Does the Bible Promote or Condone Polygamy?

In addition to slavery, this is one I hear from skeptics a lot. "God seemed fine with polygamy, so why not gay marriage?" It's used to either discredit Scripture or justify sinful lifestyles. 

It is true that is was a societal norm in OT times. But many things were normal in society that God did not approve of, just like today. Most of the examples of polygamy come from Genesis and Kings. Both books are historical narratives, not how-to guides on living life. The authors of those books wrote as to record history, not give commentary. So none of the actions of the people in the books is a prescription for the readers to go and follow.

In Genesis 1 and 2, you see God create the ideal of one man and one woman. Then Cain kills Abel and Cain's descendent Lamech shows he's no better than Cain. And to add to that, Lamech has two wives which is a clear deviation from what God established just three chapters ago. So the Bible starts out portraying polygamy in a negative light. Abraham's polygamy is explicitly condemned by God as God refused to give the promised blessing to Ishmael because he was born of another woman. God makes it clear he didn't want Abraham to have relations with anyone other than his wife. Later, Jacob's polygamy causes all sorts of problems. And Jacob isn't exactly portrayed as a standup citizen anyway. He's a liar and a conman. Just imagine how much easier it would have been for Israel if they had only a few tribes instead of 12. Thanks a lot Jacob... 

 

We see David have lots of wives in Kings. It's true that God never explicitly condemns that in Kings, he never condones it either. It seems that God did not make all sin illegal. There is a difference, even in God's economy between what is outlawed in legal structures and what is sinful to God. There may be a legal case for polygamy, but not a moral one. I'm sure David did many other things God didn't approve of, but Kings doesn't record everything for us. The consequences for David's polygamy were nothing but negative. With all his kids either trying to kill him or kill each other, I can't think of a single benefit reaped from David's polygamy. And his son Solomon's polygamy led him to worship idols.

After the exile, Israel put away idol worship and many other sinful practices they had picked up from surrounding nations that caused them to get sent into exile in the first place. Among those was polygamy. It largely disappeared in Israel after the exile. The fact that the Bible does not promote polygamy is also evident in that most conservative Jews and Rabbis do not practice it or justify it with Scripture. http://www.come-and-hear.com/editor/polygamy-orthodox/
http://www.chabad.org/.../Does-Jewish-Law-Forbid-Polygamy...

And then in the first century we have Paul explicitly telling Christians to be monogamous. 

1 Timothy 3:2
Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 

1 Timothy 3:12

Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well.

1 Timothy 5:9

Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband,

Titus 1:6

if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. 

When asked about divorce, Jesus went back to Genesis to show what God had created as the ideal for marriage and made that the standard, even though divorce was legal by Jewish law passed by Moses himself. But Jesus showed that what is legal does not equate what is moral. So even though OT law explicitly condoned divorce, Jesus shows that God still considers it sin. So how much more is that true of polygamy, which Jewish law never condoned like divorce?