Why Doesn’t God Condemn Polygamy in The Old Testament?

In the Bible, kings like David and Solomon had literal 100’s of wives, and yet, God never condemns their polygamy. In the New Testament, a woman who has had a mere 5 husbands is condemned by Jesus as a sinner. How can God have such a double standard?

Excerpt From The Answer

“God did not want Israel to have a king. They complained they wanted to be like the other nations around them. Samuel’s the prophet, and he’s talking back and forth to God. And God says, ‘Give them a king, but tell them of the consequences. Tell them what it means to be like other nations.’

He gave a sort of command/rebuke. He said, ‘They’re going to regret this. And they’ll be like other nations. They’ll multiply wives. They’ll have concubines.’ And then weirdly, He said, ‘Don’t multiply horses or have chariots.’ What’s this about in this lineup? The kings around Israel used horses and chariots to show their power. That’s how they showed their prowess. Lots of wives, lots of concubines, lots of horse stables, and chariots.

Very soon after, Davis starts multiplying wives, taking horses, and building chariots so that Solomon, his son, would have tons of horses and chariots. They were violating the principle God told them not to. Why? They wanted to be like other nations. That’s what we all do. We all want more power. Interestingly, God does not judge them for it. The scripture just records it, but God withholds judgment. 

Now think about this in your life and mine. If every time I sin, God brought judgment, it would be pretty unpleasant. So I’m glad God doesn’t one to one punish me or judge me every time I sin. We call this mercy. God’s merciful toward us. It doesn’t mean my sins are okay. God doesn’t overlook my sin. It just means He doesn’t bring one to one judgment. This is only possible because of the cross.”

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