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A lot of the "christian cults" (Mormonism isn't the only one) rationalize their male members and leaders sleeping with more than one woman by saying it is God's will and pointing to Biblical polygamy as their "proof".

Did God tolerate polygamy in the Tanakh/OT, the way He tolerated divorce? Jacob had two wives and had kids with his maids, Moses had at least two wives, David had at least two and Solomon, 'nuff said. In Matthew 19:5 and Mark 10:7 Jesus reiterated Genesis 2:24 (practically verbatim) by saying that when a man and woman marry they become one flesh. The wife was created from the future husband's body, so I think that means God wants one man and one woman to marry. If it was God's ideal for marriage at the creation of humans, it stands to reason that it hasn't changed. How can a guy become "one flesh" with 300 wives and 700 concubines? In addition, American polygamists like to marry underage girls.

Hi LM,

I think the key word in your question is that God tolerated it, just as He did many other things. You are right, Jesus clearly stated in Matthew and Mark that a man and a woman become one flesh and no one was to destroy that union, and to do otherwise became adultery which is also known as fornication.

Gen 2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
Gen 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Mat 19:4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
Mat 19:5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
Mat 19:6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
Mat 19:7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
Mat 19:8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
Mat 19:9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.

Mar 10:4 And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away.
Mar 10:5 And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.
Mar 10:6 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.
Mar 10:7 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;
Mar 10:8 And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.
Mar 10:9 What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
Mar 10:10 And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter.
Mar 10:11 And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her.
Mar 10:12 And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.

Polygamy is becoming more common. Some suggest that about a third of the world's poplulation are in cultures that allow for polygamy. Just as some under the banner of Christian are promoting it, we see Hebrew Roots proponents, and others like you have listed. That mindset provides justification for going against God's original directive concerning the union of a man and a woman. People are always looking for ways to live to the flesh instead of living for God.

Some take 2 Samuel 12:7-8 as proof God sanctioned polygamy in it's varied forms. God is speaking through Nathan to David about his being deliverd from Saul and then being given all that Saul had, including 'his wives'. Saul incidently had one wife and one concubine. The context is that God had given David the victory and could have given much him much more.

There are men throughout the Bible that only had one wife, such as Adam, Noah, Job and many more. The first mention of more than one wife was with Lamech, (Genesis 4:19) who was of the lineage of Cain, and the father of Noah...and it was after that time and the sinful condition of mankind, and God saw "the wickedness" of man in Genesis 6, and passed judgment on all, except Noah and his family. And the result was the worldwide flood.

However the practice of taking more than one wife or concubines continued as we see Abraham, Esau, Jacob and others and it is found mentioned until about the Babylonian exile. After that, it isn't recorded as being part of Israel's activities. In the NT, it is not even mentioned as a practice, other than with the Samaritan woman who had five husbands, which suggests divorces and the last one she was not married to. That polygamy did happen did not mean it was how God intended it to be as we have already seen what God said to Adam and Eve and what Jesus said. Even though God added particular circumstances in the law of Moses about multiple wives, etc, does not mean He approved it. Just as Jesus said, even divorce was due to the hardness of hearts and was never as God intended which was the permanent union of a man and woman to remain one flesh. We can also see in the Scriptures that multiple wives or concubines caused many problems, including rivalry and jealousy.

God specifically prohibited multiple wives for kings for Israel, in Deuteronomy 17, and in the NT leadership was to be the 'husband of one wife'. Many use Solomon as an example of proof polygamy was sanctioned by God. Solomon, as wise as he was, disobeyed much of what God had said.

1Ki 11:1 But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;
1Ki 11:2 Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.
1Ki 11:3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.
1Ki 11:4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.
1Ki 11:5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
1Ki 11:6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.
...1Ki 11:8 And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.
1Ki 11:9 And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice,
1Ki 11:10 And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded.
1Ki 11:11 Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.

There is always some consequence for doing things different than what God intended, even if God allows the issue to take place. God often used the descriptor of adulterers, harlots, etc as a spiritual analogy to being faithful or unfaithful to Him. And in Christ the analogy is that of a marriage between a faithful husband and wife and the relationship of Christ to believers

Eph 5:29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
Eph 5:30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
Eph 5:31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
Eph 5:32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.