PEOPLE: GOD'S HIGHEST PRIORITY
When a man has two wives, one loved and the other unloved, if they both bear him sons, and the son of the unloved wife is the elder, then, when the day comes for him to divide his property among his sons, he shall not treat the son of the loved wife as his first-born in contempt of his true first-born, the son of the unloved wife. Deut. 21:15, 16, N.e.B.
Has God changed since the days of Moses? Do we read with amazement laws such as the one in today's text? Maybe even despair? Was God permitting polygamy? How do you explain such scriptures?
Many Christians simply throw out the Old Testament. That's the easy way out. Others stammer uncomfortably, "There are some things we can't understand" and try to change the subject. A few support polygamy! Knowing that "every inspired scripture has its use for teaching the truth and refuting error" (2 Tim. 3:16, N.E.B.), what can the serious seeker for truth do with such texts?
Dear reader, God has much to tell us about Himself! And I believe that not all He has to say is wrapped in clean white tissue. Some is wrapped in the soiled understandings of people who have tried to live as best they could in this confused world. Does it surprise you that God "gets down on His hands and knees"--even when it's muddy--to talk to us, His beloved children?
You see, God has priorities, and you and I are at the top of the list! When we have muddy ideas of how life should be, He does not yell at us from millions of light-years away. He joins us where we are, not in approval of our actions but in total identification with our personhood. Like working out a splinter, He starts on the open end of our wounded relationships and slowly works out our wrong concepts and dealings with others.
The law quoted in today's text is not aimed at defining marriage. It is meant to protect the unfortunate offspring of relationships that should never have happened in the first place. But happen they did. And while God carefully worked on getting the "splinter"--polygamy--out He applied "antiseptic" to the situation: He showed His love for the people involved by giving some interim ground rules. In essence He said, "Until you learn a better way, let Me tell you how not to hurt each other so badly."
I'm glad that God hasn't changed!
When a man has two wives, one loved and the other unloved, if they both bear him sons, and the son of the unloved wife is the elder, then, when the day comes for him to divide his property among his sons, he shall not treat the son of the loved wife as his first-born in contempt of his true first-born, the son of the unloved wife. Deut. 21:15, 16, N.e.B.
Has God changed since the days of Moses? Do we read with amazement laws such as the one in today's text? Maybe even despair? Was God permitting polygamy? How do you explain such scriptures?
Many Christians simply throw out the Old Testament. That's the easy way out. Others stammer uncomfortably, "There are some things we can't understand" and try to change the subject. A few support polygamy! Knowing that "every inspired scripture has its use for teaching the truth and refuting error" (2 Tim. 3:16, N.E.B.), what can the serious seeker for truth do with such texts?
Dear reader, God has much to tell us about Himself! And I believe that not all He has to say is wrapped in clean white tissue. Some is wrapped in the soiled understandings of people who have tried to live as best they could in this confused world. Does it surprise you that God "gets down on His hands and knees"--even when it's muddy--to talk to us, His beloved children?
You see, God has priorities, and you and I are at the top of the list! When we have muddy ideas of how life should be, He does not yell at us from millions of light-years away. He joins us where we are, not in approval of our actions but in total identification with our personhood. Like working out a splinter, He starts on the open end of our wounded relationships and slowly works out our wrong concepts and dealings with others.
The law quoted in today's text is not aimed at defining marriage. It is meant to protect the unfortunate offspring of relationships that should never have happened in the first place. But happen they did. And while God carefully worked on getting the "splinter"--polygamy--out He applied "antiseptic" to the situation: He showed His love for the people involved by giving some interim ground rules. In essence He said, "Until you learn a better way, let Me tell you how not to hurt each other so badly."
I'm glad that God hasn't changed!
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