So, here's my thing. I believe polygamy is a celestial law. For those not members, or recent members of the LDS Church that means I believe it will exist in heaven. But just because it exists there and is approved there does not mean that everyone will practice it. But how else will Jacob be with Rachel and Leah? Some may say, but he loved Rachel... but does Leah deserve to be left out? Or will God separate that famous family- with the 12 tribes of Israel directly coming from the multiple wives of Jacob?
I always thought that IF I was asked, by God, to practice polygamy, that my husband would have more than one wife, that I would be ok with it. Now, with being married- I'm not sure I could deal with it. I want to feel like I'm the only one that matters to my husband and like I am enough for him. That I, alone, can fulfill his needs. I don't want to feel in competition for my husband's love like Rachel and Leah- trying to have more sons, so maybe my husband will love me more, or come to me more. My husband has quoted a scripture a few times when polygamy has come up in public and it bothered me. So we discussed it, and he stays silent now and tries to be as attentive as possible to me and my needs. I want to clarify here that my husband is AWESOME! He doesn't hope for more wives than just me, it just made me feel weird BEFORE we discussed things. I think we have similar views on polygamy even if he doesn't completely agree with this post. :) So back on track: the scripture he used is found in both Isaiah 4 and 2 Nephi 14- quoting Isaiah.
So I'm going to quote Isaiah 4:1, "And in that day seven women shall take hold on one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach." First off, the first verse of the chapter is "And"... so most people assume it is continuing the thoughts of the previous chapter. Before this chapter it is talking about wars that will happen in the last days, so they assume that 7 women are going after one man because there will be a scarcity of men due to wars in the last days. Then the second part of that verse says that they will eat their own bread and wear their own apparel... I looked up a few things and apparently that is contrary to the Lord's order of marriage (D&C 132:61 says the first wife gives her consent and Exodus 21:10-11, says that the man is responsible for those things if he marries more than one wife.) With the last part- 'to take away our reproach' there are 2 verses that talk about how it was considered a disgrace in Ancient Israel to be unmarried and/or childless. (Genesis 30:23 and Luke 1:25) (see Institute Student Manual for the Old Testament, Kings-Malachi)
Before this morning I told my husband that it doesn't say that every 7 women will take hold of every individual man. That even though I believe that scripture will come true (as all scriptures must), it doesn't mean HE will be the one man to fulfill it. In the LDS Church, when polygamy was practiced, not every man had multiple wives. They had to be righteous enough and wealthy enough to support the extra wives. And they weren't allowed to personally decide whether they were qualified. I believe strongly in the scripture in Jacob 2:27-28 and 30, "Wherefore, my brethren, hear me, and hearken to the word of the Lord: For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none; For I, the Lord God, delight in the chastity of women.... For if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise they shall hearken unto these things." First off, I feel like the Lord is on MY side in verse 27 and 28. Verse 30 designates the exception, when polygamy is ok. In the Old Testament with Abraham and Jacob taking more than one wife and others- they were trying to raise up a seed unto the Lord. All nations would be blessed through Abraham, and then through Jacob/Israel, why not expand the family and multiply? In the early days of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons- when there were no other break-offs that also went by that same nickname) they also practiced polygamy. In the first days, the people in the Church were persecuted and men were killed for their beliefs. Then war came and more men were killed. This left many righteous women and few righteous men. And women at that time, did not yet have rights to own land, to work, to sustain themselves. Some practiced polygamy I think to raise up seed, and others I think was more to take care of the women and children's temporal needs, who otherwise would've been destitute. But the important thing is, men were selected and the first wife got to give consent. Polygamy was stopped in the LDS Church because there was no more need to raise up seed unto the Lord. The LDS Church has MANY members and is thriving. Widows or divorced parents are at least allowed these days to own a house, to work to provide for their families and they do not need a husband to let them survive.
Before today I have recently started thinking about the verse in Isaiah.... Isaiah isn't very clear to most of us. And sometimes he jumps back and forth between Christ's time, the Last Days and the Millenium. I have thought a few times- maybe this scripture has already been fulfilled when the Church first started in these Last Days. There was a shortage of men, and I'm sure some of the women said, "please let us have your name". But then today, reading the verse again where it says they will provide their own bread and apparel, if only they can take their name.... well, back then, they couldn't provide their own bread. They did depend on the men they married. I've also thought, that in this verse it says 7 women will come to one man begging to be married to him so their reproach is taken away... But this doesn't mean that it is right for the man to take on the 7 women, or that he will, just says that the women will beg for it. Kinda like the 10 virgins, the 5 foolish ones didn't bring enough oil, and when they finally get to the wedding, they beg to come in, but they aren't allowed.
But this morning my husband and I were reading in 3 Nephi 22 which parallels Isaiah 54, and I started to think more on this and I have another possible interpretation for the verse in Isaiah. I'll quote what I read this morning and then try to explain it, as best as possible. I'm going to explain as I go but the quotes will be from 3 Nephi 22:1- , "And then shall that which is written come to pass: Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child; for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord." So here we have a married woman who has no or few children and then women that are not married with children. Let's say 7 desolate women with children and 1 married woman. "Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations; spare not, lengthen thy cords and strengthen thy stakes;" Let the desolate come in. If we are paralleling it with Isaiah 4, then this would be the 7 women taking on the man's name. This would be one married man taking on 7 more wives. "...Fear not, for thou shalt not be ashamed; neither be thou confounded, for thou shalt not be put to shame; for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of they widowhood any more." Here, now married, the 7 desolate/widowed women's reproach is taken away. "For thy maker, thy husband, the Lord of Hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel--the God of the whole earth shall he be called." This reminded me of a parable of Christ being the Bridegroom. Are all these scriptures tied together? Salvation only comes in and through Christ. When we are baptized, we take upon us the name of Christ. It is the only name under heaven, whereby we can be saved. Are these 7 women, desolate, unmarried, widowed, are they all not members of Christ's Church? In the Last Days, they come to realize the truth of His Church and desire to be called by his name? The scripture in Isaiah 4 says, "We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel", and suggests- we will take care of ourselves, "only let us be called by thy name". Are these women aware of the truth and willing to do anything to just be baptized in Christ's name, the metaphorical Bridegroom? To abide the Day of His Coming, isn't it Christ's name that will save us and take away our reproach?
In Isaiah 4:2 it continues, "In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious..." The day when the 7 women grab hold of the one man, is a day where righteous seed does not need to be raised up unto the Lord. I don't know exactly what to make of this verse- because it does seem to be tied to the chapter before and I haven't looked at that in detail. But I do now wonder if it is all some poetic metaphor for taking on Christ's name and becoming as He is.
Very well said and open minded...My wife is not happy about that scripture either, but God will put it into your hearts, when the time comes, he is not a cruel God...We do not even know, if then, we will even need to have sex, to produce, I think it is to take on women who need a father for their children...I think from the resurrection, we will have enough children and people for the planet but the children still need a father and women still need a husband, with, or without sex...We need to stop making everything sexual...I am a devout Christan and I believe that polygamy is legal but does not need to be practiced if not inclined to do so...It is as Paul said, if you feel a food is a sin, then a sin it is, so with me, eating of some foods offends me, such as heart, liver, organs, and I am against fishing, and killing live fish, myself, but I eat fish...Since we no longer suffer the need to eat all of the animal, to stay alive, we can pick and chose...Same as with polygamy to stay alive is no longer needed and it has its place and once its place returns, in the time of the end...Men should take note, it is God who will bring the women to the man, man is not to go out shopping for wives...No where in the time of the end, does it give an example of men, seeking wives...Sorry guys, read the scripture...and you are correct...AND, IN THOSE DAYS, does bring forward the scripture before, because we all forget, these passages were never numbered, they were read, as is, so yes, AND AS IT WAS, then, it says 7 WOMEN WILL TAKE HOLD OF ONE MAN..Now, 7 has many meanings and only God can bless the amount 7, which is both spiritual and earthly, meaning, 7 could mean, only 3 wives, for some men, or 2 wives for others, or even 1 wife, because no where does it say, he was, or was not single, at the time...So, it is a number of wives blessed by God, for each man, which could be, 1 to 1000 we not know but we do know...God knows how many wives this man can handle and we know, once the time of end is over, all of the eligible wives will be handed over to the eligible men, because it says we will not be taken or given in marriage...Now, it should be noted, in better translations, the word Heaven means paradise, which means a garden like place, not angles and clouds with direct contact with God...If, at the very end, anyone needs to die to be with God, in a heavenly place, then God lied in the garden of Eden...Death is the wage sin is paid with, or bought, God did not create us to die, for any reason, other than practicing sin, so these translations have been corrupted in all Bibles...Jesus, returns to earth, to govern us, as our king and chief priest, because God cannot do it and we can never see God and yet live, correct? If we died and went to a spiritual heaven, to play with God, we would have to die, which is an act of sin, and spill blood, and we would not need Jesus, who died for us, and we would not need a king, or chief high priest, unless we are human and live forever
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