MY LOVE IS A GARDEN OF DELIGHTS or THE SONG OF SOLOMON, THE POLYGYNIST. or INTERRACIAL POLYGYNY By L. Tyler, P.O. Box 620763, San Diego, CA 92162-0763; [email protected]            [email protected] � 1988 ������������������������������� A DEDICATION:  CAROL LYNN MCINTYRE She is black and so many delicious shades of brown. Her skin looks more delicious than anything I have ever eaten. She moves gracefully with strength and purpose in her steps, unaware of her awesome beauty.  I call out her precious name, almost to make sure she's real and not a dream. She turns and looks me in the eye and then suddenly smiles so radiantly I almost lose my breath.  It seems as if she glows!  I drink her in as she flows towards me with her arms open wide.  The face I see is Love.     How I love her eyes and her mouth, filled with kindness and gentleness----from which I fear no hurt or unkindness.  She laughs and it sounds like music.  We touch and my heart soars.  We embrace and I put my lips on her delicious skin.  She is so delicious it is hard to keep my mouth off of her. As the Sun shines on her clean, soft and oiled skin I'm fascinated by the tiny tints of red, orange, yellow and all the browns that twinkle up at me. She is sooooo soft and firm, so full of life!           We look into each others' eyes, hers sparkling----we look long and deep and our souls touch---and then suddenly it seems a cloud of uncertainty, self-doubt, personal fears, or haunting memories moves across her face and the lovely pools of her eyes are troubled.  I kiss her passionately and hold her ever so close, wishing I could pull right into my heart and soul and bathe her in my love, wanting to make it all right for her.   Hesitantly I look again hoping her radiance has returned and   Yes! the cloud has passed and her face is radiant again.  What I see in her face fills my heart.  All is well. We two as one set out together to face and deal with our world.   We faced our world together so much in love.  I thought she was so incredibly wonderful moving there before me bare and beautiful that honeymoon night.  I thought I had been given the most wonderful queen for my heart to love.  I worshipped her in her dark beauty. How could I be so blessed? In ecstasy she said she could make love all night long that Halloween weekend.  Halloween darkness and death covered my eyes and blinded me.  It polluted my mind and it whispered "You are not good enough for her.  She will find out that you aren't good enough for her and she will leave you for another."  The hissing lie believed, my heart deceived, my soul backed off and the work of death began.  My queen now became my torment, her excellence rebuking me for being so presumptuous as to dare to mingle with the gods by loving one of their own. My heart was chilled with fear that my wonderful goddess would suddenly see me as I really was and her passionate desire would turn to loathing.  Couldn't she see I was all crippled and broken inside?     The golden spell that had blessed our courtship was cracking apart as some dark frozen glacier, one small piece at a time.  She said she loved me for my voice before we met.   When we met I was so amazed my mouth hung open in amazement and my eyes couldn't open wide enough to behold her glory.  Her laughter rang like bells and chimes all about us.   She flowed to me and into my life.  My heart opened wider than my eyes and welcomed her in, pouring my love upon her in every way I could imagine.  She felt more loved than she had ever felt before.  She gave herself to me in our engagement and our bodies merged into oneness as our souls had. I accepted her love without reservation and gave her my love without reservation.  She blessed me in the same manner.  I felt my soul could fly no higher. I forgot she was a mere mortal with a tender heart and a history of adversities.  I forgot that her heart was as tender as her breasts.  I forgot that though she was bold and out going like her breasts, she was as sensitive as they and in need of support and protection.  Blinded by unreasoned love I thought her to be a goddess and worshipped her, when she wanted me to lead her in the worship of my Jesus.  Blinded by unreasoned love she thought me above weakness and fear.   So when that Halloween darkness crept into my soul, and in its brokenness and open wounds the darkness found a hiding place, a place for it to root and grow.  By that honeymoon night my soul became the prisoner of the fear of losing her love, fear of failing her, fear of not being enough for and fear of losing her to another. All she wanted me to do was just to keep on loving her as we had since our engagement.  I stepped from the glorious light of our love into the wretched darkness of my fear.  My darling Carol Lynn couldn't believe that her prince charming was dying within.   She didn't feel the chill and darkness that had just entered the room. Fear leaves such devastation.  In her torment she felt she was to blame for the cold iceman that I was becoming.  She sought counsel, tried to provoke me, tried to make me jealous---each resulting in a veil of tears for her.  Then my tormented goddess sought to kill herself if our love could not be restored.  I asked her parents to come and get her since I was afraid to leave her alone----------they dragged her away from me as she wept and wailed begging me not to let them take her.   I just stood there and watched.  Oh God have mercy on my soul! The damned darkness of damned divorce crept between us. I begged her to return, begged for forgiveness and apologized for failing her-------but when she didn't answer for a week I sought the loving I yearned for in the arms of another wonderful dark queen.  I had given up.  I thought she would never come back to one so unworthy as I.  I felt I had to have the love of a wonderful dark queen so that I could know that I was still lovable, that I could know the love of a wonderful dark queen again.  My Lynn came that night and found me with the other.  Her last words were "Oh no, Ron!!!!!!!! I never had another chance with her.   Hollywood got her and messed her up so badly she had to have a total hysterectomy and was in pain daily taking powerful pain killers.  She sought shelter and help in her childhood home with her parents.  She built her nest in her childhood bedroom, her heart broken, her spirit twisted, her soul so gravely wounded that no one knew if she could ever fly again-------my Lynn who had soared in the heights with eagles and falcons. Her pain.   The pain wouldn't stop.   "Oh please make this pain stop!  Let me take my pills.  I have eaten and I'll just take these pain pills and lie down to rest.   Oh! My soul is so weary!  When will the pain stop?  To sleep, yes sleep.  I'm so tired. I'll just sleep a little.   It's so good to be home where I can feel safe, with Dad here.  I love him so much."  And my beloved Carol Lynn McIntyre laid herself down to sleep in the bed of her childhood bedroom----so safe-- --safe at last. "What's wrong!  I can't think---I feel so groggy.  What's happening?!  Oh God, I'm going to vomit!  Help!----------" And as she inhaled that last time-----My queen!  My goddess! My darling young  wife-------------she inhaled her vomit and died.  Oh God!   Dear God! Would that it were I!  Oh turn back the clock and take my soul instead!  Oh God------my heart is broken!  Why should I be above the ground and my brilliant and beautiful young Lynn, my dark queen,  be there beneath the ground?  Oh God be merciful to me!  I feel the millstone around my neck.    I don't deserve your forgiveness but I would die without it.   Yet she lives and is loved in the deepest depths of my soul though the grief and pain wont let me dwell on my wonderful memories of her and us---  My Scotch-Irish-Welsh heart grieves over my dark Queen.  God gave me a daughter who could pass for Lynn's sister, a wonderful woman, a daughter upon whom I can pour out all the love I feel for Lynn.   And God showed me what I did wrong with Lynn and taught me how not to make those terrible mistakes again.   My three wonderful daughters are the products of His Love working through me.  I lost my dark queen, and He gave me three wonderful dark queens to help heal my grief. Thank you, Jesus! Dear God, please heal the hearts of Lynn's family. ������������������������������� >TABLE OF CONTENTS >i. An Introduction >I. The Song of Solomon 1:2-2:7 >APPENDIX ONE: FOOTNOTES TO SONG 1:2- 2:7 >APPENDIX TWO: WHO WROTE THE SONG OF SOLOMON >APPENDIX THREE: GOD'S WORD ABOUT POLYGAMY/POLYGYNY. >APPENDIX FOUR: INTERRACIAL MARRIAGE: RACISM VS. JESUS >APPENDIX FIVE: KEYS TO A HARMONIOUS AND POLYGYNOUS CHRISTIAN FAMILY APPENDIX SIX: WHAT DO YOU THINK? THE FEEDING OF TWO LEGGED OXEN. ������������������������������� THE SONG OF SOLOMON 1:1 � The song of songs, which is Solomon's.                  [ The Shulamite to her friends] 2. He should kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!                   [The Shulamite to Solomon, in the hearing                     of her friends] For your [sexual] loving is better than wine.                   3. Your ointments smell sweetly;                       Your name is an ointment poured forth: Therefore do the [marriage-age] virgins love you. 4.  Lead, drawing me along!                                                                       [Her friends , the Daughters of                               Jerusalem ] --We will run after you!                                                                                         [The Shulamite to her friends ] The king has brought me into his chambers---                         [Her friends, the Daughters of Jerusalem to                   Solomon; or Solomon's concubines/wives to                     him] -We will be glad and rejoice in you,   We will remember  your  [sexual] loving more than wine.                                                                               [ The Shulamite  to the king ] They love you uprightly.                                                                      [Shulamite] 5 I am black [as a raven], but beautiful,        daughters of Jerusalem, As the tents of Kedar, As the curtains of Solomon. 6 Look not upon me, because I am black [as a raven]; Because the sun has looked upon me. My mother's children were angry with me: They made me keeper of the vineyards; Mine own vineyard have I not kept.                          [To Her Beloved] 7 � Tell me, you whom my soul loves, Where you feed [your flock], Where you make it to rest at noon; For why should I be as one veiled Beside the flocks of your companions?                            [ Solomon, the shepherd lover,  her                                 Beloved; or her friends ] 8 If you know not, you fairest among women, Go out  your way  by the footsteps of the flock, And feed your young female goats beside the shepherds' booths.                                                                            [Solomon, her Lover] 9 I compare you, my loving friend, To a mare in Pharaoh's chariots.               10 Your cheeks are comely with bead-rows,               Your neck with ornamental chains.                                                                                                                 [The Daughters of Jerusalem] 11 We will make you bead-rows of gold             With studs of silver.                                [The Shulamite] 12 � While the king is at his  round table,           My spikenard sends forth its fragrance. 13 A bundle of myrrh is my beloved unto me; He shall pass the night between my breasts.               14 My beloved is unto me a cluster of henna-flowers In the vineyards of Engedi.                     [ Solomon, her Lover, The Beloved] 15 Behold, you are fair, my loving friend; Behold, you are fair: your eyes are [as] doves.                                       [The Shulamite ] 16 Behold, you are fair, my well beloved, yea, pleasant; Also our bed is green.                                   [The Shulamite ] 17 The beams of our houses are cedars, Our rafters are cypresses.                                        [Shulamite] 2:1 I am a narcissus [a rose, a meadow-saffron] of Sharon, A lily of the valleys.                                                        [Solomon, the Beloved, her Lover] 2 As the lily among thorns, So is my loving friend among the daughters.                                   [The Shulamite] 3 � As the apple-tree among the trees of the wood, So is my well-beloved among the sons: In his shadow have I [intense] rapture and sit down; And his fruit is sweet to my taste.                                                                                                             [The Shulamite to the Daughters of Jerusalem] 4 He has brought me to the wine-banqueting house, And his banner over me is [affectionate] love.         5 Sustain [and revive]  me with raisin-cakes, Refresh [and support]  me with apples;   For I feel weak from [affectionate] love.                       6 His left hand is under my head, And his right hand does [intentionally and        intensely] embrace me. 7 I charge you, daughters of Jerusalem, By the gazelles, or by the hinds of the field, That you would not stir up, arouse or        awaken [affectionate] love,  Till it desire! ������������������������������� A  modernized and modified J.M.Darby version �������������������������������> >>AN INTRODUCTION TO THE SONG OF SOLOMON                                         The Song of Solomon, the Polygynist? Consider the following: Song of Solomon 6:8 There are sixty queens, and eighty concubines, And virgins without number:   9 My dove, my undefiled, is but one; She is the only one of her mother, She is the choice one of her that bore her. The daughters saw her, and they called her blessed; The queens and the concubines, and they praised her. What kind of man was Solomon?  This Song is by the young Solomon, not the old Solomon who failed himself and his people by marrying wives and concubines who didn't believe in Jehovah, the I Am of Sinai.  This is the young Solomon who built the Temple, with God's blessing and wisdom.  This is the young Solomon who had 140 wives with God's blessing and the gift of His wisdom.  But how can that be if he were such a polygynist? If you have any questions about how God feels about polygamy, polygyny and concubines, please the third Appendix of this document, and be prepared for a surprise.  There were a lot of them, and a lot of them were polygynists with God's full blessing on their lives.  Read Appendix Three and see for yourself. This is Song of Solomon, the polygynist, and his black Shulamite , his love and the garden of his delights, who was praised by her co-wives (the queens and concubines) and blessed by the virgin daughters who attended her.  He, a mighty and exceptional king, and she, a beautiful and virtuous woman praised publicly by her husband and his other wives, had a lyrical and poetic relationship of Love and loving that we all could  emulate and learn from.  No wonder that he was praised, but for a black wife to be praised by her co-wives and  blessed by  her young virgin attendants (most of whom were not black>1)  is truly exceptional and places her in the company of the virtuous woman whose value was far above any precious stones >2.  It would be normal for her co-wives to resentful, bitter, jealous, envious and hateful of her -- which says a great deal of good for them since they manifested none of the above.  The black Shulamite must have been exceptionally gracious,  kind,  generous,  sweet, thoughtful and compassionate with and to her co-wives and virgin attendants -- for them to respond to her as they did.   So we have quite a remarkable pair of lovers as the main characters of this delightful Song.   [Footnotes: >1. Abraham's people were from the area of Syria and Iraq.  Joseph married an Egyptian.  The Egyptians had shaken off Ethiopian rule conquered the Ethiopians some 600 years before, resulting in a great deal of racial mixture. 400 years of slavery without the guidelines of the Sinai Law involved a great deal of interracial and interethnic marriage for the Israelites.  The Egyptians  had a long history of significant involvement, including bringing back war captives as slaves,  with  Ethiopians and NE Africans long before the Moslem Arab hordes invaded North Africa, changing the racial composition of the area to what it is today. Moses married an Ethiopian.  Israel was a veritable melting pot of races and nationalities long before the time of Solomon.>2. Prov. 31] There is no book in the Bible that "stars" an ungodly primary character. This is the Solomon who was blessed and chosen of God to receive divine wisdom and build the great Temple and write many scripture Proverbs.  The black Shulamite was the wife who shared and adorned his excellence and blessing, and moved him to ecstatic and lyrical Love and loving.  These are two people we would do well to study, emulate and imitate as God leads. ************************************************************** SONG OF SOLOMON >>>1:1 � THE SONG OF SONGS, WHICH IS SOLOMON'S. Whose song is it?  It is Solomon's, inspired by the Holy Spirit.  If the Holy Spirit says it is Solomon's Song, then I'm going to say that it is Solomon's Song.   The Song of Solomon was in the scriptures Jesus read in the Synagogue in Israel and there is no record of Him editing the text or discrediting it.  It was read in His presence at every Passover he attended while on earth.  He probably heard it sung at weddings He attended during His earthly walk.  None of the apostles discredited it.  I don't care whose hand held the pen (as with Paul and his dictated letters) but I believe there is enough evidence that it was accepted as scripture by the time the Septuagint was written and has been accepted by the obediently believing saints on every continent ever since.  Appendix Two gives some scholarly opinions.     Is it Solomon's song about himself and his Shulamite?  Why not? I'm not here to argue about who the speakers are, but I am here to enjoy and rejoice in what they said that was recorded by the Holy Spirit's working to thoroughly prepare us for every good and godly work, including the godly work of  having a compassionate, cherishing, ecstatic and ravishing relationship with our mates>r1.  If it helps us understand the relationship between Jehovah and Israel, between Jesus and the Church, so much the better.       It matters not to me if The Song was written about a couple and dedicated to Solomon, or was written for Solomon about such a couple or even Solomon and one of his wives, or sung by Solomon to his Shulamite and recorded by an inspired prophet or scribe.  The Spirit tells me it is Solomon's Song and I say Amen! Why isn't it the Shulamite's Song?  In the realm of the Spirit when we are reborn inthe Spirit we are neither female nor male in Jesus Christ>r2.  We are spiritual beings whose bodies have been personally given to God for Him to use as His vessels, instruments and temples.  We trust Him to work out His good works in us who are His>r3. Before they married, they were neither male nor female to each other in Christ, but when they married they entered into a sexual relationship where God reveals more fully their sexuality and assigns them their respective relationships and the behavior He expects of them in their sexual union, where he is her own man and she is his own woman>r4.  God gives us His reasons for assigning the relative positions and the expected behavior in His Way, and we know that He did it this way for there to be His peace and order in the socio- sexual relationship which we know as marriage>r5.  The main difference between a close, personal and intimate friendship (which can be had with either sex) and a marital relationship is committed and covenanted sexual intimacy.     The reason for marriage is sexual>r6, in that the partners are different sexually and come together to unite their sexuality, both for ecstatic pleasure>r7 and for the bearing of godly children>r8.  Since both the Shulamite and the virtuous woman in Christ are spiritual and enlightened, they accept their divinely assigned status and roles>r9. So it is Solomon's Song because he, as her husband, has been divinely designated as her "head">r10.  Before the marriage she had not been placed under his authority and she was her own head under the other political, civic, social and familial heads involved in her life.  In choosing to marry, hopefully she obediently chose to accept his divinely appointed authority over and for her.   As her head, the part of the body with the mouth, he speaks for both he and her in the assembled presence of the other believing men in their assembly>r11.   What is hers is his and what is his is hers>r12.   He becomes personally and directly accountable to God for the way he exercises his headship over and for her>r13, to the point that if he lives foolishly with her his prayers are hindered>r14, and if he wrongs- offends-grieves-stumbles-abuses her he opens himself to weakness, sickness or even death-sleep from the Lord>r15. [FOOTNOTES: >r1. Prov. 5:15-20 and Ephes. 5.  >r2 Gala. 3 with 2 Corinth. 4 & 5.         >r3. Phil. 2:12,13,14; Hebrews 13:20,21.    >r4. 1 Corinth. 7:1-40; Matt. 19 and Mark 10.         >r5  See Genesis 2 & 3; 1 Corinth. 11 & 14; 1 Timothy 2 and 1 Peter 3.         >r6.  1 Corinth. 7:1-11; Gen. 2 & 3; Mark 10 and Mt. 19      >r7.  Prov. 5:15-20; Song of Solomon; 1 Corinth. 7:1-5.      >r8  Malachi 2;  1Timothy 2:15;  Genesis 2 & 3.     >r9  1 Corinth.14:34,35,36, 37,38.      >r10. 1 Corinth 11 and Romans 13:1-6.    >r11. 1 Corinth 14:34,35,36,37,38; 1 Tim. 2:10, 11,12,13,14.  When her head, and the assembled men of the local assembly, are not around, there is no reason why she should not speak for the two of them to the women and children of the local assembly or to assemblies of unbelieving men.     >r12. Luke 14:33;  Acts 2 & 4; 1 Corinth. 13.     >r13. 1 Pet. 4:10; 1 Corinth. 4:1,2,3.     >r14. 1 Pet. 3:1- 7.      >r15. 1 Corint. 11:27-34; Hebrews 12. ************************************************************** >>>[The Shulamite>2.1 to her friends/co-wives, or to herself     in a reverie as Solomon approaches her] >>>1:2 � HE SHOULD KISS ME WITH THE KISSES OF HIS MOUTH; "He should kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! ""He should kiss me" has been traditionally rendered "Let him kiss me", which is (in the LXX) in the Aor. Imperative 3rd person singular, so she is not saying "You! Let him kiss me!".  Instead she is saying that he should kiss her.  It is imperative that he kiss her, that he should kiss her, that he is under command to kiss her>n8.  As his wife, she has authority over his body>r9 and woe to the one who does not yield to the authority ordained by God>r10.  Even his prayers could be hindered if he didn't yield to her authority over the kisses of his mouth>r11.  If he defied or abused her authority over his body/mouth Jesus might have to chasten him with weakness, sickness or even death>r12.     But is she on a power or authority trip here?  Is it her desire to control and exercise authority over his body?  I don't think so, because it is his possession of that which is so precious to her coupled with her felt need of his excellent kisses that makes it a Love-sees-the-need-and-responds>r13 situation.  He must kiss her with the kisses of his mouth because God has given him that which she needs and that which He designed to meet her need (Gen.3:16).  For him to live with and walk with the God Who is Compassionate Cherishing, he must give her what she needs because she needs his kisses and he is the one appointed by God to be the donor of those great kisses for her.  For him to refuse her and withhold his kisses would be to hate her and defy his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  For him to refuse her and withhold his kisses would be to quench the Spirit's working  in him >r� to will/want to kiss her and then to be moved to actually kiss her.   He is appointed by Jesus' to minister to her in this need.  Surely the Love of God would constrain him to kiss her.  To refuse her would be to grieve the Spirit>r14 and frustrate the purpose of God. Why should he kiss her?  She could say, "Thus says the Lord", but she doesn't have to use that final appeal to God's decree.  Instead she focuses on how wonderful and delightful his obedience to God is (better than wine >r14a).Her reason for his obligation to kiss her is the joy, blessing and ecstasy his obedient lovemaking produces (the godly fruit of obedience>r14b). Its affect on her indeed is better than wine (which is often bitter sweet and has bad after effects from too much use>r14a)  because his loving spiritual obedience >r14c to God's will for him with her allows the ministry (by the Spirit in him to her needs) to flow, delighting and enrapturing her with no hangover or bad side affects.   For her it is a good and mellow "high" that is legal and so very enjoyable. Please consider the following in explanations why "Let him kiss me" means  "He should kiss me", or "He is under command to kiss me": The Jewish LXX Septuagint Greek translation of "Let him kiss me" involves the same Greek principles that are found in the translation of 1Co.7:9c-  LET THEM MARRY [Strong�s <1060> (5657)]: Strong�s 5657 Tense - Aorist;                              Voice - Active-------                      The active voice represents the subject as the doer or performer of the action.  E.g., in the sentence, "The boy hit the ball," the boy performs the action. Mood  - Imperative:   The imperative mood corresponds to the English imperative, and expresses a command to the hearer to perform a certain action by the order and authority of the one commanding.   Thus, Jesus' phrase, "Repent ye, and believe the gospel" (Mk.1:15)is not at all an "invitation," but an absolute command requiring full obedience on the part of all hearers.� Does "let them marry" mean "You let/permit/allow them to marry", and does "Let him kiss me" mean "You let/permit/ allow him to kiss me?  Is �You� the �hearer [who is] to perform� the action of marrying in this passage?  That this is not the case is seen in the following.  J. Gresham Machen, D.D., Litt.D; in his Macmillan Co. Greek manual, states the following: "The imperative mood is used in commands.  It will be observed that the English language has, properly speaking, no imperative of the third person.  Hence in translating the Greek imperative of the third person we have to use the helping verb let, so that the noun or pronoun that is the subject of the imperative in Greek becomes the object of the helping verb in English." So in � let them marry.� and in "let him kiss me" it means --- �that the pronoun (them) that is really the subject (third person plural: they) of the imperative (marry) in Greek becomes here the object (them) of the helping verb (let) in English.�  So a literal translation of �let them marry� would be �they are commanded to marry", or "they should marry",   by the order and authority of the one commanding (The Holy Spirit ).   Who is commanded to marry? Those who don�t   abstain from sex-sin by exercising self-control.   A literal translation of "let him kiss me" would be "he is commanded to kiss me" or "he should kiss me", by the order and authority God gave her, as his wife, over his body (1Cor.7:2-5; Proverbs 5:15-20). [[FOOTNOTES:>2.1 nkjv,scofield. >14a Ephes. 5:18-21.     >14b 2 Corinth. 13:11,12.      >14c 1 Thess. 5:19.]               >>>[The Shulamite to Solomon now with her>14d, in the        hearing of her friends] >>>FOR YOUR LOVEMAKING>14e IS BETTER THAN WINE. "For your [sexual] loving is better than wine!" The Shulamite, in a reverie as she watches him approach, says that he should kiss her.  Then as he arrives in her presence she greets him with praise of his loving ways. She loves him and can't help but express it.  The virtuous husband praises his wife in public, and here we see the wife praising him to his face in hearing of her friends.  Such words of blessing and welcome can be the greatest aphrodisiacs for loving and foreplay.   Evil words can break a heart, but good, loving and edifying words can build lives, as well as romance, endearing one to another.  Honest praise from one you love can inspire you to great things and wonderful moments. Please notice that she praises the excellence that God has given to him in his lovemaking, in the blissful holiness of their marital sex.  She doesn't make the mistake of telling/ teaching him how to make love with her>15.  She has authority over and rights to the marital use of his body, and she has them from God so that if he resists her authority, he resists God>16.  This does not mean that she becomes the sexual tyrant and dictator of her own man, because that would be contrary to all the patterns of virtuous leadership given by the Spirit>17.       Instead of a tyrant, she becomes her own man's sexual exhorter and encourager, exhorting him when he tries something new with her that she likes, encouraging him when he does something she likes, gently warning him when he does something that is unpleasant to her, respectfully entreating and imploring him to try something new that she wants or would like to try, and gently telling him when he has done something that offends her>18.  Her exhortation and encouragement would be free of complaining, backbiting, murmuring, criticism and speaking of evil. If he makes love with her in such a way as to offend, upset and grieve her, then certainly she should gently, humbly and respectfully tell him that he is offending, upsetting and grieving her so that he would have the opportunity to repent in loving-kindness>18.  Since her tongue is ruled by the law of kindness, he need fear no unkind word from her>19 All of this behavior is the work of the Spirit in a godly woman's life, working her tongue by the rule of kindness and working gentleness, patience, kindness, forgiveness and humility in her as she relates to her own man and family>20. The Body of Christ, the living believers on earth, are given by God as a vital resource when the wife has serious problems with her husband or their love-making.  If he offends her in their lovemaking and wont stop even when she asks him to stop, then she is to go to The Body, preferably the saints with whom they fellowship and who minister to them, and ask for their help >21.   The older sisters in the Lord should be able to encourage, instruct, advise and comfort her.  With her sisters, she should be able to enlist the help of the older brothers in Christ to pray for them, intervene with them and counsel them, shepherding them through the crisis in the bonds of compassionate cherishing.   Of course there are instructions for those whose mates will not cooperate and stop their offensive and grievous behavior>22.  Such instructions as the following: 1) They should not boss, nag or verbally manipulate each other;2) She should not be his teacher, instructor, trainer or boss; 3) He should not try to make her do what he wants; 4) He should tell her what he needs and show her what he wants her to do, and respect her right to say "No" or not cooperate, leaving her to God if she is wrong or unreasonable; 5) She should respectfully  and humbly tell him when he is offending or grieving her, leaving him to God if he fails to respond according to compassionate cherishing; 6) They should pray daily and fast for each other; 7) They should turn to the Lord and His Body of believers for help and their ministry when they can't work it out; and 8) they should remember that even when they feel like enemies (one who can hurt you), Jesus wants them to compassionately cherish each other, do good to each other, pray for each other and bless each other>23 Most men, with that dynamic mix of testosterone and adrenaline, are prepared to do battle or make love within minutes of the stimuli.  As hunter-warrior-lovers they exist combat ready and love-making ready.  It is a wise woman who doesn't provoke her lover into being a warrior at war with her. The refreshing springs of marital lovemaking become undrinkable when muddied by marital warfare.   In marital lovemaking, the warrior-hunter needs to be able to completely drop his defenses and weapons of war, be totally vulnerable in the complete safety and acceptance of his wife's embrace.   Most lovers don't like to make love with a sword, or gun or shield between them, but that is what a wife will find if she verbally attacks and wounds her man, especially in love- making.  He needs to feel safe enough that he can leave behind his warrior-hunter tools and be totally vulnerable with her in their intimacy.    The same is true of the woman who, for one reason or another (single mom, divorced, abandoned, abused etc.), has had to become a hunter- warrior, in which case it becomes the responsibility of both to bring no offensive or defensive armaments into the context and experience of their love-making.  They both must love each other enough to take the risk of being totally vulnerable in their marital intimacy.  If they don't, their marital sex becomes a scene of warfare, conquest and exploitation.  Who needs that? Marital sex is as much a Spiritual God ordained ministry as is feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and giving drink to the thirsty.  Isn't it obvious that the husband and wife should be as creative, zealous and devoted in their sexual ministry to each other, being sexually dependent on each other, as they would be in their ministry to the thirsty, hungry and unclothed who are dependent on them.  Since they are called to do their sexual ministry to each other, doing it as unto the Lord (meaning they would do their very best in order to please Jesus), you would expect excellence, creativity, originality and first class performance.  That is an example of how a Spiritual people who know each other in terms of the Spirit, not in terms of their bodies or the visible, use the opportunity of their bodies or the visible to serve each other and the God who called them. [FOOTNOTES:  >14d, Possibly her co-wives or Solomon to her; sco= Daughters of Jerusalem.        >14e love : (dby,nkjv, ~niv); loves: (ylt,mkjv); Stong's Lexicon, (01730: 1c) love (pl. abstract); love/loves  obviously means sexual, affectionate and physical love making from its use in the  following passages: Prov. 7:18; Ezekiel 16:8; 23: 16,17.  >15 I Tim. 2:12 Luke 22:25-30; 1 Peter 5:3.       >16 1 Corinth. 7:4 and Romans 13:1-5.         >17 John 13; Luke 22:23-30; Romans 15:1-5; 1 Peter 5:1-6.     >18.  Proverbs 5:15-30; Heb 3:13; 1 Cor. 14:31; Col. 2:2; Gal. 6:1;  Matt. 7:8,9; James 4:2; Matt 18:15-25 >19 Prov. 31:10-30        >20 Phil. 2:12,13; 4:13; Heb. 13:20,21;  1 Corinth. 12:1-11    >21  Matt. 18:15,16, 17,18; Titus 2; Gala. 6:1,2; 2 Tim. 2:22-25.      >22. 1 Peter. 3:1-7; Matt. 18:15-18; 1 Corinth. 5:3-11; 2 Thess. 3:6-14; Romans 16:17; Ephes. 5:7-11; Gala. 6:1;  2 Tim. 2:24.        >23 Luke 6:27-38; 1Peter 3:1-7 and note >22. *************************************************************** >>>[The Shulamite to Solomon now with her>14d, in the  hearing of her friends] >>1:3 YOUR OINTMENTS SAVOUR SWEETLY; YOUR NAME IS  AN OINTMENT POURED FORTH: THEREFORE DO THE VIRGINS LOVE YOU. 1:3. Your ointments smell sweetly;                   Your name is an ointment poured forth: Therefore do the [marriage-age] virgins love you. Because of the comfort and joy given to the human heart and soul, we find Solomon comforting, rejoicing, comforted and rejoiced with myrrh, aloes, cassia, spikenard, frankincense, saffron, cinnamon and balsam, probably with an olive oil base.  These all taste and/or smell good.  The flavors and odors of the ointments are good, and because of the good that he does, his name (reputation, character, personality) is like one of his ointments put to use.  His being is pleasant, delightful, good, desirable, fragrantly alive and delicious company.  His character directs him to obtain good ointments because his character itself has become "good", by the grace and enabling presence of God Who alone is good and creates good in us>3.1 Out of the abundance of the husband's heart comes his actions and, when filled and fruitful by the Spirit, his presence is indeed like a good and fragrant ointment poured forth, enrapturing and enriching those around him >3.2.   For this reason the virgins, betrothed and/or offered to him >3.3 who beautify and prepare themselves for him with these ointments, love him who not only provides and cares for them >3.4 with good things, but also cares for them with God-given goodness and loving-kindness.  What he gives to them and what he is to them evokes love in the hearts of the women who love him.  Love begets love. It is easy to love a pleasant person who loves us, how much more someone who is lovable to us.  We love Jesus because He first loved us and now gives us good and precious gifts>3.5.  From this we can learn that if we want our mates to love us, we should first compassionately cherish them, after giving yourself completely to Jesus and letting Him Love His Love through you.  Love begets love, for even the emotionally cold, the emotionally passive, the emotionally defensive become more pleasant when you consistently Love them.  Tragically, sometimes the emotionally dead, the emotionally crippled, the emotionally maimed and the emotionally enslaved are unable to respond to Love, having eyes they see not, having ears they hear not---as of old. [Footnotes: >14d, Possibly her co-wives or Solomon to her; sco= Daughters of Jerusalem.     >3.1  Hebrews 13:20,21.     >3.2:John 7;38;Prov. 27:9; "smell"=  savour, dby; Because of the fragrance of your good ointments, nkjv;Strong's (7381 from 07306) scent, fragrance, aroma, odor         >3.3 Song 6:8,9; Esther 2:2-18; 1 Corinthians 7:38.   >3.4 Exodus 21:10,11; 1 Timothy 5:8.    >3.5 Matthew 6; Philip. 4:19; Psalm 84:11.   >3.6 1 Thess. 1:1,9,10.] ***************************************************************                [Shulamite>4.1 to King Solomon, in the                         hearing of her friends] >>>Song1:4 DRAW ME, Lead, drawing me along!   Draw me! >4.2      Lead me away!>4.3   Take me away with you! >4.4       Pull me along after you!  Obviously this little lady is motivated, pumped up, fired up and ready to go.  She wants her man to take her.   Why?   Because she feels so good about him.  Why does she feel so good about him?  I'll bet you a plugged nickel that it was because he was soooooooooo goooood to her.   Love begets love. Timid about her authority over his body?  I don't think so.   Bossy, nagging and dictatorial?  I wouldn't believe it.  I could hear her imploring him, beseeching him and entreating him to take her with him, appealing to his love for her to move him.  We obey Him because we love Him.  He works in us to love each other, to want to love each other because we love Him, and to want to submit to each other's authority over each other's body because we love Him.  Prepared and enabled by Him to love we actually do love each other, submitting to each other's needs, wants and desires as we are able.  When you love someone you love to please them, serve them, help them,  share with them and bear that one's burdens.  She's not heavy because you love her sooooo much. When you love that much, there is nothing toooo personal or intimate.   You have no desire to touch most people but you can't touch her enough.  You wouldn't think of putting your lips on most people's mouths but you long to press your lips on hers and tongue touch.  The bodily fluids of strangers are offensive to you but her body's fluids are precious to you to touch and/or to taste, a chance to have something of hers inside of you-----an intimate communion.  Each inch of skin or mucous membrane, with its sensitive nerve endings, is a point of communications for letting the one you love know how much you love and desire her/him. You and she are one flesh while you grow into oneness of soul and spirit. [Footnotes: >4.1 scofield     >4.2 mkjv,nkjv note, jbs,asv. >4.3 (nkjv). >4.4 (niv)  ] The Shulamite exclaims, "Lead me!"  How is Solomon supposed to lead her?  How is the godly husband supposed to lead his wife? What is the nature of the relationship that Jesus wants the husband and the wife to have?   Genesis 1: 26-28; 2: 20 -24; 3:16;  and 1 Corinth. 11: 1-12 -----these passages make it very clear that the wife is under the authority of her husband even though he is no better no godlier than her.   If she joins herself to another while he lives >114 it is adultery, even if she has a perfectly legal divorce decree from the government since God�s laws are the final word.  So why the  double standards (e.g. 1. the wife can separate herself chastely from her husband, but he may not separate himself from his wife at all; 2. The wife may not rule over the husband, but the husband must take the lead as her servant and she must make the choice whether or not to follow him)? [Footnote: >114 (l Cor. 7:39 and Romans 7:1-5; Mark 10:1- 20).] This does not mean that women are second class citizens in the Kingdom of God, because the Word is clear>115, that even now in the spiritual realm -seated with Christ now in the heavens- there is no difference between males and females in their rights, privileges and responsibilities. In terms of the spiritual warfare and influence seen in Daniel 10 and Ephesians 6:10-20, females and males have equal opportunities to be used of God mightily and effectively. [Footnote: >115  in Galatians 3:26,27,28; Ephesians 2:6, 19- 22 and Matthew 19:10-12 and 1 Peter 3:7.] So there is now no  difference between the sexes in spirit in Christ in the heavens.  But our spirits are also now in our bodies on earth in the realm of Satan, the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience.  Our reborn spirits, the Holy Spirit, now lives in our flesh and blood bodies, which flesh and blood bodies cannot receive our inherit the Kingdom of God and are at war  >116 with the Spirit in us. When our bodies are transformed by Jesus they will not have blood and they will obviously have transformed flesh no longer under the influence of hormones, germs etc. [Footnote: >116 (Romans 7:13- 8:11; Galatians 5:16-26).] There is nothing in the Bible that says women are inferior to men.  "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.">5   What does it mean to be in Christ Jesus?   "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great Love with which he Loved us, even when we were dead in sins, has made us alive together with Christ . . . and has raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus . . . for through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father." >6  In terms of what is real, spiritually right now we who are His children have a presence in His very presence right now where sex is totally irrelevant and inconsequential.   "Therefore, from now on, we know no one according to the flesh. . .">7    Our sexuallity is not a legitimate basis for knowing each other or relating to each other.  Our sexuality is like a temporary "uniform" we wear during a short period of our eternal life with God, or like an instrument we temporarily play in God's orchestra. [Footnote: >5  Gal 3:28.      >6  Ephes.  2:1-18.      >7  2 Cor. 5:16]     The husband  should not lord it over (exercise lordship) or tyrannize/suppress the wife, according to the following: 1 PETER 5: 5,6; LUKE 22: 25 ,26;1 TIM. 2: 9-12; 1 CORINTH. 14:34*  35*; Ephesians 5:22-33.  The husband exercises his authority as "head" of the wife by  humbly teaching>119 her what she should do/say and by being a good example of how she should act/speak >120 . THE HUSBAND HAS NO RIGHT TO MAKE HIS WIFE DO  WHAT HE WANTS HER TO DO AND HE HAS NO SCRIPTURAL RIGHT  TO BOSS OR ORDER HER ABOUT>121 . If his wife resists his lead and authority, or just rebels outright, he can compassionately  but firmly admonish and rebuke her humbly and gently according to the following: [Footnote: >119  2 Tim. 2:24-26.     >120 (Hebrews 13:7, 17,).   >121  (Luke 22:25,26;1 Peter 5:5). >*See the Greek for this 1 Corinth. interpretation: wife and woman is the same Greek word, man and husband is the same Greek word, it is the context that shows what the word means.       >119  2 Tim. 2:24-26.     >120 (Hebrews 13:7, 17,).  >121  (Luke 22:25,26;1 Peter 5:5).]                                   [Her friends>4.5, the daughters of                             Jerusalem>4.6, and/or her co-wives] >>>WE WILL RUN AFTER YOU!>4.7     Let us hurry!>4.8  The "you" is singular, meaning either the Shulamite or Solomon. This is so amazing to me as a westerner.  I believe that these are the same speakers here as the speakers below who say "We will remember your lovemaking more than wine!".  I believe that  the "we" of these exclamations definitely include Solomon's other wives, and here could have included the daughters of Jerusalem as well.  Either way, the fact that they feel so welcome is amazing.  Obviously both the Shulamite and Solomon had made them feel welcome even in their not-so-private affectionate exchanges and intimate moments.  They obviously not only felt welcome, but loved them both so much that they really enjoyed being with them, even if only as spectators.   In the Orient it was not unusual for the wives of one husband to be within sight and/or hearing of their husband when he was being intimate with one of his other wives. Jealousy, bitterness, resentment, favoritism and unkindness could run rampant.  But here all the parties involved love each other, feel welcome with each other, enjoy each other and the other wives appear to take delight in the love being expressed between the Shulamite and Solomon.  This speaks volumes for the loving care and attention Solomon took to make each wife feel so secure, confident and loved; for the generosity, kindness and loving deeds of the Shulamite; and for their unselfish love and joy in the happiness and delight of their sister-wife, the Shulamite. This takes the sharing and having all things in common of Acts 4 to a whole new dimension and height.  If only the believers in Christ could achieve this level.  It would be the greatest evangelistic force on earth, for by  this kind of love shall all people know that He is alive in our midst and we are His disciples. [FOOTNOTES: >4.5 niv.   >4.6 nkjv,sco   >4.7 mkjv, jbs, nkjv, ~dby.    >4.8 niv        [The Shulamite>4.9 to her friends] >>>THE KING HAS BROUGHT ME INTO HIS CHAMBERS>10 The husband blesses the body and soul (purchased by Jesus with His own life's blood) of his own woman, Jesus' sister>11 and God's adopted daughter>12. The husband causes the body-temple of his wife to be a temple filled with joy, praise, thanksgiving, peace and fulfillment as she gives thanks to God for her husband and their marriage.  Obviously she blesses her husband in his body in the same way, causing his lips to be filled with the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to God for the gift of such a wonderful wife.  And they both know the blessing of 'inasmuch as you have done it unto one of these you have done it unto Me' as they have loved and compassionately cherished each other, blessing Jesus in each other>13. Having made haste running, he has brought her into his bed chambers.  She proclaims his marital obedience to the glory of God Who is always glorified by our obedience to Him.   Here again the minimal and basic wedding act or ceremony is repeated>14, where they covenant for life to be man and wife and she is brought from her room/house to his room/house for marital-sexual intimacy.  Those passages>14 remind us that a married couple in Jesus is a couple who came together (free of adultery and fornication), leaving behind their parents and households in order to steadfastly stick by and live with each other, uniting their bodies sexually, becoming one flesh in a union that no human should divide, nullify, reject, repudiate or denounce>15.  This marital joining stands in marked contrast to the joining of the fornicator, adulterer, adulteress and the harlot, with its lack of commitment and blessing from God. As she proclaims his spiritual obedience, she calls him "the king".  He is her ruler-leader, not only because he is King Solomon, but because he is her husband and as such God has proclaimed him to be her leader, head and guide>16.  As we saw above, he is her leader and guide whether or not they were married by common law, civil law, church law, concubinage, formal ceremony, informal covenant.   The Aborigines, Eskimos, Yaki Indians, Ashanti Africans and etc. are just as married before God as WASPs in their elegant churches even though their weddings were so different.   Their is nothing in the Bible that says marriage is a sacrament of the organized visible church, and the command to submit to civil authorities>17 is not a command that the marriage has to be sanctioned by the state.   From the Word>18 we know that the husband, like the leader of the local assembly of saints, does not command, dictate, boss or tyrannize those under his care and responsibility.  He leads and guides by humble teaching and living the example.  He serves her by providing direction, leadership and behavioral options for her. He asks, requests, teaches and exhorts his own woman who then must choose whether or not she will submit herself (bring herself into submission) to him and his teaching.  If he teaches her to disobey the clear, specific and explicit Word, then she has to disobey him>19.  If she refuses to submit herself, for the husband has no authority to make her submit to him, when he asks her to obey clear, specific and explicit scripture, then he must humbly and gently initiate the steps of discipline in the Christian assembly>20.   If a woman doesn't want a man to be her leading and guiding servant, then she should remain single, chaste, and celibate with only God and the elders of the local assembly of believers as her leaders and guides>21. [FOOTNOTES: >4.9 nkjv,scofield.        >10-kjv,dby,jbs,nkjv;   [inner] chamber=(ylt,mkjv);  let the king bring me into his chambers=(niv)     >11 Matthew 12:50.      >12 Romans 8     >13 Matt. 12:50; 25:40-45.     >14 Genesis 24; Matthew 1:18,24; 25:6-10; Psalm 45:10-15; Deuteronomy 21:10-16; Exodus 21:8-11; Ezekiel 16:8. >15 Matt. 19; Mark 10; 1 Corinthians 6 & 7.    >16 Genesis 2:16; 1 Corinth. 11:3; Ephes. 5:22,33; Titus 2:5; 1 Peter 3:1-7    >17 Romans 13 & 1 Peter 2:13,14.       >18 1Peter5:3; Hebrews 13:7,17,24; Matt. 20:25,26,27; and Luke 22:25,26,27 with 2Tim.2:24-26. >19 Ezekiel 20:18-20; Acts 4:19,20;Daniel 13:12-18;6:6-11; 2 Chron. 22:10-12    >20 Matt. 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 5:5-15; Luke 17:3; Galatians 6:1,2; 2 Timothy 2:24-26.       >21 1Corinthians 7.                [Her friends>22,  the Daughters of            Jerusalem>23 , her co-wives and the                           Shulamite ] >>>WE WILL BE GLAD AND REJOICE IN YOU>24!   WE WILL REMEMBER>24 YOUR>25 LOVEMAKING>26 MORE THAN WINE! Who is the "we"?  It could be her friends, the daughters of Jerusalem, the virgin maidens offered to Solomon for marriage.  If so why do they rejoice and what do they remember?  Since he appears to be a wise, devoted and loving husband and they have seen him as such, that would cause them to rejoice in him who they wish would choose them to be his wives.   They have been in the presence of Solomon and the Shulamite when his left hand holds her head, his right hand embraces her and she exhorts them (2:6,7).  Seeing his loving and affectionate foreplay and embracing of the Shulamite would definitely fill the highly charged memories of virgin maidens hoping someday to be chosen as another wife by Solomon.   It could be his other wives who have known him to be a wise, devoted and loving husband that makes them glad, filling their hearts with rejoicing to God, and fills their memories with his wonderfully intoxicating and enrapturing lovemaking.   But I prefer to think that it is the Shulamite speaking for herself as a member of his "bride", all his co- wives and wives to be, speaking as the present representa- tive of his community of wives>27, glad and rejoicing in his precious compassionate cherishing, remembering his wonderfully intoxicating and enrapturing lovemaking.   Whether or not they are present physically, they are present in her mind and her heart, bound in the unity of the Spirit and heart in the bond of peace made possible by the Spirit of God and their love for Jesus/Jehovah. Instead of bitterness, jealousy, insecurity, anxiety and rivalry  (all normal sinful reactions) between her and his other wives>28 we find her fully content>29, submissive>30, and willing to unselfishly share the erotic love of her own man with her co-wives, actually rejoicing in their shared love>31.  She rejoices with those who rejoice with her in their husband's love>32, living peaceably and harmoniously with them>33.  So we see that, as in the marital  relationship of Solomon and his Shulamite, polygyny  doesn't have  to be as unpleasant and unhappy as it is seen in such books like Dr. Mace's MARRIAGE EAST AND WEST.  It is obedience to God's instructions and Spirit enabled compassionate cherishing for Jesus and each other that enables even awfully difficult and complicated polygynous marriages to work and work well.  If it is possible for the local assembly of believers in Jesus, it is possible for the Christian polygynous marriage.  Obedience to the Word on these relations>34 would enable any godly family  to experience the loving unity seen the Song of Solomon.  Each one of us who are spiritually married to Christ>35 should be joyfully sharing His Love with each other in His Body of believers, all being parts of His "Bride".  We are glad and rejoice in Him, remembering His Love more than wine for He made us upright and we love Him for that, for Loving each one of us individually and sharing His Love with us all. If the marriages of the polygynist are preceded by prayer and fasting it is possible that " . . .God, who knows beforehand whom He has chosen for us, tempers and tunes us the one to the other long before we meet in the flesh.">36 His intervention makes possible " . . .the lovely commingling of the various notes that make up our chord.">36  There can be "that wonderful knitting o f spirit which makes of several people one single soul. . .">37.   May it be said that "we were always, as it were, parts of one another. . .[where] each member lives for the good of the household. . .">38 If each member of the polygynous family will let Jesus work His lay-down-your-life-for-your-brother Love in them, like Jonathan had for David, especially in times of adversity and trials, blessed unity and harmony will prevail>39. Can a polygynous "company" of wives dwell together in harmony and unity with their husband?  How?  "We have found it possible to be directed as a company so that we can move together in a harmony of spirit that is restful and very sure.  A company has to wait longer than one or two might have to do, but if all be set on doing  their Lord's will and be truly one in loyalty and the New Testament kind of affection that makes each one feel safe with each other one, if all flow together to the goodness of the Lord, unanimity is certain.  It is not difficult for our Father to make His children to be of one mind in an house, like the city of His purpose, 'that is at unity in itself'--'Jerusalem that hath been builded a true city, all joined together in one'. . . If the inmost law of such  a company be holy peace, it must be so.">40.  Do you want you family to united and harmonious in Jesus, then make it a practice to regularly pray together for guidance in matters of the family, and let that prayer include the stillness of waiting on God and knowing Him.>41 Will such a polygynous family have no problems, not setbacks, no disasters, no persecution, no harassment? "The immediate effect of obedience can be apparent disaster; we must be one if we are to go through all that may follow such a step, in peace and in confidence.  So we gathered together with the definite intention of considering the matter in the light of what had been already shown tous, and in seeking to know, as a Fellowship, the mind of the Lord. . .shared responsibility in prayer. . . a deeper stillness fell upon us; 'Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me to hear it'" . . . Again in that living silence that can only be when the Lord is near, we hushed our hearts before Him.  At last there was thanksgiving, and the singing of hymns. When we rose from our knees we were pledged to faith, and we all knew it and were one.">42 PLEASE SEE THE APPENDIX OF THIS DOCUMENT ENTITLED "KEYS TO LOVING RELATIONSHIPS", if you wish to see how this kind of unity can be realized. [FOOTNOTES:  >22 niv      >23 nkjv,sco.   >24 singular you       >24 remember*= We mention your loves=(ylt);            We will make mention of your love=(asv,                We will praise your love=(niv          We will find your love more fragrant than=(jbs         Strong's 02142   1) to remember, recall, call to mind         1c) (Hiphil)                    1c1) to cause to remember, remind                     1c2) to cause to be remembered, keep in   remembrance                  1c3) to mention                1c5) to make a memorial, make remembrance >25 singular  >26 *love/loves* (Strong's Heb 01730; loves    (pl. abstract)) obviously means sexual, affectionate and physical love making from its use in the following passages: Prov.7:18;Ezekiel 16:8; Ezek. 23:17     >27 Esther 2:15-18;Song 6:8-9; Psalms 45:14,15.        >28 Deuteronomy 21:15,16,17; Exodus 21:10,11; Sarah and Hagar; Samuel's mother.       >29 Phil. 4:11;Song 2:6,7.      >30 Ephes. 5:23- 33;Song 1:4; 2:4,14;5:6                >31 1Timothy 6:1-8,18,19; Luke 14:26,33.       >32 Romans 12:15        >33 Romans 12:18; Philip. 4:13         >34 Matt. 18:15-33; Ephes. 4:1-3; Romans 15:1-5; Acts 4; 2 Corinth. 8 & 9    >35  2Corinth. 11:1,2     >36 Gold Cord, p. 65   >37 Gold Cord p. 60     >38 Gold Cordp.75       >39 Gold Cord p.158    >40 Gold Cord p.183ff           >41  Gold Cord p. 187,192ff    >42 Gold Cord p. 285-287]     [ The Shulamite>43 to Solomon] >>>THEY LOVE YOU UPRIGHTLY.>44 Perhaps the Shulamite and Solomon were standing together, she in his arms, he looking at his wives and she exclaiming to him with her co-wives, "We will be glad and rejoice in you!   We will remember your lovemaking more than wine!"   Perhaps she, with a heart over flowing with love for him and love for her beloved co-wife friends, the Shulamite declares confidently and merrily, "They sincerely and rightly love and adore you!"  I don't know, but I do know there was love, there was Love, there was compassionate cherishing, there was passionate affection from them for him.  Love begets love, so I know he had been passionately and affectionately loving, Loving, and compassionately cherishing them.   How beautiful this scene is!  Oh that the saints of God would Love each other like this, would love Him and each other sincerely and rightly. We believers miss so much by not Loving each other this way.  We believers miss so much by not loving Him this way.  We can turn this around, we can repent, any time and start walking in His Love, praying for our brethren to join us.  If we Love Him, we will keep His commandments>45 as He works in us to wish to do and actually do His good will. By keeping His commandments His way we know that we know Him>46 and His commandment is to love the Lord Jesus with all our strength, soul, heart and mind, Loving our fellow believers and laying down our lives for them in unselfish and sacrificial Love.>47 Is such Love, such unity and harmony possible with our fellow believers? "Behold how good and how pleasant [it is] for [the] brethren to dwell together in unity!>48    ". . . they were all with one accord [one consent in harmony and unanimity] in one place. . . And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. . .">49    Is it possible for us today?  "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of call by which you are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in Love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.">50  When He asks us to do something, He offers us His enabling for the "willing and the doing" of it.>51  If we haven't achieved and experienced His Loving unity in our fellowships and marriages, it's because we have not let Him work it in us.  Let's Love Him enough to will it and do it. "No purer joy can be Than to be one in Thee; Bound by one golden cord Of love to our dear Lord. Together, together, together, Made one in Thee, All one in Thee, Come let us flow together. . . Than song of sweet wild bird, Deep in the green wood heard, More sweet the melody Of such a unity. . . Made one in Thee, All one in Thee, . . . .>52 PLEASE SEE THE APPENDIX OF THIS DOCUMENT ENTITLED "KEYS TO LOVING RELATIONSHIPS", if you wish to see how this kind of unity can be realized. [FOOTNOTES: >43 nkjv; Beloved niv.      >44 They love you uprightly=`mkjv,~ab,            `They love thee uprightly= (dby,~ylt)              `Sincerely do they love you=~jbs            `How right they are to adore you!=niv            `Rightly do they love you=nkjv >45 John 14:15; Hebrews 5:8,9       >46 1John2:2-5  >47 1John3     >48 Psalm 133   >49 Acts2:1-4,40-47; 4:32-37 >50 Ephes. 4:1-3          >51 Phil.2:11,12,13; 4:13;  Heb. 13:20,21      >52 Gold Cord p. 344 ***************************************************************             >>>[The Shulamite>5.1 to her Solomon] >>>1:5 I AM BLACK>5.2, BUT BEAUTIFUL>5.3, DAUGHTERS OF JERUSALEM, AS THE TENTS OF KEDAR, AS THE CURTAINS OF SOLOMON. >>>1:6 LOOK NOT UPON ME, BECAUSE I AM BLACK>6.1; BECAUSE THE SUN HAS LOOKED UPON ME. . . . . She was not just tanned, swarthy or dark skinned.  The Hebrew word translated as "black" here in verse 5 is the very same Hebrew word used to describe her  Solomon's black hair (Song 5:11 ...... his locks [are] bushy, [and] black as a raven.).  She was raven black.  Now a raven is BLACK, GLOSSY BLACK, not tanned, swarthy or brown. She brings this up, not Solomon or her friends.  She is conscious of her blackness, self-conscious about her blackness. Not only is she black, but she is very black because she has labored in the open under the sun, becoming burned and dried as she was forced to labor under the sun in the vineyards of her brothers and sisters.  Brown and black skinned people experience a drying, darkening and a burning of their skin by the sun from excessive exposure.  Brown folks can sun burn to very dark brown, and black folks can sun burn to "blue black". My Black friend in college, Janice G., had to wear zinc sun block to protect her burnt "blue black" nose from further sun damage.  Both of my Black wives had "tan line" marks on their bodies from sun exposure. She turns from rejoicing, with her co-wives, in Solomon's   wonderful and delightful loving and lovemaking, to noting the integrity of their love for him.  Conscious of her beloved Solomon, conscious of her beloved co-wives, she is conscious that she is BLACK, and they aren't.  Self consciously she declares that she is BLACK.  If she felt good about being black, she would have said "I am black and beautiful!"  That she didn't feel good about her unique blackness, in the context of her marriage,  is evident that she says "I am black BUT beautiful".  This strongly implies that, not only in her own perception but also in  the  perception of most societies dominated by others than Blacks, black is NOT beautiful, black IS unattractive.   Black is synonymous with darkness and that which is dismal, evil and dingy.  But she perceived that she had overcome her "black handicap", and even though she were black, she knew that she was BEAUTIFUL. She didn't feel she was "black AND beautiful" .   She felt she was "black BUT beautiful".   Most important she knew that Solomon and her friends perceived her as BEAUTIFUL >5.4, and that was all she needed.  Give honest praise, credit and tribute to your loved ones and help them rest on your view of them to overcome the dark stinkin'-thinkin' that would other wise handicap them.   What is ugly to one  is beautiful to another, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  Listen to your virtuous friends about you, and don't listen to your enemies about you. It is interesting that she compares her blackness to such positive images as if she is fully aware of how comely, attractive and desirable she is to her loved ones in her beautiful oil-softened and conditioned black skin.  The black tents of Kedar are homes and her black skin encloses the first home of their children and the home of her soul which Solomon enters in social and sexual intercourse.   Often two lovers experience a profound sense of "being home" when his penis is fully in her vagina---- a sense of experiencing physically what they feel emotionally---that they are united, joined together as one.  The black curtains of Solomon seem to represent the privacy and intimacy of their social and sexual communion, protecting her modesty and their intimacy and providing safety for her from any tongue strife that might be around her [Psa 31:20].  Her black skin, to her loved ones and so to her, was home, modesty, privacy, intimacy, delight and acceptance in and to her beloved so indeed she sees herself as comely, attractive and desirable in the eyes of her beloved. My beloved first wife, the deceased Carol Lynn McIntyre of Oceanside, had an IQ over 125, had a 44D bust with a 32" waist, and the beautiful face of an Indian princess.  She was so beautiful when I first saw her my mouth fell open, my eyes opened wide, and I stood there speechless, looking like a complete fool and causing her to burst out in beautiful musical laughter that broke the spell and brought me back to the wonderful reality of the moment.  She was Black and American Indian, but Black according to society.  Like the Shulamite, she saw her blackness as a handicap.  She would have dreams where she was "white" and being loved and adored by those about her, only to wake up crying to the reality that she was not "white" and so many people important to her were "white".    She loved devotedly her beloved  very dark Black father and sister Pat, which added to her confusion, guilt and frustration.  How could she love her very dark Black dad and sister Pat when in her heart she wanted to be accepted as "white"?  She felt disloyal to her beloved dad and sister.  What unnecessary torment our society, our social world, imposes on dark skinned minorities!  What a damned system it is that rates and ranks people solely on the basis of something so very superficial as the color of their skin and their facial features!  No wonder Jesus said that if you love the world's social system, you don't love Him and you make yourself the enemy of God>5.5. Except for the Black empires (pre 2000 BC and circa 750BC) and conquests, marching through SE Asia to the Pacific before 2000 BC, outside of Africa it has usually been a handicap and liability to be Black.  The Black untouchables of India and the Blacks in Europe and America can verify that.  Even in international and interracial events like the Olympics, Black gold medal winners never get the acclaim or the commercial opportunities and exposure that non- Black gold medal winners experience.  Around the world and even among Blacks and Africans, the saying "If you're Black, step back.  If you're light, you're all right." prevails.   It is a God damned practice. Christ tells us>5.6 in  terms of eternal reality, that there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, neither barbarian nor Scythian.  The eternal reality of our relationships is no longer based on our bodies, our national origin, our race,  or our social status.  These are not the factors that determine our behavior towards each other, including marriage.  The factors that determine our behavior towards each other, including marriage, are unseen - invisible - spiritual>5.7  2 Corinth. 4:17,18; 10:7; Luke 16:15].   We no longer are to take pride in, have confidence in, boast of, lift up or exalt that which appears, our appearance; but we are to take pride in, have confidence in, lift up and exalt the spiritual realities of the regenerated heart or soul>5.8  .   We pick our mates based not on their physical appearance or physical heritage, but on the nature of their regenerated hearts and souls.  We are commanded by God Himself to NO LONGER be acquainted with, stand in relationship to or have knowledge>5.9  of another human being "on the physical plane" or "simply as a physical being">.10. We must look at and relate to each person in terms of their soul and spirit for therein lies the reality with which we are called by Christ to deal. We must not relate to or know anyone on the basis of their physical appearance or physical heritage.  That means that a husband and wife should celebrate and enjoy sex , a very physical act and experience, not on the basis of the attractiveness or unattractiveness of their physical appearance or physical ancestry, but on the basis that they are commanded by God to sexually have each other and be sexually affectionate>.11.     It is fairly common knowledge that we don't "wrestle against flesh and blood">12 in the spiritual battles we fight daily and some of us see ourselves in that struggle, but we also should daily reckon ourselves to be "blessed with all spiritual blessings" and seated  together in the spiritual realm in Christ>.13  because that IS the reality of our daily lives and we miss mark and the blessing when we live and act without that awareness." . . . we don't look at the things that are seen, but at the things that are not seen.  For the things that are seen[are] temporary, but the things that are not seen [are] eternal>.14 .Please see Appendix Four for more on this. Righteous, just and fair judgment and justice; protection for the rights of the afflicted, widows, the homeless and the poor; a society that which promotes peace and personal maturity/growth; a society  acting without prejudice or bias; a society free of biased respect of persons,   intimidating biased influences, where no one is to be considered common or unclean, where no one puts stumbling blocks and fall-traps in the way of another ----- sounds like a pretty darn good way to live.  It's a shame that so few countries in the world even come close to this standard.  It is a blessed hope that for 1000 years this standard will be the social norm and the social standard>15 .  The present evil social system should not deter us, for we can, to the best of our ability, struggle to achieve this in our own sphere of influence and leave our microworld a better place when we are finished with this life. Please see Appendix Four. [FOOTNOTES:  >5.1 scofield        >5.2jbs,asv,dby,kjv,mkjv, ab,lxx;  I have dark skin=lams;     Dark am I=niv,~nkjv Strong's 07838 shachor {shaw-khore'} or  shachowr   {shaw- khore'} adj1) black.      >5.3 Strong's  05000, comely, beautiful, seemly.      >5.4 Song of Solomon 1:15;5:9. >5.5 1John2:15-17 >5.6 in Gal. 3:28 + Col. 3:10,11         >5.7  2 Corinth. 4:17,18; 10:7; Luke 16:15].   >5.8 [ 2 Corinth. 5:12; 10:7;Luke 16:15]       >5.9 [  2 Cor. 5:16; 10:7; Luke 16:15: See Arndt and Gingrich Greek & English Lexicon p. 558.]     >.10[  2 Cor. 5:16; 10:7;Luke 16:15:  See Arndt & Gingrich Greek & English Lexicon pp. 408, 409.]  >.11  [1 Corinth. 7:2,3,4,5; Titus 2:4; Prov. 5:18,19; Song of Solomon].       >12  [ Ephes. 6:12; 2 Corinth. 10:3,4,5,6,7]   >.13 [ Ephes. 1:3- 14; 2:5-10]  >.14 2Cor4:18;5:7,16]   >15 (Revelations 20:4-6; Hebrews 11:13-16)            >6.1kjv,mkjv,see v.5;Strong's 7840: blackish;   swarthy=asv,ab;  dark skin=lams; dark= niv,nkjv,lxx] >>>MY MOTHER'S CHILDREN WERE ANGRY WITH ME: THEY MADE ME KEEPER OF THE VINEYARDS; MINE OWN VINEYARD HAVE I NOT KEPT. A keeper of vineyards???!  We se the "virtuous wife" of Prov. 31 considering a field and buying it.  From the profit she makes she plants a vineyard.  We see her providing food for her beloved husband and you see her sharing her marital portion with her maidservants , the daughters of Jerusalem. She speaks wisely and kindly.  Her husband praises her.  In so many ways this Shulamite manifests the attributes of the virtuous woman.  This hard working keeper of the vineyards, generous and kind wife among wives, this maker and keeper of unity and harmony with her co-wives and the daughters of Jerusalem, this beloved black Shulamite sounds very much like the virtuous wife of Prov. 31. Just like Cinderella and Ruth, she landed up doing the menial work for the family.  Like Ruth, she landed up working in the fields in a subservient position.  The step- brothers of the Shulamite made her the keeper of the vineyards.  Her mother didn't deliver her from this assignment, even though she probably knew that it kept her from caring for her own inheritance, her own vineyard. Black and the object of inequity in her own family, she had grounds for bitterness and resentment for the grief she experienced.  We shall see, in Song 8:12, that God in Solomon restored her to her freedom from her family and restored her to her inheritance.  She no longer has to worry about keeping her vineyard for Solomon's servants now keep it for her, freeing her for her marital bliss. She could have been like my dear friend Alicia of National City, having fair skinned parents and siblings, but she was Black with a full "afro" head of hair, because of the Moorish genes her parents both carried from Spain.  The Shulamite could have been the only "black sheep" in the family, the family embarrassment.  More hurt and grief through no fault of her own, for a little country girl growing up.  God has a much better way. What about those who do practice racism, discrimination, partiality, bias and bigotry?  A Christian has his marching orders on  how to deal with them from Luke 6; Ephes. 5:7,11; Galat. 6:1; 1Tim.2:1-4; 5:20,21; Matt. 18:15-18; 2 Cor.5:18- 20; 2Tim.2:24-26 and all the cross references of these passages.  Warning!  If you set out to obey the truth and principles in these passages, you may find yourself nailed to a cross.   A minor problem for those who have become children of God through faith in and acceptance of Jesus Christ and His perfect work to save us, for being nailed to a cross is followed by a resurrection in to supernatural and eternal life with Him who is Compassionate Cherishing, Truth, Eternal Life, Perfect Light and the Way. So the Shulamite was aware of the prejudice against her skin color but it didn't seem to affect her self-acceptance, probably because she realized that Solomon's affectionate and passionate praise and acceptance of her was far more important to her than the nonacceptance of the bigoted.  Our society is on a self-love and self-image fad that doesn't even come close to the acceptance we can have of ourselves after we have been renewed and reborn in the Spirit having believed, trusted and received the Lord Jesus Christ as God's appointed Lord-Saviour and King-Redeemer to deliver us from death and the penalties of our shortcomings, confidently trusting Him to keep us until He returns for us so as to be evermore with Him. ***************************************************************             [To Her Beloved,nkjv] #1:7* � TELL ME, YOU WHOM MY SOUL LOVES, WHERE YOU FEED [YOUR FLOCK], WHERE YOU MAKE IT TO REST AT NOON; FOR WHY SHOULD I BE AS ONE VEILED BESIDE THE FLOCKS OF YOUR COMPANIONS? "Tell me!"  Communication, without love would wither and die.   One noted counselor maintained that a couple needs to spend more than 10 hours a week in face to face, eye to eye communication for the relationship to be healthy and strong. The only way Solomon could have done that with 60 wives [Song 6] is in group settings where he interacted with them as a group, a communal experience.  If he observed the Sabbath strictly, he could have been with ten of his wives every day for six days in a small group setting where they enjoyed him together and he enjoyed them as a group and individuals in  a group.  The others had to have access to him during the week, even if it were just to see him and hear him as he focused on the ten wives of that day.   I can hardly wait for Heaven where I hope to learn why he felt he should have so many wives. I can see a young man trying to pull off such a demanding task, but even as he grew older he continued acquiring wives, when he surely didn't have all that energy and ambition. Addictive behavior?  Who knows but he certainly violated the law about the king having too many wives.  Nevertheless, it didn't dampen his enthusiasm in his youth as we see him with the Shulamite here "Tell me!" If she didn't violate the husband wife principles of 1 Timothy 2 and 1 Peter 3, then she didn't boss him or nag him here, but rather entreated and implored him to tell her where he was.  "Honey, where are you eating lunch today?" With her eyes upon her beloved (as with Peter walking on the water to Christ), she is emboldened and empowered to exercise her marital authority by reminding him of her special wifely relationship to him which gives them the right and necessity of being together (1Cor7:2-5).  As his wife she had access to him.   Even if he were with his other wives for lunch, she had the right, as wife, to have access to him.  Those who weren't his wives might just as well turn aside by the flocks of his companions, like Ruth did in the fields before Boaz married her (Ruth2). ***************************************************************   [FRIENDS= niv;  THE BELOVED nkjv; SOLOMON, THE                       SHEPHERD LOVER=sco] >>>Song1:8 IF YOU KNOW NOT, YOU FAIREST AMONG WOMEN, GO YOUR WAY FORTH BY THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE FLOCK,  AND FEED YOUR #KIDS BESIDE THE SHEPHERDS' BOOTHS.     [#goats (see niv + nkjv)]        It wasn't noon yet.   He didn't know where he and his companions would take their noon rest.  Since he can't give her an exact and specific answer he give her a principle that she can use any time to find him and his companions.  Like our Lord Jesus when He was on earth, Solomon changed locations often and sometimes without prior notice, as he followed God's leading>8.1.  Just as our Lord Jesus didn't leave us without the Body of Christ>8.2 or the Comforter who leads, feeds and shepherds us through others>8.3; even so he tells her to find and follow the footsteps of his companions who know of his doings and goings.  His devoted companions and shepherds would faithfully guide her to him when he is working and away from her. [Footnotes: >8.1 (Jn3:8;Rom8:14);      >8.2 (Eph4:12-16);       >8.3 (1Pt.5:1-8)] God tells us to follow in Jesus footsteps>8.4 .  The leaders He places over the local assemblies are to be living examples of how to follow Jesus>8.5.  If they are walking in the Spirit, we can imitate them as they follow Jesus, following their footsteps to find where they are with the Lord and enter into the close circle of fellowship>8.6.  His devoted shepherds should faithfully guide us to Him and more intimate fellowship with Him.   We are to be diligent in our fellowship with the saints>8.7 .  We are to find our way in the footsteps of the flock of Jesus-followers who hear and follow their good Shepherd>8.8 .  We are to feed daily both ourselves and our "kids">8.9 .  We are to be staying with God's chosen feeders>.10, feeding on the Word and evaluating their spiritual "shepherding">.11  as they tell us of our Lord's goings, comings and doings. [Footnotes:>8.4 (1Pt2:21);        >8.5 (1Pt5:1-6);        >8.6 (Heb13:7); >8.7 (Hb.10:25;Eph4:12-16);    >8.8 (John10);  >8.9 (Psa.1:1,2; 1Pt.2:2;Eph.6:4);     >.10 (John 21:15,16,17);        >.11 (1Thes.5:21; Heb.13:7)] Solomon's first statement>.12 to her was one of submissive love in meeting her need>.13.  His second statement here is one of comfort, good cheer, praise and encouragement. She was black and sometimes she was self-conscious, among his other 139 queens, concubines and betrothed virgins.  As if the most comfort is given to the most uncomfortable wife>.14, he sees her as the fairest among women (or wives).  Surely God gives grace to the humble and exalts them>.15.  God, in Solomon, chose the racially and socially "weak" wife to the confounding of the popular and highly esteemed wives and chose for glory and exaltation the one  that society called base and despised>.16.  Jesus does this over and over again in the Bible and today.  Solomon placed his value and estimation on her and she accepted them.  It is the same with we who are espoused to Jesus and find our acceptance and self-esteem in Him Who is our Beloved, not because of what we are or have in and of ourselves, but because of what God makes us to become in and by Jesus and His Spirit>.17. [Footnotes: >.12 (Song 1:4); >.13 (Song1:2;1Cor.7:2-5);      >.14 (2Cor1:4);        >.15 (1Pt.5:5,6);       >.16 (1Cor.1:27,28; Num.12);         >.17 (2Cor.11:2; 1Cor.1:29-31; Philip.2:12,13; Heb.13:20,21.] "Fairest among women!"  What about her beauty? What about feminine beauty in general? Is it a liability or an asset for you?   In our shallow and superficial world, beauty is                                                   POWER!!! Yes, power!  Pat B. is an example how a woman can use the POWER of her beauty for good.  She became a teacher and when her students saw her they were really impressed by her lovely beauty and radiant smile.  That�s power!  Immediately they WANT to like her and they WANT  her to like them so they behave in such a way as to please her.  Even when they get crazy and restless, they still WANT her to like them so they finally come around.  Her beautiful smile and radiant personality feed their hungry loved starved souls and they feel good just being around her.  For the ones with no love, her love for them gives them the will to live, to work and to do well in school.  Pat becomes the wind under their sails.  Pat hopes that eventually their pleasant experience of being loved, especially being loved by Pat who to them is VIP, will addict them to Love so they can�t and wont want to live without it --- and hopefully even become loving people themselves, as they model themselves after their loving teacher and her Loving behavior. If you have this great beauty , you can use it to build people, encourage people and help people if you package your beauty in sweet loving kindness. Your children love and adore their beautiful and sweet mother.  Your smile can be their sunshine, your laughter their music, your eyes their inspiration.  Yes, and I raised three, that smile often has to become a frown when they disobey or do things that will hurt themselves.  Like the Bible says, �Those whom the Lord Loves, the Lord disciplines�, so you love for them has to include discipline because an undisciplined child is a child doomed to disaster  and grief in life.  Whether it be the chop sticks I used to flick my girls legs or the things (privileges, clothing, radios, TV's, doors, furniture etc.) I took away from them because of their disobedience, they knew that we loved them and as soon as the discipline was done, we went on loving and laughing with them.  We always explained to them why their disobedience was bad for them and why we had to discipline them.       The power of  beauty can be used to get your friends to listen to you and respect your say or opinion.  They�ll hear you out because they like you and you're beauty.  That assumes that their is a beauty to the way  you talk as well as the way you look.  Cursing, swearing and obscenities make even the most beautiful woman look bad and attractive only to the obscene.  No one in their mind wants to be around a beautiful woman who has a bad mouth, unless they want her money or sex and as soon as they get what they want, they are gone and she is alone with her ugly mouth. The power of your beauty on your man can make or break him.  If he is a fool and doesn�t appreciate your sweet beauty or abuses it and you, then he has indeed played the fool and there is no hope for him except for God.  Until he lets Jesus save him, he�s no good to you or to God.  If he is a wise man, he knows he has a treasure in your beauty, especially if it is the beauty of face and form coupled with the beauty of a kind mouth and heart. Such beauty moves him to desire you, moves him to want to be with you. Such beauty moves him to be thankful for you, to appreciate and treasure you.  He becomes addicted to your smile and your kind and harmless talk.  He longs for your smile and laughter.  When he is down or beat by the day or life in general, you can speak encouragement to him, comfort him in his hurt, give him your warmth and soft loving to help him recover from the cold and hard world outside that he has to deal with.  Your warm loving beauty in form and word can make an ordinary man a great man, can make a small man a big man, can make a weak man a strong man, can make a wounded and hurting man a healed and recovering man.       Yes you have needs too.  You need to be loved and cherished too.  But your love can be powerful, inspiring and uplifting even when you feel weak and unloved.  A beautiful woman deeply loved by her man can often be profoundly beautiful to her man even when she thinks she is her worst. Now you don't want to test his love by seeing if he can love you when you are a mess and not fixed up, but if the boy loves you truly he will see your beauty even if your hair is like a haystack, your breath is like the pig sty and your leg hairs are like steel wool.   If you have come to Jesus, believed and accepted His great unconditional Love for you, given your whole life to Him and asked Him to come inside of you and make you His child, His Love in you can Love others even if they nail you to a cross.   But your need for Love is why Jesus commanded husbands to have and show 1 Corinthians 13 loving- kindness and compassionate cherishing for their wives.  Of course they can�t do that until they have believed in and accepted Jesus as the One who saves them from the evil in their lives and as the One who gives them a whole new life as they yield to Him living and loving in and through them.  That kind of husband can ever be learning how to better love and cherish his precious wife and children.  To such a husband, his beloved, lovely and godly wife is more precious than all the jewels in the world. ****************************************************************                      [LOVER, niv; SOLOMON,sco] >>>Song1:9 I COMPARE YOU, MY LOVE~, TO A #STEED IN PHARAOH'S CHARIOTS.     1:10 YOUR CHEEKS ARE COMELY WITH *BEAD-ROWS, ^YOUR NECK WITH ORNAMENTAL CHAINS. [~my loving friend #a steed=asv,jps,dby;       filly=nkjv;     mare=niv,lams,ab; horses=lxx.           *braided hair= lamsa;  plaits=asv;       circlets=jps;         earrings= niv;         ornaments=mkjv;         garlands=ylt;   bead-rows=dby; as those of a dove=lxx. ^ necklaces=lamsa;      beads=jps;      strings of jewels= niv,asv,ab;  chains=mkjv,nkjv] "My Love" means "my loving friend".  She is his friend and companion.  His greeting to her reflects his love for and respect for her character and personality.  She is not only physically beautiful to him, she is beautiful to him in character and virtue. His heart safely trusts in her and he fears no harm or evil from her (Prov. 31).  She is to his soul as Jonathan was to David.   Knit in heart and soul.  Joined and cemented in heart and spirit until death part them.  Visions and dreams shared, in sickness and in health, in riches and in poverty, for better or worse. Covenanted and bound together God declares these two faithful friends one, not just in flesh, but in the eternal realities of the Spirit.   A filly or mare among all of the rest of the horses that pull Pharaoh's chariots.  We are talking form, line, symmetry, grace of movement, impressiveness, the quality of the exceptional.   Such a comparison would mean that she is one of the best.  The comparison probably means that in her person and body are gathered the best qualities and attributes, and this allows her to fit in among the best.  Here again he is saying that she is one of the fairest of women, one of the best. Certain peoples among the African nations scar their faces, especially their cheeks, in order to make decorative and beautifying designs and patterns.  Other African peoples beautify and decorate their women with many rings or chains around their necks, some almost up to the jaw.  Whether or not the Shulamite practiced these customs, we know that Solomon perceived her cheeks and neck as desirable, attractive and praiseworthy, however she adorned them. In Christ now, we see a better way for the wife or woman to adorn and decorate herself to make herself attractive, desirable and praiseworthy to her man in Christ.   She beautifies herself by having the  personality and life style of the woman described in Prov. 31; 1Tim.2;  Tit.2; 1Pet.3.   Her ornaments are trustworthiness, good works, working willingly, diligence, taking the initiative, strength of character, manual labor, generosity to the poor and needy, honorableness, wisdom in speech, kindness in speech, industrious, fear of the Lord, obedience to the Lord, voluntary submission of self to her husband, not a teacher or boss of her husband, chaste, gentleness in deed, peacefulness  in spirit. Costly clothing, expensive jewelry, scents, oils, lotions and perfumes are not necessary for the godly woman to beautify herself, especially since they shame those who are poor and are lacking, since indulging one's self with these could be an expression of selfishness (except for when her husband buys them for her and asks her to wear them), and since the acquisition of such expensive items could be an expression of the idolatry of greed and discontent (Luke 12:16-21; 1Tim. 6:8- 11; Heb. 13:5; 1 Pet.3).  It is true that the natural and carnal man walking according to his own thoughts and glands would not find these traits beautiful.  The man who loves the Lord and the things of the Lord will perceive such beauty and will be drawn to such a woman and love her as the daughter of the King that she is(2Cor.4:18; 5:7,12,16). The key point here for the godly wife is that even if no one else in the whole world saw her as beautiful, desirable or attractive, all that really should matter to her in her marital joy is that her own man sees her as beautiful, desirable and attractive.   Even if she is so poor that she must only use vanilla and olive oil on her skin (mixed with flavorings), with cinnamon (etc.) as scented body powders, and must sew her clothing by hand; her simple and natural beauty, desirability and attractiveness to him is made perfect and complete by God as He pours out His glory on her (Ezk.16:14).   Thank God that Jesus loves us as we are and for what He is going to make us, Love making us more lovable on our pilgrimage.  We will be like Him who is all glory and beauty, power and majesty, Love and truth. *****************************************************************            [The Daughters of Jerusalem= nkjv,sco] >>>Song1:11 WE WILL MAKE YOU #BEAD-ROWS OF GOLD WITH STUDS OF SILVER.    [#chains =lamsa;         circlets =jps;  earrings =niv; garlands =ylt;    plaits=asv;   ornaments=nkjv] Now her companions, the virgin daughters of Jerusalem, express their loving devotion for their leader and guide to whom they render service in this instance by making her clothing>1.  Even though some of these virgins might become wives to Solomon and so are potential rivals, they still praise here and rejoice with her by helping her look more attractive to Solomon>2.  The joyful loving and giving action of this group of companions is made possible most likely through God- given virtue>3.  Solomon, his love and provision for them, and their corporate and individual love for him is the setting of this loving generosity. Solomon gave them what they needed materially and out of it they bestowed gifts on their loved one.   The principle of materially providing for your own family and household was given to us at the time of Adam and Eve and continues with us today as the will of God for us>4.  Similar to this natural and human pattern is Christ's provision for us, providing  all that we need to do His will>5 so that we may become beautiful, attractive and desirable to Him>6. In the light of 1Tim.2 and 1Pet.3 it is apparent that the man of Christ will not be in the habit of giving his own woman expensive clothes or jewelry made of gold or pearls as is common in our society.  Instead of such gifts, he will be giving to his own woman in Christ the spiritual gold and pearl jewelry which is God's Word, Truth, Rule and Wisdom>7 so that she can adorn, decorate and beautify herself in a spiritual manner by the empowering and enabling of God by His Spirit>8. [Footnotes: >1. Psalm45:10-17; Esther 2; Song 6:8,9.    >2. Gen.30; Esther 2; Psalm 45:14,15; Song 6:8,9; Rom.12:15.    >3 Prov. 31; Ephes 4:1,2,30,31,32.     >4. Gen. 2&3; Prov. 31; 1Tim.5:4,8; 2 Thess. 3.        >5 Philip.4:19;  2 Tim. 3:16,17.        >6Ezek. 16:9-14; Rev. 19:7,8.  >7. Prov. 6:21,22,23; 7:3; 8:10,11,18,19 >8. Philip. 2:12,13; Heb. 13:20,21. This is the end of Part One of the Song of Solomon. ********************************************** APPENDIX ONE: FOOTNOTES* TO SONG 1:2- 2:7  >>> THE SONG OF SOLOMON>1~ 1:1 � The song of songs, which is Solomon's.                        [ The Shulamite >1.a to her friends>1.b] 1:2. He should kiss me with the kisses of his mouth;                        [Daughters Of Jerusalem>1.c,                  her co-wives or the king] For your love* is better than wine.                   1:3. Your ointments smell* sweetly;                     Your name is an ointment poured forth: Therefore do the virgins* love you. *********************FOOTNOTES************** >1~ This is basically and mainly a modern English version of Darby's version. >1.a  nkjv,sco >1.b  Beloved [to her friends] : niv >1.c , sco 1:2 *loves: (ylt,mkjv);Stong's Lexicon, 01730: 1c) love (pl.                      abstract);           * For thy love : (dby,nkjv,~niv)            * *love/loves (Strongs Heb 01730) obviously means     sexual, affectionate and physical love making from    its use in the following passages: Prov. 7:18 Come, let us revel in LOVE until the morning, let us delight ourselves with LOVES. Ezekiel 16:8 And I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, and behold, thy time was the time of LOVE; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness; and I swore unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord Jehovah, and thou becamest mine. Ezekiel 23: 16 And as soon as she saw them with her eyes, she lusted after them, and sent messengers unto them into Chaldea.17 And the children of Babylon came to her into the bed of LOVE, and they defiled her with their fornication . . . #1:3 "smell"=  savour=dby; Because of the fragrance of your        good ointments,=nkjv   Strong's 7381 from 07306; 1) scent, fragrance, aroma, odour              1a) scent, odour #1:3 "virgins" = Strong's05959     `almah {al-maw'}    from 05958; TWOT - 1630b; n f    1) virgin, young woman       1a) of marriageable age           1b) maid or newly married    ++++    There is no instance where it can be proved that                this word designates a young woman who is not a        virgin. (TWOT) ********************************************** The Song of Solomon Continued----                            [Shulamite>1.d to the king ]     1:4.  Draw me*,                                                                                     [Her friends >1.e , the Daughters of                                   Jerusalem >1.f ] --we will run after you!*                                                                                           [The Shulamite >1.g ] The king has brought me into his chambers*---                                   [Her friends1.h, the Daughters of                             Jerusalem>1.i; or Solomon's concubines/wives to him] -We will be glad and rejoice in you,   We will remember*  your*  love* more than wine.                                                                                         [ The Shulamite >1.j to the king >1.e] They love you uprightly.*                       ****************FOOTNOTES******************* >1.d   ,sco 1:4 Draw me = #mkjv,nkjv note, jbs,asv;    Lead me away=(nkjv);  Take me  away with you=(niv)   Strong's 04900      mashak {maw-shak'}        1) to draw, drag, seize         1a) (Qal)               1a1) to draw (and lift out), drag along, lead                along, drag or lead off, draw down              1a7) to cheer, draw, attract, gratify 1.e  , or Beloved [to the king?] niv 1.f   nkjv,sco 1:4 we will run after you!*=#mkjv,jbs,nkjv,~dby;   let us hurry!=(niv) 1.g  nkjv,sco] 1:4 = chambers*= [inner] chamber=(ylt,mkjv);        let  the king bring me into his chambers=(niv) Strong's 02315 cheder {kheh'-der} from 02314;  n m             1) chamber, room, parlour, innermost or                       inward  part, within 1.h   niv 1.i   nkjv,sco 1.6   ^masculine, the Beloved (nkjv), the Lover (niv) 1:4=remember*= We mention your loves=(ylt);                We will make mention of your love=(asv,                We will praise your love=(niv          We will find your love more fragrant than=(jbs         Strong's 02142 zakar {zaw-kar'}               1) to remember, recall, call to mind                           1a) (Qal) to remember, recall                           1b) (Niphal) to be brought to                                   remembrance, be remembered,                           be thought of, be brought to mind                          1c) (Hiphil)                               1c1) to cause to remember, remind                              1c2) to cause to be remembered, keep in                                        remembrance                                   1c3) to mention                                1c4) to record                                 1c5) to make a memorial,                        make remembrance 1:4=*love/loves* (Strong's Heb 01730; loves    (pl. abstract)) obviously means sexual, affectionate and physical love making from its use in the following passages: Prov.7:18;Ezekiel 16:8; Ezek. 23:17 1.e  niv 1.j  nkjv 1:4=uprightly*=  `They love thee uprightly= (dby,~ylt,  mkjv,ab)              `Sincerely do they love you=~jbs            `How right they are to adore you!=niv            `Rightly do they love you=nkjv   Strong's 04339 meyshar {may-shawr'}  n m               1) evenness, uprightness, straightness, equity                    1a) evenness, level, smoothness                1b) uprightness, equity                1c) rightly (as adv) *********************************************** The Song of Solomon Continued                                                         [Shulamite>1.d] 1:5 I am black* , but comely, daughters of Jerusalem,                                                       black>1.9 As the tents of Kedar, As the curtains of Solomon. 1:6 Look not upon me, because I am black *;                                                                           black>1.9 Because the sun has looked upon me. My mother's children were angry with me: They made me keeper of the vineyards; Mine own vineyard have I not kept. ***********************FOOTNOTES*********** 1.d   sco 1.9  #jbs,asv,dby,kjv,mkjv,ab,lxx,Strong's 7840: blackish;                I have dark skin=lams,              Dark am I=niv,~nkjv              She was not just tanned.  The Hebrew word translated as black in Song of Solomon 1:5 (I [am] black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.) is the very same Hebrew word to describe her husband's hair (Song 5:11 ...... his locks [are] bushy, [and] black as a raven.).  Now a raven is BLACK, GLOSSY BLACK, not tanned or brown.   Strong's 07838 shachor {shaw-khore'} or               shachowr   {shaw-khore'} from 07835;  adj    1) black ********************************************** The Song of Solomon Continued                                   [To Her Beloved] 1:7 � Tell me, you whom my soul loves, Where you feed [your flock], Where you make it to rest at noon; For why should I be as one veiled Beside the flocks of your companions?                          [ Solomon, the shepherd lover>1.c,  her                     Beloved>1.j; or her friends>1.e ] 1:8 If you know not, you fairest among women, Go out  your way  by the footsteps of the flock, And feed your kids* beside the shepherds' booths.                                                                               [Solomon>1.c, her Lover>1a] 1:9 I compare you, my love*, To a steed* in Pharaoh's chariots.           1:10 Your cheeks are comely with bead-rows*,           Your neck* with ornamental chains.                                                                                                             [The Daughters of Jerusalem>1.f] 1:11 We will make you bead-rows* of gold             With studs of silver. ******************FOOTNOTES***************** 1.e  see above 1.j  see above 1.c  see above 1:8=kids*=goats (see niv + nkjv) + Strong's 01429 g@diyah {ghed-ee-yaw'} from 01423; TWOT - 314c; n f pl    1) kids, young female goats 1.a see above 1.c see above 1:9=love*=Strong's 07474 ra`yah {rah-yaw'}from 07453; n f;             1) attendant maidens, companion        Young's=female friend 1:9=a steed*=asv,jps,dby; filly=nkjv; mare=niv,lmsa,ab; horses=lxxmare=        Strong's 05484 cuwcah {soo-saw'}from 05483;n f                                        1) mare 1:10=beadrows*=  braided hair* =lamsa; plaits=asv;     circlets= jps;  earrings =niv;   ornaments=mkjv;       garlands =ylt;    bead-rows =dby; as those of a dove  =lxx   Strong's 08447 towr {tore} or tor {tore}from 08446 n m                 1) circlet, plait, turn (of hair or gold)              2) (CLBL) succession, order    rt=the bead rows can hang from her ears over  her cheeks, or from her hair, or across her cheek from        a nose ring and an earring 1:10=neck*= necklaces* =lamsa; beads =jps; strings of      jewels= niv,asv,ab;     chains=mkjv,nkjv       Strong's 06677 intensively from 06696 in the sense of binding;  n m                  1) neck, back of neck 1:11=bead-rows*=dby;  chains =lamsa; circlets =jps;     earrings =niv; garlands =ylt;    plaits=asv;   ornaments =nkjv        Strong's 08447 towr {tore} or tor {tore}from08446; n m 1) circlet, plait, turn (of hair or gold)      2) (CLBL) succession, order *********************************************** APPENDIX TWO: WHO WROTE THE SONG OF SOLOMON C.I. Scofield, D.D.  and E. S. English, Litt.D., have Solomon as the author, around 10th Cent. B.C., with Solomon (as shepherd-lover) and the Shulamite as the two principal parties.>r1.   Fausset has it as "The Song of songs," i.e. the most excellent  of songs, by Solomon to his Shulamite, secure in the Old Testament Canon.  "The significance of the name Solomon, 'the peace giver,' appears at the outset (chap.i.3), 'thy name is as ointment poured forth,' diffusing peace and love (John xiv. 27); the same image as in Ps. cxxxiii. Not till towards the close does the bride receive her name Shulamith (vi. 13), "the peace receiver," and so the "prince's daughter" (vii.1; comp. Matt. v.9)>b2.   J. Taylor states that it has an approximate date of writing as the 3rd century B.C., but we "cannot regret that these canticles of human love have been preserved for us in the OT.   The mutual attraction of the sexes is Divinely ordained. The love which finds expression in Ca. is regulated by marriage.  The imagery is too luscious and the detail too complete for our taste, but they were produced by an Oriental for Orientals. . . As a poem there is nothing else in the Bible to compare with this.">b5  A late writing, even centuries after Solomon's death does not mean it is not Solomon's Song.  In a culture of oral tradition, dancing and singing poems etc. it is not difficult to see how it could have been at first a part of Israel's oral tradition, and then the Holy Spirit decided to use a prophet to make it part of the written tradition at some later century.  The author is the Holy Spirit who has a perfect record of every song Solomon ever was moved to sing.     D. A. Hubbard, Th. M., Ph.D., states that it probably was written after Solomon's death, but before 300 B.C. >b3.   As to its canonicity, ". . . Rabbi Akiba affirms the canonicity of the Son in superlatives: 'the whole world is not worth the day on which the Song of Songs was given to Israel; all the Writings are holy, and the Song of Songs is the holy of holies'">b4.  "Both the abundance of details and the absence of clues as to deeper spiritual significance within the book itself speak against the finding of allegory or type in the Song. . . .E.J. Young carries the purpose one step further: 'Not only does it speak of the purity of human love, but by its very inclusion in the Canon it reminds us of a love that is purer than our own' (Introduction to the Old Testament, 1949, p.327)>b5.       R.W. Orr, Ph. C., D.B.A. prefers a 4th century B.C. date, maintains it is not a song about Solomon and his Shulamite, and had only one writer>b6.  "We shall therefore read The Song as a set of idylls in praise of married love, with dramatic development from desire to fulfillment.  This purpose is sufficient in itself, for its teaching on the sanctity and joy of ideal love, and its imperatives of chastity and life-long faithfulness, contribute significantly to the completeness of scripture.  The devotional use is secondary, and without any explicit warrant from the NT (for it is nowhere quoted)>b7. [FOOTNOTES: .r1   p.705, The Scoffield Reference Bible, New York Oxford University Press, 1967 >b2  p.114; Bible Encyclopaedia and  Dictionary,  by A.R. Fausset, Zonderfan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan. >b5 pp. 870, 871;  John Taylor, D. Litt.; Dictionary of the Bible, edited by James Hastings, D.D.; Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, Mass. 01961-3473 >b3  p. 1204,  Hubbard, Ph.D.; The New Bible Dictionary, Organizing Editor: J.D. Douglas, Ph.D.;  W. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. , Grand Rapids, Mich.; 1962, 1967 >b4  p. 1204, Hubbard, Ph.D.; The New Bible Dictionary, >b5 pp.1205, 1206; Hubbard, Ph.D.; The New Bible Dictionary, >b6  p.702, R.W. Orr; The International Bible Commentary; Editor: F.F.Bruce; Zondervan Publishing House, GrandRapids, Michigan, Marshall Pickering, 1979, 1986 >b7 p. 704; R. W. Orr; The International Bible Commentary; Editor: F.F.Bruce ������������������������� APPENDIX THREE: GOD'S WORD ABOUT POLYGAMY/POLYGYNY.      Is polygyny a dead and old issue?  In January of '96 the New York Times ran an article about more than 100,000 polygamists living in Paris, France, alone. An e-mail correspondent from Paris wrote to me telling me that reportedly a recent Prime Minister of France was a practicing polygynist.  Polygamy, in one form or another, is being practiced on every continent today.     St. Augustine of Hippo, 4th century Christian Patriarch, stated the following of the Western Christian community of his century:     "But here there is no ground for a criminal accusation: for a plurality of wives       was no crime when it was the custom; and it is a crime now, because it is no   longer the custom......The only reason of its being a crime now to do this, is        because custom and the laws forbid it.>1. . . . That the holy fathers of olden         times . . . to whom God gave His testimony that 'they pleased Him'. . . it was         permitted to . . . them to have a pluraltiy of wives. . .>2 . . . the honorable name  of saint is given not without reason to men who had several wives. . . nor did         the number of their wives make the patriarchs licentious.>3 [>1 A Select Library, vol. iv; p. 289;   >2  A Select Library, Vol. V; p. 267;   >3 A Select Library, Vol. iv; p. 290]  I understand  Rev. Gerhard Jasper to make the following points: (1) In Old Testament times a Jewish polygynist's marriage was fully recognized as marriage, protected by the Law and the elders;  (2) the Jewish polygynist's faith in or faithfulness to God was not questioned because of his polygyny; (3) the polygyny of the Jewish polygynist did not keep him from being admitted to the congregation with full membership.>44.  Moses did not forbid polygamy  but apparently it was unusual among average people .>45.      " . . . Yet polygyny  is adopted from the time of Lamech (Gn. 4:19), and is not forbidden in Scripture . . . Polygamy continues to the present day among Jews in Moslem, Hindu, Buddhist, Asian, Oriental, and African countries." >25      �Concubine. A secondary wife acquired by purchase or as a war captive, and allowed in polygamous society such as existed in the Middle east in biblical times. . . . Concubines were protected under Mosaic law (Exod. 21:7-11; Dt. 21:10- 14), though they were distinguished from wives (Jdg. 8:31) and were more easily divorced (Gen.21:10-14)�>26     " . . . Concubinage was a legally sanctioned and socially acceptable practice in ancient cultures, including that of the Hebrews; concubines, however, were denied the protection to which a legal wife was entitled.  . .�>27.     " . . .  Herod had nine wives at once. . . Its possibility is implied by the technical continuance of the Levirate law," [Deut. 25:5-10] "and is proved by the early interpretation of 1 Ti 3, whether correct or not.  Justin reproaches the Jews of his day" [A.D.] " with having 'four or even five wives,' and marrying 'as they wish, or as many as they wish.'  . . .   Polygamy was not definitely forbidden among the Jews till the time of R. Gershom (c. A.D. 1000), and then at first only for France and Germany.  In Spain, Italy, and the East it persisted for some time longer, as it does still among the Jews in Mohammedan countries.">28 [Footnotes:  >44.  Trobisch, MY WIFE MADE ME. . . P.18; (AFRICAN THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL, Rev. Gerhard Jasper of Lutheran Theological College in Makumira, Tanzania; Februrary 1969, p. 41).   >45.  Please see Deut. 21:15,16 and THE INTERNATIONAL BIBLE COMMENTARY; p. 407.   >25   IVCF, Editor J.D.Douglas;  1962,W. B. Eerdmans Publishing, p.787.        >26  IVCF, Editor J.D.Douglas;  1962,W. B. Eerdmans Publishing.       >27 1986, Funk & Wagnalls NEW ENCYCLOPEDIA.    >28.  HASTINGS DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE;   p.583ff.]]   Reflecting the reality of how Israel and Judah divided after Solomon died, Jesus (as Jehovah) presents Himself as the husband of two wives in the following: MKJV EZEKIEL 23: 1 � The word of the LORD came again to me, 2 Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother.  3 And they fornicated in Egypt; they whored in their youth, their breasts were handled, and there their Oholibah, her sister. And they became Mine, . . . ."        God never presents Himself as sin or sinner to us except for when holy Christ became sin for us on the cross.   In Ezek. 23, the sinners were His wives and He was righteous as the husband of two wives.  It was only two wives in accordance with His own Law that decreed that the ruler must not multiply wives to himself. Polygyny , even God�s polygyny , is NEVER labeled or declared to be sin or sinful in the Bible.   MKJV GEN. 4: 19 � And Lamech took two wives to himself. The name of the first one [was] Adah, and the name of the other [was] Zillah; MKJV GEN. 16: 2 And Sarai said to Abram, Behold now, the LORD has kept me from bearing. I pray you, go in to my slave woman. It may be that I may be built by her. And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3 And Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar her slave woman, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.      God intervened and sent Hagar back into the marital situation with Abram and Sarai>41  When God next spoke to Abraham>42  there was no condemnation of his polygyny , but instead God blessed him with an even greater blessing than before. In response to the blessing he takes his son by Hagar and  circumcised  him>43 .  "in all things the Lord had blessed Abraham" (Gen. 24:1).   [Footnotes:>41  (Gen 16:9-16.);    >42  (Gen. 17:1--);    >43   (Gen. 17:23-25);     Polygyny and bigamy were recognized features of the family life.  From the Oriental point of view there was nothing immoral in the practice of polygamy. . . . At all events, polygyny was an established and recognized institution form the earliest times">8 HASTINGS DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE;  p.259. God blessed Sarah with fertility in  polygyny>44  and God blessed Hagar and Ishmael even though she was cast out of Sarah's house at Sarah's confirmed request because of the question of an heir, not polygyny>45 .   Abraham had another concubine after Hagar, named Keturah>46  by whom Abraham had six children without any condemnation or denunciation by God.   [Footnotes:>44    (Gen 21:1-7); >45   (Gen. 21); >46   (1 Chron.1:32) ] Culturally it is interesting that Nahor, Abraham's brother, also was a polygamist having a concubine>47. Abraham  had at least another concubine besides Keturah under God's blessing>48   although he diligently protected the heir status of Isaac.  Hezron�s Caleb had two concubines>49.   [Footnotes:>47 (Gen. 22:20-24);   >48  (Gen. 25:1-6);   >48   (Gen. 25:1-6)]       Eerdmans' Douglas' New Bible Dictionary: �Concubine. A secondary wife  . . . . allowed in polygamous society such as existed in the Middle east in biblical times....Handmaidens, given as a marriage gift, were often concubines (Gen. 29:24,29). Concubines were protected under Mosaic law (Exod. 21:7-11; Dt. 21:10-14), though they were distinguished from wives (Jdg. 8:31) and were more easily divorced (Gen.21:10-14)." [Footnote: >10 1962, IVCF, Editor J.D.Douglas; W. B. Eerdmans Publishing]  FUNK & WAGNALLS NEW ENCYCLOPEDIA: CONCUBINAGE, �refers to the cohabitation of a man and a woman without sanction of legal marriage.  Specifically, concubinage is a form of polygyny  in which the primary matrimonial relationship is supplemented by one or more secondary sexual relationships. Concubinage was a legally sanctioned and socially acceptable practice in ancient cultures, including that of the Hebrews; concubines, however, were denied the protection to which a legal wife was entitled. . . . . the concubine's status was inferior to that of  a legal wife.  Her children had certain rights, including support by the father and legitimacy in the event of the marriage of the parents� [>11 1986, Funk & Wagnalls]  HASTINGS DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE: �The relative positions of wives and concubines were determined mainly by the husband's favour.  The children of the wife claimed the greater part, or the whole, of the inheritance; otherwise there does not seem to have been any inferiority in the position of the concubine as compared with that of the wife, nor was any idea of  illegitimacy, in our sense of the word, connected with her children. . . . >12 [Footnote: >12. HASTINGS DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE;  p.259.]   � The difference between a wife and a concubine depended on the wife's higher position and birth, usually backed by relatives ready to defend her.� >13 [Footnote: >13. 1989, HASTINGS DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE;   p.585.] >>>>THE BIBLICAL RECORD CONTINUES               Esau's  polygyny >55 was not condemned but his unequal yoke was the point of grief to his mother.   Esau�s son had a concubine>56 .  [Footnotes:>55     (Gen. 26:34,35; 28:9); >56    (Gen. 36:12); ]       Jacob marries Rachel and Leah>58 , and goes on to have children by his concubines as well>59.    Sure, treachery was involved in the Rachel and Leah marriage, but it appears that the treachery stands alone as the evil since at the first mention of the polygyny  option,>60  Jacob has no moral objection and nowhere does God denounce his marriage to the two women. Yes Lev. 18:18  shows that much later in the time of Moses, God forbade  two sisters being wives to one husband at one time and makes rivalry the issue.  God  deliberately involved Himself in the polygyny  of Jacob by blessing Leah with fertility>61.  God repeated himself by blessing the mother of Samuel with fertility without denouncing her polygyny>62 . God intervened and granted fertility to Rachel in her polygyny>63  .  God not only blesses Jacob with fertility but also with miraculous prosperity in his polygyny> 64 . God not only blessed Jacob in his polygyny  but also delivered him from evil and harm as a polygynist>65 [Footnotes:>58   in Gen 29 & 30;  >59    (Gen. 35:22; 37:2);. >60   (Gn. 29:27,29).    >61  (Gn. 29:31,32; 30:17);  >62   (l Sam 1:1- 6); >63  (Gn. 30:22);  >64  (Gn. 30:41-31:10); >65  (Gn. 31:24, 29,42)]        Jacob�s son Ashur had two wives >68, and his son, Manasseh, had a concubine>69.  Benjamin�s Shaharaim was also a polygamist>70.   [Footnotes:>68  (1Chron. 4:5); >69  (1 Chron 7:14);  >70  (1 Chron.8:8)]  The next occurrence is controversial but interesting.   Before the Law and in accordance with the principles of Genesis, Moses interracially marries Zipporah a Midianite.   She seems to do a Michal>71  and apparently suffers the same fate because next we see Moses interracially marry, after the giving of the law, an Ethiopian Cushite>72  in polygyny . Under God's Law Moses gave instructions about polygyny>73  affording it the full legal status of monogamy with no stigma or  denunciation. [Footnotes:>71   (l Sam 6) in Ex. 4:23-26; >72    (Num 12:1- 10);  >73    in Ex. 21:10,11] MKJV EXODUS 21: 7 �And if a man sells his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do.  8 If she does not please her master, who has betrothed her to himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no power to sell her to a strange nation, since he has dealt deceitfully with her.  9 And if he has betrothed her to his son, he shall deal with her as with daughters.  10 If he takes himself another [wife], her food, her clothing, and her duty of marriage shall not be lessened. 11 And if he does not do these three to her, then she shall go out free without money.� MKJV LEVITICUS 19:20 �And whoever lies with a woman with semen, and she is a slave-girl, betrothed to a husband and not at all redeemed, nor freedom given her, there shall be an inquest. They shall not be put to death, because she was not free.� MKJV DEUT. 22: 23 �If a girl [who is] a virgin is engaged to a husband, and a man finds her in the city and lies with her,   24 then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them with stones that they die; the girl because she did not cry out in the city, and the man because he has humbled his neighbor's wife. So you shall put away evil from among you. 25 But if a man finds an engaged girl in the field, and the man forces her and lies with her, then only the man that lay with her shall die.  26 But you shall do nothing to the girl. No sin [worthy] of death [is] in the girl; for as when a man rises against his neighbor and slays him, even so is this matter. 27 For he found her in the field, the engaged girl cried out, but [there was] none to save her.�        God's Law forbade a king from "multiplying" wives>.75 to himself  without making such a command to  we nonkings.   It appears from later scripture about Godly and God blessed kings of Israel that God makes a distinction between MULTIPLYING wives & horses to yourself and adding wives & horses to yourself.   None of us object to King David having more than one horse but many object to King David having more than one wife, yet it is the same command "he shall not multilply hoses . . . wives to himself." By 2 Samuel 5-12  God had �given� him seven wives plus a number of concubines.   We see His implied blessing on David�s polygyny .  This implied blessing of his polygyny  would have to mean that David, with concubines  and seven wives, had not yet violated the prohibition against a king multiplying wives and horses to himself.   [Footnotes:>75  De 17:15 �You  shall only set him king over you whom Jehovah your God will choose: from among your brethren shall  you  set a king over you;  . . . 16 Only he shall not multiply horses to himself,  . . . 17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away; neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.�   NO PROHIBITION FROM HAVING SOME HORSES , SOME WIVES and some gold]    In Deut. 21:15-17 God intervenes and acknowledges and vindicates the second wife in a polygamous marriage where the sin of partiality >76  was being practiced.  If polygyny were sin why didn't God condemn it in this passage instead of covering it with the dignity and holiness of His Law?  The wife is vindicated, not condemned.               [Footnote: >76  (James 2:1-7)] Deut. 21:15 � �If a man have two wives, one beloved, and one hated, and they have borne him children, [both] the beloved and the hated, and [if] the first-born son be hers that was hated;  16 then it shall be, in the day that he makes his sons to inherit [that] which he has, [that] he may not make the son of the beloved first-born before the son of the hated, who is the first-born;  17 but he shall acknowledge as first-born the son of the hated, by giving him a double portion of all that he has; for he is the first fruits of his strength: the right of the firstborn is his.�      Gideon had MANY WIVES, was blessed and used of God without any condemnation/denunciation from God about his polygyny>77  .[Footnotes:>77  (Judges 8:29-32) ] What about the Levite�s?  These keepers of the tabernacle, did they have special rules that kept them from polygyny? Not according to the following, because when his concubine was mercilessly murdered by rape, the nation of Israel rose to vindicate him and avenge her murder. Judges 19:1 � �And it came to pass in those days, when [there was] no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite,   . . . who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehem-Judah.  2 And his concubine  . . . . went away from him to her father's house to Bethlehem-Judah, and was there four whole months.  3 And HER HUSBAND rose up and went after her, to speak friendly to her, [and] to bring her again;  . . .  And she brought him into her father's house; and when the father of the damsel saw him he rejoiced to meet him.   4 And his FATHER-IN-LAW, the damsel's father, retained him, and he abode with him three days;  . . .5 . . . And the damsel's father said to his  SON-IN-LAW, . .�       SO A CONCUBINE IS NOT A HARLOT.  Just like any other wife, she can become a harlot while married (Ezek. 16 and Hosea).  HARLOTRY IS AN EVIL THAT EITHER A WIFE OR A CONCUBINE CAN PRACTICE WHILE MARRIED.   Not only is a concubine not a harlot, the Holy Spirit by the writer of the book of Judges declared the Levite to be the concubine's "husband", declared the father of the concubine to be the Levite's "father-in-law", and declared the Levite to be the "son-in-law" of the concubine's father.  This is a very strong legitimization of the husband-concubine marital status.  It is the same legitimization of the relationship that the Holy Spirit used in Matthew 1, calling the espoused Mary "wife" and the espoused Joseph "husband".  If God so recognizes them and describes them, then who are we to do any less.   By the Holy Spirit here in Judges 19 we see that a concubine had a "husband" who was the "son-in-law" of her father, his "father-in-law".  A wife has a "husband" who is the "son-in- law" of her father, her husband's "father-in-law".   David is a fascinating case.  He marries Michal in l Sam. 18.  Then, as the anointed future king of Israel, David took to himself three additional wives in l Sam 25, and one is recognized by the Spirit for her grace and wisdom.  He does this at a time of God's miraculous intervention and blessing in his life.  God neither denounces or condemns him or his polygyny.  In the case of three or four wives you are still dealing with addition, rather than the multiplying of Deut.    It is interesting that horses, silver and gold - AS WELL AS WIVES - were not to be multiplied.  I can't believe this was meant to limit the king to ONE HORSE, or ONE SILVER OR GOLD BAR,  even so I can't believe it limits a king to one wife.   In fact in 2 Sam 6, it is Michal who is condemned and punished instead of her polygamous husband David.  By the time he becomes King in Judah he has 6 wives>83 and is being blessed and prospered by God. At the time of the wonderful Covenant with David in 2 Sam. 7, God specifically blesses and covenants with polygamist David and his concubines and his seven wives, as part of his house, receive a blessing. God even said "I gave you . . . your master's wives" >84  ". And Nathan said to David, you  are the man! Thus says    Jehovah the God of Israel: I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you  out of the hand of Saul;  8 and I GAVE YOU  YOUR MASTER'S HOUSE, AND YOUR MASTER'S WIVES INTO YOUR BOSOM, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if [that] had been too little, I would moreover have given unto you such and such things."                           [Footnotes:>83   (2 Sam. 3);  >84a 2Sa 12:7]  At this time God had �given� him seven wives plus a number of concubines (1 Chronicles 3).  God here condemns David�s adultery and murder, but implies His blessing on David�s polygyny .  This implied blessing of his polygyny   would have to mean that David, with concubines  and seven wives, had not yet violated the prohibition against a king multiplying wives to himself. >84b to David in his polygyny.   Apparently even concubines plus seven wives is not "multiplying" wives to oneself. He had about 14 wives and concubines at the end of his life>85.  David the polygamist was declared to be loyal to God>86.   God declares that David, the polygamist, fully followed God>87. [Footnotes:>84b 2Sa 12:7;  >85   (1 Chron 3);  >86   ( l King 11:4);  >87   (l King 11:6)]    Both David and Abraham recognized all the rights and responsibilities of the concubines as if they were official wives.  The bottom line is what does God say and how does He view concubines.  Reflect on the following: MKJV 2 Sam.12: 11 �So says the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house, and I will take your wives before your eyes and give [them] to your neighbor. And he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.� MKJV 2 Sam 16: 21 �And Ahithophel said to Absalom, Go in to your father's concubines, that he left to keep the house. And all Israel shall hear that you are abhorred by your father. And the hands of all who [are] with you will be strong.  22 And they spread Absalom a tent on the top of the house, and Absalom went in to his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.� MKJV2Sam.20:3 �And David came to his house at Jerusalem. And the king took the ten women, [his] concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in ward, and fed them but did not go in to them. And they were shut up till the day of their death, living in widowhood.�         In these passages you see God calling and recognizing as "wives" David�s concubines.  If that is the way God sees them, only a fool would treat them as less than a wife (Malachi 2).  Malachi 2 makes it pretty clear how God feels about those who break their covenants with their concubines and wives.       Solomon's polygyny  was sinful first because He disobeyed God�s command against a king multiplying wives to himself>89;  and secondly because he married unbelievers with whom God had specifically forbidden marriage>90.  Too many wives and forbidden wives both had the same predicted result, that they turned his heart away from God. Solomon was declared to be disloyal to God in his polygyny>91  while David the polygamist was declared to be loyal to God>92  . God even declares that polygynist David fully followed God>93 .  [Footnote: >89    (Deut. 17:15-17);   >90  (Nehemiah 13:23) ; >91    (1 Kings 11:1,2,6, 11);  >92   ( l King 11:4); >93   (l King 11:6)]       Evil king Rehoboam imitated Solomon and almost had 18 wives and 60 concubines in 2 Chron. 11 & 12. Then Godly king Abijah, blessed and prospered of God, also had fourteen wives>94  .  The Godly High Priest Jehoida gave two wives to godly king Joash in 2 Chron 24.  Godly queen Esther was a wife blessed by God in her  polygyny . God Himself describes Himself as a polygamist in Ezekiel 23.  Jesus reaffirmed the Old Testament teachings on polygamy and concubinage in Matt. 23:2,3.                                [Footnote: >94   (2 Chron. 13)] MKJV MATT. 23:2  �. . . The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. 3 Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do. But do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.�     What a record!  Two authors of the Old Testament, David and Solomon, possibly three if you count Moses, were uncondemned and God-honored polygynists in their polygyny.  Four godly patriarchs with whom God entered into special and unique covenants (Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon; five if you count Moses) were polygynists at the time God covenanted with them.  In every era of the Old Testament (Pre Law, Sinai Law, Judges, Kingdom prophets, Dispersion prophets) you find God�s people and leaders practicing polygyny and practicing it according to God�s will or commands.  Yet many Christian leaders agree with the brother that apparently maintains that the Bible offers little defense for polygamy in comparison to monogamy, that because of its shortcomings polygyny cannot be tolerated as a form of marriage willed by God.>22.  Perhaps that's why God chose the polygamous marriage of Solomon and his Shulamite in The Song of Solomon to be the model for marriage in Israel and the marriage model for His relationship to Israel>95. [Footnotes:>22.  Trobisch; MY WIFE MADE ME..P.21; >95  (Ezekiel 23)]        St. Augustine, 4th century AD of Hippo, has a good word, as follows: " . . If our critics, then, wish to attain not a spurious and affected, but a genuine and sound moral health, let them find a cure in believing the Scripture record, that the honorable name of saint is given not without reason to men who had several wives; . . .nor did the number of their wives make the patriarchs licentious. But why defend the husbands, to whose character the divine word bears the highest testimony. . . ."                [Footnote: >.23  A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of The Christian Church, Vol. iv; p.290]     AND JESUS SAID: Mat. 5:17 � �Think not that I am come to make void the law or the prophets; I am not come to make void, but to fulfil.   18 For verily I say unto you, Until the heaven and the earth pass away, one iota or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all come to pass. 19 Whosoever then shall do away with one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of the heavens; but whosoever shall practise and teach [them], *he* shall be called great in the kingdom of the heavens.� Matt. 23:1 � �Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 saying, The scribes and the Pharisees have set themselves down in Moses' seat:  3 all things therefore, whatever they may tell you, do and keep. But do not after their works, for they say and do not, . . .�  So even after Acts' Pentecost and Acts 15 the apostles and believing Jews in Acts 21 still believed that they were to obey the Law of Moses including the laws about marriage (including polygyny ) and morality.     The only thing they wrote about polygyny was that the elders/bishops /deacons should have only one wife at a time.          So we see Paul, the Apostle of Grace to we non-Jews, purify himself with four other Christian Jews under a vow, pay the expenses of their being under the vow including the shaving of their heads,  and have an offering offered for   them all so that he could show the believing Jews that he walked orderly, keeping the Sinai Law and its customs and telling the believing Jews to circumcise their children and walk in Moses' customs.  These customs of Moses included the laws given to Moses regulating and recognizing polygyny.   So the apostles and believing Jews were still keeping the Law, not for salvation, but to obey Jesus in Mat. 23:1-3, and still they do not condemn or reject the polygyny being practiced all around them by both Jews and Romans (See the quotes below).   This means that the marriage and morality teachings of 1 Thess. 4 ; Romans 7; 1 Corinthians 5, 6 and 7 were written before the time of Acts 21:16 while Paul and the believing Jews, including the apostles, were still obeying and teaching the marriage and morality laws of the Law of Moses, discussed at length above including polygyny . The change of significance was not that polygyny  was condemned or forbidden but that monogamy was made a prerequisite for holding an official position of leadership in the local church.   The polygyny  of the Jewish, Greek and Roman world was not attacked, but the leadership of the local churches was transformed by the monogamy restriction, probably to prevent polygamous leaders from getting involved in church service that would result in the neglect of time with their own children and/or wives.  What was the actual status of polygamy in New Testament time, the First Century AD?   Christian elders agree that during Jesus' physical and visible walk on earth, the Jews practiced polygamy>24.� [Footnote: >24.  Trobisch; MY WIFE MADE ME..P. 23. ;     "Polygamy was not definitely forbidden among the Jews till the time of R. Gershom (c. A.D. 1000), and then at first only for France and Germany.  In Spain, Italy, and the East it persisted for some time longer, as it does still among the Jews in Mohammedan counties".   HASTINGS DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE, p.584. ;   A Select Library of the Nicene and Post- Nicene Fathers of The Christian Church, Vol. V, p. 267.;   A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of The Christian Church,  Vol. iv,  p.290.; A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of The Christian Church, Vol. VIII,  p. 258. ;    St. Augustin: On The Trinity, p. 402.;     HASTINGS DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE, p.259,  583ff.]   It is incredible to think that Jesus and the apostles would say nothing about such a widespread contemporary practice as polygyny if it were indeed sinful, less than God's best, carnal and reprobate to good works.  God never said such a thing in Old Testament times and He obviously never said such a thing in New Testament times.  When you consider how specific God was in Lev. chaps. 18-22; Deut. chaps. 22-24; Romans 1; 1 Cor. 6; 2 Cor. 6; Gal. 5 and etc.,  I can not believe that God would "forget" to include polygyny if it is as bad as most Christian leaders say  it is.      "Yet polygyny  is adopted from the time of Lamech (Gn. 4:19), and is not forbidden in Scripture . . ..  Polygamy continues to the present day among Jews in Moslem, Hindu, Buddhist, Asian, Oriental, and African countries." [>25   IVCF, Editor J.D.Douglas;  1962,W. B. Eerdmans Publishing, p.787]             "Polygamy was not definitely forbidden among the Jews till the time of R. Gershom (c. A.D. 1000), and then at first only for France and Germany.  In Spain, Italy, and the East it persisted for some time longer, as it does still among the Jews in Mohammedan countries." [Footnote: >28.  HASTINGS DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE;   p.583ff.] IN CONCLUSION: St. Augustine of Hippo, 4th century Christian Patriarch, stated the following of the Western Christian community of his century:    "But here there is no ground for a criminal accusation: for a plurality of wives       was no crime when it was the custom; and it is a crime now, because it is no   longer the custom......The only reason of its being a crime now to do this, is        because custom and the laws forbid it.>1. . . . That the holy fathers of olden         times . . . to whom God gave His testimony that 'they pleased Him'. . . it was         permitted to . . . them to have a pluraltiy of wives. . .>2 . . . the honorable name  of saint is given not without reason to men who had several wives. . . nor did         the number of their wives make the patriarchs licentious.>3 [>1 A Select Library, vol. iv; p. 289;   >2  A Select Library, Vol. V; p. 267;   >3 A Select Library, Vol. iv; p. 290] "BUT HERE THERE IS NO GROUND FOR A CRIMINAL ACCUSATION: FOR A PLURALITY OF WIVES WAS NO CRIME WHEN IT WAS THE CUSTOM; AND IT IS A CRIME NOW, BECAUSE IT IS NO LONGER THE CUSTOM......THE ONLY REASON OF ITS BEING A CRIME NOW TO DO THIS, IS  BECAUSE CUSTOM AND THE LAWS FORBID IT.>1" Thanks St. Augustine.  And as you have so eloquently pointed out, not only was it not a crime, it was not a spiritual sin or flaw as seen in the following of St. Augustine: . . . THE HONORABLE NAME OF SAINT IS GIVEN NOT WITHOUT REASON TO MEN WHO HAD SEVERAL WIVES; . . .NOR DID THE NUMBER OF THEIR WIVES MAKE THE PATRIARCHS LICENTIOUS. BUT WHY DEFEND THE HUSBANDS, TO WHOSE CHARACTER THE DIVINE WORD BEARS THE HIGHEST TESTIMONY. . . ."           [Footnote: >.23  A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of The Christian Church, Vol. iv; p.290]     So today where it is not the legal "custom", it is illegal and a sin against Romans 13.  Not because it is illegal and sinful in and of itself, but because it is not the legal "custom".   On the other hand, where it is the legal "custom", it is neither illegal nor sinful and saints may practice polygyny and concubinage without fear of condemnation of God, and should not have to fear the condemnation of man, as in Africa, India, China, SE Asia, all Islamic nations and among indigenous Indian tribes around the world.  Something every missionary should know. POLYGAMY,  JESUS,  PAUL AND   NEW TESTAMENT   TIMES       Some might say all or most of those Old Testament passages on marriage and morality were for the nation Israel under the Law of Moses and not for  Jesus' church under the Law of LOVE in Christ.  Bible history indicates quite clearly that Jesus came not to destroy the Law but to fulfill it>96  .  Jesus showed that He was observing all the Law of Moses as an adult when He said that whoever does the commandments and teaches others to do the Law of Moses "shall be called great in the kingdom of Heaven">~ .  Over and over again in the Gospels you see Jesus obeying the Law of Moses and telling His followers to obey it>97  .  Matt. 23:3, 4, and 23 are the strongest statements of this expectation that His followers were to be obeying the marriage and morality laws of Moses when He was still visibly with them, and Jesus made it soon before His death.   [Footnotes:>96   (Matt. 5:17,18);    >~  (Matt. 5:19);     >97   (Matt. 8:4; 12:11,12; 13:54; 15:3-6, 22-26; 17:24, 27; 19:17- 19; 21:12,13; 22:34-40; 23:3,4,23; 26:18,19; 26:63,64; etc.)] Mat. 5:17 � �Think not that I am come to make void the law or the prophets; I am not come to make void, but to fulfil.   18 For verily I say unto you, Until the heaven and the earth pass away, one iota or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all come to pass. 19 Whosoever then shall do away with one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of the heavens; but whosoever shall practise and teach [them], *he* shall be called great in the kingdom of the heavens.� Matt. 23:1 � �Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 saying, The scribes and the Pharisees have set themselves down in Moses' seat:  3 all things therefore, whatever they may tell you, do and keep. But do not after their works, for they say and do not, . . .�     Consider Hebrews 8, especially the Greek of verse 13:  �In that he says, �A new [covenant]�, he has made the first  [covenant] old.  Now that which is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.�  Consider The Greek of 2 Cor. 3:7,11:          �. . . the ministration of death, written [and] engraved in stones, was glorious . . . How shall not the ministration of the Spirit be more glorious? . . . For if what is passing away [was] glorious, much more that which is remaining [is] glorious>..�         These passages show there was a period of transition (�is becoming obsolete . . growing old . . . is ready to vanish . . . is passing away�)  from the Sinai Law of Moses to the Calvary Law of LOVE in Christ.  The book of Acts is full of the apostles keeping the Sinai Law of Moses after Pentecost. You see them worshipping in the Temple regularly>98 , Peter refuses to socialize with Gentiles according to the Sinai Law>99 , Peter refuses to eat the animals classified as unclean in the Sinai Law>1 , Paul circumcises Timothy, Paul keeps the Law's feasts>2 , Paul recognizes the authority of the Chief Priest, the believing Gentiles are released from the Sinai Law of Moses while the believing Jews are not released >3  . [Footnotes:>98  (Acts 4, 12, 15, 21);  >99   (Acts 10, 11, Gal. 1 & 2); >1   (Acts 10 & 11); >2  (Acts 21); >3   (Galatians, Acts 15 and see Acts 10; 11:8, 23; 15:5; 16:3;  18:18, 21;21:18-25; 24:18)]     So even after Acts' Pentecost and Acts 15 the apostles and believing Jews in Acts 21 still believe that they are to obey the Law of Moses including the laws about marriage (including polygyny ) and morality.     The only thing they wrote about polygyny was that the elders/bishops/deacons should have only one wife at a time.  Consider the following: Acts 21:18 �And on the morrow Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders came there.  19 And having saluted them, he related one by one the things which God had wrought among the nations by his ministry.  20 And they having heard [it] glorified God, and said to him, You  see, brother, how many myriads there are of the Jews who have believed, and all are zealous of the law.   21 And they have been informed concerning you  , that you  teach all the Jews among the nations apostasy from Moses, saying that they should not circumcise their children, nor walk in the customs.   . . . 23 This do therefore that we say to you: We have four men who have a vow on them;  24 take these and be purified with them, and pay their expenses, that they may have their heads shaved; and all will know that [of those things] of which they have been informed about you nothing is [true]; but that you  yourself also walk orderly, keeping the law.  25 But concerning [those of] the nations who have believed, we have written, deciding that they should [observe no such thing, only to] keep themselves both from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication.  26 Then Paul, taking the men, on the next day, having been purified, entered with them into the temple, signifying the time the days of the purification would be fulfilled, until the offering was offered for every one of them.�     So we see Paul, the Apostle of Grace to we non-Jews, purify himself with four other Christian Jews under a vow, pay the expenses of their being under the vow including the shaving of their heads,  and have an offering offered for  them all so that he could show the believing Jews that he walked orderly, keeping the Sinai Law and its customs and telling the believing Jews to circumcise their children and walk in Moses' customs.  These customs of Moses included the laws given to Moses regulating and recognizing polygyny.   So the apostles and believing Jews were still keeping the Law, not for salvation, but to obey Jesus in Mat. 23:1-3, and still they do not condemn or reject the polygyny being practiced all around them by both Jews and Romans (See the quotes below).   In fact, it is not until after Acts 22 that the Spirit has Paul write the following: MKJV  EPHES. 2: 14 � �For He is our peace, He making us both one, and [He] has broken down the middle wall of partition [between us],  15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity (the Law of commandments [contained] in ordinances) so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, making peace [between them];  16 and so that He might reconcile both to God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity in Himself.� MKJV COLOS. 2:13 � �And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross. 15 Having stripped rulers and authorities, He made a show of them publicly, triumphing [over] them in it. 16 � Therefore let no one judge you in food or in drink, or in respect of a holy day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbaths.� MKJV 2 PETER 3:15 �And think of the long-suffering of our Lord [as] salvation (as our beloved brother Paul also has written to you according to the wisdom given to him  16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which the unlearned and unstable pervert, as also [they do] the rest of the Scriptures, to [their] own destruction).�   Ephesians 2:14-18 and Colossians 2:11-17, confirmed by 2 Peter 3:15, show us that Jesus reveals and instructs us to accept the end of the Law of Moses, finally releasing believing Jews from having to obey the Law of Moses (as the Gentiles were in Acts 15) and then not many years later causes the Jerusalem Temple to be destroyed so that it would be impossible to keep on obeying the Law of Moses with its sacrifices and temple worship.   This means that the marriage and morality teachings of 1 Thess. 4 ; Romans 7; 1 Corinthians 5, 6 and 7 were written before the time of Acts 21:16 while Paul and the believing Jews, including the apostles, were still obeying and teaching the marriage and morality laws of the Law of Moses, discussed at length above including polygyny . The change of significance was not that polygyny  was condemned or forbidden but that monogamy was made a prerequisite for holding an official position of leadership in the local church.  The polygyny  of the Jewish, Greek and Roman world was not attacked, but the leadership of the local churches was transformed by the monogamy restriction, probably to prevent polygamous leaders from getting involved in church service that would result in the neglect of time with their own children and/or wives.  What was the actual status of polygamy in New Testament time, the First Century AD?  Christian elders agree that during Jesus' physical and visible walk on earth, the Jews practiced polygamy>24.� [Footnote: >24.  Trobisch; MY WIFE MADE ME..P. 23. ;     "Polygamy was not definitely forbidden among the Jews till the time of R. Gershom (c. A.D. 1000), and then at first only for France and Germany.  In Spain, Italy, and the East it persisted for some time longer, as it does still among the Jews in Mohammedan counties".   HASTINGS DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE, p.584. ;          A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of The Christian Church, Vol. V, p. 267.;             A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of The Christian Church,  Vol. iv,  p.290.;           A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of The Christian Church, Vol. VIII,  p. 258. ;                   St. Augustin: On The Trinity, p. 402.;             HASTINGS DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE, p.259,  583ff.]     Let's look at the following evidence: DOUGLAS� NEW BIBLE DICTIONARY : MARRIAGE: ."Monogamy is implicit in the story of Adam and Eve, since God created only one wife for Adam.  Yet polygyny  is adopted from the time of Lamech (Gn. 4:19), and is not forbidden in Scripture . . ..It is difficult to know how far polygamy was practised, but on economic grounds it is probable that it was found more among the well-to-do  than among the ordinary  people.   Polygamy continues to the present day among Jews in Moslem, Hindu, Buddhist, Asian, Oriental, and African countries." >25 [>25   IVCF, Editor J.D.Douglas;  1962,W. B. Eerdmans Publishing, p.787]       Eerdmans' Douglas' New Bible Dictionary:   �Concubine. A secondary wife acquired by purchase or as a war captive, and allowed in polygamous society such as existed in the Middle east in biblical times....Where marriages produced no heir, wives presented a slave concubine too their husbands in order to raise an heir (Gen. 16). Handmaidens, given as a marriage gift, were often concubines (Gen. 29:24,29). Concubines were protected under Mosaic law (Exod. 21:7-11; Dt. 21:10-14), though they were distinguished from wives (Jdg. 8:31) and were more easily divorced (Gen.21:10-14)� [Footnote: >26  IVCF, Editor J.D.Douglas;  1962,W. B. Eerdmans Publishing.]     FUNK & WAGNALLS NEW ENCYCLOPEDIA: CONCUBINAGE, �Refers to the cohabitation of a man and a woman without sanction of legal marriage.  Specifically, concubinage is a form of polygyny  in which the primary matrimonial relationship is supplemented by one or more secondary sexual relationships. Concubinage was a legally sanctioned and socially acceptable practice in ancient cultures, including that of the Hebrews; concubines, however, were denied the protection to which a legal wife was entitled. In Roman law, marriage was precisely defined as monogamous; concubinage was tolerated, but the concubine's status was inferior to that of  a legal wife.  Her children had certain rights, including support by the father and legitimacy in the event of the marriage of the parents�. [Footnote: >27 1986, Funk & Wagnalls NEW ENCYCLOPEDIA.]         In HASTING'S DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE we read "Being .. apparently legalized, and having the advantage of precedent, it was long before polygamy was formally forbidden in Hebrew society, though practically it fell into disuse; the feeling of the Rabbis was strongly against it.  Herod had nine wives at once. . . Its possibility is implied by the technical continuance of the Levirate law," [Deut. 25:5-10] "and is proved by the early interpretation of 1 Tim 3, whether correct or not.  Justin reproaches the Jews of his day" [A.D.] " with having 'four or even five wives,' and marrying 'as they wish, or as many as they wish.'  The evidence of the Talmud shows that in this case at least the reproach had some foundation.   Polygamy was not definitely forbidden among the Jews till the time of R. Gershom (c. A.D. 1000), and then at first only for France and Germany.  In Spain, Italy, and the East it persisted for some time longer, as it does still among the Jews in Mohammedan countries." [Footnote: >28.  HASTINGS DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE;   p.583ff.]         Eugene Nida's (American Bible Society) book Customs and Cultures>.29  . .  documents the current practice of polygyny   by Christians in non Western countries, and how it is still practiced in China, SE Asia, India, Africa and parts of South America.  Eugene Nida points out that when polygamists become Christians they are told of their limitations in church offices and are asked not to take any additional wives because it stumbles western Christians (Rom 14, l Cor. 8 and 10). They are not usually asked to abandon their other wives to a premature widowhood because of l Cor>. 7:1-15. [Footnote: >.29   1954, Harper & Brothers, New York]     Tacitus, who died in 117 A.D., was a Roman historian who provided us with one of the earliest detailed descriptions of the Germans and their Germanic tribes, which later migrated into western Europe and included the English and the French. >30    These Germans of his time were unique.  They strictly observed the marital tie and were generally content with one wife for each husband, in marked contrast to most of the "barbarians" of the time who often practiced polygyny.  The few exceptions to this Germanic monogyny was when they were sought for a polygynous marriage because of their high birth>31 [Footnotes:>30  Source: Tr. Maurice Hutton, in Tacitus: Dialogus, Agricola, Germania, Loeb Classical Library (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1914).  WOMEN'S LIVES IN MEDIEVAL EUROPE  - A SOURCEBOOK;   p. 36.;>31 WOMEN'S LIVES IN MEDIEVAL EUROPE  - A SOURCEBOOK; p. 37.] The New York Times News Service reported in Jan. '96 that there were 200,000 individuals involved in polygamous marriages in Paris France alone.  These polygamous individuals were reported to be  mostly immigrants from SE Asia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Africa.  This is significant since England and Germany also have similar immigrant populations with similar marriages.  This is an awesome mission field right in middle of Western Europe, involving our NATO allies.  Are we going to exclude them from the Gospel message because of their polygamy?  Are we going to tell the husbands to disobey the Jesus  who condemns the breaking of marital covenants (Mal.2; Rom. 1) by abandoning/divorcing all their wives but one.  Are we going to disobey the Jesus who tells new converts to stay in the calling in which they were called (1 Cor.7:25-35)  and tell the husbands not to abide in the polygamous calling in which they were called, but to dump and abandon their "extra" wives, condemning them to widowhood, poverty and prostitution?       It is incredible to think that Jesus and the apostles would say nothing about such a widespread contemporary practice as polygyny if it were indeed sinful, less than God's best, carnal and reprobate to good works.  God never said such a thing in Old Testament times and He obviously never said such a thing in New Testament times.  When you consider how specific God was in Lev. chaps. 18-22; Deut. chaps. 22-24; Romans 1; 1 Cor. 6; 2 Cor. 6; Gal. 5 and etc.,  I can not believe that God would "forget" to include polygyny if it is as bad as most Christian leaders say  it is.  Let's take a look at what most Christian leaders say about polygyny and concubines in the next section. >>>APPENDIX: OBJECTIONS TO POLYGYNY FIRST, they say that one of God's purposes in creation was that the marital standard for man be monogamy>32 even though there is not one scripture, quoted or paraphrased, that says that.  Yet I understand  a Christian elder and most of the "leaders" to persist, apparently maintaining that there is no doubt that God's indisputable will, as seen in the Old Testament, is monogamy.>33. [Footnotes:>.32  Please see THE INSTITUTES OF BIBLICAL   LAW, page 362,  by R. Rushdonney.;  >33. Trobisch, MY WIFE MADE ME. . . P.21]       There is no question that the best form of marriage for most is monogamy, since that is the gift>@ He has given most of His children on earth and worldwide.  But the point of 1 Cor. 7:7-27 ----- [Footnote: >@  (1 Cor. 7:7-27)] MKJV 1 CORINTH. 7: 7 �For I would that all men were even as I myself am. But each has his proper gift from God, one according to this manner and another according to that. 8 I say therefore to the unmarried and the widows, It is good for them if they remain even as I.  9 But if they do not have self-control, let them marry; for it is better to marry than to burn. 17 � But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And so I ordain in all churches.18 [Was] any called having been circumcised? Do not be uncircumcised. Was anyone called in uncircumcision? Do not be circumcised. . . . 20 Let each one remain in the calling in which he was called.  21 Were you called as a slave? It does not matter to you, but if you are able to become free, use [it] rather. . . . 24 Each in whatever way he was called, brothers, in this remain with God.�       Whether or not it is the best form of marriage for each individual depends on the gift and the leading (Rom. 8:1-14) each individual receives from God. St. Augustine (4th Century AD) had a gentler way of saying it that I feel more reflects the God  of Gen. 1 and 1 Cor. 13. Consider the following: �That the good purpose of marriage, however, is better promoted by one husband with one wife, than by a husband with several wives, is shown plainly enough by the very first union of a married pair, which was made by the Divine Being Himself, with the intention of marriages taking their beginning therefrom, and of its affording to them a more honorable precedent.  In the advance, however,  of the human race, it came to pass that to certain good men were united a plurality of good wives,  --- many to each; and from this it would seem that moderation sought rather unity on one side for dignity, while nature permitted plurality on the other side for fecundity.  For on natural principles it is more feasible for one to have dominion over many, than for many to have dominion over one.� [Footnote: >..34  2b A Select Library of the Nicene and Post- Nicene Fathers of The Christian Church; Vol. V; p. 267]       Not one verse, quoted or paraphrased, says that  God's purpose was that "monogamy be the standard for man"  but most of our religious leaders teach this doctrine.  They say that Gen. 2:18-24 shows that "The normative marriage is clearly monogamous.�   MKJV GENESIS 2: 18 � �And the LORD God said, [It is] not good that the man should be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him. 19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every animal of the field and every fowl of the air, and brought [them] to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called [each] living creature, that [was] its name.  20 And Adam gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field. But there was not found a suitable helper for Adam.  21 � And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept. And He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh underneath.  22 And the LORD God made the rib (which He had taken from the man) into a woman. And He brought her to the man.  23 And Adam said, This [is] now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. [She] shall be called Woman because [she] was taken out of man.  24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife and they shall be one flesh.  25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife; and they were not ashamed.�       First that passage says nothing about Gen 2 being normative, and no other passage in the Bible says that.    None of us are commanded by God to emulate or imitate Adam.  Adam had to be unique as the first Adam just as Christ had to be unique to be the �last Adam�>35. , and being unique it is no surprise that both �Adam's� have one unique wife (the first Adam, Eve; the last Adam>36.   Jesus, the Church).   In the Old Testament Jesus portrayed Himself as a polygynist>37  in accordance with His own Law governing polygyny, and as King of Kings He did not �multiply� wives to Himself.  In the New Testament as the Leader of the Church, He could have only one wife in accordance with His own Law governing the marital status of Church leaders>4 [Footnotes:>.35. 1 Cor.  15:45-49; Romans 5:12-21.  >.36.   DITTO 1 Cor.  15:45-49; Romans 5:12-21.  >.37   Ezekiel 23;   >.>4 Titus 1; 1 Timothy 3]     Douglas� New Bible Dictionary : MARRIAGE: ....."Monogamy is implicit in the story of Adam and Eve, since God created only one wife for Adam.  Yet polygyny  is adopted from the time of Lamech (Gn. 4:19), and is not forbidden in Scripture. . . ...Polygamy continues to the present day among Jews in Moslem, Hindu, Buddhist, Asian, Oriental, and African countries."       HASTINGS DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE: . �. . Elkanah, the husband of Hannah and Peninnah, is an interesting example of a man of no particular position who nevertheless had more than one wife; this may be an indication that bigamy, at least, if not polygamy, was not confined to the very wealthy and exalted.  At all events, polygyny was an established and recognized institution from the earliest of times.�>39 [Footnote: >39.  HASTINGS DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE; p.259.]     �Polygamy meets us as a fact: e.g. Abraham, Jacob, the Judges, David, Solomon; 1 Ch 7:4 is evidence of its   prevalence in Issachar; Elkanah (1 Sam.1:1ff) is significant as belonging to the middle class; Jehoida (2 Ch 24:3) as a priest. . .Legislation . . . safeguarded the rights of various wives, slave or free; and according to the Rabbinical interpretation of Lv 21:13>40. . . .the high priest was not allowed to be a bigamist. . . The marriage figure applied to the union of God and Israel . . . implied monogamy as the ideal state. . . Being .. apparently legalized, and having the advantage of precedent, it was long before polygamy was formally forbidden in Hebrew society, though practically it fell into disuse; the feeling of the Rabbis was strongly against it.  Herod had nine wives at once. . . Its possibility is implied by the technical continuance of the Levirate law, [Deut. 25:5-10] and is proved by the early interpretation of 1 Tim 3, whether correct or not. Justin reproaches the Jews of his day [A.D.]   with having 'four or even five wives,' and marrying 'as they wish, or as many as they wish.'  The evidence of the Talmud shows that in this case at least the reproach had some foundation.   Polygamy was not definitely forbidden among the Jews till the time of R. Gershom (c. A.D. 1000), and then at first only for France and Germany.  In Spain, Italy, and the East it persisted for some time longer, as it does still among the Jews in Mohammedan countries>41. [Footnote: (>.(40. Septuagint Lev. 21:13 "He shall take for a wife a virgin of his own tribe.".  .>41.  HASTINGS DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE; p.583ff.]       Eugene Nida's (American Bible Society) book Customs and Cultures>42  documents the practice of polygyny  by Christians in non Western countries, and how it is still practiced in China, SE Asia, India, Africa and parts of South America.  Eugene Nida points out that when polygamists become Christians they are told of their limitations in church offices and are asked not to take any additional wives because it stumbles western Christians>5  . They are not usually asked to abandon their other wives to a premature widowhood because of l Cor. 7:1-15. [Footnotes:>.42  1954, Harper & Brothers, New York; >5   (Rom 14, l Cor. 8 and 10)]         The unscriptural condemnation of polygyny/concubinage  by the Western Christian community has proven to be one of the main obstacles for people in Eastern and third world   countries to accept the message of Christ, especially if Moslem, Hindu, Buddhist, Asian, Oriental, or African,   fulfilling Christ's Word in Mark 7:13 "making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have delivered . . ." The Western �Christian� tradition against polygyny hinders the spread of the Gospel of Christ in Moslem and other polygynous societies.         What about all those third world folks, especially the Moslem, Hindu, Buddhist, Asian, Oriental, and Africans, who are practicing polygyny/ concubinage  and are told that they have to dump or abandon their extra wives in order to become Christians?  This requirement keeps many from Christ and alienates many against Christ, being one of the biggest obstacles for the Moslem, Hindu, Buddhist, Asian, Oriental, and African communities.  These "Christian" folks who feel their  own tradition about monogamy and polygyny   must be kept by Moslem, Hindu, Buddhist, Asian, Oriental, and Africans and other third world polygamists for them to become Christians, sound like the folks: Mat. 23:13 "� But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you   shut up the kingdom of the heavens before men; for *you* do not enter, nor do you  suffer those that are entering to go in."   The angels are waiting to rejoice over the conversion of one polygamous Moslem, Hindu, Buddhist, Asian, Oriental, and African or third worlder.  "Christian legalists and traditionalists" wont let them into their "Christian" churches unless they sin by (1) "dealing treacherously">6   with their wives by putting them away in repudiation, (2) disobeying Christ's command not to leave their wives>7 , and (3) not remaining in the marital condition in which they were called to Christ, whether it be concubinage, polygyny or in monogamy.  I understand one source to make the point has been made that it would be brutal for the Christian community to force a polygamist to have to choose between (1) being saved and then baptized, and  (2) having his wives in legally and sociably acceptable polygyny.>43.   [Footnotes:>6  Malachi 2;  >7  1 Cor. 7:11,12,13,14; ^>.^43.   Trobisch, MY WIFE MADE ME. . . P.33; [Karl Barth, CHURCH DOGMATICS, III/4, p. 203].           So what is the solution?  What is God's solution? At the very least the Spirit's Word in Paul tells us that if you, husband or wife, are saved in polygyny/concubinage, then remain in polygyny/concubinage and accept it as God's distribution for each person involved in particular. 1 Cor.7: 17 � �However, as the Lord has divided to each, as God has called each, so let him walk; and thus I ordain in all the assemblies. . . .   20 Let each abide in that calling in which he has been called. . . .  24 Let each, wherein he is called, brethren, therein abide with God. . . .  26 I think then that this is good, on account of the present necessity, that [it is] good for a man to remain so as he is.  27 Are you  bound to a wife? Seek not to be loosed; are you  free from a wife? Do not seek a wife.� SECONDLY, most of the "leaders" say that one of the products of Adam and Eve's fall clearly was polygamy, appearing in a sinful world>89 , even though no where in the Word of God does the Word say this.  God portrays Himself, in the fullness of His holiness, as the polygamous husband of two wives in Ezekiel 23.  I believe God was not a victim of the fall, and remains holy in a world of sin.  If �polygamy clearly appears as a product of the fall� then why isn�t there one scripture or even one verse that says that?  Since there isn�t,  it seems to be more men�s teaching.  No where does polygyny  appear, in the Old or the New Testaments, in any list of sins, list of fleshly works or list of abominations to God.  I understand   Rev. Gerhard Jasper to make the following points: (1) In Old Testament times a Jewish polygynist's marriage was fully recognized as marriage, protected by the Law and the elders;   (2) the Jewish polygynist's faith in or faithfulness to God was not questioned because of his polygyny; (3) the polygyny of the Jewish polygynist did not keep him from being admitted to the congregation with full membership.>44.  Moses did not forbid polygamy>8   (Dt. 21:15,16) >8  but apparently it was unusual among average people .>45. [Footnotes:>.f89  Please see p. 362, THE INTSTITUTES OF BIBLICAL LAW, by R. Rushdonney.    >44.  Trobisch, MY WIFE MADE ME. . . P.18; (AFRICAN THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL, Rev. Gerhard Jasper of Lutheran Theological College in Makumira, Tanzania; Februrary 1969, p. 41).    >45.  Please see THE INTERNATIONAL BIBLE COMMENTARY; p. 407.]       St. Augustine (4th Century AD) had a good word on this subject. Consider the following: �That the holy fathers of olden times after Abraham, and before him, to whom God gave His testimony that "they pleased Him," [Heb. 11:4-6]   thus used their wives, no one who is a Christian ought to doubt, since it was permitted to certain individuals amongst them to have a plurality of wives, where the reason was for the multiplication of their offspring, not the desire of varying gratification. . .In the advance . . . of the human race, it came to pass that to certain good men were united a plurality of good wives,  --- many to each; and from this it would seem that moderation sought rather unity on one side for dignity, while nature permitted plurality on the other side for fecundity.  For on natural principles it is more feasible for one to have dominion over many, than for many to have dominion over one.�>46 [Footnote: >46 A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of The Christian Church Vol. V; p. 267.] THIRDLY, what about that which is implied by some in Leviticus 18:18? Well, what about Lev. 18:18?�And thou shalt not take a woman to her sister, to be a rival to her . . .. beside the other in her lifetime.�>47 [Footnote: >.47 The Holy Scriptures, Masoretic Text] �Thou shalt not take a wife in addition to her sister, as a rival   . . in opposition to her, while she is yet living.�>48 [Footnote: >.48 The Septuagint Version, 1972]   �And you shall not take to wife a sister of your wife, to distress her. . ..beside the other in her lifetime.�>49 [Footnote: >.49 The Holy Bible from Ancient Eastern Manuscripts] �And thou shalt not take a wife to her sister, to be a rival to her , . . ...besides the other in her life-time.�>50 [Footnote: >.50  American Standard Version 1901 & 1929] �You must not marry a woman in addition to her sister, to be a rival to her. . . .when the first one is alive.�>51 [Footnote: >.51 Amplified Bible, 1965, Zondervan Publishing House.] The New King James Version agrees with the meaning of those above. The New International Version agrees with the meaning of those above. >53 [Footnote: >.53 HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION.] EXCUSE ME!  DID I MISS SOMETHING?  I SEE A PROHIBITION OF RACHEL+LEAH MARRIAGES INVOLVING TWO SISTERS BEING MARRIED TO THE SAME HUSBAND, BUT WHERE IS THE IMPLIED PROHIBITION OF POLYGYNY?  It seems to me that God is simply prohibiting a husband from marrying the sister in-the-flesh of his wife.   Does it apply to sisters in the Spirit?  The obediently believing Israelite women were as much sisters in the Lord as are the Christian women sisters in the Spirit and there was no prohibition against them being in polygynist marriages like King David�s.  Are you willing to add to the scripture to support the tradition of men? FOURTHLY, What about 1 Timothy 3:2? �1 Tim. 3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife,  A bishop: 1) an overseer   1a) a man charged with the duty of seeing that things to be done by others are done rightly, any curator, guardian or superintendent   1b) the superintendent, elder, or overseer of a Christian church� >54 [Footnote: >.54 Strong�s Lexicon, Open Bible Online, Ken Hammil]       Husband of one wife: Yes! Definitely! An elder/overseer/bishop/ superintendent of a church must be the husband of only one wife. Are we all elders/overseers/bishops/ superintendents?   Clearly not. The unmarried are not.  The married who have unruly children are not.  Husbands with  disrespectful, uncooperative and defiant wives are not. The married and unmarried who are unable to teach are not.  All novices are not.  Those with a bad reputation, earned or unearned, among the unsaved through slander or misunderstandings are not.  Those who don�t want a church leadership position are not.  That includes most of us, and most of us are not covered by the injunction  to be the husband of only one wife.       There is the problem of the polygamous mentality.  A man who has learned to love passionately and maritally  more than one wife at one time would be more vulnerable to sexual temptation in church ministry than a man who has learned to love passionately and maritally only one wife at a time.  A ministering polygamist in a leadership position would be more likely to be tempted to accept the advances/ propositions of an unmarried sister in the church who falls in love with him and he with her.  This could result in sex outside of marriage (fornication) or yet another addition to his polygamous "harem". This would stumble the saints and would be a reproach to the unsaved. It would appear that a godly polygamist would have to have a very low profile (no leadership position) in the church, as the scripture requires.     FIFTHLY,  most of the "leaders" maintain that  Deut. 17:17 at least implies a condemnation of polygyny because of its command forbidding the king to multiply wives and horses to himself>55 .  Since interpretations belong to God, let's see what God says in His Word.  By the time David became King in Judah he had 6 wives>9 and was being blessed and prospered by God. At the time of the wonderful Covenant with David in 2 Sam. 7, God specifically blesses and covenants with polygamist David, husband to his concubines and his seven wives. David�s wives, as part of his house, benefited from God�s blessing. Apparently even concubines plus seven wives is not "multiplying" wives to oneself. He had about 14 wives and concubines at the end of his life>10   . [Footnotes:>.55  Please see THE INSTITUTES OF BIBLICAL LAW, by R. Rushdonney, p. 363.  >9   (2 Sam. 3 & 5);   >10   (1 Chron 3)]     I believe St. Augustine (4th Century AD) had a good word here for such godly men. Consider the following: "But those who have not the virtues of temperance must not be allowed to judge of the conduct of holy men, any more than those in fever of the sweetness and wholesomeness of food. . . If our critics, then, wish to attain not a spurious and affected, but a genuine and sound moral health, let them find a cure in believing the Scripture record, that the honorable name of saint is given not without reason to men who had several wives; and that the reason is this, that the mind can exercise such control over the flesh as not to allow the appetite implanted in our nature by Providence to go beyond the limits of deliberate intention. . . .the holy patriarchs in their conjugal intercourse were actuated not by the love of pleasure, but by the intelligent desire for the continuance of their family. . . .nor did the number of their wives make the patriarchs licentious. But why defend the husbands, to whose character the divine word bears the highest testimony. . . ." [Footnote: >.56  A Select Library of the Nicene and Post- Nicene Fathers of The Christian Church, Vol. iv;  p.290]       Was the High Priest commanded to marry only one wife in Lev. 21:13,14 as some American religious leaders say?  In the vast majority of respected translations there is no such �only one wife� command.  Again we see the tradition of man making of no effect the Word of God.   SIXTHLY, does Jesus statement �The two shall become one flesh� mean that only one man and one woman should become one flesh, as in monogamy>57 , as  most of the "leaders" maintain?  The Spirit uses �The two shall become one flesh� principle in 1 Corinth. 6 to show �that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her� , and then uses the same �one flesh� principle in Eph. 5 about a husband and his wife.   Jerome (340-420AD) didn't indicate any problem understanding the  possibility when he wrote, "Lamech, a man of blood and a murderer, was the first who divided one flesh between two wives.">58 [Footnotes:>.57  Please see THE INSTITUTES OF BIBLICAL   LAW, by R. Rushdonney, p. 363.   >.58  A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of The Christian Church,   Vol. VIII;  p. 358.]                 Since the harlot is one flesh with every fornicator she has sexual union with and the husband is one flesh with his wife, the �one flesh� principle is not unique to marriage and cannot be an argument for monogamy or against polygyny .   The �one flesh� principle is physical reality that describes only the result of sexual union, whether it involve a harlot, a fornicator, a married couple or a polygamous marriage.   David, Israel and Abraham were �one flesh� with each of their wives, just as the adulteress of Prov. 6 & 7 was one flesh with each of her adulterers. Under the Law by Moses, being �one flesh� could have been the basis for marriage>11   but not so for us after the Sinai Law of Moses was declared voided in Eph. 2 and Col. 2, especially in the case of 1 Cor. 7:9; 1 Tm. 5:11-14.  If we do not control ourselves today, we are commanded to marry>12 , but who to marry is not specified, only that your mate be saved>13 and godly>14. [Footnotes: >11   (Deut. 22:22-30; Ex. 22:16,17).    >12  1 Cor. 7:9,36;  1 Tim 5:14;  Appendix Six of this document.    >13. 2 Corinthians 6.    .>14 1 Corinthians 5:9-11; 2 Thess. 3:6-14]     Being one flesh, as Eph. 5:22-33 shows, is one of the best motives for the husband being good and godly to his wife.  A Christian elder apparently maintains that godly equality is possible only in a monogamous marriage, and that polygamy increases women's subordination.>59 He apparently believes that the harmony and unity of Gen. 2:24 is unable to develop in a polygamous marriage, and that monogamy best reflects Christ's love to the Church>60. How did I miss that? Was it the blissful and enraptured love the Shulamite had for her Solomon who loved and adored her in their polygynous marriage>15?   Was it Abigail who gave up her wealthy independence as Nabal's widow in order to be David's wife in a polygynous marriage? [Footnotes:>59.  Trobisch; MY WIFE MADE ME A POLYGAMIST;  p21ff.    >60. Trobisch; MY WIFE MADE ME. . . . P. 25.    >15  (Song of Sol. 6)]         No, but I think  a Christian elder missed the point that a tragic number husbands around the world have neglected, been unloving to, abused and subordinated their wives in monogamy.  The women's movement for the right to vote, the heart breaking of spousal abuse and neglect, the right to have equal pay for equal tasks done by men, and the whole affirmative action program for women shows that monogamy proves to be a pretty effective context in which women can be subordinated and treated quite unlovingly.   The problem, again, is that sin and the flesh are the problem, not monogamy or polygyny.  There is no question that monogamy best reflects Christ's love to the Church, that is why He chose it and modeled it for all the Church leaders>16   of whom He is the Chief leader.  The real situation is that we are all not Church leaders and we all have our "best", our different "gifts" from God>17  . [Footnotes:>16   (1 Tm. 3 & Tim. 1).    >17    (1 Cor. 7:6,7,17-28)]   I understand  a Christian elder to state that in monogamy both leave and both cleave, becoming one flesh, and this is only possible for two marital partners, therefore polygamy is excluded by the Biblical idea of equality>61. He gives no scripture reference for this position, and I don't believe he would be able to do so. Statistics show that most Christian monogamous marriages fail to maintain this harmonious equality, and again because of sin and the flesh. There is no claim that in polygyny three "become one", but indeed the husband does become one flesh with each of his wives>18   and the fornicator becomes one flesh with each harlot with whom he fornicates>19  .  There is no reason why a polygynist and his wives/concubines could not attain to the level of the saints in the early church where they shared all that they had, and had all things in common>20  in a sweet and loving harmony.  In the Lord any family, even a polygynous family, can achieve that unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace>21  . [Footnotes:>61. Trobisch; MY WIFE MADE ME. . . >. P. 49ff.     >18    (Matt. 19).     >19    (1 Cor. 6:12-20).    >20   Acts 4.       >21   (Phil. 4:13;Eph. 4:1-5; Psalm 133 and Acts 3 & 4)]           SEVENTH, �. . . ..let each man have his own wife, and let each wife have her own husband� is not an argument for monogamy as most Christian leaders maintain>62 .   Whenever Abraham, David, Jacob, Joash or Gideon had one of their own wives, he was having his own wife/concubine; and each wife/concubine of these polygamists had her own polygamous husband.  This is also true of a man and his concubine with whom he has maritally covenanted>22 honorably before God.  David had his own Abigail and Abigail had her own David.  David had his own Abigail and Bathsheeba, and Bathsheeba and Abigail both had their own David.  The polygynist has his own wife, and has each one of them intimately and each one is his own wife.  Each of the polygynist's wives has her own husband and has him intimately in their marriage. This passage does not rebuke, demean or condemn polygyny.  The  passage addresses marital faithfulness and excludes adultery, which involves a husband having another�s wife and a wife having one who is not her own husband.  It restricts sexual �having� to marriage with one�s own mate. [Footnotes:>.62  Please see THE INSTITUTES OF BIBLICAL   LAW, by R. Rushdonney, p. 363.    >22  Ezek. 16:8; Malachi 2:10-17; Neh. 9:38 with 1 Sam. 20:3-17; As in Matt. 1:18-24 and Luke 1 & 2, she was his "wife" by their covenant even before their actual formal wedding.]         I understand  a Christian elder to state that it is inadequate to prescribe polygamy as a treatment for the problem of adultery, because polygamy facilitates stepping into adultery.  Apparently he maintains that polygamous wives are often driven to adultery by the sinful neglect)>23  of their husbands, and may have to bribe their husbands away from their other wives, resulting in  very unsatisfying sexual relations for the wives.>63.  First of all, God is the only real antidote against adultery, because He tells us that even in monogyny spousal neglect can result in temptations to adultery>24  .  Secondly, whether it be the "inclusive sex- partnership" of polygyny or the exclusive sex-partnership of monogyny, the step to adultery depends entirely on the individual's relationship to Jesus, obedience to Jesus and level of commitment to both Jesus and the marriage.   Surveys show that monogamous America today steps easily and frequently to adultery. Lastly, if the polygynist husband was obeying Jesus by having his own wives >25  , defrauding none of them>26  , loving them and laying down his life for them>27  , showing no favoritism or partiality in his behavior towards them>28  , by simply walking in the Spirit his family would be very unlikely to experience the problem described above by  a Christian elder. [Footnotes:>23    (1 Cor. 7:2-5.   {>63. Trobisch; MY WIFE MADE ME. . .. P. 31ff.   >24    (1 Cor. 7:1-5).    >25   (1Cor.7:1- 4).     >26   (1Cor.7:5).     >27    (Eph. 5).     >28     (1Tim5:20,21)] EIGHTH:   According to some Christian leaders, polygamous family living is described or rated as an inferior type of family living, but a passable one>64 .  The right of the first born>30  ; the right of each wife to food, clothing/ shelter and marital sex>31  ; and the right for the whole polygamous family to be Spiritually and materially blessed by God>32  is preserved by God in these polygamous marriages just as in monogamous marriages.  There is no scripture that says a   wife in polygyny  is less of a wife than a wife in monogamy.   There is no scripture that says a husband in polygyny  is less of a husband than a husband in monogamy.   Consider St. Augustine�s point in the following:� . . . no one doubts  . . . who reads with careful attention what use they made of   their wives, at a time when also it was allowed one man to have several, whom he had with more chastity than any now has his one wife . . . But then they married even several without any blame . . �>65 [Footnotes:>.64  Please see THE INSTITUTES OF BIBLICAL   LAW, by R. Rushdonney, p. 364.      >30     (Deut. 21:15,16).     >31    (Ex. 21:10).   >32    (Genesis 30 and 2 Samuel 7).       >..65 St. Augustin: On The Trinity; p. 406.]       I understand  a Christian elder to maintain that Israel  put up with polygamy as a lesser evil, causing some of the Old Testament writers embarrassment, and causing these writers to criticize sharply, clearly and tirelessly showing the negativity associated with polygamy.>66.  Tolerated as a lesser evil?  Tolerated by whom?  God did more than tolerate it, He legislated it in the following: [Footnotes: >66.  W. Trobisch, MY WIFE MADE ME A POLYGAMIST; p.19.] Exodus 21: 7 "And if a man shall sell his daughter as a handmaid, she shall not go out as the bondmen go out.  8 If she is unacceptable in the eyes of her master, who had taken her for himself, then shall he let her be ransomed: to sell her unto a foreign people he has   no power, after having dealt unfaithfully with her.  9 And if he have appointed her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the law of daughters. 10 If he take himself another, her food, her clothing, and her conjugal rights he shall not diminish.  11 And if he do not these three things unto her, then shall she go out free without money."   WHY DOESN'T GOD CONDEMN HIM FOR TAKING ANOTHER WIFE IF IT IS A SIN? MKJV DEUT. 21:15 � If a man has two wives, one beloved and another hated, and they have borne him sons, the beloved and the hated; and [if] the first-born son was of her that was hated, 16 then it shall be in the day when he makes his sons to inherit what he has, he may not cause to [inherit] the son of the beloved first-born before the son of the hated one, he who [is truly] the first-born.  17 But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated as the first-born by giving him a double portion of all that he has. For he [is] the beginning of his strength. The right of the first-born is his. He legislated polygyny without one word or hint of condemnation.  If polygyny were sin, why didn't God condemn it instead of putting the royal seal of His holy Law on it?  God's designated and anointed leaders freely and openly practiced it (Abraham, Jacob, David, Jehoida the priest, and God in Ezekiel 23).  Where in the Bible does he find an Old Testament writer embarrassed to report polygamy?  If you know of a single passage that clearly and explicitly states that, please let me know.  How can any Old Testament writer be embarrassed of something God sanctioned and legislated,  and that His designated and anointed leaders freely and openly practiced with God's obvious and abundant blessing in their lives (see the next section)? The Old Testament writers untiringly and realistically show the negativity of polygamy?  Abram and Sarai, Rachel and Leah had problems, as did Hannah and so did Solomon, but even with these four there is no  untiring and relentless criticism of polygamy? I couldn't find it.  In the next section, covering thousands of years and each major period of Jewish history there is no such relentless criticism of polygyny found in the Bible.   In fact if you accept the Song of Solomon as the story of young Solomon and his Shulamite wife in a polygamous marriage>34  ,  you have one of the most beautiful and positive statements of good will and love between the Shulamite and her co-wives as well as with the daughters of Jerusalem, many of whom probably also became wives to Solomon later in life when he went too far and disobeyed God by multiplying wives to himself>35  .  Let's look at the record in the Word. [Footnotes:>34    (Song of Sol. 6:8-10).     >35    (Deut 17:15- 17)] St. Augustine (4th Century AD) had the following good word on this subject in the following: �That the holy fathers of olden times after Abraham, and before him, to whom God gave His testimony that "they pleased Him," [Heb. 11:4-6]  thus used their wives, no one who is a Christian ought to doubt, since it was permitted to certain individuals amongst them to have a plurality of wives, where the reason was for the multiplication of their offspring, not the desire of varying gratification. . .In the advance . . . of the human race, it came to pass that to certain good men were united a plurality of good wives,  --- many to each; and from this it would seem that moderation sought rather unity on one side for dignity, while nature permitted plurality on the other side for fecundity.  For on natural principles it is more feasible for one to have dominion over many, than for many to have dominion over one.� [Footnote: >..67 A Select Library of the Nicene and Post- Nicene Fathers of The Christian Church,  Vol. V;  p. 267] Are polygyny and concubinage a form of female abuse?   Without even discussing cases like that of OJ Simpson's, there is a very well documented serious and growing problem of spousal abuse in monogamous America.  There is still an internationally known serious and abiding problem of males killing their wives either to free them so they can get the dowry of a new wife, or just because they don't love their wives, in India where open polygyny has been illegal for some time.  You will find spousal abuse in every form of marriage known to and practiced by humans because their sinful nature>3  or because of the involvement of evil spiritual beings>4.   The problem is not the social form of the marriage.  The problem is in the humans who exercise that social form of marriage.   Mates will abuse mates whether it be polygyny or monogyny. [Footnote: >3  Rom 3:23.      >4   Eph. 2:1,2; 6:12.]           Does it denote inferiority on the part of the woman? There is nothing in the Bible that says women are inferior to men.   "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.">5   What does it mean to be in Christ Jesus?   "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great Love with which he Loved us, even when we were dead in sins, has made us alive together with Christ . . . and has raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus . . . for through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father." >6  In terms of what is real, spiritually right now we who are His children have a presence in His very presence right now where sex is totally irrelevant and inconsequential.   "Therefore, from now on, we know no one according to the flesh. . .">7    Our sexuallity is not a legitimate basis for knowing each other or relating to each other.  Our sexuality is like a temporary "uniform" we wear during a short period of our eternal life with God, or like an instrument we temporarily play in God's orchestra. [Footnote: >5  Gal 3:28.      >6  Ephes.  2:1-18.      >7  2 Cor. 5:16]       Our Father decided>8 which of us would wear female "uniforms" and which would wear male "uniforms", which of us would play female instruments and which of us would play male instruments during our pilgrimage on earth.  As the Grand Conductor of his orchestra, He decides where we should be and when we should play our "instrument" or wear our "uniform".  All are uniformed musicians in God's orchestra and all are musicians with an instrument to play.   There are varying degrees of skill and varying degrees of importance in His orchestra>9   We know that everyone in the orchestra must be harmonious and unified in their effort because it takes only one musician to make one sour note to mess up the performance, so clearly all are important and are all under the command of the Conductor.   [Footnote: >8  Eph. 1:11; Rom. 8:28.  >9  Rom. 12; 1 Cor. 12.]   For some of us life means we are males, for some of us life means we are females, all under the same Conductor.    His males and His females must be harmonious and unified in their effort because it only take one member to be grieved for the whole Body of Christ to be hurting>10 .   The females' part in the symphony of life is spelled out in Bible passages>11  and the males' part in the symphony of life is spelled out in Bible passages>12.   They are not the same parts, but under the grand Conductor the parts can and should be harmonious and unified, blending to produce a wonderful work for the benefit of all. [Footnote: >10  Rom. 12:5; 1 Cor. 12:26,27.      >11  Gen. 2;  1 Cor. 11:1-16; 14:34,35,36; Ephes. 5; 1 Tim. 2 & 5 and Titus 2.       >12  Gen. 2; 1 Cor. 11:1-16;  Eph. 5;  1 Tim 3 & 5; Titus 1 & 2.]           If that means the Conductor wants the male to play the lead violin and the female to play the lead viola in a duet (marriage), then He knows best and can draw out of us in that relationship beautiful harmonies for the delight and benefit of all.    The female is not inferior to the male, but while they are male and female, He has laid down some rules how we are to relate in His Church when we assemble in one place, and He has laid down some rules when we come together in marriage/sex.  If we Love Him, we will obey His rules in those settings>13 .  If we love Him, we will compassionately cherish each other, male and female, in obedience to Him.  Sacrificial and self-denying compassionate cherishing results in no victims, not tyrants, no dictators, no slaves and no abuse.  It means seeking the best for the object of such Love and cooperating with them to achieve that best. [Footnote: >13  John 14:15, 21; 1 John 2:1-5; Heb. 5:8,9]   Do polygyny and concubinage unfairly or unjustly give a male the advantage over his women? The husband is still commanded to live wisely and respectfully>14  with his wife and we know that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord resulting in obedience to the Lord>15 .   The husband is still commanded to compassionately cherish his wife as Christ compassionately cherishes the Church.  The advantage over women?  It sounds more like the male is given additional and solemn responsibilities for the loving of his woman. [Footnote: >14   1 Peter 3:7.         >15 Psalm 19:9; Prov. 1:7; Hebrews 5:6,7,8,9; Prov. 4:20-22] I submit to you that, as most Christian messengers have said, monogyny is the ideal and preferable form of marriage for most people.  Most of us do not live in an ideal and preferred world.  Most of us do not have first class tickets for the trip of life.  Most of the Christian leaders told us that our ancestors were wrong in their practice of polygyny, so most of us stopped practicing it.  In this document I submit that, for us who find ourselves in such a less than perfect world, we need to know our options and know them better.  I try to show in this paper, that polygyny and concubinage are options available to followers of Christ today, that polygyny and concubinage are neither sinful nor displeasing to God, that polygyny or concubinage may be God's ideal/best for you, and that there is a way for the godly in Christ Jesus to live in polygyny or concubinage that  today is acceptable to God and allowed by society.  As with any controversial thing>16   in life, one must search out the will of God in the matter and, with His wisdom and enabling, walk in it as He leads and provides. Hopefully this paper will help you move in that direction, if it is His will. [Footnote:  >16   Romans 14] ISN�T POLYGYNY ADULTERY?                    Some say �The same laws apply to both male and female.  This is an issue of nature, not role.  Therefore all are equal: male and female.�  Some Bible interpreters are more zealous for unisex doctrines and practices than the bleeding heart liberals who encourage unisex restroom and coed dorms.  God made males and females very different for a reason, and we miss the mark when we fail to recognize the differences He made and instituted. Mary leave/divorces Elias.  Some say that this forsaken Elias commits adultery when he marries Sally but the Biblical definition of adultery>143  in Matt. 5:32 and 19:6-9; Mark 10:1-11; Luke 16:18; 1 Thess. 4:4-6 and Romans 7:1-3>143 plainly states the double standard in the definition of adultery.  There really are different scriptural laws for men than for women governing marriage and remarriage, and there are different scriptural laws for men than for women defining adultery.               Adultery for the woman: 1. "Whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery">144.  The reason being that she is still bound to him as wife.>145. [Footnote: >144  Mat. 5:32; 19:9; Luke 16:18; except in the cases of 1 Cor. 7:12-15,39; 1 Tim. 5:14.      >145.  1 Cor. 7:10, 11, 39; Romans 7:1-3. ] 2.  The husband "causes her to commit adultery" when he divorces her for any reason other than sexual immorality>146.   The reason being that she is still bound to him as wife.>147       In 1 Corinth. 7:5 we see that her husband "causes her to commit adultery"  because her husband is failing to meet her marital needs and the enemy of her soul tempts in her burning need. (On the other hand: The wife is not said to cause her husband to commit adultery when she divorces him for any other reason than sexual immorality, probably because he is free to be a polygynist.) [Footnote: >146.  Matt. 5:32; 19:9.     >147  1 Cor. 7:10, 11, 39; Romans 7:1-3.] 3. "And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.">148.   The adultery consists of both divorce AND remarriage.   The reason being that she is still bound to him as wife.>149. [Footnotes:>148.  Mark 10:12.    >149.  1 Cor. 7:10, 11, 39; Romans 7:1-3.] 4. "if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man.">150 [Footnote: >150.  Romans 7:3.]   Adultery for the man: 1. "Whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery", obviously because she still is bound to the husband from whom she is divorced. [>.^151. Mat. 5:32; 19:9; except in the cases of 1 Cor. 7:12- 15,39; 1 Tim. 5:14.] 2. "Whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery."  The adultery consists of divorcing his wife for something else besides sexual immorality AND then remarrying.    If he stayed married to his wife and married another, he became a polygynist.  On the other hand, it is implied here that if he divorces his wife for sexual immorality and marries another, he does not commit adultery.   His divorcing her does not cause  her to commit adultery because she is already immorally sexually involved with someone else.   His refusal to meet her sexual needs (1 Cor 7:2-5) does not cause her to be immoral because she is already being immoral.  He is commanded not to be intimate with her (1Cor.5:11) but his lack of her intimacy will cause him to be tempted (1 Cor.7:5).   If the temptations overcome him and he is failing to control himself, burning with marital desire, he comes under command to marry (1Cor.7:9) and so remarries in the Lord. [Footnote: >152.  Matt 19: 9: Mark 10:11; Luke 16:18.152.] 3. "You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.">153.    "You shall not lie carnally with your neighbor's wife�>154.  "For this is the will of God. . . ..that no one should take advantage of and defraud/cheat his brother in this matter.�>155.    A genuine Christian wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives and she becomes an adulteress when she marries another while he still lives. [Footnotes:>153. Exod. 20:17.  >154. Leviticus18:20.     >155. 1 Thess. 4:3-6.]     Adultery for the female is sexual intimacy with anyone else besides her own husband/mate. Adultery for the male is when (1) he is married to a new wife and had left/rejected/divorced his former wife in order to marry this new wife>99 . ; or (2) is sexually intimate with some one else�s wife. It is this double standard that allowed Abraham, Jacob, David and Joash to be godly polygamists, but declared a woman to be an adulteress if she was intimate with anyone but her own mate.  It is a double standard for the man and the woman, just like polygyny was/is a double standard for the man and the woman.  The same sin is defined differently for the woman and differently for the man.  See more on this below. [Footnotes:>99 It is  the combination of divorcing one's mate in order to marry another and then marrying that other. If he both dutifully keeps his own wife and then marries another woman, it is polygyny and not adultery.  If the wife dutifully keeps her own husband and marries another it is adultery (Romans 7:3)  The double standard is clearly laid out in Matt. 5:32 and 19:6-9; Mark 10:1-11; Luke 16:18; 1 Thess. 4:4-6 and Romans 7:1-3; 1 Corinth. 7:39] It is this double standard that results from the man being the designated the head of the family (Gen 2;  1Cor. 11), that results in what appears to be another inequity.    In Mt. 5:32 Jesus apparently allows the genuinely believing husband to divorce his wife because she is snared in sexual immorality.   Not only is he allowed to divorce her, he is allowed to remarry.  If she is genuinely saved, she is still bound maritally to him as wife before the Lord, even though she is snared in sex sin and Jesus hasn't finished his Mat. 18;15-18 & 1 Cor. 5:5-11 work with her yet.  He remarries with a free- in-the-Lord-to-marry genuinely believing woman and is now bound before the Lord to two wives. If the one involved in sex sin survives 1 Cor . 5 and repents according to 2 Cor. 2 & 7, he must accept her back as his wife along with his new wife, being bound to both as long as he and they all live.  But what about the genuinely saved wife whose "believing" husband is involved in sex sin so she is commanded to separate from and not be intimate with him.   Such a wife separates from him according to 1 Cor. 7:10,11 but after a while she finds herself being tempted according to 1 Cor.7:5.  Then she falls to the temptation and is afraid she might fall to it again, finds herself maritally burning and under command be married and have marital sex (1Cor.7:5,9).  Hopefully Jesus has finished his 1 Cor. 5:4,5-11 work and the guy has either died and his spirit is with the Lord, if he were really saved, or he has repented according to 2 Cor 2 & 7 and is ready to be reconciled to her.  Or in the case of Matt. 18:15-18 she has learned that she is to relate to him as an unsaved person, an unsaved person who no longer wants to live with her, no longer wants her as his wife(1Cor7:13,15), so she is free from him and free to obey the Lord and get married in the Lord. Will God intervene in behalf of His fasting and praying but maritally burning and sorely tempted daughter, who as wife is separated from her husband because of his 1 Cor. 5 sin, and because of that separation is burning with marital desire and sorely tempted?  If He took out the rich and unloving believers in 1 Cor. 11 for the shabby way they stumbled and offended their poorer brethren in the celebration of the Lord's supper, don't you think He will give her a 1 Cor. 10:13 out or make a quick end the husband causing her the grief? The God who promised 1 Cor. 10:13 and Phil. 4:6,7,13,18,19 will not break those promises. Let's look at some hypothetical examples.  Elias was divorced/ rejected/abandoned by Jane (with his never repudiating or rejecting Jane as wife) his new marriage to free-to-marry Sally may violate no scripture, may not be what the Bible calls adultery and may seem to put him in the Old Testament position of having and being bound to more than one wife. I understand he would still be bound by the Lord to the saved wife who left him.       But the way is narrow.  If saved Jane leaves/divorces her saved Elias and marries Harry, it is adultery as long as both Jane and Harry are married and Elias lives.  If saved Elias leaves/divorces saved Jane for Sally and marries saved Sally, it is adultery as long as Jane lives and Elias and Sally are married and repudiating Jane.   If Elias's wife Sally is sexually intimate with someone else it is adultery.  If  Elias is sexually intimate with Pete's lawful wife, it is adultery.  If married Elias is sexually intimate with single/ unmarried Susie who is playing the harlot (having sex without being married), it is fornication>156 If American and legally married-to-Jane Elias also legally marries free-to-marry Betty, it is a sin because Elias is under command>157 to obey the laws of the government authorities which forbids official/legal bigamy and polygyny  and he would have to live with the legal consequences. [Footnotes:>156  (Ezekiel 16 and 23 and 1 Corinth. 6.      >157 Romans 13; 1 Peter 2:12-14]     Mark 10 ; 1 Cor 7:10,11, 12, 13-15,39; and Rom 7 seem to state rather clearly that a Christian marriage lasts and is binding on both as long as both live. That being the case I often wondered why God gave the Christian wife the second best option of departing and remaining unmarried and possibly being reconciled with her saved husband later.  The husband is given no such second best option.  He must not leave his wife, period! Because of spousal abuse I can understand why God would allow  a wife to separate herself while still bound to the abuser in marriage in order to allow the exercise of church discipline>158 to have an effect.  But what about that poor turkey of a husband who is warned by God>159 that being deprived of his wife will result in Satanic temptations to immorality and that he is explicitly forbidden to leave her, send her away or ask her to leave>160. No qualifications or exceptions.  Why the double standard?  See below. [Footnotes:>158  (Matt 18 and l Cor 5).      >159  (1 Cor. 7:1- 5).      >160  (Greek of l Cor. 7:11,12 and Mark 10)]         The scriptures above make it plain that if Jane Dovany exercised her 1 Cor 7:11 repentance option, having left/divorced Elias, and then Elias repudiated/ rejected Jane in order to marry Sally, Elias's rejection/repudiation of Jane coupled with his marriage to Sally constitutes Biblical adultery.  It would be adultery if saved Jane divorced/ rejected saved Elias and married Harry because Biblical adultery in the scriptures above is saved Jane divorcing/   rejecting saved Elias and marrying some one else.  According to all of those scriptures, adultery for the male is either (1) the act of marrying or being intimate with someone else's wife, (2) or the act of leaving one wife and taking another wife.  Adultery for the wife is having sexual intimacy with anyone else except her husband to whom she is married for life.   If you very carefully examine those scriptures you will see that the Bible does not say it is adultery for Elias to recognize AS WIFE his self-separated Jane and at the same time take as wife another saved and free-to-marry (unbound/ unmarried) sister.  See the discussion on polygyny.   Yes, that�s right, there is a double standard going all the way back to Genesis.  It was not adultery for a married man to marry another woman free-to-marry under the laws of God throughout the whole Old Testament.  It was legal and divinely permitted polygyny , if the scriptures  are understood correctly.  Under the same Word of God, a woman who was sexually intimate with another besides her own husband was an adulteress.  The double standard started in Genesis 3:16, restated in 1 Corinth. 11 and 1 Timothy 2  appear to allow a godly man to be a polygamist but does not allow a godly woman to be a polyandrist.     The woman's repentance option explains the �double standard� and apparent inequity of 1 Corinthians 7:10,11 where it appears that the woman who has left her husband has the repentance option of  remaining single but the man must never leave his wife. If a wife left her husband according to 1 Cor. 7:11, he would immediately be put in the hazardous position of 1 Corinth 7:1-5, being tempted to sin because his wife will not give him the marital sexual outlet since she is gone. It seemed to me to be quite unfair that she could leave him and live  unmarried, and he, knowing he is still bound to her for life, has to struggle with the burning temptations predicted in 1 Corinth. 7:1-5, 9 with no legitimate sexual outlet.         Then I realized that 1 Corinth. 7:1-5 predicted his need of marital intimacy, how Satan would use the wife's absence to tempt him, how marital intimacy is the prescription to avoid Satan's temptations, and then the command  in verse 9   plainly commands the one to marry who is failing to have successful self-control>100  .  Then I realized that the polygyny  option balanced the equation.  The wife could leave her husband and remain single and the husband who was still bound to such a departed wife seems to have had a Biblical option of polygyny / concubinage, (depending on the laws of his land) if he found himself tempted and burning as in 1 Cor. 7:5, 9,12.  She could leave and he could remarry becoming a polygamist and the inequity was gone.  She could separate and remain single, and he could remarry as long as he recognized that he was still bound to his separated wife. [Footnote: >100    See Appendix Six.]                               Now consider the case where the  wife, claiming to be a Christian, refuses for years to obey 1 Cor. 7:1-5 with her saved husband and then finally leaves, abandons, rejects ,separates herself , and dismisses him from her presence.   She doesn't care about getting a formal divorce but feels free to  date and get involved with another man.  Her abandoned   husband is faced with the question, "Is she saved and is it a case of 1 Cor. 7:11 & 39 or is she unsaved and is he free according to l Cor. 7:12 & 15?"  Her abandoned husband wants to do Matt. 18:15-17 to clarify the situation and get an answer to his question but can find no Christian body willing to do the following: MKJV 1 CORINTH. 5:  . . . �I indeed have judged already [as though I were] present [concerning] him who worked out this thing;  4 in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, with my spirit; also, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ; 5 to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. . . . 11 But now I have written to you not to associate intimately, if any man called a brother [and is] either a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one not to eat. 12  . . .  Do you not judge those who are inside?  13 . . .   Therefore put out from you the evil one.�        MKJV MATTHEW 5:32* �But I say to you that whoever shall put  away his  wife, except for the cause of fornication, causes her        to commit adultery. And whoever shall marry her who is put     away commits adultery.� MATTHEW 18: 15 � �But if your brother shall trespass against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.  16 But if he will not hear [you], take one or two more with you, so that in [the] mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell [it] to the church. But if he neglects to hear the church, let him be to you as a heathen and a tax- collector.�        5:32*� But I say to you that whoever shall put away his wife,  except for  the cause of fornication, causes her to commit   adultery. And whoever shall marry her who is put away  commits adultery. . . .� 18 �Truly I say to you, Whatever you shall bind on earth shall occur, having been bound in Heaven; and whatever you shall loose on earth shall occur, having been loosed in Heaven.� This means he is unable to clarify the status of both himself and his departed wife.  He is unable to determine if she is unsaved and he is free to remarry>161,   , or if she is saved and he is bound maritally to her for life>162    So without sending her away, dismissing , repudiating, leaving, releasing or separating himself from her, he gets a legal divorce (on the grounds of irreconcilable differences) for state and federal tax and inheritance purposes but reaffirms in writing   to her what he believes may be the binding nature of their relationship>163 . [Footnotes>161    1 Cor. 7:12,13,14,15.        >162    1 Cor. 7:10,11, 39; Mark 10; Rom. 7:1-5.       >163  (1 Cor. 7:39)]   So the divorce is only a  legal recognition of the wife's departure and unwillingness to be reconciled, while he still publicly recognizes  the binding nature of their relationship.  Then he   remarries another  Christian because his burning and his 1 Cor. 7:5 predicted failures to control himself bring him under the command to marry in l Cor. 7:9,36 (NIV & Amplified "they should marry"), 1 Cor. 7:36 (NIV "They should get married); 1 Tim 5:14 (NIV "So I counsel younger widows to marry.."  Amplified "So I would have younger [widows] marry..") and 1 Thess 4:3-8 (NIV "that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable . . ..") >101 [Footnote>101  Please see Appendix Six;   NIV  , NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. ]       He has entered the realm of American polygyny .  Legally divorced and remarried but openly acknowledging his marital ties to two "sisters-in-Christ", he is an American polygamist.  The departed wife could remarry in adultery or remain single the rest of her life while he continues in his new marriage.  If she repents and opts for reconciliation after he has married again,  all of her rights and privileges as in 1 Cor. 7:1-5 & 39 are in force and the husband faces the complex dilemma described next.  How do you have two wives in America where it is illegal to officially and "legally" have more than one wife of  official public record with tax and inheritance rights granted and protected by the government? Please see the discussion of polygyny in chapter 4. >>>APPENDIX: WHAT ABOUT RACISM & INTERRACIAL MARRIAGE?         American racists  (like those in the KKK, the White Citizens� Council, the Aryan leagues, the Nazis, the Skinheads, a surprising number of So. Bapt. ministers, certain race supremacists, etc.) have dared to use the Word of God to validate and confirm their erroneous and nonChristlike teachings that one  race is (or some races are) inherently superior to another (or to others)  and therefore some people have rights and privileges that other people don�t have ----- and for sure they must never intermarry.   Well, we know what these evil doers think, --let�s see if the Bible agrees.   First of all, during the civil rights movement of the 1940�s -70�s, many Bible belters and So. Baptists taught that all Blacks were ordained to servitude and/or slavery by God because Noah cursed one of his descendants to be �a servant of servants� to his brethren, the rest of us, since only Noah and his descendants survived the flood.  Gen. 9:22 makes it crystal clear that Ham, Noah�s son, erred seeing his father�s/parents� genitals.  Gen. 9:24, 25 makes it equally clear that even though Ham is the one who erred, it was Ham�s son Canaan --- NOT HAM ---that was cursed to be �servant of servants� to the rest of us.    If you check Gen. 10 with 1 Chronicles 1 and any orthodox Bible atlas, you will see that Canaan settled in Canaan (Surprise?!?!), AKA the Promised Land, which is part of the Mid East, not Africa.  I think even the KKK admits that Africans/Blacks came from Africa where THE REST of Ham�s children settled and parented Africans.  So according to the Bible, it was Canaanites, NOT AFRICANS, who were cursed to be �servant of servants� to the rest of us. Whether God honored Noah�s curse on Canaan, or Noah�s curse was a prophecy, the point remains that in the time of Moses and Joshua we see the Canaanites under God�s curse of destruction.  Why?  Even in Abraham�s time, the Canaanites manifested their ungodly inclination in Sodom and Gomorrah with their fornication, sodomy and homosexuality.  By the time of Moses, the Canaanites peoples under God�s curse of destruction had given themselves over to live human infant sacrifices to their gods, sex with temple/grove/high place prostitutes as  an act of worship of their gods, sodomy, homosexuality, witchcraft, sorcery, and attempts to contact the dead.  God would curse any people with destruction who did such things (Romans 1:22-32). It makes no difference to the spiritually blind and hardened that modern ethnological biology confirms what the  Bible tells us, that we are all descendants of �Eve�, one ancestor, making us all kinfolks.   Only the most ignorant and unlearned believe as fact that Africans, like Moses�s wife -- Joseph�s wife, Solomon�s Shulamite, Jeremiah�s Ethiopian Ebedmelech(Jer.39:15-18), Phillip�s Ethiopian Eunech --- are not Homo Sapiens like Asians and Caucasians.  God called the Ethiopian Eunuch "a man", not an animal or creeping thing that stowed away on the ark in addition to Noah and his family (Acts8:27). The writings of Ashley Montagu and Frederick S. Hulse document the fact beyond dispute that there is no fixed or significant inherent difference between the races (except for hair, face shape and skin color), even Caucasian and Black/African. God has redeemed for himself a  people composed of representatives of every tribe, tongue, people and nation (Rev.5:9; 7:9).       It makes no difference to the spiritually blind and hardened that �He has made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on all the face of the earth. . . Therefore, then, as we are the offspring/race of God. . . He has given assurance to all, in that He raised Him from the dead.� [Acts 17:24-31; Rom. 9:21].   Science had to wait until the 20th century to prove what the Bible said almost 2000 years ago, that all nations of men are made of one blood, with all its various types.       Is interracial marriage a sin?  Is it a "sexual perversion" as some preachers and teachers maintain (See the New Open Bible's Topical Index under "Abominations" by Wick   Broomall)?  Thomas Nelson publishers of the New Open Bible have put it in writing that they are going to remove "Racial intermarriage" from "Abominations" because the idea of racial intermarriage being an abomination to God is so inappropriate scripturally. [I]  Interracial marriage, in and of itself, is never described in the Bible, defined or listed as a sin, trespass, transgression or an evil.   In the Old Testament Israel was commanded not to marry   the pagan people of Palestine . . .the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, the Jebusites, and certain peoples of Canaan, specifically because they had been appointed to death for their gross sins.   [Exodus 23:20- 33;34:10-16; Deut. 7:1-3; Ezra 9 & 10.  See also Ezra 9 and Nehemiah 9.]     In the New Testament after Pentecost, the Church is commanded not to marry sinners, saints snared in sin, "saints" living in sin and unrepentant, and the unsaved.   The Church was commanded not to marry peoples based on the unsaved or undelivered spiritual status of peoples, not based on any physical, racial or ethnic criteria.  In fact, after Acts 10-15 and Galatians 2, Christ gave us Gal. 3:28; Colos. 3:10, 11; 2 Cor. 4:18 and 5:12,16.         Before Acts 10 the apostles were obeying Christ's word in Matt. 23:1-3 and therefore they would not eat with, marry or associate with non-Jews.  As long as they were Jews, whether devout Ethiopians (Acts 8) or devout men from every other nation under heaven (Acts2:5), there was no social discrimination based on race or ethnicity.  The world dwelt in two camps based on spiritual criteria, Jews and non-Jews.   Any devout Jew of any race or nation was free to marry any devout Jew of any race or nation, except for those few Palestinian nations condemned in Deut. 6, Ezra 9 and Nehemiah 9.       After Acts 10 - 15 the world lay in two new camps, those in Christ and those outside of Christ, those in the Bride of Christ and those outside of the Bride of Christ. Christ tells us in Gal. 3:28 + Col. 3:10,11 terms of eternal reality, that there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, neither barbarian nor Scythian.  The eternal reality of our relationships is no longer based on our bodies, our national origin, our race,  or our social status.  These are not the factors that determine our behavior towards each other, including marriage.  The factors that determine our behavior towards each other, including marriage, are unseen - invisible - spiritual.  [> 2 Corinth. 4:17,18; 10:7; Luke 16:15].       We no longer are to take pride in, have confidence in, boast of, lift up or exalt that which appears, our appearance; but we are to take pride in, have confidence in, lift up and exalt the spiritual realities of the regenerated heart or soul [ 2 Corinth. 5:12; 10:7;Luke 16:15]  .   We pick our mates based not on their physical appearance or physical heritage, but on the nature of their regenerated hearts and souls.  We are commanded by God Himself to NO LONGER be acquainted with, stand in relationship to or have knowledge [  2 Cor. 5:16; 10:7; Luke 16:15: See Arndt and Gingrich Greek & English Lexicon p. 558.] of another human being "on the physical plane" or "simply as a physical being" [  2 Cor. 5:16; 10:7;Luke 16:15:  See Arndt & Gingrich Greek & English Lexicon pp. 408, 409.] . We must look at and relate to each person in terms of their soul and spirit for therein lies the reality with which we are called by Christ to deal. We must not relate to or know anyone on the basis of their physical appearance or physical heritage.   That means that a husband and wife should celebrate and enjoy sex , a very physical act and experience, not on the basis of the attractiveness or unattractiveness of their physical appearance or physical ancestry, but on the basis that they are commanded by God to sexually have each other and be sexually affectionate  [1 Corinth. 7:2,3,4,5; Titus 2:4; Prov. 5:18,19; Song of Solomon].   Marital sex is as much a Spiritual God ordained ministry as is feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and giving drink to the thirsty.  Isn't it obvious that the husband and wife should be as creative, zealous and devoted in their sexual ministry to each other, being sexually dependent on each other, as they would be in their ministry to the thirsty, hungry and unclothed who are dependent on them.  Since they are called to do their sexual ministry to each other, doing it as unto the Lord (meaning they would do their very best in order to please Jesus), you would expect excellence, creativity, originality and first class performance.  That is an example of how a Spiritual people who know each other in terms of the Spirit, not in terms of their bodies or the visible, use the opportunity of their bodies or the visible to serve each other and the God who called them.   It is fairly common knowledge that we don't "wrestle against flesh and blood"  [ Ephes. 6:12; 2 Corinth. 10:3,4,5,6,7] in the spiritual battles we fight daily and some of us see ourselves in that struggle, but we also should daily reckon ourselves to be "blessed with all spiritual blessings" and seated  together in the spiritual realm in Christ [ Ephes. 1:3-14; 2:5-10] because that IS the reality of our daily lives and we miss mark and the blessing when we live and act without that awareness. [II.] Marriage and/or engagement with certain specific peoples was expressly and explicitly forbidden in the Word of God        [a]  Israelite marriage and/or engagement with the people of the Land of Canaan, Palestine, was expressly and explicitly forbidden.   Exodus 23:20-33;34:10-16; Deut. 7:1-3; Ezra 9 & 10: the pagan people of Palestine . . .the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites ...You shall make no . . . marriages with them ...  See also Ezra 9 and Nehemiah 9.       [b] Marriage and/or engagement with people who do not obediently believe in and submit to Jehovah/Jesus was and is expressly and explicitly  forbidden in the Word of God .  2 Cor. 6:14-7:10; Psalms 1:1-2;1 Cor. 5:9,11; 2 Thess. 3:6- 14.        [c] Christians are forbidden to marry or become engaged to people of any race who hold or believe in false doctrines, those which contradict and differ from the Word of God (1 Tim. 6:3-5; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 2 John 7-11; 2 Cor. 6:14- 7:1)    [d] Christians are forbidden to marry or become engaged to people of any race who are unsaved, unregenerated and/or unbelieving (2 Cor. 6:14-7:10; Psalms 1:1-2; Ezra; Nehemiah.    [e] Christians are forbidden to marry or become engaged to people of any race who are deliberately and intentionally doing sin, trespass, transgression, iniquity, ungodliness and/or uncleanness. 1 Cor. 5:9,11; 2 Thess. 3:6- 14. [III.] When people of Canaan became believers in Jehovah and came under the covenant of Moses, marriage was not forbidden or punished by God.  Two actually became ancestors of Jesus in  His birth/incarnation. Mat. 1:5 Salmon begat Boaz, ancestor of David and Christ, by Jericho�s Rahab. Josh 6:25 And Joshua saved Rahab . . . , and ...she lives in Israel to this day.. Heb 11:31 By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish  . . .   Jas 2:25  . . . was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works . . . ? Mt 1:5  . . . Boaz fathered Obed of Ruth, and Obed fathered Jesse ...  Ru 1:4 . .   . wives ... from the women of Moab. The name of the ... other Ruth. ...   Deut. 23 :3 -6 discourages marriage to Moabites and gives the reason, but  that did not stop Obed from marrying Ruth, with God's blessings, Ruth the Moabitess who had converted to faith in Jehovah and become a Jew. SEE ALSO Ezra 1:1 & 2 and Nehemiah 13: 23 - 27 Deut. 23:7 , 8 ----�You shall not despise an Edomite . . . You shall not despise an Egyptian, . . .�   In Ezra 9 it was the people who added Egyptians to the forbidden list, and of course pagan Egyptian wives would be as unacceptable to God as pagan Israeli or pagan Cushite wives, because they were pagans, not because of their race or ethnic heritage. [IV.] Marriage with the following people after they became obedient believers in Jehovah/Jesus was never forbidden or condemned: Edomites, Egyptians, Philistines, Aramites, Asshurites, Cushites, Ethiopians and Joktanites.  In fact, except for those listed previously above in [2], no other races or ethnic groups were  named by God as unacceptable for marriage after they became obedient believers in Jehovah/Jesus.           [4a] Abraham MARRIED Hagar, the Egyptian descendant of Ham�s African Mizraim.  She was acknowledged fully as his wife, not his mistress or slave.   God never in Scripture condemned Abraham�s marriage to Hagar, done in obedience to Sara.  If there was any sin, it was not waiting on God, no the act of marrying Hagar.   (Deut. 23:7,8)  Abraham approved of marriage with Mesopotamians (Iraq, Syria, Turkey; Gen 24:1-10) [4b] Gen. 28:1-5 shows Rebekah and Issac approving of marriages with Syrians. [4c] Joseph married an Egyptian descendant of Ham, with no condemnation or denunciation by God or the prophets (Gen. 41:45, 50, 51, 52;   Deut 23:7,8)       [4d] Moses married an Ethiopian Cushite and God punished those who spoke against this interracial marriage.   Numbers 12:1-16; Jeremiah 13:23.        [4e] Mat. 1:5 Salmon begat Boaz, ancestor of David and Christ, by Jericho�s Rahab the harlot, with no condemnation or denunciation in scripture.  Heb 11:31 �By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish  . . .�   Jas 2:25  �. . . was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works . . . ?�  She believed, therefore she acted --- sincere and genuine faith results in God working His works through her.        [4f] Marriages with Moabites, like Ruth, were not condemned but were greatly discouraged (Deut. 23:1-8)  Mt 1:5 � . . . Boaz fathered Obed of Ruth, and Obed fathered Jesse ...� who fathered King David and later came his offspring, the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ.   [4g] Samson�s  Philistine marriage (Judges 14, 15; not Delilah) did not violate the letter of God�s law (Ex. 23:23, 28,31,32; 34:14-16; Deut. 7:1-3) but it certainly violated spiritual principles dear to his parents, Abraham and Issac (Gen. 24:1-10; Gen.27:46-28:1-9; Judges 14:3,4)         [4h] Solomon married a black Shulamite.  She was not just tanned.  The Hebrew word translated as black in Song of Solomon 1:5 (�I [am] black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.�) is the very same Hebrew word to describe her husband's hair  (Song 5:11  �his locks [are] bushy, [and] black as a raven.�).  Now a raven is BLACK, GLOSSY BLACK, not tanned or brown.  Not only is this obvious interracial marriage in the Word of God, it is seen as a  picture of Jehovah and Israel, Jesus and the Church. [V.]. Bias, discrimination, prejudice and bigotry are sins and have no place in the Christians life, thoughts or marriages.   THESE ARE ALL FROM DARBY'S VERSION UPDATED. LEV. 19:15 You shall do no unrighteousness in judgment; you shall not respect the person of the lowly, nor honour the person of the great; in righteousness shalt you judge your neighbour. DEUT. 1: 17 You shall not respect persons in judgment: you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid of the face of man, for the judgment is God's; and the matter that is too hard for you shall you bring to me, that I may hear it. PROV. 24:23 � These things also come from the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.  24 He that says  unto the wicked, You are  righteous, peoples shall curse him, nations shall abhor him . . . PROV. 28: 21 � To have respect of persons is not good; but for a piece of bread will a man transgress. ISAIAH 10:1 � Woe unto them that decree iniquitous decrees, and to the writers that prescribe oppression, 2 to turn away the poor from judgment, and to take away the right from the afflicted of my people . . . ISAIAH 59:1 � Behold, Jehovah's hand is not shortened that it cannot save, neither his ear heavy that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid [his] face from you, that he does     not hear.  3 For your hands are stained with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips speak lies, your tongue muttereth unrighteousness: 4 none calls for justice, none pleads in truthfulness. They trust in vanity, and speak falsehood; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity. 9 � Therefore is justice far from us, and righteousness overtakes us not:  . .14 And judgment is turned away backward, and righteousness stands afar off; for truth stumbles in the street, and uprightness cannot enter. 15 And truth fails; and he that departs from evil makes himself a prey. And Jehovah saw [it], and it was evil in his sight that there was no judgment. ACTS 10:15 And [there was] a voice again the second time to him, What God has cleansed, do not *you* make common.. . . 28. . . to *me* God has shewn to call no man common or unclean.   15:8 And the heart-knowing God bore them witness, giving [them] the Holy Spirit as to us also, 9 and put no difference between us and them, having purified their hearts by faith. ROMANS 2:9 tribulation and distress, on every soul of man that works evil, both of Jew first, and of Greek;10 but glory and honour and peace to every one that works good, both to Jew first and to Greek: 11 for there is no acceptance of persons with God. ROMANS 14:12 So then each of us shall give an account concerning himself to God. 13 Let us no longer therefore judge one another; but judge you this rather, not to put a stumbling-block or a fall-trap before his brother. . . 15 For if on account of meat thy brother is grieved, thou walkest no longer according to love. Destroy not him with thy meat for whom Christ has died. . . 19 So then let us pursue the things which tend to peace, and things whereby one shall build up another. ROMANS 15:7 � Wherefore receive you one another, according as the Christ also has received you to [the] glory of God. GALAT. 2:6 . . . it makes no difference to me: God does not accept man's person . . . 1 TIM. 5:19 Against an elder receive not an accusation unless where there are two or three witnesses. 20 Those that sin convict before all, that the rest also may have fear.   21 I testify before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, that thou keep these things without prejudice, doing nothing by favour. JAMES 2:1 � My brethren, do not have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, [Lord] of glory, with respect of persons: . . . 4 have you not made a difference among yourselves, and become judges having evil thoughts? . . . 8 � If indeed you keep [the] royal law according to the scripture, You shalt love your neighbour as thyself, you do well.  9 But if you have respect of persons, you commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors. Righteous, just and fair judgment and justice; protection for the rights of the afflicted and the poor; pursuit of that which promotes peace and personal maturity/growth; acting without prejudice or bias; no biased respect of persons, no intimidating biased influences, no one is to be considered common or unclean, no putting of stumbling blocks and fall- traps in the way of another -----sounds like a pretty darn good way to live.  It's a shame that so few countries in the world even come close to this standard.  That should not deter us, for we can, to the best of our ability, struggle to achieve this in our own sphere of influence and leave our microworld a better place when we are finished. What about those who do practice racism, discrimination, partiality, bias and bigotry?  A Christian has his marching orders on  how to deal with them from Luke 6; Ephes. 5:7,11; Galat. 6:1; 1Tim.2:1-4; 5:20,21; Matt. 18:15-18; 2 Cor.5:18- 20; 2Tim.2:24-26 and all the cross references of these passages.  Warning!  If you set out to obey the truth and principles in these passages, you may find yourself nailed to a cross.   A minor problem for those who have become children of God through faith in and acceptance of Jesus Christ and His perfect work to save us, for being nailed to a cross is followed by a resurrection in to supernatural and eternal life with Him who is Compassionate Cherishing, Truth, Eternal Life, Perfect Light and the Way. APPENDIX: KEYS TO A HARMONIOUS AND POLYGYNOUS CHRISTIAN FAMILY "No purer joy can be Than to be one in Thee; Bound by one golden cord Of love to our dear Lord. Together, together, together, Made one in Thee, All one in Thee, Come let us flow together. Come let us flow together To the goodness of the Lord Together, together, together, Alleluia. Than song of sweet wild bird, Deep in the green wood heard, More sweet the melody Of such a unity. All singing, all singing, all singing, Made one in Thee, All one in Thee, Come let us flow, all singing.">a Such singing is an evidence of the filling and unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace---"speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord . . ."(Eph.5:19) "There is a peerless joy in comradeship that the years can only prove and strengthen.  This joy has been ours.  We know that the Lord 'who knit us together, shall keep us together'. . . . . . . . Comfort and joy meet in this vital union,      Shelter in storm and peacefulness in strife; Thus to be knit in Thy pure love's communion      It is our life, O Lord: it is our life.">b So wrote Amy Carmichael, the author of Gold Cord and founder of the Dohnavur Fellowship in Tirunelveli District, S. India, that continues to this day and began in the 19th century.  She never set out or intended to do more than to serve those suffering about her, share the joy of her salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ, and rescue children from becoming temple prostitutes in worship of Hindu sex gods and goddesses.  As she did these things the Lord provided not only her material needs, but precious and wonderful coworkers, Love warriors, and a fellowship was born that evidenced the supernatural peace, harmony, unity, sharing, service, and unselfish compassionate cherishing that is possible only in and by Jesus and His Spirit. In the process, like Hudson Taylor of China Inland Mission, George Muller of Bristol England and many, she decided that she would not ask any mortal for funds or supplies, nor let any mortal outside of the fellowship know their need for funds or supplies, even when the fellowship had grown to over 500 residents with an on site hospital.  She and those of the Gold Cord agreed to ask only Jesus' Father for the funds and supplies they needed, and in an age of no long distance phone service, no computers and no quick telecommunications, Jesus' Father provided them with all their needs, providing the fellowship with tens of millions of dollars (at our current rate of exchange) over the years before she went on to be with Jesus. During her life at Dohnavur in the Gold Cord, there was realized that blessed unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace anointed with a filling of the spirit that spilled over in song and thanksgivings when they gathered together, male and female, old and young, of many races, of many nations, of many stations in life and over the decades.  It is one of the greatest and best documented proofs that God is, that Jesus is alive and present in our midst, and that God loves us enough to be intimately involved in our personal and corporate lives.  And so I offer her as a tried, tested and true expert on loving unity in a family and in a fellowship. The keys to a harmonious and polygynous Christian family lies in the relationship each member has with the risen and soon to return Lord Jesus Christ.   The keys to such family harmony are essentially the same as the keys to any harmonious and Loving Christian fellowship.  Loving Jesus with all our hearts, all our strength, all our minds and all our soul (personality) first and foremost manifests itself in loving and devoted obedience to Jesus.  Such loving and devoted obedience manifests itself in the unselfish and self- denying compassionate cherishing of all who Love Jesus, which would include the husband, wives and children in a Christian polygynous family.  Let's look at some of the character traits that Jesus will work in us if we ask and let Him, character traits that will make for a Loving and harmonious Christian family. Amy found certain character traits essential to the harmony of the fellowship of the Gold Cord: "truth, willingness for hard work, a freedom from the dominance of money, and very loving hearts. . . They were lovers of their Lord and servants of His sick; they loved one another fervently, and money had no power over them.">c   What about the leader, the husband in a polygynous family or the leader of a fellowship of bonded souls, bound together in Spirit by a shared vision?  He would have to be a man of that vision, "one to whom the same heavenly vision had been shown, so that he could not be turned back from it or caused to doubt what he had seen.">d "Only one who was so mastered by his convictions about building in gold, silver, and precious stones could hold on through what was sure to happen when there seemed to be no material of that sort at hand, and the driving "must" of apparent necessity to accept wood and hay and stubble was upon him.  But when convictions are inwrought by the Spirit of God, they are not conquered by opposition, or shaken by criticism or failure, or broken or weakened by disappointment. The leader sent of God would not lose heart.  For him we prayed persistently.">e The Leader, yea the band, cannot be given to self-indulgent comfort.  A life of sharing is a life of self-discipline and self denial because self does not like to share.  In a bonded fellowship or polygynous marriage, after sharing, loving service to your partners is the next key to success.  Sharing and service are not naturally comfortable and often allow those exercising such virtues little or no comfort. "Comfort, that stealthy thing that enters the house as guest, and then becomes a host, and then master.  Ay, and it becomes a tamer, and with hook and scourge makes puppets of your larger desires.  Though its hands are silken, its heart is iron.  Verily, the lust for comfort murders the passion of the soul, and then walks grinning to the funeral.">f  The desire for personal comfort is an enemy of unity in a family/fellowship. In most of the world today anyone considering being a part of a polygynous family or controversial fellowship must be prepared to suffer ridicule, harassment, social and emotional trials, and even physical suffering as happened to my friend Kane and his wives.  Yes Paris has over 100,000 practicing polygynists, according to the NY times, but how many places in the world are like Paris?  Since most of the world is not Paris, it would be extremely helpful to any member of a polygynous family if their minds were set to be--------         "Dead to the world and its applause, To all the customs, fashions, laws, Of those who hate the humbling Cross">g "I do not want people who come to me under certain reservations. In battle you want soldiers who fear nothing. . . we prayed that anyone who could be kept back should be kept back.  We even found ourselves asking that every belittling story that could shake courage or desire might be told to such a one--anything rather than to have one who was not meant for us.">h  It is best to have with you only those whom the Lord has chosen and called to be with you, especially in such a complicated and delicate association as in a polygynous Christian family or controversial fellowships.  If one should join the family who was not called to it by the Lord, the family will experience many of the struggles Joshua experienced with the Canaanites, but the Lord will honor unified prayer and fasting by the rest of the family even in such circumstances and can turn it to His glory after many trials and much struggle, even suffering. To build such a Loving and harmonious Christian family, the members of the family must answer the Spiritual call to build such a family, by Christ's inner working.>1  If there is any member of the family who does not have the calling to such a family, the "called" members need to fast and pray in agreement for such an uncalled member to receive the "call">2.     They must be open to the leading and inner working of Jesus, no matter how "unpractical">3.   That involves each member dying to themselves and their own personal desires so that Jesus can birth his Life and desires in them>4.  A lack of zeal and commitment to this Loving harmony is fatal to such a calling.  "Tis death, my soul, to be indifferent" when He has called us to Love each other with all our might>5      "Our Master has never promised us success.  He demands obedience.  He expects faithfulness. Results are His concern, not ours.  And our reputation is a matter of no consequence at all" when we are obeying His clear and explicit Word.>6 The members of such a family should answer the call to Love in deed and not simply in word.  We need a Love that is willing to have both dirty hands and calloused hands.>7 At the same time, these selfless workers of Love, should learn to wait on the Lord, listening to His Spirit speak from within as they quietly wait on Him and meditate on His Word.  This involves a patient waiting, not the hurried or busy waiting of the Western world.  This involves the quiet, often silent, waiting and listening where we are not speaking to Him, but spending significant time waiting on Him to speak to us by His Spirit and Word.>8  This means the putting aside of our agenda and the waiting on Him for His agenda.   This must precede the prayers of petition, intercession and the pouring out of one's soul to the Lord. Those who wait on the Lord learn how better to pray and speak with the Lord. "That which I know not teach Thou me, Who, blessed Lord, teacheth like Thee? Lead my desires that they may be According to Thy will. Kindle my thoughts that they may glow, And lift them up where they are low, And freshen them, that they may flow According to Thy will.">9 First and foremost in the character of those called to Loving and harmonious Christian polygyny is loyalty to Jesus, even to the point of being willing to lay down and sacrifice your own life for Him and His will.>10   If all in the family have such a devoted loyalty to Christ, then it is not difficult for the husband to Love his wives as Christ Loved the assembly of saints, and it is not difficult for the wives to Lovingly follow the lead of their husband as they follow the lead of their Lord.   The most important expression of the family's Love is unhindered prayer together for each other.>11   Such prayer should spring out of the faith each member has from hearing and heeding the Word in their lives.  That faith expresses itself in deep and meaningful shared convictions of what is important and right.  That faith expresses itself in unity, harmony and orderliness based on shared convictions and shared priorities and shared goals developed in prayer and in the Word.  Such a faith will have the peace that passes all understanding, casting all our cares on Him because He cares for us and trusting Him with our future.  Such a faith and peace enables us to experience joy in the Lord, "immortal light- heartedness . . . a spontaneous gaiety" for without a sense of humor no one would well survive a polygynous family.>12 " . . this beautiful happy. . . loyalty . . . is the basic quality of vital unity" >13 in a Christian fellowship or polygynous family.   As to each other there is a rule to be carefully followed, "the absent must be safe with us.  Criticism, therefore, [must] be taboo.">14    Not even "The Essence of But" can be a tolerated (she is so nice, but.......he would be so good for that, but... ....)>15   Such selflessness befits those who determine to "be emptied of glory and right and name">16     They have died to their own glory, died to their own rights, and died to their own name (reputation).  They have yielded themselves to their Jesus as instruments of His righteousness for His energizing, His glory, His rights and His Name.  For such servants of the King, "there was only one way of service---it was the way of the Incarnation---a man must make himself one with those whom he wished to serve.">17  A member of the family/fellowship "must make himself one with those [members of his family] whom he wished to serve".  This must be true first of the husband-leader, if a child of God, and then of each and every member of the family/fellowship, if the family/fellowship is to know that blessed and Loving unity He wants for us. ". . . like a family. . .We were always, as it were, parts of one another. . .each member lives for the good of the household, and we worked together in this way. . . We found, as we went on, that our way of life was like a transparent shield about us.  People came to us thinking it would be pleasant to join us.  We could not discern their motives.  But they looked awhile and, if they were not in sympathy, they went away.   Long afterwards, when our Father's purpose was revealed, we thanked Him for leading us so. 'I lean upon no broken reed, nor trust an untried guide' . . ."  Far fewer are chosen than are called, for many thought to be called may be "broken reeds" and "untried guides" and may be sifted out by patient waiting upon the Lord for His timing.  Those who would live in the blessed unity and harmony of the Spirit must diligently "endeavor" to keep it with the wise discern- ment of the Leading of the Spirit.>18   "This method of divine leading---by the hour and by the moment---leaves the soul free and unencumbered, and ready for the slightest breath of God.---Madame Guyon">18a Surely there will be disappointments in any family/fellowship, but the key "is refusal to be weakened or hardened or soured or made hopeless by disappointment. 'His only absorbing passion was to press on' . . . And going on with Him, we find that in Him is the secret of continuance, and the secret of recovery too, after any disappointment, after any defeat.">19 So a family may weather, endure and even grow from defeats, disappointments and setbacks it experiences within and without.  Being comforted through the crisis, the family then is equipped and enabled to comfort those who suffer in like manner, expanding their ministry to each other and to those around them.>20 If the members of a Christian polygynous family live together long enough growing in the Lord, they will learn the lesson of "willing acceptance of daily, nightly perplexity and disappointment without explanation.  In the Gospels such a matter was always dealt with instantly. . . Here was delay. And we were not told why, and have not yet been told.  We learned to accept the silence of our God. . . . In such days we prove each other.  For the demands are greatest then.  And to find that nothing is too much to ask of one another is to know what our gold cord can be, a golden thing right through.">21   In such times of trial in a family the two legs of convinced faith in Jesus and unselfish compassionate cherishing are critical and sufficient.  Thank God He is in control of all things and we can trust Him for that in those times of trial-----and we can carry on bearing Lovingly and joyfully not only our own burdens, but also the burdens of our partners when they trip or stumble or need a helping hand.  God is Love and the greatest thing to do in the world is to Love, unselfishly compassionately cherishing, our neighbors, our partners and the children of God. "Strength of my heart, I rest in Thee, Fulfil Thy purposes through me. . . Waters of love, oh, pour through me; I must have love, I must have Thee. Lord, give me love, then I have all, For love casts out tormenting fear, And love sounds forth a trumpet call To valiant hope; and sweet and clear The birds of joy sing in my tree, Love of my heart, when I have Thee.">22 This great Love for Jesus and one another, worked and willed in us by Jesus, enables us to enter into David-Jonathan bonds of commitment and Love.     "And David said . . . 'I have found favor in your eyes'. . . And Jonathan caused David to swear [their loyalty oath] again, because he Loved him; for he loved him as he Loved his own soul. . . Jonathan said, 'the Lord [be] between thee and me forever. . .">23 The Lord is the Bonder who binds together those united with Him in His Love.  The enemies' goal is to break the bond between those bonded in Love, and to break the bond between He who is Love and those who Love.  So such a bond must be fought for, often on a daily basis, as long as we are on earth in our mortal bodies. For this bonded fellowship in a polygynous family or fellowship one needs a life of unreserved devotion, a life without fences between those in the fellowship. This is a daily walk and discipline which requires "that the line so often drawn between spiritual and secular has no place with us if we follow Him who not only withdrew to the mountain, but also went about doing good. . . 'Put on the apron of humility to serve one another' (1 Pet. v.5).">24  It means not being out of balance like Martha who didn't know when it was time to stop work to listen to the Lord, but being balanced like Mary who worked around the house but knew when it was time to stop such work to listen to Jesus.   We who build our families and fellowships in the Lord are like Nehemiah's builders of the wall who wore their swords in case of an attack while they worked on the wall.   That wall was to protect both their loved ones and the beloved Temple where they worshipped God (Neh.4).  We in fellowship are the temples of God (1Cor.6) being built into the Temple of God (Eph.2:21,22) on a moment by moment and daily basis where the secular and the spiritual are constantly intermixed in our daily lives.  We need to have the sword of the Spirit and the full armour of God on in our daily lives, even in the most secular and mundane of our activities, because all should be done as unto the Lord.  If it isn't done that way, we are adding wood, hay and stubble to our existence. "The Spirit can sit at the Master's feet while the hands are filled with work for others.  Come unto Me and rest---take My yoke upon you.">24   Mowing the widow's lawn or washing the dishes of the disabled is a great time for prayer, praise and singing in the Spirit. Such a bonded group, family or fellowship, "whose one purpose is to be spiritually ready to go all lengths with their Lord">25 may have to express that readiness in changing diapers, caring for the sick, feeding the hungry, risking one's life for another----all the time with an ear open to the Spirit and a heart filled with praise and thanksgiving waiting for the opportunity to express itself.   No one should be surprised then if one breaks into praise holding a dirty diaper, if one sings to the Lord while visiting the imprisoned, if one thanks God out loud while tending the sick, or if one speaks out in prayer in the midst of helping one in crisis.   How can a family, a fellowship, be lead and directed by the Lord in a unified and harmonious manner, especially when undergoing trials?  For those in the family/fellowship who are Spirit filled (Eph. 5) and offering Him the Love of obedience it has been found ". . . possible to be directed as a company so that we can move together in a harmony of spirit that is restful and very sure.  A company has to wait longer than one or two might have to do, but if all be set on doing their Lord's will and be truly one in loyalty and the New Testament kind of affection that makes each one feel safe with each other one, if all flow together to the goodness of the Lord, unanimity is certain.  It is not difficult for our Father to make His children to be of one mind in an house. . . And we have always found that before the ultimate word must be spoken, divergent thoughts have vanished, . . The interval is sure to be perplexed by a temptation to the futile fuss of talk.   Recognize this for what it is, the influence of the adversary (for hurry of spirit confuses) and before long the same quiet word will come to all.  If the inmost law of such a company be holy peace, it must be so.">26  This peace is born out of the fervent and effectual praying of those who have consciously cast all their cares and anxieties on the Lord and decided to make "everything and anything" known to God in prayer that has become an issue or concern in their lives, with supplications, and thanksgivings  to God (Phil.4). What is the frame of mind of those who, in a setting that is notorious for conflict and jealousy like polygyny, are able to rise to such a remarkable and glorious unity and harmony that they can move as one to the glory of God?  Surely they know that their natural nature was crucified with Christ--- they know that they and their risen Christ will die no more--- so they reckon themselves to be dead to the sinful impulses and inclinations of their natural body and mind.   Freed from having to obey their natural body and mind they no longer offer themselves to the will of their natural body and mind, but rather offer themselves to Jesus to be used, motivated and worked in His will.>27  "There is no life except by death-- - . . .Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. . .">28 What about newcomers to the family/fellowship?  Questions arise.   Should newcomers be accepted?  Why?  How?  Can we afford yet another mouth?  Do we want to share with yet another?  If we believe that whoever is born of God is led of God, that if the same God leads one to apply that same God would confirm that leading by leading the family/fellowship members to accept that one in a peace that passes understan- ding, giving them a miraculous peace of mind about it.  God is not the author of confusion, but of peace and harmony, His seal.   His work bears His seal.  ". . .He granted a certain assurance both to her and to us, so that her call should be among the things that cannot be shaken.">29 So Amy and the fellowship of the Gold Cord made a decision. "'Resolved together to accept all who offer who are manifestly called of the Lord to join us, whether they have means or not.' . 'May you obtain strength and support to walk in paths unworn, at the edge of precipices where God alone can keep us in safety'. . . . Never do we go far on any path of perplexity or pain without seeing the footsteps of Him who is invisible, leading on before. . . 'The steps of faith fall on the seeming void and find the rock beneath'; but the rock is hardly ever seen till afterwards.">30       "Beloved, should the brook run dry And should no visible supply Gladden thine eyes, then wait to see God work a miracle for thee. Thou canst not want, for God has said He will supply His own with bread. . .>30 "The verse which you want more than any other, and which you had better make your whole Bible for the present, is that wonderful passage in Deuteronomy---I led thee, and SUFFERED YOU TO HUNGER, and fed thee with food that thou knewest not, to teach thee that man does not live by bread alone---no, not by what you and I think a necessary of life, that without which we cannot live---love, success,  fulfilled desire---BUT by everything that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Most High, whether that word . . . be failure or success, love or heart- hunger, uselessness or abounding labour---by THAT does man live.  Our life is distinctly a supernatural life, and we are always longing for a natural life, and God has let us go hungry of the natural life, in order that we may enter into the supernatural, and our wish be taken up in His.">31 As with the rich young ruler who loved what he had more than what Jesus had to offer, there comes a time in the life of every husband and wife, monogynous or polygynous, when the Lord tries them to let them see where they are in the Lord with their possessions.  The question is, "Will they possessed by their possessions?" or "Will they be wise and godly stewards of their possessions?"  Where our treasure, there is our heart, whatever our treasure may be.   The Lord calls us to 2 Corinthians 8 and 9; Acts 4:32-37; 2:44-47.   MKJVActs 2: 44 And all who believed were together and had all things common. 45 And they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, according as anyone had need. 46 And continuing with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they shared food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. MKJVActs 4: 32 � And the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul. And not one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own. But they had all things common.  33 And the apostles gave witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus with great power. And great grace was on them all. 34 For neither was anyone needy among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold [them] and brought the prices of the [things] that were sold, 35 and they laid [them] down at the apostles' feet. And distribution was made to every man according as he had need. MKJV 2Corinth.8:7 � But even as you abound in everything, in faith, and in word, and in knowledge, and in all earnestness, and in your love to us; you should abound in this grace also. 8 I do not speak according to command, but through the eagerness of others, and testing the trueness of your love. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, for your sakes He became poor, in order that you might be made rich through His poverty. 10 And in this I give [my] judgment; for this is profitable for you, who began before, not only to do, but also to be willing a year ago. 11 But now also finish the doing [of it], so that, as [there was] a readiness to will, so also the finishing, [giving] out of [what] you have.  12 For if the eagerness is present, [it is] acceptable according to [what] one has, [and] not according to [what] one does not have.  13 For [it is] not that others may [have] ease, but you trouble; 14 but by equality in the present time; your abundance for their need, that their abundance also may be for your need; so that there may be equality; 15 as it is written, "He [gathering] much, he had nothing left over; and he [gathering] little did not have less." MKJV2Corinth.9: 6 � But [I say] this, He who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully.  7 Each one, as he purposes in his heart, [let him give]; not of grief, or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.  8 And God [is] able to make all grace abound toward you, that in everything, always having all self- sufficiency, you may abound to every good work; 9 As it is written, "He scattered; he has given to the poor; his righteousness remains forever." 10 Now He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for eating, may He supply and multiply your seed, and increase the fruits of your righteousness 11 you being enriched in everything to all generosity, which works out thanksgiving to God through us.  12 For the ministry of this service not only supplies the things lacking of the saints, but also multiplying through many thanksgivings to God, 13 through the proof of this ministry [they] glorify God for your freely expressed submission to the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of the fellowship toward them and toward all, 14 and [in] their prayer for you, who long after you, because of the exceeding grace of God on you. 15 Thanks [be] to God for His unspeakable free gift. It is not natural or normal for humans to live out in practice 2 Corinth. 8 and 9 and Acts 4:32-37; 2:44-47.  It takes the enabling, leading and inner working and inner willing of the Holy Spirit to be able to live these truths out in daily practice, and I believe it takes the filling of the Holy Spirit to be able live out the Acts 2 and 4 experience of having all things in common, not claiming anything as our own, in fellowship with other saints----and for sure for the members of a polygynous family.   In fact, any member of a polygynous family or of a tight knit Christian fellowship, no saint should be required to practice the communal experience of Acts 2 and 4 if they do not have the Lord's inner peace about it, free from doubts, fears and misgivings.   The sharing and equality of 2 Corinth. 8 and 9 are commanded and required, but that communal sharing, I believe, can only be maintained in practice by those who are filled with the Spirit and emptied of self.   For a godly polygynous wife to share her husband with her sorority of wives is one miracle, but for her to share not only her husband but all that she has, not claiming it as her own with good will, with her sorority of wives takes a miracle of the grandest dimensions. Among saints, He established the equality rule, the precedent for which He established when He provided the manna in the wilderness for the liberated Israelites.  His equality rule is stated quite clearly in 2 Corinth. 8:8-15 where he states, in part, " For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened; but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack---that there may be an equality."       That is His rule for the Assembly, for the saints.  The practical application of it is 1 Jn 3:16,17 "By this we know Love, because He laid down His life for us.  And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.  But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the Love of God abide in him?  "The attitude of Jesus in us in the Body of Christ is not "I owe you" or "You owe me".  Our attitude is to be "My abundance is for your lack, brother, that we may be equal.  I see your need brother and I share what I have for  your need."  Hear this: "Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. . .Nor was there anyone among them who lacked . . .and they distributed to each as anyone had need." (Acts 4:32-37; 2:44-47).  That was His model for local assemblies.   What a shame the local assemblies don't practice this!   What a testimony such a fellowship would have in this selfish and self-centered society/world!   But there is no excuse for a godly couple in a Christian marriage to fail to practice both the principal of equality and the principles of "not claiming as his own the possessions that he has", of "having all things in common".   The assembly is one body in Christ, but a husband and wife are one body in the assembly and in the flesh!    How great the marital failure of a so- called Christian couple who each claim as their own their possessions and refuse to have all things in common"!  Theirs is a pagan marriage.   Did I hear you think "But what about those in my family who don't work, who refuse to work?  The Word says "If anyone does not wish to work, neither let him eat!" (2Thess3:6-14).   Read that again!  "If anyone does NOT WISH TO work, neither let him eat!"    Those who are not to eat are those WHO WONT WORK, WHO DO NOT WISH TO WORK!  In practical reality, in a Godly assembly, that means that any saint out of work but seeking  work and willing to work would be the beneficiary of the principles of "not claiming as his own the possessions that he has", of "having all things in common".   He would be eligible for and the recipient of the sharing and providing of the saints.  In a Godly marriage, if one mate were unemployed but seeking work and willing to work, the principles of equality and "not claiming as his own the possessions that he has", of "having all things in common" would be fully in force. "When a soul sets out to find God it does not know whither it will come and by what path it will be led; but those who catch the vision are ready to follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth, regardless of what that following may involve for them. And it is as they follow, obedient to what they have seen, in this spirit of joyful adventure, that their path becomes clear before them, and they are given the power to fulfill their high calling.  They are those who have the courage to break through conventionalities, who care not at all what the world thinks of them, because they are entirely taken up with the tremendous realities of the soul and God.">70 Am I prepared to count the cost and pay it with my life? Am I willing to let the following be true of me and my life? 1. Loving Jesus with all my heart, all my strength, all my mind and all my soul (personality) first and foremost 2. Unselfish and self-denying compassionate cherishing of all who I know who Love Jesus 3. Truth, willingness for hard work, a freedom from the dominance of money, and a very loving heart. 4. Bound together with others in Spirit by a shared vision 5. The desire for personal comfort is my enemy of the unity in my family/fellowship. 6. Personally dead to the world and its applause, To all the customs, fashions, laws, Of those who hate the humbling Cross 7. I must answer the Spirit's call to build a godly family, by Christ's inner working 8. I must be open to the leading and inner working of Jesus, no matter how "unpractical">3. 9. I must die to myself and my own personal desires so that Jesus can birth his Life and desires in me>4.   10. A lack of zeal and commitment to this Loving harmony is fatal to the calling of a godly family living in unity and harmony. 11. I need a Love that is willing to have both dirty hands and calloused hands while praying or meditating on the Lord. 12. Loyalty to Jesus, even to the point of being willing to lay down and sacrifice my own life for Him and His will 13. The most important expression of the family's Love is unhindered prayer together for each other.  I am praying. 14. There is a rule I carefully follow, "the absent must be safe with us.  Criticism, therefore, [must] be taboo.">14    Not even "The Essence of But" can be a tolerated 15. I have died to my own glory, died to my own rights, and died to my own name (reputation).  I have yielded myself to  Jesus as an instrument of His righteousness for His energizing, His glory, His rights and His Name. 16. As a member of the family/fellowship I "must make [myself] one with those [members of his family] whom [I] wish to serve" 17. We were always, as it were, parts of one another. . .each member lives for the good of the household. My commitment. 18. Those who would live in the blessed unity and harmony of the Spirit must diligently "endeavor" to keep it with the wise discernment of the Leading of the Spirit.  My commitment. 19. The key "is refusal to be weakened or hardened or soured or made hopeless by disappointment. 'His only absorbing passion was to press on' . .   I make it my absorbing passion. 20. I will learn the lesson of "willing acceptance of daily, nightly perplexity and disappointment without explanation. 21.  Finding that nothing is too much to ask of one another is to know what our gold cord can be, a golden thing right through. Make my that golden. 22.  The enemies' goal is to break the bond between those bonded in Love, and to break the bond between He who is Love and those who Love.  So such a bond must be fought for, often on a daily basis, as long as we are on earth in our mortal bodies.  Make me a fighter for such a bond. 23. For this bonded fellowship in a polygynous family or fellowship one needs a life of unreserved devotion, a life without fences between those in the fellowship. This is a daily walk and discipline which requires "that the line so often drawn between spiritual and secular has no place. Make this life a reality in me. 24. Be directed as a company so that we can move together in a harmony of spirit that is restful and very sure.  Make it so in me, Lord. 25. "'Resolved together to accept all who offer who are manifestly called of the Lord to join us, whether they have means or not.' . By your almighty grace make this real in me. 26. MKJV Acts 2: 44 And all who believed were together and had all things common. 45 And they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, according as anyone had need. 46 And continuing with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they shared food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God.   Make me so in my family and fellowship, Holy Father. 27. MKJV Acts 4: 32 � And the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul. And not one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own. But they had all things common. Please, Father, give me this heart, soul, mind and way. "MY VOW. Whatsoever Thou sayest unto me, by Thy grace I will" [to] "do it.>71 MY CONSTRAINT. Thy love, O Christ, my Lord. MY CONFIDENCE. Thou art able to keep that which I have committed unto Thee. MY JOY. To do Thy will, O God. MY DISCIPLINE. That which I would not choose, but which Thy love appoints. MY PRAYER Conform my will to Thine. MY MOTTO. Love to live: Live to love MY PORTION. The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance.       Teach us, good Lord, to serve Thee more faithfully; to give and not to count the cost;  to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek for rest; to labour and not to ask for any reward, save that of knowing that we do Thy will, O Lord our God.">71 ###########################FOOTNOTES ** MKJV: MODERN KING JAMES VERSION, 1993, by Jay P. Green Sr., in Online Bible 2.5.1; the  OnLine Bible computer program of   "Online Bible f ", Ken Hammil  1-908-741-4298; [E-Mail: [email protected]]. >a Gold Cord     The Story of a Fellowship, 1933-57, The Society Promoting Christian Knowledge, London; Holy Trinity Church, Marylebone Road, N.W.1; New York: Macmillan Company; Christian Literature Crusade, Fort Washington, Penna.   p. 344 >b Gold Cord p. 332 >c Gold Cord p. 278ff >d Gold Cord p. 280 >e Gold Cord p. 280ff >f Kahlil Gibran  Gold Cord p.336 >g Gold Cord p. 86 >h Gold Cord p. 59 >1 Gold Cord p. 7 >2 Matt. 17:19-21; 18:18-20. >3 Gold Cord p.8 >4 Gold Cord p.8  the seed falling to the ground, dying and reborn as a fruitful plant.   >5 Gold Cord p. 10 >6 Gold Cord p.37 >7 Gold Cord p.42 >8 Gold Cord p. 48   >9 Gold Cord p.48ff >10 Gold Cord p.49 >11 Gold Cord p.50 >12 Gold Cord p. 50 >13 Gold Cord p.50 >14 Gold Cord p.50 >15 Gold Cord p. 51 >16 Gold Cord p.52   >17 Gold Cord p.52 >18 Ephes. 4:1-3; Romans 8:9,14; Phil. 2:12,13,14. >18a Gold Cord p. 284 >19 Gold Cord p. 75ff >20  2 Corinth. 1; Gold Cord p. 165 >21 Gold Cord p. 154 >22 Gold Cord p. 156 >23 1 Samuel 20 >24 Gold Cord 158,159 >25 Gold Cord p. 160   >26 Gold Cord p. 183ff >27 Romans 6 and Phil. 2:12,13 >28 Gold Cord p. 220 >29 Gold Cord p. 252   >30 Gold Cord p. 233 >31 Gold Cord p. 258 >70 Gold Cord p. 161 >71 "I will do it" changed to "I will [to] do it." to be in harmony with James 4:13-17, "If the Lord wills, I will do it." >72 Gold Cord pp. 161,162 APPENDIX : WHAT DO YOU THINK? THE FEEDING OF TWO LEGGED OXEN.          I am not trying to meddle or cause trouble.  I just want to know if there are any mistakes in the ideas above in terms of scripture alone, not in  terms of man's condemned traditions (Mark 7).I really want to know what the Bible says about the subjects discussed above.  I want to live by every Word of God, not by the commandments and traditions of man (Mat. 15, Mark 7 and Colos 2).        Contact L. Tyler, P.O.Box 620763, San Diego, CA 92162-0763; Internet E-Mail address: POLYBOY@delphi. com .   Donations are welcome, for all the time it takes to prepare and mail the items requested.  It costs about $4 computer online time with my online service to upload and Email this Divorce and Remarriage study.   Please feel free to donate more for the time and expense of this ministry if the Lord has used it for good in your life. PLEASE ADVISE ME OF ANY AND ALL ERRORS (TYPOS,  DOCTRINAL, ETC.) THAT YOU FIND.  PLEASE GIVE ME CLEAR AND EXPLICIT SCRIPTURES   DEALING WITH THE  ERROR WHEN YOU WRITE.  I WANT THE WORD, NOT OPINIONS AND PARADIGMS.      Any and all donations are welcomed for the furthering and the expense of this very controversial ministry. Donations are welcome for the furthering of this ministry. It has taken a great deal of time.  If the information in this work has ministered to you, I would appreciate your ministry to me to get this information out and to the Church.  Otherwise I have to "make tents".  If I   time from "making tents" permits, this work will be revised monthly.  In the next publication/distribution I hope to provide the actual texts for all references. Ro 15:27 Truly it has pleased them, and they are their debtors. For if the nations have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in carnal things. 1 Cor. 9:9 For it is written in the law of Moses, "You shall not muzzle the mouth of the ox treading out grain." Does God take care for oxen? 10 Or does He say [it] altogether for our sakes? It was written for us, so that he who plows should plow [in] hope, and so that he who threshes [in] hope should be partaker of his hope. 11 If we have sown to you spiritual things, [is it] a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?  12 If others have a share of [this] authority [over] you, rather [should] not we? But we have not used this authority, but we endured all things lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ. 13 Do you not know that those who minister about holy things live [of the things] of the temple? And those attending the altar are partakers with the altar. 14 Even so, the Lord ordained those announcing the gospel to live from the gospel.  Galatians 6:6 But let him who is taught in the Word share with the [one] teaching in all good things. 1Ti 5:17 Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in word and doctrine. 18 For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle the ox treading out grain," and, "The laborer [is] worthy of his reward." AS THE LORD LEADS. XXIII.  BIBLIOGRAPHY >A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of The Christian Church, Vol. IV; edited by Philip Schaff (D.d., LL.D.);  W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids Mich; 1956 >A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of The Christian Church, Vol. V; edited by Philip Schaff (D.d., LL.D.); ; W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids Mich; 1956; p. 267 >A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of The Christian Church, Vol. VIII; edited by Philip Schaff (D.d., LL.D.) and Henry Wace (D.D.) ;  W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids Mich; 1956 >A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of The Christian Church, Vol. XIV; edited by Philip Schaff (D.D., LL.D.) and      Henry Wace (D.D.) ; W.B. Eerdmans   Publishing Co., Grand Rapids Mich; 1956 >ab=Amplified Bible >Amplified Bible, The; 1965, Zondervan Publishing House >ANALYTICAL GREEK LEXICON, THE: Harper & Brothers, New York >Arndt & Gingrich: A GREEK-ENGLISH LEXICON OF THE NEW TESTAMENT and Other Early Christian Literature  ; By W.F.Arndt & F. W. Gingrich; The Univ. of Chicago Press, Chicago, Ill.; Cambridge at the Univ. Press.; '57 >ASV: The Holy Bible, American Standard Version 1901 & 1929; Thomas Nelson & Sons, New York >asv=American Standard Version;   >CUSTOMS AND CULTURES, Anthropology for Christian Missions, by Eugene A. Nida1954, Harper & Brothers, New York >Darby's 1890 translation: Most of the scriptures quoted in this work, if not otherwise indicated, are from the a modernized version of J. N. Darby's translation, the   OnLine Bible computer program of  "Online Bible f ", Ken Hammil  1-908-741-4298; [E-Mail: [email protected]]. >dby=J.Darby's translation of the Bible; Bible Online >DIVORCE, John Murray, Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co.  \ >G. Duty's book on divorce and remarriage , Downers Grove, Ill. >Gold Cord, by Amy Carmichael, Christian Literature Crusade, Fort Worthington, Penna.; London's Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge, Holy Trinity Church, Marylebone Rd., N.W. (N.Y. The Macmillan Company). >HASTING'S DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE; 1989, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., Peabody, Mass;, Editor James Hastings, DD., >I LOVED A GIRL;  Walter Trobisch,  Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, Ill. >INTERNATIONAL BIBLE COMMENTARY, THE; Editor, F.F.Bruce; 1979; Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids Mich. >Jay Adam's� book on divorce and remarriage >jbs=Jewish Publication Society Version of the Old Testament, The Holy Scriptures according to the Masoretic Text, >JEWISH: The Holy Scriptures according to the Masoretic Text,  1955, The Jewish Publication Society. >KINSHIP & MARRIAGE, Robin Fox, 1967,  Penguin Books, Inc., USA & England >lams=Lamsa's Peshita Version >LAMSA: The Holy Bible from Ancient Eastern Manuscripts, 1940, Holman Co., by G. Lamsa. >lxx=The Septuagint, see below >MARRIAGE EAST AND WEST; David & Vera Mace, 1960, Dolphin Books, Double Day & Co., Inc. Garden City, NY >MARRYING AGAIN; David Hocking, 1977, Fleming H. Revell Co. >MKJV: MODERN KING JAMES VERSION, 1993, by Jay P. Green Sr., in Online Bible 2.5.1; the  OnLine Bible computer >mkjv=Modern King James Version, Online Bible >MY WIFE MADE ME A POLYGAMIST; Walter Trobisch, 1971, Inter-Varsity Press, >NASB: Holy Bible New American Standard; Broadman & Holman Publishers, Nashville Tenn.; The Lockman Foundation, 1977 >NEB: NEW ENGLISH BIBLE, 1970; Oxford/Cambridge University Press >NEW BIBLE DICTIONARY, THE; Editor J.D.Douglas Ph.D; 1962; W. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, Mich. >NEW TESTAMENT GREEK FOR BEGINNERS, By, J. Gresham Machen, D.D, Litt. D.,1959 >NIV:  "Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright @ 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society." Used as required by Zondervan Bible Publishers. >niv=New International Version >NKJV:  New King James Version, 1984, Thomas Nelson, Inc. >nkjv=New King James Version >OnLine Bible computer program of  "Online Bible f ", Ken Hammil  1-908-741-4298; [E-Mail: [email protected]]. program of  "Online Bible f ", Ken Hammil  1-908-741-4298; [E-Mail: [email protected]]. >PLEASE HELP ME! PLEASE LOVE ME!; Walter Trobisch,   Inter-Varsity Press, >rt=a Lee Tyler rendering or note >scofield=The C.I. Scofield Reference Bible >St. Augustin: On The Trinity; translated by Arthur West Haddan, B.D.; W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids Mich; 1956 >Strong�s Lexicon, Open Bible "Online Bible f", Ken Hammil  1-908-741-4298.  Also Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Mich. >Thayer: Greek English Lexicon of the New Testament; Joseph Henry Thayer, D.D.; American Book Co., New York, 1889 >The Septuagint of the Old Testament and Apocrypha With an English Translation; Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; 1972; Samuel Bagster & Sons, Ltd. London >WOMEN'S LIVES IN MEDIEVAL EUROPE  - A SOURCEBOOK;  Edited by Emile Amt; Routledge, Chapman, Hall; NY, NY; 1993 >Wuest's THE NEW TESTAMENT, An Expanded Translation, Kenneth S. Wuest, 1961 >YLT; Young's Literal Translation, 1898: OnLine Bible computer program of  "Online Bible f ", Ken Hammil  1-908- 741-4298; [E-Mail: [email protected]]. >ylt=Young's Literal Translation, Bible Online The following files are available as described below.  Please request any that seem interesting or of use to you.  All constructive and informative comments are welcome. >>>>>>>>>>>>>TITLES OF THE FILES AVAILABLE >>1. HUSBAND RULE OVER THE WIFE? Roles and relationships >>2. INFORMAL MARRIAGE, COMMON LAW MARRIAGE >>3.INTERRACIAL,INTERETHNIC MARRIAGES AND RELATION- SHIPS >>4. JESUS, IS HE GOD, JEHOVAH, THE SON OF GOD >>5. OATHS, FORMAL SWEARINGS, SOLEMN PROMISES >>6. THE POWER FOR GOOD OF FEMININE BEAUTY >>7. RACISIM, ETHNOCENTRISM, NATIONALISM VS JESUS >>8. UNDERAGE BURNING--THE FINANCIALLY DEPENDENT WHO ARE  NOT SUCCESSFULLY CONTROLLING THEMSELVES SEXUALLY >>9. UNEQUAL YOKE? Marital conflict due to spiritual differences. >>10. Why the Christian Woman Has Only One Husband? >>11. WHEN DO I HAVE TO MARRY, IN JESUS, AND WITH WHOM? >>12. Angels,Demons, Spirits and You Today. >>13. Biblical Morality, Pornography, Sex >>14. The Black Family Crisis, and the Plight of the Black   Female. >>15. The Tithe and the Christian.   >>16. A Manual of Marital Intimacy for My Daughters. >>17. Why Do The Godly/Good Suffer?     >>18. Divorce/Abandonment, How Can a Follower of Christ Survive It?   >>19. Keeping one's word. Vows, promises, covenants, oaths etc. >>20. Matchmaker Resources for those seeking marriage. >>21. Cherish Your Women, Part 1 >>22. Should prisoners be denied wholesome godly marital sex?   >>23. Mini.poly: A condensed look at polygyny in the scriputes >>24. Quotes on Polygyny by St. Augustine and Biblical Scholars >>25.DIVORCE, REMARRIAGE, CONCUBINES, GENUINE BELIEVERS >>26. POLYGYNOUS CHRISTIANS AND CHRITIAN CONCUBINES >>27. Why Would the Christian Woman Share Her Husband?   >>28. What are the Christian leaders' objections to polygyny? >>29. Wedding Vows?  No!  Wedding Covenants? Yes! >>30. Is polygyny a Christian option today?   >>31. What are the "keys" to living together in Loving unity? >>32. MY LOVE IS A GARDEN OF DELIGHTS! , a commentary on the Song of Solomon >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>A FULLER DESCRIPTION OF THE FILES >>1. HUSBAND RULE OVER THE WIFE? WHICH CAVE DID YOU CRAWL OUT OF?  This 47k ascii text file addresses the issues of communication between man and woman, their roles in Jesus, their need to understand how very different they are and how very different their needs are, the husband's need to really listen to his wife before he leads out as a servant-teacher (not a tyrant), the wife's critical need to realize that a marriage is primarily a sexual relationship with a man who needs her for the fulfillment of his sexual needs-usually more often than she wants to meet them----etc.----and how a man can lead and follow his star with his wife following at his side with bated breath.  [ Available by URL  in Etext Archives at http://www.etext.org or ftp  by gopher.etext.org in /pub/politics/polyamory  as"husbandwiferelations.txt" OR by email] >>2. INFORMAL MARRIAGE, COMMON LAW MARRIAGE, WHAT MAKES A WEDDING?  This  31k file deals with such questions as the following: 1. What makes a marriage/wedding? 2. What makes a marriage/wedding acceptable to God? 3. Can you legally be married to someone and the marriage be against the laws of God? 4. What about common law marriage? 5. What about California's Pal relationships and Palimony? 6. What about California's Man-Assuming-The-Role-0f- Spouse (MARS) relationships in Welfare households? [ Available by URL  in Etext Archives at http://www.etext.org or ftp  by gopher.etext.org in /pub/politics/polyamory  as "commonlaw.informal.marriage", or by email.  See below] >>3.INTERRACIAL,INTERETHNIC MARRIAGES AND RELATION- SHIPS IN JESUS--32k This is an indepth Bible study dealing with the questions surrounding  racism, prejudice, bias, discrimination, favoritism, bigotry etc from the historical and spiritual perspective and thier denunciation as seen in James 2:1-14; 1 Tim. 5:20,21; Acts 10-15; Gen. 16:3; 41:45; and Num. 12:1- 10.  Interracial/interethnic marriage have been with us since the beginning of human existence and have been the subject of Divine involement from Moses' marriage with the Ethiopian Cushite to Solomon's black-as-a-crow Shulamite wife to Phillip and the Ethiopian Eunuch and Peter with the non-Jew Centurion. God makes it clear over 6000 years of recorded history that race and ethnicity have no place signicantly influencing human interpersonal relationships..[Available by URL  in Etext Archives at http:// www.etext.org or ftp  by gopher.etext.org in/pub/politics/ polyamory  as "interracial=ethnic marriage", or by email.   >>4. JESUS, IS HE GOD, JEHOVAH, THE SON OF GOD, THE SON OF MAN, THE ONLY WAY TO GOD?   Jesus and the Trinity.[Available only by emial] >>5. OATHS, FORMAL SWEARINGS, SOLEMN PROMISES, COVENANTS AND JESUS --19k    This is an indepth Bible study dealing with the questions surrounding oaths, sworn statements, solemn/legal promises, solemn vows etc who believe Psa. 15:4 and Eccles. 5:1-5 but also want to believe and obey  Mat. 5:33-37 (swear not all) and James 4:13-17 with James 5:12 (do not swear).  [Available by email, or ftp as an appendix of a larger file; or by URL  in Etext Archives at http:// www.etext.org or ftp  by gopher.etext.org in /pub/politics/ polyamory as "KeepingOne'sWord.txt"] >>6. THE POWER FOR GOOD OF FEMININE BEAUTY AND MALE HANDSOMENESS. --15k  Feminine beauty and male handsomeness are gifts from our Creator.We are stewards of this socially significant gifts.  We are accountable to God and our fellow believers for how we use these powerful and influential tools.  We need the wisdom of God to use them well.     [Available by URL  in Etext Archives at http:// www.etext.org or ftp  by gopher.etext.org in /pub/politics/ polyamory as "feml.power.poly", or by email.  See below] >>7. RACISIM, ETHNOCENTRISM, NATIONALISM VS JESUS 32k       Jesus vs racism, ethnocentrism, nationalism, prejudice, bias, discrimination, favoritism,  bigotry  from the historical and spiritual perspective seen in James 2:1-14; 1 Tim. 5:20,21; Acts 10-15; Gen. 16:3; 41:45; and Num. 12:1-10.  [Available by URL   in Etext Archives at http:// www.etext.org or ftp  by gopher.etext.org in /pub/politics/polyamory  as "racism.nationalism"] >>8. UNDERAGE BURNING--THE FINANCIALLY DEPENDENT WHO ARE  NOT SUCCESSFULLY CONTROLLING THEMSELVES SEXUALLY 1. What do I do if I am underage, too young to marry and a financially dependent youth and I keep on blowing it sexually, letting Jesus and myself down by not consistently controlling myself sexually? 2.When do I know I don't have the gift of celibacy? 3.When do I know that I am not sexually controlling myself? 4.Where does pornography come in here? 5. When do I have to marry, according to the Word of God? 6. What makes a marriage/wedding? 7. What makes a marriage/wedding acceptable to God? 8. Can you legally be married to someone and the marriage be against the laws of God? 9. What about common law marriage? [Available only by email] >>9. UNEQUAL YOKE???  Do i look like a farmer?? This is a careful and thoughtful study of the principles involved in 2 Corinthian 6:14-7:1 and 1 Corinthians 5:9-14.  Read it. Should a sincere believer in Jesus Christ marry someone who does not sincerely believer in and obey the Lord Jesus Christ, or someone who claims to be a sincere believer but knowingly is disobeying Jesus?[Available by email or by ftp as an appendix of a large file] >>10. WHY THE CHRISTIAN WOMAN HAS ONLY ONE HUSBAND. 19k If men practice polygyny, why shouldn't women practice polyandry?You find women having more than one male as mate from Beverly Hills, to modern college neighborhoods, to the jungles of South America.  The woman at the well had five husbands.  On the other hand, Eve had Adam, not Adam + Sam + Pete + Benhadad etc.  A file for your consideration. [Available by URL  in Etext Archives at http:// www.etext.org or ftp  by gopher.etext.org in /pub/politics/polyamory  as "polyandry", or by email.  See below] >>11. WHEN DO I HAVE TO MARRY, IN JESUS, AND WITH WHOM? 97k1.When do I know I don't have the gift of celibacy? 2.When do I know that I am not sexually controlling myself? 3.Where does pornography come in here? 4. When do I have to marry, according to the Word of God? 5. What makes a marriage/wedding? 6. What makes a marriage/wedding acceptable to God? 7. Can you legally be married to someone and the marriage be against the laws of God? 8. What about common law marriage? 9. What about California's Pal relationships and Palimony?[Available by URL  in Etext Archives at http:// www.etext.org or ftp  by gopher.etext.org in /pub/politics /polyamory  as "WhenToMarry", or by email.  See below] >>12. ANGELS,DEMONS, SPIRITS AND YOU TODAY.  40k       Some thoughts on how angels have been involved with we humans, the historical origin of the god-man heroes of Greece and Rome.   New Age spiritism, sorcery, witchcraft, necromancy, seances, ouiji board, oracles, astrology, and my brother the sorcerer, etc. [Available by URL  in Etext Archives at http:// www.etext.org or ftp  by gopher.etext.org in /pub/ politics /polyamory  as "YouAndAngels" or by email ] >>13. BIBLICAL MORALITY, PORNOGRAPHY, SEX WITHOUT MARRIAGE etc. --97k   A scriptural look at these subjects guaranteed to be different from any you have seen.  [Available by URL  in Etext Archives at http:// www.etext.org or ftp  by gopher.etext.org in /pub/ politics/polyamory  as "BiblicalPolyMorality", or by email.  See below] >>14. THE BLACK FAMILY CRISIS, AND THE PLIGHT OF THE BLACK  FEMALE. 33k The crisis of so few good Black men being available for marriage, what it means to Black Americans, especially marriage minded Black women, and a Christian option that can help some  save their children and their families. [Available by URL  in Etext Archives at http:// www.etext.org or ftp  by gopher.etext.org in /pub/politics/polyamory  as "PlightOfBlkFem_Fam" (newer), or as "BlackFamPoly" (older), or by email.  See below] >>15. THE TITHE AND THE CHRISTIAN.    50k Should we, and why?  An indepth Bible study. [Available by email only] >>16. A Manual of Marital Intimacy for My Daughters. Want to help me put together this Manual for my college age daughters as an engagement present?  [Available by email only] >>17. WHY DO THE GODLY/GOOD SUFFER?  --8k   Does it pay to be "good"?  Why do the "good" suffer so much, so often?   [Available by URL  in Etext Archives at http:// www.etext.org or ftp  by gopher.etext.org in /pub/politics/polyamory  as "LetterToFriend"] >>18. DIVORCE/ABANDONMENT, HOW CAN A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST SURVIVE IT? 212k or in 56k segments. You love Jesus, but your mate doesn't even love you.  You love Jesus, but  you find yourself divorced or abandonned and you want to be married happily in the Lord, what can you do?  Positive, assertive, loving, godly and decisive things you can to once again be married happily in the Lord. [Available by URL  in Etext Archives at http:// www.etext.org or ftp  by gopher.etext.org in /pub/politics/polyamory  as "HowSurviveDivorce" (newer); or "poly.and.divorce" (older), or by email.  See below] >>19. KEEPING ONE'S WORD. 19k Vows, promises, covenants, oaths etc.  A study of the scriptures dealing with breaking one's vows, promises, covenants, oaths etc. and what God says about those who do not keep their word.[Available by URL  in Etext Archives at http:// www.etext.org or ftp  by gopher.etext.org in /pub/politics/polyamory  as "KeepingOne'sWord".] >>20. Matchmaker Resources for those seeking marriage.  72k A screening questionnaire to use before you meet someone you've only met on the phone, email or mail.  A compatibility questionnaire to use on your first few dates to really  get to know each other and spark important conversation.   Matchmaker resources and agencies.Some principles for seeking a godly mate and a word on morality.[Available by URL   in Etext Archives at http:// www.etext.org or ftp  by gopher.etext.org in /pub/politics/ polyamory ] >>21. CHERISH YOUR WOMEN, PART 1     33k Gleanings from Genesis on how to compassionately cherish your women with a self-evaluation check off list.  [Available by URL   in Etext Archives at http:// www.etext.org or ftp  by gopher.etext.org in /pub/politics/polyamory  as "cherish.women", or by email.  See below] >>22. SHOULD PRISONERS BE DENIED WHOLESOME GODLY MARITAL SEX?   36k  The world's way vs. Jesus' way. [Available by URL  in Etext Archives at http:// www.etext.org or ftp  by gopher.etext.org in /pub/politics/polyamory as "prisoner.abuse" , or by email.  See below] >>23. MINI.POLY  32k: A condensed look at polygyny in the scriputes,  especially the Old Testament.  [Available by URL  in Etext Archives at http:// www.etext.org or ftp  by gopher.etext.org in /pub/politics/polyamory as "mini.poly"  , or by email ,  See below] >>24. QUOTES ON POLYGYNY BY ST. AUGUSTINE AND BIBLICAL SCHOLARS --56k A collection of quotes from Biblical scholars and saints (St. Augustine etc) on the nature and status of polygyny and concubines. [Available by URL  in Etext Archives at http:// www.etext.org or ftp  by gopher.etext.org in /pub/politics/ polyamory  , or by email as "ChristianPoly".  See below] >>25.DIVORCE,REMARRIAGE, CONCUBINES, JESUS AND GENUINE BELIEVERS.    This file deals with the following: (1)  Are genuine Christians who are married to each other bound maritally until death parts them?   (2) Can a genuine Christian married couple separate, in the Lord?  (3) Can a genuine Christian who is divorced by a genuine Christian remarry some other genuine Christian, in the Lord?  (4) Is there a double standard, one for the genuine Christian husband and one for the genuine Christian wife?  (5) Can a genuine Christian husband reconcile with his genuine Christian wife after she had divorced him and remarried someone else?   Should he?   Should she? (6) What does "maritally bound until death do us part" mean for genuine Christians involved in divorce and remarriage? (7) Is a genuine Christian living in adultery with his new mate if he legally divorced his genuine Christian wife to marry his new mate?  (8)  Can divorce and remarriage among Christians result in Christian polygyny and Christian concubines?  In America?   This is a 500k ASCII text only without linebreaks file that is also available in 10 56k parts if your computer or email service cannot receive large files. [Available by URL  in Etext Archives at http:// www.etext.org or ftp  by gopher.etext.org in /pub/politics/ polyamory as "DivorceRemarriageConcubines", or under "small versions" in 56k segments, or by email.  ] >>26. POLYGYNOUS CHRISTIANS AND CHRITIAN CONCUBINES   This is an 265k ASCII text only without linebreaks file that is also available in six parts if your computer cannot receive large files. This is a file for  (1) Christian concubines and for Christians with more than one wife who feel ostracized and isolated from the Christian community because of their controversial marital status; (2) Those  who don't realize that concubines and polygynists are acceptable to the Lord Jesus Christ in their marital status when they conduct themselves according the Word of God in their controversial marital status; and (3) Concrete and specific principles, applications and concepts that can be useful to the Christian polygynist/concubine to achieve happiness and success in their relationship.  [Available by URL  in Etext Archives at http:// www.etext.org or ftp  by gopher.etext.org in /pub/politics/ polyamory as  "PolygamyConcubines" (newer), or as "polygyny.concubines" (older) , or by email.  See below] >>27. WHY WOULD THE CHRISTIAN WOMAN SHARE HER HUSBAND?  22k Some thoughts about the conditions or situations that might lead her to share her husband with another woman in a marital relationship, a concubine, in today's western and occidental world.[Available by URL  in Etext Archives at http:// www.etext.org or ftp  by gopher.etext.org in /pub/politics/ polyamory as "why.wife.share.husband" (newer), or as "poly.western.woman" (older), or by email.  See below] >>28. WHAT ARE THE CHRISTIAN LEADERS' OBJECTIONS TO POLYGYNY?  43k Please see some of the main pro's and the con's in this file [Available by URL  in Etext Archives at http:// www.etext.org or ftp  by gopher.etext.org in /pub/politics/polyamory as "objections2poly" or by email] >>29. NO WEDDING VOWS! 27kA file offering scriptural reasons for using covenants rather than vows in one's wedding. [Available by URL  in Etext Archives at http:// www.etext.org or ftp  by gopher.etext.org in /pub/politics/polyamory as "noweddingvows" or by email] >>30. IS POLYGYNY A CHRISTIAN OPTION TODAY?  38k A study of polygyny in the New Testament and in the Protestant reformation.   [Available by URL  in Etext Archives at http:// www.etext.org or ftp  by gopher.etext.org in /pub/politics/polyamory as   "christianpolytoday", or by email] >>31. WHAT ARE THE "KEYS" TO LIVING TOGETHER IN LOVING UNITY?  50k Gleanings from Amy Carmichael and the Bible on what it takes for a family or fellowship to realize this miracle.  [Available by URL  in Etext Archives at http:// www.etext.org or ftp  by gopher.etext.org in /pub/politics/polyamory as "keys2lovingunity", or by email] >>32. MY LOVE IS A GARDEN OF DELIGHTS! , a commentary on the Song of Solomon for Christian polygynists and concubines.   Part one is almost finished and ready for posting on the net, hopefully by the end of  9/96.   Please pray for me that I may complete this in a timely manner and that it will be an edifying and godly file. If you want any of these files, Etext Archives : URL:  http://www.etext.org Location : /pub/politics/polyamory or ftp: "gopher.etext.org" Name: "ftp" Password: your email address Location: /pub/politics/polyamory Or request it from [email protected]     If you have any problems with the URL or the ftp, contact [email protected] or [email protected]. or L. Tyler, P.O.Box 620763, San Diego, CA 92162-0763 OTHER RESOURCES gopher://gopher.etext.org/11/Politics/Polyamory http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Hezekiah/polygamy.htm http://www.netcom.com/~polyg/index.html http://bfree.org/men/

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