Why did God allow Solomon to have 1,000 wives and concubines?

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   jacobkuttytaposted 11 years ago

   Why did God allow Solomon to have 1,000 wives and concubines?

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2. 72

   A_Kposted 11 years ago

   Because there is the spiritual principle of "abundance". The God wanted to populate the world with beings in his image. At the anthropological level, the promiscuous relationship leads to propagation of species. Male species are endowed to propagate and proliferate, that is, while one male can produce hundreds of thousands of offsprings, one female cannot do in her life cycle. The story of Solomon could be akin to the story of evolution of human species.

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   taburkettposted 11 years ago

   because Solomon lived for 5,000 years and outlived all wives and concubines.

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   einronposted 11 years ago

   God allows everyone to run his life and does not interfere.  You can do anything you wish until you die, then you are judged.  He will separate the sheep from the goats on Judgment Day.
   You are responsible for your own action, so choose wisely.

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      C.V.Rajanposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Was Solomon wise or not?!

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      Disappearingheadposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Nah. One nagging wife is enough for any man.

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5. 60

   Dr. Haddoxposted 11 years ago

   The relationship that God had between the Jewish people, in those times, and under that particular contract (oh yes, there was an agreement between the Jewish people and God), and a contract works in two directions. God agreed to keep up his end of the bargain and the People, Jews, agreed to keep up there end of the bargain.
   No contracts were broken here, between Solomon and God.
   Today, we cannot get away with what Solomon got away with. We don't even want to think about it. So be it.
   By the way, we have different relationship with God, now, that the Jews had with him doing the times of Solomon.
   Regards,
   Dr. Haddox

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      cam8510posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      The NT uses the example of Adam and Eve as the proper example for marriage, i.e. one man/one woman for life.  That did not apply to Solomon?  Why not?  Adam and Eve were under the "that particular contract" along with Solomon.

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      Dr. Haddoxposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I do find, in the OT, anywhere, where God ever condemned Solomon. This settles this issue, for me. So l have nothing more to say. Regards, Dr Haddox

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6. 92

   cam8510posted 11 years ago

   This is a very valid question.  Go back one generation from Solomon to his father, David who had a single affair.  The consequences were huge, but then the circumstances were different and there was murder involved.  Move ahead to the new testament.  One of the qualifications for a person to hold certain leadership roles in a church is that a man be the husband of one wife.  Back again to the Old Testament and we find Abraham having a child with another woman.  We obviously can't see the whole picture, but on the surface there is no doubt that in appearance, there is a double standard.

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   mintinfoposted 11 years ago

   I am writing a Hub on Joseph Kony that deals with the same thing. Self-righteousness and the realization of ones own power over the ignorance of your followers creates a god-like persona. We all know that power corrupts. It is the Achilles' heel of man. God is only a convenient excuse.

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   Disappearingheadposted 11 years ago

   Perhaps God didn't allow him to have 1000 wives and concubines at all. I guess Solomon just did what he pleased and short of killing him, what was God going to do about it?

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   renegadetoryposted 11 years ago

   Solomon's disobedience to God did not go unpunished.  God took the kingdom from his son and would have taken it from Solomon but for the sake of his father David and the city of Jerusalem, He didn't (1Kings 11:11-13).
   
   God in His infinite mercy allows us to make mistakes yes, but also gives us a chance to repent and turn our hearts back to God before facing the consequences of our actions against Him (Jonah 3:10).

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    bwh1posted 11 years ago

    Just God knows what stupid things Solomon could have done with that kind of energy if he wasn't occupied enough with the 1000 wives.
    
    Moral of the story:
    
    Even the wise must recognize their limits
    
    G.

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11. 73

    BLACKANDGOLDJACKposted 11 years ago

    God didn't "allow" Solomon since the king had free will with respect to his harem. But God did say in Deuteronomy 17:17, "Neither shall he (meaning kings--see v. 14) multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold." Solomon's heart turned from God and he suffered consequences for his sins, as renegadetory pointed out.
    
    Now David's sin was that he hooked up with a married woman, Bathsheba. Different situation than Abraham or Jacob and his twelve sons and one daughter with four different women. Doesn't seem to me that Abraham and Jacob had a problem with God about this subject. No doubt they had a problem with some of the women though.
    
    Solomon had so many wives and concubines that I don't see how jealousy could be a problem. I mean, how could one woman plot against 999 other women?

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