Azel’s brother Eshek had three sons: the first was Ulam, the second was Jeush, and the third was Eliphelet. Ulam’s sons were all mighty warriors and expert archers. They had many sons and grandsons—150 in all. All these were descendants of Benjamin. (1 Corinthians 8:39-40)We have been reading genealogies for the last few days in our daily Bible reading. And one thing really strikes me as amazing: the number of concubines in the Old Testament. As a guy that interests me.
Each of these people, many of them great Bible patriarchs who were standards of holiness in God’s sights had mistresses in addition to their wives and each of the mistresses had children.
That presented some difficulties at times when the concubines’ kids got in a fight with the other kids. But the interesting thing about it is that God never once condemned it. Never once did he condemn multiple marriages also.
We go to 1 Timothy 3 as a qualification for elders and the “husband of one wife” but I wonder how much of that is wishful thinking on the part of God. I say that because there were not many men in the Old Testament who followed it.
But he never condemned them for immorality.
It makes me wonder if our system of morality is different from God’s. We think of our system as holy and godly, but maybe it isn’t. Maybe ours is artificial. Maybe we have imposed our own attitudes and ideas on the Bible.
Of course, it wouldn’t be the first time. And, surprise, surprise! My wife doesn’t quite see it that way.
But even so, it bears some thinking.
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