God's Daughters: The First Commandment

There is a popular television show that follows a polygamist family. There is one husband with four wives and many children. They are completely unapologetic and find it disturbing that a federal court case may be brought against them (a little naive, I feel). As much as I hate to admit it, I find the show terribly fascinating. It's an interesting look into the ways different people think, act, and practice religion. However, I can never agree with their lifestyle.

But why not?

There are plenty of examples of polygamist marriages in the Bible. What is it about them that makes us squeamish? In a culture where marriage is no longer sacred (the divorce rate is truly astonishing), does it really matter?

Yes, it does.

In my last post, I mentioned that I had found a version of the Torah, translated and commentated upon by a Jewish scholar. I particularly like his translation of Genesis 1:26, 27. In the NIV, these verses are translated as, "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.' So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them" (emphasis mine). The changing pronouns make these verses a little confusing, don't they?

Friedman's translation makes these verses a great deal clearer: "And God said, 'Let us make a human, in our image, according to our likeness, and let them dominate the fish of the sea and the birds of the skies and the domestic animals and all the earth and all the creeping things that creep on the earth.' And God created the human in His image. He created it in the image of God; He created them male and female" (emphasis mine).

According to Dr. Friedman, it is not until the formation of woman in Genesis 2:23 that the actual word for "man" is used. Until that point, they are simply "humans". This gives us a vastly different perspective on the creation of human existence. First of all, God never intended to simply create "man". He created humans in His image - both male and female. Together, both sexes represent God as neither one could do on its own.

This tells me that neither one should dominate over the other. In a polygamist marriage, everything is focused around the man. He is the center of everything. All the women subject themselves to him and crave his affection and attention. This was never as God intended. Neither part of God's image should vie for control and domination over the other.

In verse 28, God gives the first recorded commandment: "And God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and dominate the fish of the sea and the birds of the skies and every animal that creeps on the earth.'" The part I want to concentrate on is "Be fruitful and multiply."

If God thought that polygamist marriages were the best way to fulfill the first commandment, then why didn't He set up that example to begin with? Couldn't he have created one more woman? (I don't think I need to explain biologically why a husband with two wives would be able to fill the earth much more quickly than a woman with two husbands. If you don't understand that part, perhaps you should complain to your high school biology teacher.)

The only possible answer is that polygamy was never God's best for His creation. He intended marriage to stay between one man and one woman. How then were polygamist marriages allowed and even blessed? Jacob is named in the Bible as one of the fathers of the Jewish faith, but he had two wives. David had more than one wife, and he was called a man after God's own heart.

I don't believe God ever condoned this, but I don't believe He could fault them for it. His very first recorded commandment was to fill the earth. If these people were fulfilling this commandment, how could they be punished for it? I believe that God didn't like it, but He put up with it. It was never His best plan for his sons and daughters. This is my personal opinion, however, and you must search it out for yourselves in the Scriptures.

A polygamist marriage is damaging to everyone involved. First of all, it diminishes the importance of the woman in the relationship. She is also a part of God's image and should be treated as such. Her role cannot be duplicated. We see this in the contention between Rachel and Leah. Rachel was loved, and Leah was not, and it created jealousy between the sisters. Second of all, the man's interests are divided. When he must partition his love and time between different families (not to mention his business pursuits), how can he truly be a good, present, and focused father and husband? Third of all, it is hard on any children that are produced from these unions. Where does their loyalty lie? Their father has sex with someone besides their mother (to be perfectly blunt), and they must accept this other woman into their lives without question. Do they submit to her as to their mother? Do they disregard her completely?

In the Scriptures, we see God caring for those daughters who were caught in polygamist marriages. When Sarah demanded that Abraham put out Hagar and her son, God heard Hagar's cry for help and made her prosperous. God opened Leah's womb so that she could experience love in her life. In fact, it is from Leah's line that we receive our salvation.

These are such great examples of how God demonstrated His love for daughters living in a male-centric society, but what about today? Why doesn't He still accept polygamy?

Well, to begin with, we have fulfilled the first commandment. The earth is filled and subdued. There is no doubt that humans are at the top of the food chain. It's also important to note that in many countries like the United States, polygamist marriages are illegal. In Romans 13, Paul exhorts Christians to follow the laws of the land: "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God" (NIV).

Whether you agree with me or not, I hope that you research these things for yourself. Issues like this have created tension in the Body of Christ for years. Women have suffered under men who believe that they are the rulers of the home. I am simply trying to put these misused and abused Scriptures in a new light.


Works used:

Friedman, Richard E. (2001). Commentary on the Torah with a New English Translation and the Hebrew Text. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.