Biblical Polygamy

°°  Exegesis  °°

Seven Women shall take hold of One Man

"And in that day
seven women shall take hold of 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. "
Isaiah 4:1.

That "seven women" would seek to be called by the name of "one man" is a clear evidence of polygamy (polygyny) in the Bible, even in prophecy such as this passage. Of course, though, the situation described in this prophetic verse is not all that positive.

A rather small minority, however, does view that verse as a "literal" prophecy, foretelling of a time when women might out-number men, seven-to-one.

Howbeit, most Bible-believers see that verse, instead, as a negative prophecy, regarding the churches of God seeking to "do their own thing".

According to the verse, the seven women are arrogant women. Their only motivation for marrying the man is to use him. They only want to be CALLED by the man's name, only so as to take away their reproach, their shame. But they still arrogantly want to do things their own way. They want to provide their own things their own way.

This, of course, does NOT present an image of the type of wives that Bible-believing men would want to marry! It certainly does not describe marriage within the Biblical marriage-model of Ephesians 5:22-25.

Given, as the majority of Bible-believers believe, that this prophecy is an image about arrogant churches (rather than "literally" about arrogant women wanting to marry a polygamist), this passage presents a "wake-up call" for all Bible-believers.

Namely, the "seven women" are understood as being churches who only want to be CALLED by the name of Christ, to be His brides. They only do so in hopes of having their fruitless shame (as per sin) removed, even though they still arrogantly want to do things their own way.

They want to feed themselves their own bread, instead of being fed on the bread of Christ.

They want to clothe themselves in their own apparel, instead of being clothed in the righteousness of Christ.

While there is reasonable debate among many as to whether the similitude of the "seven women" in Isaiah 4:1 is connected directly with the "seven churches" of Revelation chapters 2 and 3, many still agree, nevertheless, that Isaiah 4:1 is a negative prophecy concerning arrogant churches. It is the foretelling of seven churches wanting to marry Christ who do so only with a selfish motive to seek to have His salvation (i.e., to be CALLED "Christian", to be CALLED by His Name) but while, at the same time, still wanting to be doing things their own way, to stay in their sin. They want to be CALLED "Christian" but they do not want to BE Christian, in ALL their ways, "in spirit and in truth".

As TruthBearer.org's Mark the Founder has said, Isaiah 4:1 could be seen as a forewarning, that this prophecy could even be foretelling of any Churches that adamantly refuse to believe or to allow themselves to see the Biblically-proven truth that polygamy (polygyny) really is Biblical. That is, such Churches want to be called by the name of Christ, while they simultaneously close their ears to the Biblical truth of polygyny and thereby unwittingly even accuse Jesus Christ Himself of supposed "sin", because of Matthew 25:1-13! This is, of course, combined with the matter that 1 Timothy 4:1-3a reveals that the Holy Spirit expressly foretold of the time when people would be forbidding to marry any families such as that of polygamous Abraham, Moses, David, and others, as well as how The Lord described Himself polygynously too, as Jesus clearly did, for example, in Matthew 25:1-13.

Indeed, Isaiah 4:1 is not the only time that a prophecy describes the relationship between The Lord and the Churches in a context of a polygamist marriage setting.

Namely, this Isaiah 4:1 prophecy does indeed also provide such additional confirmation of the Biblical presentation of the plurality of Churches (i.e., more than one) being as brides of Christ (plurally). Just as Christ is presented as polygamously married to His Churches (i.e., being Bridegroom of the "five wise virgins") in Matthew 25:1-13, so too does this Isaiah 4:1 present Christ in another context of polygamous marriage with Churches.

Even as the Isaiah 4:1 prophecy is indeed so perceived by most Bible-believers as such a negative prophecy regarding the churches, it does still, nevertheless, demonstrate a key point about the topic of polygamy.

Namely, the fact that this prophecy would detail the idea of seven women who WANT to marry a polygamist (even in the context of churches unto Christ), that fact itself, that a prophecy of God would use polygamy in such an example, is further proof again that polygamy really is Biblical.

Also See:

   The Lord
[Self-described as a polygamist]

   "The Parable of the Ten and Seven",
  [A parable-style teaching at TruthBearer.org]





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