The Fallacy that Polygamy is Scriptural (1)
A rebuttal to Reno Omokri's "Scriptural Facts About Polygamy"
Prologue
The other day I read an article in the Vanguard of April 29th, 2022, online, in their VIEWPOINT section titled, "Scriptural Facts About Polygamy" by Reno Omokri. The article states in a nutshell that God permits polygamy. Indeed, the author postulated that polygamy is a scripturally acceptable practice among Christians, except for bishops and deacons. At least, that is my understanding of his write-up. Unfortunately, the article was filled with many scriptural misrepresentations. One can only conclude that the author was trying to be clever by half, knew very little about Scripture, or knew what he was doing by manipulating Scripture to justify his friend's foray into the arena of polygamy. He seemed to have written the article to excite his reading audience, who most likely, do not understand the scriptures. Hence, the need to address this error.
I will try to address a few of the issues raised here. Let me state from the onset that polygamy is not scripturally acceptable in any shape or form; hence, the title of this article: "The Fallacy that Polygamy is Scriptural", which will be in two parts.
Polygamy is alien to Christianity
In 1 Timothy 3, through Paul, the Holy Spirit told Timothy, and every Christian, that bishops and deacons should be husbands of one wife, among other requirements. The Holy Spirit was then, and now is, tacitly addressing a common trend in the Gentile world, from which these bishops and deacons, having become Christians, were to be chosen. In the Gentile world at the time, as it is now, polygamy and all sorts of deviant sexual practices were acceptable. For example, incest, including sexual intercourse with one's stepmother or stepdaughter, was considered normal behaviour, as were threesomes and foursomes. We now have homosexuality and lesbianism as an appropriate lifestyle in certain nations.
It was, therefore, clear that there would be believers who would have had more than one wife. Timothy was thus commanded not to ordain anyone who had more than one wife. Hence, if a person had more than one wife before he repented, though he did not have to set any of them aside, he was nonetheless not to be a leader in the church! Why? An occupant of the Office of bishop or deacon is an example for young believers to follow as the standard for following Jesus. Through Peter, the Holy Spirit tells us that church leaders were not to act as lords over God's heritage but to be examples to them (1 Peter 5:1, 3). Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Paul remarked to the Philippians and, by extension, is telling us:
Brothers and sisters, join together in following my example. Also, learn by watching those who are living the way we showed you. There are many who live like enemies of the cross of Christ. I have often told you about them. And it makes me cry to tell you about them now. The way they live is leading them to destruction. They have replaced God with their own desires. They do shameful things, and they are proud of what they do. They think only about earthly things. But the government that rules us is in heaven. We are waiting for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come from there. (Philippians 3:17-20, ERV)
If God allowed polygamy, He would not have required that church leaders have but one wife. But because He wanted to get across the essence and importance of one wife to one man, He stressed that bishops, deacons, and other church leaders, who are examples for other believers to follow, are to have but one wife!
Was Abraham polygamous?
In his article, Reno Omokri referred to Old Testament personalities to support his postulation of "Scriptural Facts for Polygamy". He mentioned the likes of Abraham and David as instances of people in Scripture who were polygamous and to whom God did nothing. He quoted the part of Scripture where God told David after craftily taking Uriah's wife, that if he (David) wanted more wives, He (God) would have given him, showing, according to Mr. Omokri, that God supports and assents to polygamy. Nothing can be further from the truth!
First, let us note that Abraham did not marry Hagar. Yes, she bore him a son, Ishmael, but it was an arrangement of surrogacy contrived by Sarah, Abraham's wife, that went awry! Secondly, God's statement to David was not an approval of polygamy, but God winking at the sinful lifestyle of Old Testament believers. It is critical to note that people were ill-equipped to live as God demanded under the Old Testament.
Explaining "Old Testament"
Now, let me address the issue of the Old Testament lifestyle. The phrase "Old Testament" is made of two words: "old" and "testament". The word "old" refers to not just something ancient but something that has been discarded, done away with, or is fading away (Hebrews 8:13). In 2 Corinthians 5:17, the Holy Spirit tells us that
"old things have passed away,"
referring to the former life that those who come to Christ once lived—that old life of sin is done away with and should no longer be lived. Thus, the New Testament lifestyle is completely new and different from the Old Testament lifestyle, which is no longer tenable, and the ungodly lifestyles of their personalities should not be emulated!
So, when something is said to be "old" in Scripture, it often refers to something that has passed away, is passing away, has been done away with, or is to be discarded. Thus, when we refer to the "Old Testament", we speak of a testament that has passed away, been done away with, or is no longer in force, use, or tenable.
Now, we come to the word "testament", which could mean
(1) A dispensation, era, or time in history;
(2) A document, record, or documentation of the events of a dispensation; or,
(3) A decree, will, or covenant.
So, the phrase "Old Testament" could refer to an ancient dispensation, a document or documentation of the events of an old or bygone era, or an obsolete covenant—that is no longer in force—the commandments of God given at Sinai. It gets tricky here. Someone may say that since the commandments given at Sinai are no longer tenable, they can kill, steal, covet, etc. But what does the Holy Spirit teach?
In the Law there are many commands, such as, "Be faithful in marriage. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not want what belongs to others." But all of these are summed up in the command that says, "Love others as much as you love yourself." No one who loves others will harm them. So love is all that the Law demands. (Romans 13:9-10, CEV)
In Hebrews 9:15-20 (KJV), the word "testament" could mean covenant or agreement, or will, as is translated in many modern versions or translations of the Bible. During the old dispensation, God cut covenants with various people, but the most prominent is the covenant with Israel at Sinai. That covenant, the Holy Spirit clarifies, was a shadow of something to come (Hebrews 10:1); in modern English, it was a model, pattern, or preview of something real.
The Old Testament models the New Testament
Models or patterns are usually not life-size, are made from less expensive materials, cannot withstand what the real thing can, and lots more. A model is put together to give us a picture or an idea of what the real thing would look like—it is never the real thing and should never be assumed to be the real thing. For example, in the Old Testament, a sacrificial animal was a figure of Christ, but not Christ Himself!
Some of what happened in the old dispensation were not meant to be allowed, even in that dispensation. But knowing human frailty—the reason for the collapse of the old covenant (Hebrews 8:8-9)—God allowed for concessions. When Jesus responded to the question of divorce, He noted that Moses conceded divorce because the people were hardhearted, a euphemism for stubbornness, rebellion, and refusal to accept God's word or teaching. However, under the New Testament—the new dispensation and covenant—God made provision for people to be empowered to live by its decrees. To aver, therefore, that polygamy, which was practised under the old dispensation, albeit by concession, is allowed in the new dispensation is preposterous.
Jesus is the New Testament example
In the New Testament, Jesus, the real deal, is the Mediator! Where the blood of goats and bulls could not take away sin, His blood did. Where those under the old covenant could not live out the commands of God, Jesus, under that same old covenant, lived it out. Not only that, but Jesus also came to show us how to live as God expects under the new covenant. Whereas the old decree or covenant was problematic to its adherents and considered a burden, the new covenant is easy (1 John 5:3-5). Jesus, speaking about the commamdmemt for the New Testament believer, said,
"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' This is the first and most important command. And the second command is like the first: 'Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.' All of the law and the writings of the prophets take their meaning from these two commands." (Matthew 22:37-40, ERV)
Jesus is our example for doctrine and living, not David, Abraham, or even Moses! We adhere to Jesus' teachings and manner of life. You say, "Why then do we need the Old Testament?" It enables us to see God’s dealings over time, appreciate His unchanging nature, and understand the New Testament by looking at the pattern in the Old Testament, among others. Though God seemed to have overlooked certain things in the past, he no longer overlooks them under the new dispensation.
We shall continue from here as we look at Jesus’ teaching on marriage and God’s silence to man’s atrocious living.
Your comments are also welcome.