Quote:
Originally Posted by Leslie  Great point from Gryphonette.
Besides polygamy as a means of caring for widows without competent offspring, it is also a solution for men whose wives are disabled (e.g. severe rheumatoid arthritis making any movement excruciating). If sola scriptura is at all meaningful, we should cease and desist from legislating against anything it condones. Admittedly monogamy is preferable, but polygamy is clearly o.k.
In my situation, a neighbor, a young, barren widow, will starve to death when we return to the states for good. No Christian man will marry her because she will not produce children to care for him in his old age and he only gets to choose one wife. She can become a second or third wife, but this would entail marrying an unbeliever since the church rejects polygamists. She has land but cannot work the land by herself. She cannot hire help and still have the land provide for her. She has a fine Christian neighbor who could take her as a second wife, work her land, and provide for both her and his first family but the church won't allow it. Her barreness would be a blessing to the marriage, since he has 8 children already and great difficulty in providing for them. The church cannot support her because most of the church members are themselves hungry most of the time. |
However, make no mistake, I'd be firmly against the two thousand year old injunction by the Church against polygamy being scrapped so this woman can become the Christian man's second wife.
Two thousand years of consistent teaching is not to be dismissed because polygamy would be the easy answer to someone's plight.
You know, if this fine Christian man could afford to take her in as a barren second wife, then he can jolly well afford to take her in as a sister in Christ, or as an employee who works for room and board.
Truly fine Christian men don't require sex as recompense for caring for a destitute widow.
If that's the way his mind works, though, she might be better off elsewhere.
Aping the behavior of the nonbelievers should not be regarded as a viable option. Where's the glory for the LORD in
that?
This is a choice opportunity for the widow to draw a deep breath, close her eyes, grip the LORD's hand, and step out in faith, trusting in His loving providence.
For He will not let her starve if she looks to Him for her needs. He will not. He might easily let it look pretty bleak and hopeless before He pulls the rabbit out of the hat and reveals how He is going to provide for her, but provide He will.
Which will bring more glory to the LORD? Her - and the local church - showing they don't believe the LORD's promises of provision can be trusted by going against two thousand years of Christian tradition and giving in to polygamy, or praying and trusting in Him, so He can astonish everyone by how He works to provide for her?
I've a friend in very shaky temporal circumstances here in America, and it's been a humbling experience to watch her stubbornly and doggedly trust God to provide for her and her three children. And provide He does. Mind, He often waits until the last possible minute, which is nerve wracking, but He
does. Over and over we've read her joyous posts telling of His incredible care for them, often in ways she could
never have foreseen.
The LORD doesn't have to let y'all know in advance how He is going to provide for this dear lady. It's His right to wait for maximum impact, and let's face it....thinking of volcanic eruptions, and lightning displays, and fields of bluebonnets in the spring, our Creator is quite a showman at heart. He
does enjoy being able to take a
.
Mimicking the unbelievers through polygamy will not advance the cause of Christ. Allowing Him to demonstrate to them that He can be trusted and relied upon to fulfill His promises
will.
Over the years I've seen it proved time and again that the prayers of the saints are effective and availeth much. Keep reminding us of her (may we know her name?) and we will be lifting her up to the LORD, begging Him to glorify Himself by providing wondrously for her, in a way we can't imagine right now.