only an evil murderer would engage in polygamy" Besides the obvious logical flaws there, and the fact that we have seen examples of Kadosh, righteous men who were polygamists, let's look at the passage in context:
B'reisheet 4:18-24 "And to Ḥanoḵ was born Iraḏ. And Iraḏ brought forth Meḥuya’ĕl, and Meḥuya’ĕl brought forth Methusa’ĕl, and Methusa’ĕl brought forth Lemeḵ. And Lemeḵ took for himself two wives, the name of one was Aḏah, and the name of the second was Tsillah. And Aḏah bore Yaḇal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents, with livestock. And his brother’s name was Yuḇal. He was the father of all those who play the lyre and flute. As for Tsillah, she also bore Tuḇal-Qayin, a smith of all kinds of tools in bronze and iron. And the sister of Tuḇal-Qayin was Naʽamah. And Lemeḵ said to his wives, “Aḏah and Tsillah, hear my voice! Wives of Lemeḵ, listen to my words! For I have killed a man for wounding me, even a young man for hurting me. “For Kayin is avenged sevenfold, and Lemeḵ seventy-sevenfold.”
First things first! (pun intended) If we follow the logic (or apparent lack thereof) of the argument then we must make further conclusions:
a) The first born child mentioned in scripture was a murderer, therefore it is a sin to have children.
b) The passage above contains many "first mentions" in scripture, therefore because of their association with a "murderer": dwelling in tents is sinful, keeping livestock is sinful, playing a lyre or flute is sinful, and smithing tools in iron or bronze is sinful. Do you see how stupid that sounds?
Furthermore, from a reading of this passage, it sounds more like a case of self-defense than murder. Perhaps it is a shadow of the attacks that polygamists would suffer for years to come by the young and immature?
Those making this argument are ignorant of the very definition of sin. What is sin? It is transgression of the commands of YHWH given to us in His Torah. We are not free to define things arbitrarily as "sin." It is up to YHWH's word to do that! His word never once defines polygamy as sin. His word condones polygamy as valid. His word gives us commandments to regulate marriage including that to more than one wife. His word commands polygamy in at least one instance. His word defines sin and allows polygamy. Who are you to change that?
If polygamy is sinful, why did YHWH bless those that engaged in it?
B'reisheet 24:1 "And Avraham was old, advanced in years. And יהוה had blessed Avraham in every way." (including his marriages)
(Before Avraham had Hagar given to him, YHWH told him "“I am Ěl Shaddai – walk before Me and be perfect" Apparently Avraham didn't find it less than perfect to take a second wife, or a third)
B'reisheet 28:1-4 "And Yitzchak called Yaʽakov and blessed him, and commanded him, and said to him, “Do not take a wife from the daughters of Kenaʽan. Arise, go to Paddan Aram, to the house of Bethu’ĕl your mother’s father. And take a wife for yourself from there, from the daughters of Laḇan your mother’s brother. And Ěl Shaddai bless you, and make you bear fruit and increase you, and you shall become an assembly of peoples, and give you the blessing of Avraham, to you and your seed with you, so that you inherit the land of your sojournings, which Elohim gave to Avraham.” "
That blessing was indeed given:
B'reisheet 28:10-17 "And Yaʽakov went out from Be’ĕrsheḇa and went toward Ḥaran. And he came upon a place and stopped over for the night, for the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed and saw a ladder set up on the earth, and its top reached to the heavens, and saw messengers of Elohim going up and coming down on it. And see, יהוה stood above it and said, “I am יהוה Elohim of Avraham your father and the Elohim of Yitzchak. The land on which you are lying, I give it to you and your seed. And your seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and you shall break forth to the west and to the east, to the north and the south. And all the clans of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your seed. And see, I am with you and shall guard you wherever you go, and shall bring you back to this land. For I am not going to leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” And Yaʽakov awoke from his sleep and said, “Truly, יהוה is in this place, and I did not know it.” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of Elohim, and this is the gate of the heavens!”"
This promise was made before Ya'akov had ANY wives.
B'reisheet 32:26-29 "And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I am not letting You go until You have blessed me!” So He asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Yaʽakov.” And He said, “Your name is no longer called Yaʽakov, but Yisra’ĕl, because you have striven with Elohim and with men, and have overcome.” And Yaʽakov asked Him, saying, “Please let me know Your Name.” And He said, “Why do you ask about My Name?” And He blessed him there.
This was AFTER Ya'akov had taken FOUR WIVES and had children with each of them. So, again we see YHWH's blessing being poured out on a polygamist! Does YHWH bless sinners?
Isra'el was to be a light to the nations, an example for all the earth to follow. Are you sure that polygamy is sinful when you consider the origins of the nation of Israel through whom our Messiah came?
2Ti 3:16-17 "All Scripture is breathed by Elohim and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for setting straight, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of Elohim might be fitted, equipped for every good work."
Why would YHWH inspire polygamous men such as Moshe, Dawid, Shlomo, etc to write polygamous things such as laws governing multiple wives, polygamous poetry, etc in His Kadosh, perfect word to make us "equipped for every good work" if polygamy was somehow wrong or sinful? I'll allow the Ruach to answer that question for you.
Tehillim 33:4 "For the Word of יהוה is straight, And all His works are in truth"
Yochannan 17:17 “Set them apart in Your truth – Your Word is truth"
2Timmothy 2:15 "Do your utmost to present yourself approved to Elohim, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly handling the Word of Truth."
Ya'akov 3:2 "For we all stumble in many matters. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the entire body. "
Remember our list? Let's check it. Someone who claims that polygamy is a sin is guilty of:
1) Lying
2) Adding to the word
3) Attacking the anointed of YHWH
4) Mishandling the word of Elohim
5) False preaching
6) Spreading false doctrines
IS THERE A SIN ASSOCIATED WITH POLYGAMY????
YES!!!! There certainly is:
Yeshayahu 5:20 "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! "
The polygamy sin is calling polygamy sin!!!
-
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