The Bible is not a book of perfect human beings, but rather, it is filled with imperfect human beings just like you and me.
King Solomon is known to be King David’s son, and he is also known for his wisdom. God gave Solomon the opportunity to have anything he desired, and Solomon asked God for wisdom (1 Kings 3:4-15). The Lord was pleased with Solomon’s decision and gave him wisdom. Even until this day, Solomon is said to be the most wise person to have ever lived. Since Solomon was known for his wisdom, why did he have so many wives? Moreover, why did God allow Solomon to practice polygamy?
The Bible and Polygamy
The Bible tells us that King Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kings 11:3). This is a remarkable amount of wives and concubines. From these numbers, we are told Solomon had 1000 women in his life. This is a baffling number for anyone, much less for a man who claimed to know God. While Solomon did have 700 wives and 300 concubines, God doesn’t accept this practice. Polygamy goes directly against God’s teaching for marriage.
God never accepts or endorses polygamy. Solomon had free will, and with his free will, he chose to disobey God. The Bible says, “As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been” (1 Kings 11:4). As this passage tells us, Solomon’s heart was not fully devoted to God anymore. This passage also tells us that his many wives turned his heart away from God. Neither of these things is pleasing to God, nor is the practice of polygamy.
Due to Solomon’s disobedience, God was upset and told him, “Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates” (1 Kings 11:11). As we can see, God was not happy with Solomon’s actions. Nowhere in the Bible are we told that God says it is “okay” for Solomon to have so many wives. God has a clear design for marriage, and Solomon violated this design by having 700 wives and 300 concubines.
God's Design for Marriage
God’s original design for marriage was between one man and one woman (Genesis 2:18-25). In the beginning, God created Adam and Eve. He did not create Adam to have multiple wives or Eve to have multiple husbands. Rather, God created an individual to have one spouse. Anything outside of this goes against God’s design for marriage. In addition to breaking the sacred covenant of marriage in the realm of Solomon having a great multitude of wives and concubines, Solomon also broke God’s sacred design of marriage by marrying women who did not know the Lord.
Marriage is a sacred covenant before God between a man and a woman. God’s design for the marriage is for each spouse to be a Christian and fully devoted to Him. The Lord also designed marriage to be strictly between one man and one woman. The husband is to be fully devoted to his wife, and the wife is to be fully devoted to her husband. Within this sacred covenant before the eyes of God, the man and the woman need to follow God’s design for marriage. Everyone has free will, which is why a great majority of marriages have problems. They can have problems because they are not following God’s design for marriage.
While many individuals will not go to extremes as Solomon did, many individuals will commit adultery and not be faithful to their spouse. In the same way, many believers will marry unbelievers, resulting in a failed marriage because the marriage isn’t built upon the Lord. In the same way, polygamy goes against God’s design for marriage, and it will ruin relationships. Polygamy doesn’t work as there is no way for a man to be fully devoted to one wife if he has three, four, or five wives. In a way, polygamy would be adultery because a person is technically only married to their first wife in the eyes of the Lord. Marrying a second, third, or fourth wife would only be adultery.
Polygamy did occur in Solomon’s life, but it was because of Solomon’s decisions. God has given each of us free will, and we can use our free will to either obey Him or disobey. Simply because Solomon practices polygamy doesn’t mean God accepted it. As we have established, God doesn’t accept polygamy in any form. He didn’t design the marriage covenant to be between a husband and hundreds of wives. Rather, God designed marriage to be between one man and one woman. Throughout the Bible, we are never told that God approves of polygamy.
Solomon was given wisdom, but it doesn’t mean he always utilized it. It is clear from the information we are given in the Bible that Solomon turned away from God and started serving his wives’ foreign gods. These foreign gods were found to be demons. God is the only true God, and despite Solomon’s great wisdom, he was blinded to this fact. Solomon chose to follow his own sinful nature rather than turning to God and asking for His guidance. God would have been more than happy to point Solomon to the right way, yet Solomon was consumed with his sin and didn’t pay attention to the Lord.
Modern-day Forms of Polygamy
Modern-day forms of polygamy are still common. While the Church of the Latter-Day Saints has renounced this practice, many still practice polygamy within this cult. Popular television shows have documented the troubles of polygamy, specifically within the Church of the Latter-Day Saints. The television show "Sister Wives" documents a man married to three different women, who are all part of the Church of the Latter-Day Saints. While it is not 700 wives, it is still problematic and causes endless troubles for everyone involved. Polygamy is so problematic because it is not God’s design for marriage. There is no way anyone can justify polygamy as honoring God, as the very nature of polygamy goes against His perfect design for marriage.
Thus, Solomon did engage in polygamy during his life, but it does not mean God accepted it. God becomes upset with Solomon because he disobeys Him. He never praises Solomon for his actions of polygamy. Solomon chose with his own free will to have a great multitude of wives and concubines. Never does God endorse polygamy in Solomon’s life, nor does He endorse it anywhere else in the Bible. Polygamy was a common practice in the lives of kings during this time in history, but it was never honored or condoned by God.
The Bible is not a book of perfect human beings, but rather, it is filled with imperfect human beings just like you and me. Each of us has free will because God created us with free will. He created us with free will because He wants us to freely choose to accept Him and obey Him. There's no greater act of love than loving someone else enough to let them make their own decisions. Unfortunately, with free will, we are capable of terrible sins, just like Solomon did. Simply because Solomon practiced polygamy does not mean God accepts sinful behavior, nor does it mean if we struggle with a sin that God accepts it. God never approves of or accepts any sin, nor does he endorse sin. Thus, King Solomon’s polygamy occurred, but God never approved of it.
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