How does Abijah's polygamy align with biblical teachings on marriage? Scriptural Statement of the Case 2 Chronicles 13:21 : “But Abijah grew powerful, married fourteen wives, and fathered twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.” The Hebrew text reads וַיִּשְׁיאָ֥ לוֹ אֲבִיָּ֛ה נָשִׁ֖ים אַרְבַּ֣ע עֶשְׂרֵ֑ה, plainly recording, not commending, the action. The Foundational Marriage Ideal Genesis 2:24 establishes the design: “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” Jesus re-affirms the verse verbatim in Matthew 19:4-6 and Mark 10:6-9, adding: “So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” Scripture’s first and last words on marriage are monogamous. Descriptive vs. Prescriptive Narratives Historical books often record human behavior without endorsement (cf. Judges 21:25). Chronicles is primarily descriptive, chronicling royal deeds—good, bad, and mixed—to teach covenant lessons (1 Corinthians 10:11). Abijah’s polygamy is reported but never praised; the text neither blesses the practice nor attributes his military victory (2 Chronicles 13:13-18) to it. Mosaic Concessions and Regulations The Mosaic Law tolerated, then restricted, polygamy in a fallen culture: • Exodus 21:10 protects a first wife’s rights if another is taken. • Deuteronomy 21:15-17 guards the inheritance of sons from an “unloved” wife. These statutes function as damage control, not divine endorsement, comparable to Jesus’ explanation of divorce concessions “because of your hardness of heart” (Matthew 19:8). Royal Statute Against Multiplying Wives Deuteronomy 17:17 commands the king: “He must not take many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away.” Israel’s monarchs were measured by this yardstick. Fourteen wives qualify as “many,” placing Abijah outside the statute’s spirit and foreshadowing Solomon’s catastrophic excess (1 Kings 11:1-4). Narrative Outcomes of Polygamy in Scripture • Abraham’s concubinage birthed strife (Genesis 16; 21). • Jacob’s rivalry-filled household (Genesis 29-30) produced national tribal rivalries. • David’s multiplied wives led to family violence (2 Samuel 13-18). • Solomon’s harems corrupted worship (1 Kings 11). The Chronicler’s audience, returning from exile, would perceive the implicit warning: deviation from Genesis 2 invites covenant dysfunction. Prophetic and Wisdom Literature Witness Malachi 2:14-16 links covenant loyalty with “the wife of your youth,” declaring, “Did He not make them one? … So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth.” Proverbs 5:18-19 celebrates satisfaction in one spouse. The cumulative voice moves Israel back to Eden’s pattern. New-Covenant Clarification The New Testament restores and universalizes the original standard: • 1 Timothy 3:2; 12 and Titus 1:6 require church leaders to be “the husband of one wife.” • 1 Corinthians 7:2 advises, “each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband.” Polygamy quietly disappears among Christians by the end of the first century, corroborated by early church fathers (e.g., Ignatius, Polycarp) who cite Genesis 2. Theological Synthesis Abijah’s polygamy: a) exposes human kings’ incompleteness, directing readers to the true King who has one Bride (Ephesians 5:25-32). b) illustrates God’s mercy in working through flawed agents—Abijah still received covenantal help against Jeroboam (2 Chronicles 13:4-12, 18). c) underlines the law’s role as a tutor pointing beyond fallen accommodation to Christ’s redemptive ideal (Galatians 3:24). Answer to the Alignment Question Abijah’s polygamy does not align with the biblical teaching on marriage; it aligns with the biblical record of human sin that necessitates salvation. The Bible’s coherent storyline moves from monogamous creation, through tolerated polygamy under sin, to monogamous redemption in Christ. Abijah’s fourteen wives fit the middle, concessionary phase, serving as a cautionary exhibit rather than a model. Practical Implications for Modern Readers • Evaluate narratives by overall canonical ethic, not isolated incidents. • Uphold Genesis-to-Revelation monogamy as the divine design. • Recognize God’s grace in messy histories, yet refuse to normalize those messes. • Let the King with one Bride shape marital expectations and gospel witness. Thus, Abijah’s polygamy is a documented failure against an unwavering biblical ideal, preserved to magnify the wisdom and faithfulness of the God who “in the beginning made them male and female” (Matthew 19:4). |
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