Is one really enough?

[Deborah13]

I don't think I agree with this

I don't think that Solomon was a crazy, lust driven man for women. I don't think he went to Egypt to find a wife, Pharaoh's daughter. He went there to buy horses and chariot's.

Deu 17:16 But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.
Deu 17:17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.

1Ki 10:28 And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king's merchants received the linen yarn at a price.
1Ki 10:29 And a chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and an horse for an hundred and fifty: and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, did they bring them out by their means.

Chapter 10 - So Solomon was doing business with many pagan nations for horses, chariots, silver and gold. He became very wealthy and powerful.
Solomon's 700 wives were not just pretty girls he happened to see and desire while in these countries. Surely there were servant girls that were beautiful and desirable but the wives were not from poor and powerless families. They were 'princesses'. That could just mean from families of the upper class, daughters of powerful, wealthy families.
I'm not saying that he didn't love these wives in some way, the Word says he did and he built them homes and temples to their gods. He wanted them to be happy.
But I'm saying that if he had listened to God and hadn't gone after things that would make him powerful, he wouldn't have fallen into the sin of taking pagan wives. He wouldn't have gone looking for them. I don't think his original motivation was to collect wives.
I don't know, maybe I'm just making excuses for Solomon and his bad behavior with women.

 

[ironmonk]

Here is a concise list on this subject for later reference.

http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/says_about/polygamy.html

 

[Claudya]

For Solomon (and other men of his day and age) having multiple wives was a symbol of financial and political power.

But thinking about it...
Having a harem of many lovely men would be fun.

Serously though, if you want to stay with one partner for a lifetime, sooner or later one (or both) will come across other people and fall in love again (quite possibly while still loving their spouse - just in a kind of love that has changed over the years).
It seems to me that lifelong monogamy is a noble, but hard to reach goal.

 

[Kathi]

Solomon taking on many wives was in violation of God's word.Solomon turned against God.Those wives did not bring him happiness.

 

[Kathi]

For Solomon (and other men of his day and age) having multiple wives was a symbol of financial and political power.

But thinking about it...
Having a harem of many lovely men would be fun.

Serously though, if you want to stay with one partner for a lifetime, sooner or later one (or both) will come across other people and fall in love again (quite possibly while still loving their spouse - just in a kind of love that has changed over the years).
It seems to me that lifelong monogamy is a noble, but hard to reach goal.

Be careful with falling in love with a man who is married.Because if he is going to do it to her he will do it to you also.

 

[ironmonk]

Every woman I have loved I have loved uniquely different. As much as I would want to stay with any of them separately, I still would have fallen in love with all the others had I met them while I was in a relationship with any one of them.

 

[Kathi]

 

[ironmonk]

You should rename yourself memegirl.

 

[Kathi]

You should rename yourself memegirl.

Do I even want to ask what that is all about?

 

[ironmonk]

Do I even want to ask what that is all about?

Yes you do,

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_meme

 

[Kathi]

Yes you do,

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_meme

Do I have stupid tattooed on my forehead?

 

[ironmonk]

Do I have stupid tattooed on my forehead?

Not anymore stupid than the rest of us.

 

[jasonc]

God in the OT days is totally cool with polygamy. Then jesus comes along later and says, oh wait no it's not cool.

jesus didn't condemn or say anything about polygamy. paul died in titus. in context it was about being a deacon being a man of one wife. the stories of polygamy put in a negative light and notice when ever jesus talked about the subject of marriage it was referring to adam and eve. not any polygamous act.

 

[Kathi]

In the NT polygamy is frowned upon for Church leadership 1 Timothy 3:12

 

[ironmonk]

Yes in the new testament but in the old testament god was blessing those with polygamous relationships.

 

[Kathi]

Yes in the new testament but in the old testament god was blessing those with polygamous relationships.

He probably wanted to get the popuation going Brothers and sisters could marry.

 

[ironmonk]

He probably wanted to get the popuation going Brothers and sisters could marry.

Yeah brother’s and sister could marry and somehow it must have only been a sin after the law was given, because if it was a sin period then all those people who lived that way doomed themselves.

 

[Classik]

Animal don't need the law...not even today

 

[ironmonk]

Animal don't need the law...not even today

You might have to explain that more Classik.

 

[Classik]

You might have to explain that more Classik.

Typo. 'Animals'