Thursday, August 04, 2005

Biblical Marriage

There are a lot of concepts that we take for granted. Marriage for example. We take it to mean one man and one woman. I've already shown in the past that many many people in Bible had more than wife... but today... just for fun... and well... because I'm feelin' frisky and lookin' to stir up trouble...

Lets talk about swinging.

Yeah ya read that right. Swinging. Does a wife have the authority to give her husband permission to tag another chick? The knee-jerk reaction is of course... hell no. But then... if that's the case... then I would ask you how exactly the 12 tribes of Isreal came to be?

I believe Genesis 30 goes something like ummm.... this:


1
And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die.
2
And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel; and he said, Am I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?
3
And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.
4
And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her.
5
And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son.
6
And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan. 23
7
And Bilhah Rachel's maid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son.
8
And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called his name Naph'tali. 24
9
When Le'ah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife.
10
And Zilpah Le'ah's maid bare Jacob a son.
11
And Le'ah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad.
12
And Zilpah Le'ah's maid bare Jacob a second son.
13
And Le'ah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher. 25
14
And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Le'ah. Then Rachel said to Le'ah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son's mandrakes.
15
And she said unto her, Is it a small matter that thou hast taken my husband? and wouldest thou take away my son's mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee tonight for thy son's mandrakes.
16
And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Le'ah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me; for surely I have hired thee with my son's mandrakes. And he lay with her that night.
17
And God hearkened unto Le'ah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son.
18
And Le'ah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband: and she called his name Is'sachar. 26
19
And Le'ah conceived again, and bare Jacob the sixth son.
20
And Le'ah said, God hath endued me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons: and she called his name Zeb'ulun. 27
21
And afterward she bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah.
22
And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb.
23
And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach:
24
and she called his name Joseph; 28 and said, The LORD shall add to me another son.

Now please read carefully... and remember that Leah and Racheal are sisters. What we learn here is... well... obviously Jacob is a busy man... but we also see that both sisters gave Jacob permission to tag their maid servants. Rachel also gave Jacob permission to tag Leah... in return for some mandrakes... which seems really bizarre to me... but whatever...

Now... With Sarah and Abe we could point to the whole Ishmail thing... and all the trouble it caused... and therefore declare that the mating was wrong. With Jacob's example we get no such moral. In fact, God blessed this business.

S0... Several thousand years later... How do we view this? Can a wife allow her husband to bang another chick? Can a husband allow his wife to do some guy?

Bill... Res... Papa... Gregg... You're up.

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