The Patriarchs did have more than one wife, however this was not God's perfect plan, as one can easily see in each case.  God could have brought forth many children in each family without the practice of polygamy by simply extending their longevity.  Interestingly, in the Law which God gave to Moses, polygamy was prohibited.  The plan of God was one man with one woman for life.  God gave Adam and Eve to each other and Jesus ratified this sacred institution by His teaching in the New Testament.

The Bible is crystal clear about what God’s standard for the marriage covenant is.  The Law of Moses states very clearly, “you shall not multiply wives . . “ [Deuteronomy 17:17].  It is significant that His warning is repeated in 1 Kings 11:1-4 in the very passage that speaks of Solomon’s failure in this area.  Solomon’s lack of obedience to Deuteronomy 17:17 can be directly linked to the division of the Jewish nation immediately following his death in 931 B.C.  This is described in the next chapter of 1 Kings 12.  His sin certainly had consequences.  Perhaps this is why he wrote warnings about sexual immorality in the Proverbs.

The warnings against polygamy are repeated multiple times in the New Testament. Jesus quotes Genesis 2:24 each time He is questioned about marriage.  1 Corinthians 7:2 states, “Each man should have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband.”  Paul later writes to Timothy [1 Timothy 3:2, 12] that a necessary qualification for church leadership is that the leader must be “the husband of one wife.”

All scripture that speaks of marriage doctrinally, speaks of marriage monogamously.  The historical misfortune of certain heroes of the faith practicing polygamy is unfortunate, but nonetheless true.  The Bible is full of sinners who have been saved by faith in God.  Doesn’t that give you hope?  It sure does me, just one more man in a long line of sinners glad to have a Savior.