Women, Women, Polygamy. Isaiah chapter 4
Contents:
1. Seven Women on One Man (Isaiah 4:1)
2. Polygamy and A Good Woman
3. Enemies of the Jewish People are the Foes of God Almighty!
4. Polygamy Amongst the Jews and Gentiles Due to Historical Circumstances
5. Polygamy in the Bible.
6. Good Women Recommended by Scripture
7. Getting Through Life and Ultimate Salvation
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1. Seven Women on One Man (Isaiah 4:1)
Isaiah 4:
1 For seven women will take hold of one man in that day, saying, 'We will eat our own bread and wear our own clothes, only let us be called by your name; take away our reproach!'
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2. Polygamy and A Good Woman
Isaiah is predicting for the future BUT he is using a real event that happened in his time as a template for his prophecy.
The Radak relates this verse to a civil war that broke out between Judah and the northern Ten Tribes shortly before the northern tribes were exiled. In this war 120,000 men of Judah were killed:
King Ahaz of Judah fought a war against the Aramaeans in north Syria and against the Northern Israelites (of the Ten Tribes) under Pekah ben Ramaliah.
Judah lost and a large number of Jewish men were killed.
"For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah a hundred and twenty thousand in one day, all valiant men; because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers" (2-Chronicles 28:6).
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3. Enemies of the Jewish People are the Foes of God Almighty!
The Jews had lost the war because they had stopped being religious. Anyone who interferes with the Jewish religion is an enemy of the Jewish people.
Ephraimites are Christians who believe that Christians are descended from the Ten Tribes. Some Ephraimites combine this belief with teachings taken from Brit-Am and others identifying the Ten Tribes with people in the west.
Certain Ephraimites are prejudiced against the Rabbis. This is one of the reasons why we in Brit-Am decided not to work with them. There were other matters as well. Without the Jewish religion the Jews would not exist.
Enemies of the Jewish religion are enemies of the Jewish People and hostile to the God of Israel.
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4. Polygamy Amongst the Jews and Gentiles Due to Historical Circumstances
At all events Isaiah (ch.4) is speaking of a time when, the losses will be so great that there will not be enough males for all the women who will then endeavor to enter into polygamous relationships (4:1).
This will happen due to many men being killed. "Seven" is a word implying "many" and can refer to more than seven.
There will be a consequent lack of husbands.
In historical times there were similar situations,
When the Babylonians under Nebuchadnessar captured Jerusalem they began to rape all the single women. Married women were taboo. The single women therefore implored the Jewish men to marry them even if they already had several wives.
The Jews in Yemen suffered from their Arab Muslim neighbors. They would abduct women and young single girls even very young ones, little infants. The Arabs of that time in Yemen however believed it bad luck to take the wife of another man. The Jews therefore would marry little girls and boys so that the Arabs would not take them.
Amongst the Gentiles we find in South America in the 1860s Paraguay went to war against Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. They lost. This was the Paraguayan War (aka the War of the Triple Alliance). 60-90% of the country's male population had died, so polygamy was allowed.
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5. Polygamy in the Bible.
Originally one man and one woman (Adam and Eve) were the parents of us all. In Biblical times, Polygamy was allowed though usually in exceptional circumstances.
The king could have 18 wives but the Chief High Priest could have only one. The rest of the people could have as many as they liked in theory but in practice most had only one wife. There were exceptions at different periods.
Today in western society a person can take a mistress in addition to his wife and this mistress by law is accorded many of the rights of a wife. If he marries this mistress he is liable to go to jail for bigamy.
I have personally known a few men who have attempted to practice polygamy. In all cases it ended badly apart from one instance where in part there was both good and bad effects to the attempt.
According to sociological and historical studies polygamy really only works when the society around agrees to it.
My brother, Oren Davis in Australia, once did a study on the subject. He reported that most opposition to polygamy comes from outsiders. Some women actually prefer a polygamous-type arrangement. They do not want a man around all the time and generally prefer female company. Everyone is different.
At all events everyone should try and get married and live good happy lives.
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6. Good Women Recommended by Scripture
Genesis 2:
18 Then the LORD God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.' ...
21 So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place.
22 The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.
23 The man 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 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.
Proverbs 5:
18 Let your fountain be blessed,
And rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19 As a loving hind and a graceful doe,
Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
Be exhilarated always with her love.Proverbs 18:
22 He who finds a wife finds a good thing, And obtains favor from the LORD.
Ecclesiastes 9:
9 Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun; for this is your reward in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun.
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7. Getting Through Life and Ultimate Salvation
Isaiah continues:
Isaiah 4:
2 In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth will be the pride and the adornment of the survivors of Israel.3 It will come about that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who is recorded for life in Jerusalem.
We have to get through this life as well as we can, do as well as we can, and believe in the Almighty.
Those of us who survive in Zion and Jerusalem will be sanctified and upraised by the Almighty (4:2-3).
4 When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and purged the bloodshed of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning,
Women are important. Virtuous women can save society. Everything is dependent on women being good and helping their menfolk be good.
We will be rehabilitated (4:4). We will all be purified and forgiven some day for everything. Life will be better.
5 then the LORD will create over the whole area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, even smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory will be a canopy.
A supernatural Cloud by day and a Fire by night will appear over the physical area of Mount Zion (4:5).
6 There will be a shelter to give shade from the heat by day, and refuge and protection from the storm and the rain.
Thing will be better. The Almighty will save us all.