One Man – One Woman

One Man – One Woman

            The Bible says that Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines.  While I am sure some men would envy him, I think most people would just wonder what he was thinking.  I suppose psychologists would call compulsive behavior; I call it a collector’s mentality.  I collect coins.  My wife has asked me at times just how many coins do I need.  If I have a Morgan silver dollar, why would I want another one? 

            To a collector, there is no such thing as enough, unless maybe if you have the entire set of something.  I used to collect coins as a kid, but my collection was stolen.  I started collecting again at a very low period in my life.  Besides being depressed, I was also poor.  Probably not a good choice under the circumstances. 

            I found collecting coins therapeutic.  Not only was I recapturing some of the joys of my past, I felt a certain satisfaction in completing or working toward completing a collection.  But this is certainly not an isolated incident in my life.  I have seen much the same dynamic at work in other things as well.  I have collected sports cards, books, and movies.  In some way, the addition to the collection has an enriching effect.  A person feels more complete.  But enough about me. 

            Solomon was a man in pursuit of knowledge and wisdom.  He was always trying new things, looking for new experiences.  Every woman is unique and beautiful in her own way.  Having more than one wife or having concubines was common in his time.  He certainly was more financially able than the next person to provide for so many.  But as he pursued knowledge, he would add wives like someone trying to complete a collection. 

            Each woman would have something that the others would not.  Each one enriched his life, yet this kind of thinking rarely leads to satisfaction.  The collector always has an eye for the piece he doesn’t have yet.  He finds as much or even more joy in the acquisition as in the possession. 

            We should also note that, while we cannot prove it, Solomon’s desire for more and more wives probably stemmed from a desire to have sex with as many women as possible.  If men did not have sex with women, I am guessing that Solomon probably would not have married all these women for the conversation.  

            We noted that having more than one wife was common in those times.  What the other nations did should not concern us too much, but Solomon was the king in Israel.  Israel was the people of God.  God brought the people out of slavery in Egypt to a land which He had promised them.  He made a covenant with them and then gave to them His laws. 

            The question is: if having more than one wife was common in those days, and this was as wrong as we are commonly told, then why didn't God say something about it?  Four entire books of the Bible are devoted almost entirely to God either directly or speaking through Moses to His people, giving them all the important rules for how to live.  When it came to marriage, He was clear about adultery.  He was also clear that if a man had sex with a woman prior to marriage, he was to marry her.  Then He gave instructions about certain issues that could arise if a man had several wives.  But He never said that it was wrong.

The fact is that throughout history in probably every culture, there has always been a shortage of available and suitable men.  Why?  Wars, more risky behavior patterns, higher incarceration rates, shorter life expectancy.