Why Should We Not Sleep With or Marry More Than One Person?: Genesis 29:31-30:24
WORD: Genesis 1-2: marriage 1 man & 1 woman; Covenant & Consummation
WORLD:1). Sex/gender 2). Marriage 1 man/woman 3). ? Poly 4). ? Age consent (drag, sex ed)
POLYGAMY: (=prophetic word)
A). Polygyny – 1 man +women = Bachelor
B). Polyandry – 1 woman +men (0x Bible,history) = Bachelorette
Reasons = -Gender spectrum -Lower divorce -Higher $
-Multiple parents -Religious freedom -150k US now, no legal rights
TV Trend – “sister wives” = 1 man 4 wives 18 kids, “my 5 wives” = 1 man 4 women 25 kids, “seeking sister wife” = 3 polygamous couples men adding wives
Secular – “throuples”, open marriage, swingers, serial divorce, cohab w/o marriage, serial dating
= Porn removes every brick of the fireplace
Religious – 1. Islam (Muhammed 11, 50 vs married 6 cons. 9) =Fundamentalist Mormons
Based OT – over 2x believers (#1 Solomon 1000 wives + conc = civil war abduct, rape, kill)
- Brigham Young – 55 wives & 57 kids, youngest wife 15 he was 42
- Joseph Smith up to 40 wives, youngest 14
- AZ PAST – migration to AZ partly for young wives (“the lost boys”)
=Joseph City, Maricopa, Snowflake, Winslow, Sunset – founded Mormon settlements
- AZ PRESENT – banned by leadership, still practiced by fundamentalists
- Centennial Park AZ & 2. Colo City AZ etc. = Mormon fundamentalists
= #4 highest population LDS in US, #2 by percent @ 6% (Utah, Idaho) (436k)
Genesis 29 – Jacob & Leah/Rachel = case study
- God promised many descendants to Abraham’s grandson Jacob
- Jacob now old man (perhaps in 80’s) w/2 wives who are sisters
- 7+ yrs bizarre family 11 sons & 1 daughter are 4 mothers often pregnant together’
=Grandpa Abr – polygamous Dad Isaac – not polygamous Bro Esau – polygamous
Your Fantasy is Your Misery
Genesis 29:31When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. 32 And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, “Because the Lord has looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me.” 33 She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also.” And she called his name Simeon. 34 Again she conceived and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will be attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi. 35 And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she ceased bearing.
Each sister has what the other wants – a loving husband, a child to love
1. Rachel – watched sister married husband 7 yrs, now barren
2. Leah – wrongly thinks men are like women (love/sex/kids 1 or 3 issues)
=A). “my husband will love me” B). “my husband will be attached to me” C). “honor me” 30:20
3. Jacob – bitter (“hated” & “affliction”) VS Trust
-Leah shows more faith than Rachel or Jacob naming many of her sons in tribute to God
-Leah may have stopped having children because Jacob stopped fulfilling his marital duties
1. Reuben – 2. Simeon
3. Levi = father priesthood & a spiritual leader OT 4. Judah – Jesus is lion of the tribe of Judah
We Work From Love, Not For Love
Genesis 30 When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I shall die!” 2 Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?” 3 Then she said, “Here is my servant Bilhah; go in to her, so that she may give birth on my behalf, that even I may have children through her.” 4 So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to her. 5 And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. 6 Then Rachel said, “God has judged me, and has also heard my voice and given me a son.” Therefore she called his name Dan. 7 Rachel’s servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 Then Rachel said, “With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister and have prevailed.” So she called his name Naphtali. 9 When Leah saw that she had ceased bearing children, she took her servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10 Then Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 11 And Leah said, “Good fortune has come!” so she called his name Gad . 12 Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. 13 And Leah said, “Happy am I! For women have called me happy.” So she called his name Asher. 14 In the days of wheat harvest Reuben went and found mandrakes in the field and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” 15 But she said to her, “Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes also?” Rachel said, “Then he may lie with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.” 16 When Jacob came from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come in to me, for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he lay with her that night. 17 And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Leah said, “God has given me my wages because I gave my servant to my husband.” So she called his name Issachar. 19 And Leah conceived again, and she bore Jacob a sixth son. 20 Then Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she called his name Zebulun. 21 Afterward she bore a daughter and called her name Dinah. 22 Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb. 23 She conceived and bore a son and said, “God has taken away my reproach.” 24 And she called his name Joseph, saying, “May the Lord add to me another son!”
Rachel
· Problem – maidservant eg Jacob’s grandma Sarah (Hagar/Ishmael). Rebekah wait 20 yrs
· Prophecy – she would die in childbirth (Gen. 35:16-19)
Leah 1. Unloved 2. Unhealthy
Jacob 1. Silent 2. Sire
Sons
- Trouble – Joseph favorite & trickery (youngest til Benjamin 35:18, Rachel’s son)
- Tribes – 12 sons become 12 tribes
God
- Sovereign – over womb, sets stage for Mary & Jesus
- Does perfect work through imperfect people (GRACE use vs abuse)
Lessons From the Trailer Park Sitcom in Genesis 29-30
1. Everyone: What you want ain’t what you need.
2. Men: Siring is easy. Fathering is hard.
3. Women: drama + sex does not = joy
4. Marrieds: If Jesus is not Lord of the marriage, there will be a bitter battle.
5. Singles: The best way to prepare for marriage to 1 person is by dating only 1 person.
6. Parents Adult Children: Controlling parents raise adult children to be controlled.
=Polygamy is Misery
-Favorites -Divisions/Factions -Genetic Disaster
-Displace older wives -Ruins young men -Abusive – women & children
BIBLE –
1). Gen 1-2 -1 man/woman 2). Gen 4 Lamech 3). Gen 6 Noah/flood ended
4). Jesus Mk 10:8 “2 become 1 flesh”5). Jesus/Church 6). NT Leader
7). Heb 13:4 “marriage bed”
= After the wedding comes the War. Sin/Curse – hit marriage & family = No easy way (30 yrs)
Jesus is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Even Jacob
Revelation 21:12 It [Heaven] had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed…