3591 — Is Polygamy Sin?
By Editor
God told man to be fruitful and multiply. Gen. 1:22, etc. It certainly was no evil, or sin, for a man to have more than one wife. See instructions given in Deut. 21:15-17. And there were many illustrious characters who had more than one wife. David did, and he is said to be "a man after God's own heart." H. M. In the first place, it would seem that if God designed that man should have more than one wife, He would have made more than one wife for Adam. It does not say that he made them male and females, but "male and female," a female for a male. He gave to Adam one wife, and the divine expression is, "They twain [the two, not four nor five, nor three even, but the twain] shall be one flesh." We have no more reason to gather from the Scripture that polygamy is right than polyandry is right. Why has not the woman just as much right to two or more husbands as the man has to two or more wives? Tibet, we believe, has this law, but we would hardly want to take Tibet for an example. Secondly, God wishes man to learn some things in the providential outworking of events, as well as by direct precept. Man had in the beginning God's plan clear and direct. He ought to have followed that plan. When the males were killed off in war and strife, man began to multiply wives to himself, contrary to God's plan. And man's devices have had some sad outworkings. Good men have failed to carry out God's plan. Their hearts have been right, and God has accepted them notwithstanding their sins, but this does not excuse their sins, or their bad example, or the bad results. Abraham had many trials and much sadness on account of his two wives. He would have saved much of his trial if he had believed God and refused to act on Sarah's suggestion. Isaac's life seems to have been a quiet and happy one; he had but the one wife. Jacob had two wives, and his life was miserable in consequence, on account of the jealousies of the wives and of the sons. David had more than one wife. He was a man after God's own heart in his sorrow for sin, in his devotion, in his faithfulness, in his willingness to receive God's reproof; but he certainly did not follow God's way in multiplying wives to himself, and went directly against the commandment of God, that the king should "not multiply wives" to himself. Deut. 17:17. But just as soon as a man has more than one wife at the same time he multiplies wives to himself. We have only to think of the sad history of David's family, of his rebellious and wayward sons, to see the folly of his many wives. So also with Solomon. In the teaching of Jesus He brings us right back to the original plan of Eden. "He which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife [one]; and they twain shall be one flesh." Surely it is contrary to God and His truth and His plan to have more than one wife, and to be contrary to God is missing the mark, and missing the mark is sin.