The following article contains an interesting take on the issues of polygamy and divorce. He suggests that while God intends for marriages to be a perpetual arrangement between one man and one woman, God always incarnates his will in the midst of sinful societies. As such, we see God moving people away from sinful societal structures and towards godly ideals without bare and naked absolute commands.
From The Briefing Library :: Is polygamy a sin? A consideration of polygamy and the Bible by Glenn Davies
While it is true that legislation existed under Mosaic Law to regulate polygamy [1] , such legislation did not thereby legitimize polygamy. Rather, it is a sufferance exercised by God, a divine permission, which best explains the accounts of polygamy in the Old Testament.
The parallel with respect to divorce legislation has often been put forth as an explanatory model of such divine toleration. In the instance of divorce, the regulations in Deuteronomy 24:1-4 are interpreted by Jesus as permissive legislation because of Israel’s hardness of heart. [2] Yet from the beginning this was not so. In other words, Jesus indicates that the existence of sin among the people of God requires regulations so as to prevent sin from wreaking further havoc among God’s people. Thus, on the one hand, God can say that he hates divorce, [3] while on the other hand, he can provide guidelines for its regulation both under the old covenant [4] and under the new covenant. [5]
Sin is always complicating. Once sin erupts in the midst of relationships it has a habit of multiplying and worsening the situation. The Bible therefore regularly seeks to limit the effects of sin, wherever possible.
Your thoughts?
- Exod 21:10-11 [↩]
- Matt 19:8; Mark 10:5 [↩]
- Mal 2:16 [↩]
- Deut 24:1-4 [↩]
- Matt 19:1-9; 1 Cor 7:15 [↩]
