The case against polygamy

[Estrid]

My last post made it clear that people have a strong visceral reaction against polygamy, but some need some help fleshing out a logical argument against it. I'll see what I can do.
The first mention of polygamy in the Bible is in Genesis where Lamech, one of Cain's descendants took two wives, Adah and Zillah. He bragged about killing someone for hurting him, not exactly someone we want to imitate. Bible scholars have this law of first mention, where the first mention of something is the most significant.
When asked about divorce, Jesus quoted "he made the male and female" and "the two shall become one flesh." It seems he treated this as the formula for what marriage should be: one man and one woman for life.
Polyamorous relationships have a very high rate of breakup, which is not good for anyone, and more traditional polygamy is generally held together by an authoritarian structure.
I just learned it is illegal too. I can't help finding that funny though; I picture a policeman hearing that his married neighbor has a girlfriend and he thinks, okay not my problem, but then he hears that the guy's wife knows about it and none of them are breaking up and so now all a sudden he shows up at the door with an arrest warrant. I knew it was in illegal back in the 1800s, I was recently listening to a GK Chesterton book, 'what I saw in America' that mentions how visas at the time asked applicants if they're polygamist. To the one who posted the GK Chesterton quote on my last thread, thank you, it's a good reminder and I love Chesterton's style.

Any " visceral " reaction is cultural, or jealousy.

As for me I'd rather be third or fourth with
someone powerful than number one for a
pencil neck geek.

 

[Percivale]

First, it's nice that everyone in the world has opinions and beliefs. Everyone in the world from Atheists to Moslems, to Roman Catholics, Baptists ... all know that their beliefs are "fact" that they love truth and believe the truth. Just ask them. One of the signs of being lost is that we teach as doctrines the precepts of men, and that we nullify the commandments of God to hold fast to our traditions. We all know that those who hold fast to beliefs that don't align with ours are holding fast to lies as truth and truth to be lies. Isn't it amazing. How does this happen? Easy. God designed it that way. Paul taught that this standard was going to be fully applicable in the end times, and that those he was writing to passed the same test that those that love their beliefs fail.

2Th 2:10 and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. 11 For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, 12 in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. 13 But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.

Specific illustrations of this would be the lost who no longer choose to believe in God or retain Him in their knowledge (Rom. 1:18-32), The religious non-Christian lost who go to scripture to justify their beliefs and the correctness of their own doctrines and living (Rom. 10:1-3) and the lost who believe that Jesus is their Lord, God and Savior with all their heart, mind, soul and strength and "do" what they believe with all their heart, but have missed the truth in Mat. 7, with the primary characteristic that proves they fall short being their failure to interpret the first part of Mat. 7 correctly.

But here's the thing. What does every person who loves their beliefs have?

1.) Massive amounts of data to prove their beliefs true.

2.) Huge stacks of information they know proves every other position false.

3.) How do they interpret everything? Well their beliefs are fact. All correct interpretations of all valid data must align with their beliefs, right?

4.) But what about the things that seem to contradict? Well they are explained away, rationalized, obviously interpreted wrong, are invalid, or we simply ignore them.

5.) Don't forget the signs, wonders, spiritual gifts, burning in the bosom ... Remember the lost people who believe Jesus is their Lord who Christ says He never knew at the end of Mat. 7? They have all the exact same things as the true Christians of their day. Everyone gets what they want to believe what they want if they do not receive a love of the truth so as to be saved.

AND ALL THE LOST, DO ALL THESE EXACT SAME THINGS TO HOLD FAST TO "WHAT THEY WANT TO BELIEVE" "AS" TRUTH.

I call this “Methodology One”, the Methodology of belief groups as they all do it.

So, what do you want? Do you want to hold fast to your opinions, church traditions and beliefs “as” truth, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men, nullifying what God really did say and mean, or do you want truth?

If you use the Methodology above, the answer is, You are proving your beliefs true and all opposing beliefs false and closing your eyes and ears lest you see and hear the truth. You don't want truth.

That which you love least is always forced to conform to what you love most. Everyone either loves their beliefs or loves the truth, and your Methodology proves what you love.

So what do you do if you want the truth on this issue, or any issue?

1.) Rule #1: Avoid “Methodology One”: Proving your beliefs true and holding fast to them, is not the same as, “Proving all things over and over again as a habit and way of life, and holding fast to what is good/true.”

2.) Open-mindedness: All belief groups believe in being open minded … “until” you accept their beliefs. Then they believe in being as closed as possible. If you love truth, you will continually remain open-minded to altering any or all of your beliefs in the light of the fullness of the truth, when everything that “might” pertain to the topic at hand is rightly divided.

3.) Habitual ongoing Labor/ Getting Every Piece of Data that Might Pertain: If you Love Truth, you, personally, must become a manual laborer and keep on gathering every fact anyone thinks might pertain to every topic at hand. Then gather all the data that “might pertain” no belief group gathers because they can’t use that information to prove their beliefs true or opposing beliefs false. Yes, that’s every piece of data that proves all your current beliefs false that the opponents to your beliefs have gathered, and every fact that might prove beliefs you believe to be wrong to be truth on that topic as well.

Example in case. Are you aware that God the Father ibn the bible twice says that He took more than one woman as a wife? Don’t believe me, if you want the truth search them out. Did God the Father not know that His own Son was going to contradict that practice in the New Testament? Of course that assumes Jesus really did contradict the practice.

4.) Consistency with Background Context: Pick a meaning that fully aligns with the historical, legal, architectural, agricultural … context.

5.) Consistency of Meaning of words/root words/figures of speech: Hold to a meaning for all words, root words, and figures of speech consistent with their usage throughout the Old and New Testament. We have a Greek Old and New Testament and a Hebrew Old Testament, pick a meaning fully fitting everywhere the same word, root word, and figure of speech is used.

Take the discussion on polygamy being adultery, for example. Look at all the places where someone was accused of committing adultery in the Old Testament, and all the places where the definition is given. What were the circumstances. David committed adultery, right? When? How many wives did he have at the time? How many more wives did he take afterwards? Did he commit adultery then as well?

6.) Consistency with the Surrounding Discussion: Hold to a meaning consistent with the entire discussion surrounding the verse or passage being considered, hold to the flow of thought, flow of arguments, meaning of points made …

For example, take the discussion this is a part of:

Mat 19:4 And He answered and said, "Have you not read that He who created them from 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'?

Is the context a discussion on what a lawful marriage is or is the context a discussion on whether or not we can divorce the women we are married to at any time for any reason? The context is when can we divorce, a lawful marriage, using the passages listed prior in the O.T. is any woman you have had sex with. Thus, David was married at least 18 times, possibly as high as 28, with one case of adultery. Solomon had sex with a thousand wives and concubines with no cases of adultery. God the Father had multiple wives and they committed adultery against Him. He did not commit adultery…

7.) Consistency with conscience: Example: If your interpretation would be a sin if a man did likewise and your interpretation results in believing God does what would be sin for us, your interpretation is wrong. i.e., there are no illustrations in the Bible where God says He commits adultery. If your chosen meaning for the word adultery would make God an adulterer, and by His own admission, you picked the wrong meaning for the word. In other words, if you hold to polygamy as adultery you accuse God Himself of adultery.

8.) God, God’s People and God’s Word are 100% consistent: Pick an interpretation for all the data that makes God, God’s people and God’s word 100% consistent in “all” they say and do and “all” they don’t say and don’t do. Any inconsistencies, are proof of incorrect beliefs/definitions.

God says that David’s only sins were those related to Uriah the Hittite (He took his wife and got him killed.) even the numbering of the people was not a sin as that commandment was for the people to pay the tax for being numbered. THEY did not pay it. THEY did not know they were supposed to because THEY didn’t know the law or chose not to pay. Yes, David “felt” guilty, but he did not violate God’s commandments in that case. Remember, any inconsistencies in what is said and done, or not said, and not done are a result of our incorrect beliefs. How many times does the bible say Solomon committed adultery? Answer: Never. Solomon was reproved for his wives, but not the number of them. He was reproved by God for taking foreign wives. Now, figure out why Solomon did not violate God’s commands for “kings” not to heap to himself wives, horses or gold. Solomon had “Heaps” of all of them. Hint: Solomon did a great sacrifice and received a vision from God.

9.) Always apply logic, reason, and rational thinking: Pick an interpretation fully fitting with all logic, reason, and rational thinking. (i.e., if the writer spent a whole chapter saying all gifts are equal and necessary, that none are greater than any others, … do not choose an interpretation for the very next verse that would command us to desire what God spent the previous 30 verses saying doesn’t exist, and that you can’t get, period, regardless of your desire. “Earnestly desire the greater gifts”, contradicts everything prior. Look for the “other” possible meaning. Note: There is one.

The passage where Jesus is said to have stated that the only lawful marriage model is the marriage of one man and one woman, for example. Understand that, in the audience, there may have been dozens of people with polygamous relationships in their past. Jesus being descended from both David and Solomon, for example. Here’s the problem.

1.) Someone in the audience says to himself, “My dad had two wives, my mom was his first wife, but his second wife was the one to give birth to a son, my half-brother, first, and he gets the inheritance, and all the benefits and I did not. If only the first marriage is legal, don’t I get to kick my brother and my brother’s mother out and take the inheritance?

2.) Is Jesus capable of being King? Was Solomon a lawful king? Sorry, if only the first marriage was ever approved by God, neither one was/is a lawful king. Sorry, not from the first wife?

3.) This is a discussion on lawful divorce. As such, if Jesus meant that only the first wife is approved by God, is Jesus stating that all other wives can be kicked to the curb even without divorce proceedings? What about the kids? Do they have to kick them to the curb as well?

4.) From the perspective of a second or third wife in the audience, what is your response to Jesus if this is what Jesus said and meant?

5.) Where are all the discussions that “Should” have been voiced out loud in this society where polygamy was practiced by most of the patriarchs including Jacob, Moses, Gideon, David, Solomon … where is the confusion, the questioning … it didn’t happen. What was the response of the audience? Shoot, if this is what God meant, it is better not to get married at all, right? The context is lawful divorce. The only way this makes sense in a polygamous society is if Jesus is saying, once you have sex, regardless of the number of wives you have, they are your wife and divorce is not an option. EVER! That’s the only way everything makes sense.

10.) Start with the Easiest/Clearest … data on the topic: Interpret the clearest, easiest understood, most straightforward data/passages first—then the more complex or difficult passages. The complex, convoluted, and difficult passages are easy to distort to fit beliefs.

11.) It ALL fits together: Pick a meaning for the parts that fully fit with the whole of the data that might pertain without adding meaning, subtracting meaning, or distorting anything to force it to comply with your beliefs. If everything gathered (#3 above) does not fully fit with everything in #4-10 above, you have the wrong meaning, and you are forcing the scriptures to fit what you want to believe “as” truth.

12.) Keep on continuously proving all things over and over again as a habit and way of life and never stop … and hold fast to what is good/true. Getting to truth is an ongoing process that never ends. One single verse, one fact you missed, one slight change in interpretation … can force a complete reevaluation and even a complete a change of beliefs. That is, if you love truth, and obey what God commands all His people to be continuously doing for and by themselves. If not …

13.) It’s all on You! Trusting others to get to truth “for” you, is like trusting others to have a relationship with your wife / husband / kids “for” you. It cannot be done. Your failure to keep on habitually doing as God commands all His people to keep on habitually doing, proves you have gathered enough using Methodology One to hold fast to what you want to believe and fall short of 2Th. 2:10-12

I always tell everyone: Understand, “Agreement with me might only make us both wrong.” Why? Because it's true. It only takes one verse I missed, in context, cut straight, to change my beliefs.

Starting from beliefs, and then going to those who have the same ones to get all the passages they use to prove their beliefs to be fact, opposing beliefs false, and to understand how they interpret everything to hold fast to those beliefs always results in the affirmation of those beliefs. If your goal is to do something like that, pick the beliefs you want to have first. If you want to be Mormon gather their data and use their interpretations. If you want to be a Calvinist use theirs, Roman Catholic ... you get the idea.

Understand, everyone in every belief group knows they love truth and have the truth. Here's why:

2Th 2:10 and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. 11 For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, 12 in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. 13 But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.

Everyone gets what they really want. That which we love least is always forced to conform to that which we love most. Everyone either loves the truth or their beliefs. But the "Many on the Broad path of destruction in Mat. 7 is the same many that believe Jesus is their Lord God and Savior at the end of the chapter to whom Jesus said, "Depart from Me ye who work iniquity for I never knew you."

Everyone using Methodology One, while they will get an unshakeable, unquestionable belief that they have the truth, but it is really God hardening them into what they want to believe because they just love what they want to believe. Everyone picks one, and the Methodology you use proves what camp you are in.

Yes, you have the right to believe anything you want ... and pay the price if you do not receive a love of the truth that exceeds the love you have for your beliefs, but do not say that you were not warned when you stand before the judgment seat of God.

By the love of the truth do you think it means wanting to know what is really true rather than wanting to be right? That's how I'd like to understand it, I can't say for sure that's how Paul meant it, but it seems likely. To me it seems that caring about truth very often means admitting we don't know for sure.

Paul says in Romans 7 that if a woman marries another while her husband is alive she commits adultery. The NT may hold men and women to the same standard, since it appears to do so regarding divorce, it presents leadership as being mainly about being a good example, and the requirements for elders, but I wouldn't call that proof. If it does the the NT opposes polygamy but the OT does not, then either the morality of it depends on the context or culture, or it was something permitted "because of the hardness of their hearts."

 

[stevevw]

My last post made it clear that people have a strong visceral reaction against polygamy, but some need some help fleshing out a logical argument against it. I'll see what I can do.
The first mention of polygamy in the Bible is in Genesis where Lamech, one of Cain's descendants took two wives, Adah and Zillah. He bragged about killing someone for hurting him, not exactly someone we want to imitate. Bible scholars have this law of first mention, where the first mention of something is the most significant.
When asked about divorce, Jesus quoted "he made the male and female" and "the two shall become one flesh." It seems he treated this as the formula for what marriage should be: one man and one woman for life.
Polyamorous relationships have a very high rate of breakup, which is not good for anyone, and more traditional polygamy is generally held together by an authoritarian structure.
I just learned it is illegal too. I can't help finding that funny though; I picture a policeman hearing that his married neighbor has a girlfriend and he thinks, okay not my problem, but then he hears that the guy's wife knows about it and none of them are breaking up and so now all a sudden he shows up at the door with an arrest warrant. I knew it was in illegal back in the 1800s, I was recently listening to a GK Chesterton book, 'what I saw in America' that mentions how visas at the time asked applicants if they're polygamist. To the one who posted the GK Chesterton quote on my last thread, thank you, it's a good reminder and I love Chesterton's style.

In Australia its illegal. If you’re married and you separate and don't get divorced and then go and get married again that’s illegal. Not that this means much in today’s climate of PC and SSM. The argument would go if a person argues to change the definition of marriage to allow same sex couples to marry based on their legal rights to have the same access to marriage then polygamous couples would be able to do the same and that is what is happening as we speak.

I think as Christ supports in the Bible that a man and women will come together in marriage and become one flesh is not just about a law but there is good reason which incorporates the physical, mental and spiritual. Just as SSM couples cannot become one flesh polygamous marriages cannot become one flesh. Its impossible to truly fulfil the marriage vows in polygamous marriages. Someone will miss out and be disrespected along the way. One person cannot be everything to 2 people at the same time.

To me polygamous marriage is like a ownership of property rather than a marriage and that’s what it may have been back in Biblical times. More associated with tradition and ritual law that the true spirit of marriage represents as the union of man and women. That’s why someone is going to be treated like property somewhere along the line in a polygamous marriage.

But don't be surprised that polygamous marriage won't come in as a legal form of marriage. It’s inevitable. Because SSM couples cannot have children naturally there will be a 3rd person involved. That 3rd person will inevitably argue for rights as well as you cannot have kids by contract as humans are not robots and often have an attachment. Otherwise your making children commodities. So the solution will be 3 way relatioships/marriages which is what is beginning to happen.

 

[EmethAlethia]

By the love of the truth do you think it means wanting to know what is really true rather than wanting to be right? That's how I'd like to understand it, I can't say for sure that's how Paul meant it, but it seems likely. To me it seems that caring about truth very often means admitting we don't know for sure.

Paul says in Romans 7 that if a woman marries another while her husband is alive she commits adultery. The NT may hold men and women to the same standard, since it appears to do so regarding divorce, it presents leadership as being mainly about being a good example, and the requirements for elders, but I wouldn't call that proof. If it does the the NT opposes polygamy but the OT does not, then either the morality of it depends on the context or culture, or it was something permitted "because of the hardness of their hearts."

Truth is not about what we "feel" or even believe. Everyone "Believes" they have the truth. Atheists, Agnostics, Moslems, Mormons, Jews, Baptists ... Everyone "Believes" they have the truth. Why? They all do the exact same things to hold fast to "What they want to believe" "as" truth.

If you want to believe something "as" truth what do you do? The same things everyone else who doesn't want the truth does.

1.) Gather whatever they can “use” to prove what they “want to believe” to be truth.

2.) Accumulate all evidence they believe proves all opposing views incorrect.

3.) Assume their beliefs are unquestionable truth, and interpret everything in such a way as to make it all support, or at least not negate, their beliefs. Think about it. If your beliefs are unquestionable truths, all “valid” data, must support … or at least not negate, your infallible beliefs, right?

4.) Reinterpret, ignore, discredit, invalidate … anything that doesn’t seem to fit with their views, Why? Our beliefs are “Fact” Valid data interpreted correctly can’t contradict the facts.

5.) Gather all the other experiences, feelings, data … to solidify their beliefs such as signs, wonders, spiritual gifts or facts about your belief group. Things like: we have a burning in the bosom, we speak in tongues, we perform signs or wonders, a statue of Mary came to life and told us our belief groups views are correct, we have prayed to God for the truth and received “feelings” or even signs from heaven. Or, on a more concrete level: Our belief group is the oldest, largest, fastest growing, wealthiest, has the most experts with doctorates… Include anything that adds assurance that your views and belief group have the most truth.

But then if you do these things, at least be honest and pick what you want to believe first. then go to the experts in the belief groups that hold to those precepts and use the evidence they gather to hold fast to them. That way you can custom design your beliefs to fit your own desires perfectly.

 

[Reluctant Theologian]

In Australia its illegal. If you’re married and you separate and don't get divorced and then go and get married again that’s illegal. Not that this means much in today’s climate of PC and SSM. The argument would go if a person argues to change the definition of marriage to allow same sex couples to marry based on their legal rights to have the same access to marriage then polygamous couples would be able to do the same and that is what is happening as we speak.
...
But don't be surprised that polygamous marriage won't come in as a legal form of marriage. It’s inevitable. Because SSM couples cannot have children naturally there will be a 3rd person involved. That 3rd person will inevitably argue for rights as well as you cannot have kids by contract as humans are not robots and often have an attachment. Otherwise your making children commodities. So the solution will be 3 way relatioships/marriages which is what is beginning to happen.

The Australian legal definition of 'marriage' is void from a Biblical perspective - please read the AU Federal Marriage Act and lookup how marriage is defined; you will be surprised to find there is nothing but the following phrase: 'an exclusive union of two persons', which from a Biblical perspective has no meaning at all, because it does not define any roles, rights, obligations or substance of what marriage entails. AU law only goes to a lot of detail to what is required administratively in order to become married, and how the process of divorce works, but literally just one sentence on what marriage is.

So someone can regard themselves 'married' from a Biblical perspective without having a legal Government Marriage Certificate; and that is perfectly legal in Australia. Even more so, Australian law has defined the 'de-facto' partner concept exactly with that purpose in mind; and allows this concept to be applied in 'polygamous' situations.

It should be observed that Government registered/certified marriages are a relatively late invention; in Biblical times this was not the case, so Christians cannot credibly argue Government recognition is required for a marriage to be a marriage in God's eyes.

 

[EmethAlethia]

My last post made it clear that people have a strong visceral reaction against polygamy, but some need some help fleshing out a logical argument against it. I'll see what I can do.

...
When asked about divorce, Jesus quoted "he made the male and female" and "the two shall become one flesh." It seems he treated this as the formula for what marriage should be: one man and one woman for life.

Polyamorous relationships have a very high rate of breakup, which is not good for anyone, and more traditional polygamy is generally held together by an authoritarian structure.

First, you are correct. Most people respond from their "Feelings" based on their backgrounds and upbringing.

Second, where was Adam going to get a second wife? And the question is, if you have a dozen wives, are you not "one flesh" with each of them? That was the definition of marriage. David was one flesh with about 18-28 depending on how you interpret passages and O.T. traditional teachings. He committed adultery once and then took at least ten more wives. Solomon was never accused of adultery.

the new testament passage that quotes that Genesis verse about becoming one flesh was quoted to answer when / who you can divorce. If it means, any woman you have sex with is your wife forever the response of the crowd, who all believed in polygamy being acceptable, even if they didn't practice it be cause the scriptures teach that it is, would have gone nuts.

"What do you mean only the first wife is approved by God? What do you mean that was God's plan from the beginning? Jesus. are you saying that only my first wife is God approved and that I can divorce all wives after that with impunity? My first born son is from my second wife. My first wife had a son after her. Does that mean that I have to disinherit my first born son? If you are the second born son in this situation, do you get to boot the second wife and her kids to the curb? What is Jesus saying about lawful divorce?

As far as polygamous relationships working out badly, God says that His wives committed adultery against Him as well. That would seem to make your point.

Jer 3:6 Then the LORD said to me in the days of Josiah the king, "Have you seen what faithless Israel did? She went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and she was a harlot there. 7 "I thought, 'After she has done all these things she will return to Me'; but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 "And I saw that for all the adulteries of faithless Israel, I had sent her away and given her a writ of divorce, yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear; but she went and was a harlot also. 9 "Because of the lightness of her harlotry, she polluted the land and committed adultery with stones and trees. 10 "Yet in spite of all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to Me with all her heart, but rather in deception," declares the LORD. 11 And the LORD said to me, "Faithless Israel has proved herself more righteous than treacherous Judah.

Eze 23:1 The word of the LORD came to me again, saying, 2 "Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother; 3 and they played the harlot in Egypt. They played the harlot in their youth; there their breasts were pressed and there their virgin bosom was handled. 4 "Their names were Oholah the elder and Oholibah her sister. And they became Mine, and they bore sons and daughters. And as for their names, Samaria is Oholah and Jerusalem is Oholibah. 5 "Oholah played the harlot while she was Mine; and she lusted after her lovers, after the Assyrians, her neighbors, 6 who were clothed in purple, governors and officials, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on horses. 7 "She bestowed her harlotries on them, all of whom were the choicest men of Assyria; and with all whom she lusted after, with all their idols she defiled herself. 8 "She did not forsake her harlotries from the time in Egypt; for in her youth men had lain with her, and they handled her virgin bosom and poured out their lust on her. 9 "Therefore, I gave her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians, after whom she lusted. 10 "They uncovered her nakedness; they took her sons and her daughters, but they slew her with the sword. Thus she became a byword among women, and they executed judgments on her. 11 "Now her sister Oholibah saw this, yet she was more corrupt in her lust than she, and her harlotries were more than the harlotries of her sister. 12 "She lusted after the Assyrians, governors and officials, the ones near, magnificently dressed, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable young men. 13 "I saw that she had defiled herself; they both took the same way. 14 "So she increased her harlotries. And she saw men portrayed on the wall, images of the Chaldeans portrayed with vermilion, 15 girded with belts on their loins, with flowing turbans on their heads, all of them looking like officers, like the Babylonians in Chaldea, the land of their birth. 16 "When she saw them she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. 17 "The Babylonians came to her to the bed of love and defiled her with their harlotry. And when she had been defiled by them, she became disgusted with them. 18 "She uncovered her harlotries and uncovered her nakedness; then I became disgusted with her, as I had become disgusted with her sister. 19 "Yet she multiplied her harlotries, remembering the days of her youth, when she played the harlot in the land of Egypt. 20 "She lusted after their paramours, whose flesh is like the flesh of donkeys and whose issue is like the issue of horses. 21 "Thus you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when the Egyptians handled your bosom because of the breasts of your youth. 22 "Therefore, O Oholibah, thus says the Lord GOD, 'Behold I will arouse your lovers against you, from whom you were alienated, and I will bring them against you from every side: 23 the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod and Shoa and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them; desirable young men, governors and officials all of them, officers and men of renown, all of them riding on horses. 24 'They will come against you with weapons, chariots and wagons, and with a company of peoples. They will set themselves against you on every side with buckler and shield and helmet; and I will commit the judgment to them, and they will judge you according to their customs. 25 'I will set My jealousy against you, that they may deal with you in wrath. They will remove your nose and your ears; and your survivors will fall by the sword. They will take your sons and your daughters; and your survivors will be consumed by the fire. 26 'They will also strip you of your clothes and take away your beautiful jewels. 27 'Thus I will make your lewdness and your harlotry brought from the land of Egypt to cease from you, so that you will not lift up your eyes to them or remember Egypt anymore.' 28 "For thus says the Lord GOD, 'Behold, I will give you into the hand of those whom you hate, into the hand of those from whom you were alienated. 29 'They will deal with you in hatred, take all your property, and leave you naked and bare. And the nakedness of your harlotries will be uncovered, both your lewdness and your harlotries. 30 'These things will be done to you because you have played the harlot with the nations, because you have defiled yourself with their idols.

Maybe if God had talked to His Son first and understood that "For this reason a man ..." was a commandment of God to only have one wife He wouldn't have been in that mess in the first place. Of course, if only the first marriage is God approved, what does that do to Jesus rights to be king as a descendant of David's eighth wife?