The Bible describes what polygamy was and portrays the reality of it being done. For example, a well known instance of polygamy was Solomon and his many wives. In this situation, many would say that God allowed polygamy to occur; but “allowed” and “approved” are vastly different. As we take a further look below, we can see that God did not prescribe it - meaning, He did not approve of it to happen.
When reading, we can see that Solomon and others who were involved in polygamy did in fact have many wives; but reading further, we can see that there was much turmoil and problems that arose later on because of their actions and wrongdoing.
Solomon started out well early in his life; but as we see in 1 Kings 11:4 "As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been."
Later on we see in 1 Kings 11:11: "So the Lord said to Solomon, 'Since this is your attitude and you have not kept My covenant and My decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates."
When Solomon becomes older, he writes in Ecclesiastes 2:11: "Everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun." That is what happens when you choose to go your own way and disobey God.
God allowed polygamy to happen, but He did not approve of it (just like He allows us to use our free-will to obey or disobey Him, but consequences do arise from our wrong actions, thoughts and words).
In the end, Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes 12:13: "Here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole (duty) of man."
In summary:
1. God allows sin to happen, but does not approve of it.
2. We have been given the free-will to obey or disobey God.
3. There are consequences when we choose to disobey God. Refusing to obey God always ends in ruin, and we will have to suffer the consequences.
Lance VanTine