How does Rehoboam's marriage reflect God's design for marriage in Genesis 2:24? Rehoboam’s Marriage Snapshot 2 Chronicles 11:18-21 records that Rehoboam “took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and he fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.” His favored wife was Maacah, daughter of Absalom, through whom he planned succession (v. 22-23). The passage is a literal, historical report of his domestic life. God’s Design in Genesis 2:24 “ For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” Key elements: • Leaving – a new, independent household • Cleaving – an exclusive, covenant union • One flesh – a lifelong, intimate bond that produces family (cf. Matthew 19:4-6; Ephesians 5:31-33) Points of Alignment • Leaving: Rehoboam assumed kingship and formed his own household apart from Solomon. • Family Building: His marriages produced sons and daughters, fulfilling the fruitfulness aspect implicit in “one flesh” (cf. Genesis 1:28). Points of Departure • Multiplicity vs. Exclusivity – God’s pattern speaks of “a man…his wife,” singular. – Rehoboam multiplied wives and concubines (Deuteronomy 17:17 warns kings not to “multiply wives”). • Political Alliance vs. Covenant Love – Many of his marriages secured alliances (e.g., ties to Davidic relatives and Absalom’s line). – Genesis 2:24 portrays marriage as a God-centered covenant rather than a power strategy. • Divided Affections vs. One-Flesh Union – Polygamy fragments emotional and spiritual unity, undermining the full “one flesh” ideal. – Solomon’s example (1 Kings 11:3-4) shows how multiple wives can turn a heart; the same risk shadowed Rehoboam. Lessons for Today • Narrative is not normative: Scripture’s accuracy in describing Rehoboam’s polygamy does not endorse it; instead, it highlights the wisdom of God’s original blueprint. • God’s design remains best: One man, one woman, lifelong faithfulness brings the clearest expression of covenant love, stability for children, and a picture of Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:31-32). • Compromise has consequences: Rehoboam’s divided household paralleled a divided kingdom (1 Kings 12). Departing from Genesis 2:24 principles still breeds fragmentation in hearts, homes, and communities. In short, while Rehoboam’s household shows certain surface reflections of Genesis 2:24 (leaving and family growth), his polygamous practice largely departs from God’s revealed design of exclusive, wholehearted, one-flesh union. |
    |