Biblical Marriage and Polygamy

As Christians we correctly say that marriage is one man and one woman.
Clever cynics respond by saying well what about the polygamous marriages you find all throughout the OT.
How can you say marriage is one man and one woman when Solomon had 1000 wives and concubines?
Others twist the law found in Deuteronomy 22:28-29 and say that marriage in the Bible means you can marry a woman you have just assaulted.
Women we are told were basically slaves not much above animals. The OT represented a primitive society just like the other nations in the ancient Near East.
We can’t deal in one sermon with all the questions and assaults on Scripture. I want to focus on the issue of polygamous marriages.
- How can we say that marriage is one man and one woman in light of the many examples of marriage found in the OT?
- How can we respond?
In summary as we will see, God did establish marriage in the ideal as one man and one woman. Polygamy was regulated in the OT and recognized as a form of marriage.
But powerfully these marriages are shown to be fraught with problems.
We don’t believe truth changes.
We must recognize that God’s work involves the calling of miserable sinners who are saved only by the grace of God in Jesus Christ.
God’s Law is perfect, but it also recognized the rebellion found in man’s heart.
God’s perfect Law was revealed to a very fallen people who only could be saved through God’s grace, not their own law keeping.
We must maintain and live God’s truth in light of the many hostilities of our culture.