[greenbear]

Hi PaulB,

Yes, there are occasions in the OT were things happened that are contrary to the norm, but the historical recording of them isn’t the spiritual endorsement of them.

Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. He had two wives at the same time.

The twelve tribes of Israel came from Jacob's loins by 2 wives and their handmaidens.

David was married to Michal Saul's daughter, Abigail, Bathsheba, and that young woman to keep him warm in his old age, maybe others, I don't remember.

Elkanah had two wives. Samuel the prophet was his son through Hannah.

Maybe these multiple marriages were contrary to the norm but the patriarchs and King David and the father of Samuel were certainly not incidental to God's plan.

How many wives does or will God have?
How many god's do believers in the God of Israel have?

It was not allowed by God that a woman could have more than one husband at a time ever at any time in history.

It was allowed by God for a man to have multiple wives at the same time throughout most of history.

Marriage is a similitude of God's relationship with His people, both Israel and Christ's body the church and perhaps by other saints when the new earth is created, (I'm not sure about that).

All I know is that Muslim gentleman with seven wives would be be ignoring Paul's admonitions and instructions as to how believers are to conduct their affairs if he abandoned six of his wives and his children by them. I suppose if it could be determined from scripture that he is not joined to the last six by God he could offer dowries and try to marry them off to other believers, that is assuming the six women are believers, as well. But once he took his second wife wouldn't he have been breaking the law by staying with the first one according to Deut 24:4? If that's the case then David and Elkanah would have been breaking the law of Moses. I honestly don't know the answer. What I do know is that if my husband took another wife he would have trouble in the flesh. That is an understatement.