Marriage and the Bible - Part 26 - Jezebel, Athaliah and Mixed Marriage Issues

Jezebel is name that conjures up evil and sin on a large level in the Bible. Her and Ahab ruled what has to be the most wicked time in Israels history. Jezebel was not an Israelite and even though mixed creed marriages were forbidden by God, Ahab marries her anyway. The results were disastrous for the nation. Her daughter Athaliah did much the same for the southern kingdom of Judah.

This is not the first time we have seen pagan wives drawing away men further from God but it is the most pronounced as Jezebel's name now is synonymous with wicked sin.

Her and Ahab's marriage is one for the books, it is about mutual sinfulness and scheming to get what they want. You see only love for destroying a common enemy and given the nature of Baal worship, I doubt sexual faithfulness was a part of it either. This is contract relationship for mutual gain by any means. A twisted version of marriage is what they represent. Ahab was already a pretty wicked guy, his wife just egged him on. This would not be the first time the values and beliefs of a married couple drew them both into sin, but it is the worst example of it. Jezebel's wickedness would not stop until her death; Ahab seems to have come to his senses just in time.

The mixed marriage question would dog the Israelites until the Exile and Reconstruction.

Next: Exile, Reconstruction and Putting Away Wives.

Marriage and the Bible - Part 25 - Rehoboam and the Divided Kingdom

Rehoboam is Solomon's eldest son and as such at the time of his father's death becomes Israels new king. The only real problem was despite his father's instruction Rehoboam did not have any wisdom and the kingdom became divided between the northern ten tribes and the southern kingdom of Judah.

In regards to marriage, Rehoboam followed in his fathers footsteps and had many wives (18) and concubines (60) but it is said that he did love one above them all Maacah. Not as many as dad, but then again he was not as prosperous. It also indicates that he may have had one thing his father did not -- a close relationship covenant with one woman although in the context of polygamy.

This is the pattern for the rest of the kingdom period, if a king is prosperous it will mention that he also had many wives/concubines. If a king struggles, he might have one wife or there is silence. One thing is for certain, the idea of polygamy is ingrained in society and whenever a man has means he practices it.

One advantage this rampant polygamy had was the the line of David remains so large there is never a problem finding an heir to the throne. It meant that God was fulfilling his promise to David and one of those ways was to make sure the women attached to that line were both fertile, productive and many.

Next: Jezebel and Athaliah - Mixed Marriage Issues