A Hard Teaching – Chapter 10 – Prince of Sumba, Husband to Many Wives

Prince John from Prince of Sumba, Husband to Many Wives xAI generated image all rights reserved to xAI
Reading Time: 26 minutes
View List of All Online Chapters of Prince of Sumba, Husband to Many Wives

A Hard Teaching – Chapter 10
Preview from Prince of Sumba, Husband to Many Wives

The main course had been removed from the table and it was time for dessert. This time John gave the blessing.
“Father in heaven, we thank You for this food, for this fellowship, and for Your love. Amen.”
John’s simple blessing reminded me of Solomon’s proverb: “In an abundance of words, sin is not lacking: but he who restrains his lips is wise.”1 I hoped to discover some of John’s wisdom.
I thought I’d already had a taste of dessert, but what lay before us now, was something very different. Each dish was a design. It brought to mind the educational channel with chefs cooking up a storm. A cooking show for John’s wives? Now that would be a first.
Ruth had kept my mouth so filled throughout the main course, that I hadn’t been able to hold a conversation with John, despite the fact that he sat only an arm’s length away. I was determined not to let that happen again.
Ruth, had returned from the kitchen and was now pouring me a cup of freshly brewed coffee.
“Thanks.” I said.
“Grown right here in these mountains.” John said.
“Oh.” I looked up at Ruth, “You grew up in these mountains?”
Ruth covered her mouth with her free hand, giggling.
John half whispered, “I meant the coffee, Ish, the coffee.”
“Oh, of course John, the coffee, the coffee.”
I feigned seriousness. The girls watched in delight. John hadn’t caught the fact that my mistake was premeditated.
“So do you always tempt your guests with such dishes, John?”
Asina nearly choked on her juice. Suni kicked me under the table. And I have to admit, I did steal her joke. The other girls were getting their own kick out of each of my deliberate Freudian slips.
John was looking into his cup as if reading tea leaves, his serious demeanor, a sharp contrast to mine.
“No, this is a special day.”
“What are we celebrating?” I asked.
“We’re celebrating your arrival here, Ish. That is, you, Mary, and the girls. Up until now, Sam and Sarisa were the only Born-Again Christians who’d spent any time with us.”
“Really, how long has it been since you came to know the Lord, John?”
The girls now listened attentively.
“It’s been nearly twenty-five years.”
“And are you new to these parts?” I asked.
Sam answered for John:
“John and his family have been living on this mountain for the past twenty years. Born-Again Christians won’t visit him because he has more than one wife. You aren’t the first family that I’ve invited here. I didn’t see the point in telling you folks ahead of time. You’re expected to visit such families, after all, that’s your mission, but local Christians won’t have anything to do with John and his family.”
At this, Mary spoke up. “That’s horrible. Those Christians ought to be ashamed of themselves!”2
“Well, Mary, some were interested in fellowshipping with John and his family, but when they found out he took additional wives after becoming a Christian, they wanted nothing to do with him.”
Mary kept the cup of coffee she’d been sipping up to her face, holding it with both hands as if to savor it. This way she was able to hide her shock that we weren’t having lunch with polygamists who’d become Christians, as she’d assumed. We were having lunch with Christians who’d become polygamists, after they’d found Jesus.
Sarisa then confessed. “I have to admit, at first, I wasn’t any different than the Christians we’d invited here. I had a hard time understanding how John could have taken one wife after another when he was already a Christian, but then I started to read. I even read your book Ish, Adultery in the heart, it’s not what you think.”
Mary laughed nervously, “Maybe I’d better start reading some of these books he’s been writing.”
This so animated Asina that she had to speak.
“Oh Mary, you mean you haven’t read Ish’s books! I think every Christian girl on Mindanao has read them. Oh, you’ve got to read…” then she caught herself mid-sentence, realizing all eyes were on her. “I’m just going to say it, salty that I am, I still have to admit. Ish’s books are brilliant. I just don’t have anything to criticize about them, period!”
Whoa! What a compliment, considering it came from Asina.
“And I love his poetry.” Suni chimed.
“Me too! Me too!” Modelisa spouted. “Ish, won’t you read this please? It’s my favorite.” Modelisa handed me a well-worn paperback I’d written. Love Poems and Other Lies. She’d opened it to A Maiden’s Footprints in the Sand.
“Read it to us!” The girls pleaded.
“Well, okay.” I said. “Just for you.

‘A Maiden’s Footprints in the Sand

A poet’s words though many
And his descriptions grand
Cannot contain the message of
Her footprints in the sand
Though his English be of kings
And his pen as mighty swords
Her footprints etch the rhythms
Her swaying strums the chords
Bone of my bones
Flesh of my flesh
If not for woman
My life would be
Loneliness.
And when at last in one attempt
To write what’s in his heart
The poet gives a thrust with pen and soul
Yay, nearly comes apart
Now smitten sore and left undone
The poet knows he cannot stand
Without the woman’s walk with him
Without her footprints in the sand
Bone of my bones
Flesh of my flesh
If not for woman
My life would be
Loneliness.’”

Everyone around the table was now clapping and cheering.
“Bravo, bravo.”
“I knew it would sound like that if you read it.” Suni squealed. “I just love the way he read it, don’t you, Modelisa.”
“Wow! I did. I really did!” She replied.
I wasn’t sure if Modelisa was acting or what. She was a mystery to me. I think she liked it that way. Then I chided myself. Yes, she was a mystery, and a master of disguise, but she wasn’t plastic.
Suddenly, and without warning, John grabbed my book. And with the bravado of a Shakespearean actor, he held it up with one hand as he turned to make eye contact with everyone in the room, who by now were his audience.
“What do we have here?” He bellowed. “We’ve got a master of song writers among us!”
John pointed to me with his free hand. Then continued his performance.
“So you think you’re going to write lyrics like these and call it poetry? Well, now I’ve got no choice but to turn that nursery rhyme of yours into a love song like no other. Let’s see, what’ll we call it girls? As if that’s a difficult question.”
“Adam’s Song!” The girls shouted in unison.
“Adam’s Song it is.” John said. “Ish, I have no choice but to put your words to music.”
One of John’s daughters had already placed a beautiful Martin guitar in John’s hands. Then she held up my book so that John could read sing the lyrics.
“Thank you Hannah.” John said.
Then he began to play. And did John know how to pluck strings! He was indisputably a son of Jubal.3
If the applause was loud for my poetry reading. The applause for John’s performance was thunderous. His wives of many years were swooning over him. Yet the girls hadn’t taken their eyes off me during John’s entire performance.
But Mary wasn’t going to let anything distract her from the subject at hand, even if it meant ignoring the girls’ overt advances toward me. After the excitement of John’s impromptu performance had subsided, Mary picked up where she left off:
“Back to your family, John. We want to make sure you know that even if we disagree with you concerning your marrying more than one wife…”
Mary paused, and looked at me as if seeking some signal that I agreed with her. I gave none. She finished her sentence.
“We want to know everything about your family, and I couldn’t imagine you having even one wife less.”
The praise was now for Mary. Everyone stood and one of John’s older sons shouted,
“A toast for Mary! Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that fears the LORD, she shall be praised.”4
“Hear, hear!” Another son said. “And give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.”5
Ruth completed the stream of thought by quoting one more verse from proverbs,
“She opens her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.”6
At that, a tear began to form in one of Mary’s eyes. She wasn’t used to such compliments and certainly was not used to being the center of attention. Asina now showed her softer side, using humor to get Mary out of the spotlight. She proudly quoted Proverbs again.
“She lays her hands to the spindle, and with its rod she spins thread.7 Mary, you don’t suppose you could help me sew this button back onto my blouse, could you?”
Asina held up a button which she’d secretly removed just for effect.
Now Mary was laughing and so were the rest of us. Asina had sensed Mary’s discomfort at being the focus of attention and stepped in to lighten the mood. I was impressed. In fact, I was impressed with everyone I’d met since setting foot on Mindanao.
Mary was more at ease now. She settled back into her chair and nibbled on a pastry as Sam continued where Sarisa left off.
“I have to admit, when I met John, I was shocked too. I’d heard of men with more than one wife converting, and of course keeping their wives. But I’d never heard of men who’d taken more wives after they’d converted. John wasn’t pushy about what he believed and the fact that he showed such respect for each of his wives made me all the more curious. After he showed me his library, and pointed out some of his books, I took it upon myself to study the topic further. It seems that the reformation didn’t settle the issue of polygamy. Christian scholars simply stopped talking about it. Now I’m not sure everyone here has registered what I just said, so I’m going to repeat it. The Reformation did not settle the issue of polygamy. Christian scholars simply stopped talking about it, at least for a while. But every century the topic would come up again and it was always introduced by the most pious and famous Christians, famous during their lifetimes, that is. For as soon as a man would take the position that polygamy was lawful, the powers that be would make life very difficult for him. A little censorship here, a little exile there, a bit of slander to top it off, and you can effectively silence about anyone. After the lives of the men who spoke in favor of polygamy were destroyed, the Chancellors of the seminaries set out to have them erased from their history books. Till this day, some of the most famous Christians in history are merely footnotes in the biographies of lesser men.”8
The girls were wide eyed and glued to every word that Sam uttered.
“I discovered that famous Christians such as Bernardino Ochino and John Milton, among others, had argued the case that nowhere in Scripture is a man condemned for having many wives. Now, wouldn’t I be correct in saying that those two men are among the most famous Christian writers?”
Asina answered, “There is no Christian writer more famous than John Milton! What Christian has never heard of Milton’s Paradise Lost?”
“And what Christian scholar hasn’t read Ochino’s Seven Dialogs?” Ruth added.
“Sam,” Modelisa asked, “Did you say that many of the leaders of the Reformation saw nothing wrong with polygamy?”
“That’s exactly what I said. Eight of the best-known German reformers including Luther, put their own signatures on a notarized letter to Philip Hesse, a nobleman of their country, explaining in great detail how they approved of his polygamous marriage.9 In fact, they attended his wedding. Who knows how many other famous Christians may have been outspoken in their zeal for polygamy but whose fame has been erased from the history books?”
“But Sam,” Mary objected, “I really don’t care what any man says about polygamy. The Bible says, in 1 Timothy 3:2 ‘A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach.’”10
I couldn’t help it but I had to quote a funny poem I’d once heard.
‘‘Bishop, man of one wife must be, cannot a layman have two or
three?’”
Mary looked at me sourly.
“Really Ish, must we be childish about this? The requirement for a bishop shows the example of a godly marriage. All men should model their lives after that godly example.”
“Mary,” Sam countered. “Your husband did an amazing amount of study on this subject for his book, ‘Adultery in the Heart, It’s not what you think.’” Sam pulled out my book. “Listen to what Ish has written here concerning the verse you quoted.
‘Many lay people and homespun ministers have tried to say that 1 Timothy 3:2 & Titus 1:6 are written against polygamy. However, famous Bible scholars throughout history have not claimed this. There are two major problems with considering 1 Timothy 3:2 & Titus 1:6 as injunctions against polygamy.
First, the question arises, why ban polygamy to become a bishop, elder, or deacon but not to remain one. This question cannot be overlooked. There is nothing in the text that suggests that the man who becomes a bishop, elder, or deacon may not, after having received this office, take more wives. In fact, there are no punishments outlined for anyone, whosoever, that takes more than one wife in the entire Bible.
Second, if 1 Timothy 3:2 & Titus 1:6 are bans against polygamy, then what is 1 Timothy 5:9 for it says, Let not a widow be taken into the number under threescore years old, having been the wife of one man. Is there such a thing? A woman with more than one husband spoken of anywhere in the Bible, let alone among the widows in Timothy’s church? This is why Bible scholars throughout history have not considered 1 Timothy 3:2 or Titus 1:6 to have anything to do with polygamy. Paul wouldn’t write something so silly; banning a person that didn’t exist in his time; a widow who claimed to be married to more than one husband at the same time? So what is the key to this verse? As always, it’s found in the surrounding paragraphs. In 1 Timothy 5:3 Paul says regarding widows, “Honour widows that are widows indeed.” What does Paul mean by widows indeed? What characteristics do most harlots and widows share?’”
Cherry spouted, “Children!”
“That’s right, children.” Sam said.
Cherry’s smile widened as she congratulated herself on the answer.
“You’ve apparently read Ish’s book.”
“Well, yes, Sam, but it’s true. Nearly all the girls at the bars where I used to work had children.”
John and his family now looked with pity on Cherry.
“Oh, don’t worry about me,” Cherry said. “The Lord pulled me away from the path of sinners. I’m a new creature, washed by the blood of the Lamb.”
The room erupted with alleluias and praises to God. John’s wives started singing and their sons took up their instruments.

“There is pow’r, pow’r,
Wonder-working pow’r
In the blood, of the Lamb;
There is pow’r, pow’r,
Wonder-working pow’r
In the precious blood of the Lamb”11

They continued singing until all the stanzas had been completed. There was obviously no separation between daily life and worship in John’s household, no permission required to sing praises to the Lord. What a refreshing change from the compartmentalized living of Western Christianity, where so few Christians could mix words of faith with their daily conversation.12 How is it that they could claim a saving knowledge of our Savior and not feel naturally led to talk about Him. In fact, what kind of a question was the oft asked, “How can I witness in my daily life?” Which begs the question, “How can a Christian NOT witness in their daily life?” This was a puzzle that baffled me still. Were there so many tares?13
Sam went back to reading my book aloud.
“‘What Paul is saying here, is NOT to treat a harlot the same as a widow, just because she has children. Don’t assume that she’s a widow. Check things out. The woman is required to have been biblically married to the father of her children and he must be deceased in order for her to be placed on the widow’s list. The list does not apply to an abandoned or runaway bride, or a harlot.’”
Sam broke from the text for a moment to put in his two cents.
“In other words, she can’t be a single mother, the revered title that the world so shamelessly gives harlots.”
He looked directly at Mary who couldn’t resist taking up the challenge.
“I don’t think all those single mothers take money for sex. In fact, I’ll bet less than five percent of them do such things.”
“Mary,” Sam replied, “a harlot is someone who has sex without the benefit of marriage. Those who do it for free are even worse than prostitutes as Cherry so eloquently backed up with Scripture in her testimony yesterday.”
Mary was at least listening now. This heartened me.
“I’ll continue with what your husband wrote.” Sam continued.
“‘The phrase in 1 Timothy 5:3 Honour widows that are widows indeed precedes and sets up the understanding for the phrase in 1 Timothy 5:9, that is, ‘the wife of one husband,’ making it clear that wife of one husband simply means that she has been married already; that she is a widow indeed and not a harlot or a runaway bride. You can’t be a widow if you’ve never been biblically married.
So 1 Timothy 5:3 & 5:9 clarify 1 Timothy 3:2 as well as Titus 1:6 since the phrases wife of one husband and husband of one wife are identical in form. What they clarify is that we are talking about someone who is married indeed, so pertaining to bishops, we must only assign the position of bishop to men who are married indeed; that the man who becomes a bishop cannot be someone who is shacking up.’”
“Or celibate!” Modelisa spouted. “That means every elder or bishop has got to be married, to at least one wife.
Yes, at least!” Suni piped in delight.
Mary was leaning over the table now, both hands holding up her forehead in disbelief. I could barely keep back my chuckles at the girls’ enthusiasm.
Sam continued reading from my book.
“‘It’s impossible for us to know how or why the expression husband of one wife or wife of one husband came to mean married indeed by the time Paul wrote it, but languages have subtleties that cannot be understood when separated by such great time periods, and we are around two thousand years from the time this was originally written. Now, if I say to you that you’re one sharp dude, it doesn’t mean the number one, it means the article ‘a’ and sharp doesn’t mean sharp like a knife, it means smart, and dude doesn’t mean a guy from the city. It just means a guy. Two thousand years from now you’d need a linguist by your side and many months of studying comparative texts to find out the meanings of many simple phrases that we take for granted today, and many of them you could never figure out.’
Now that’s how Ish explained it in his book, Mary, but I just want to clarify. Paul would not write that in order to be placed on the widow’s list that a widow must have been the wife of one husband in the sense we understand that phrase. He says that young widows should remarry.14 Why, then, would he penalize them if their second husband also dies? Why would he penalize them for losing two husbands? Why would he penalize them for doing exactly what he told them to do, to remarry? It’s clear that when Paul uses the phrase wife of one husband that he’s not limiting a woman to one husband at a time, that’s already been forbidden and it’s called adultery. Likewise, when Paul uses the phrase husband of one wife, he’s not limiting a man to one wife at a time, there is no such limit found anywhere in Scripture. He’s simply stating that any woman who is mother to his children must be married to him, indeed. Under his dominion.”
Cherry raised her hand. “Yes, Cherry?” Sam said.
“I don’t get it. Why would anyone think it’s a prohibition in the first place? Who’d want to be an elder, bishop or deacon? Aren’t those offices appointed because nobody wants them?”
“Well, yes, they’re appointed, Cherry, but they’re still sought-after.” Sam answered.
“But I can’t believe those offices were sought-after in Paul’s day.” Cherry said, “Those offices had no guaranteed income and didn’t have pensions and perks like they do today. Am I right or am I missing something?”
“Well, now that you mention it, Cherry. Even Paul had no salary, yet he felt obliged to urge Timothy to compensate elders, ‘especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.’15 His mentioning compensation is proof there was a problem with it.”
“So Ish, what exactly is an elder, bishop, and deacon, and what are the reasons anyone would want those offices?” Cherry asked.
“This is an interesting question you’ve raised, Cherry. Most churches have actually changed those offices from what they were when Paul wrote his words. An elder is the equivalent of a judge and a bishop is an investigator with some overlap in duties. A deacon is simply a secretary or court reporter. These positions require a lot of work.”
“Okay, so am I stupid or something?” Cherry said. “Is there something that I’m not understanding? I can’t imagine anyone wanting those church offices in the first place. Yes, they are ‘worthy of double honour,’ as Paul says. And when they are filled by men who carry out their duties in accordance with Scripture the congregation is blessed. But those offices are desired by very few men. Those who accept the office are subject to a lot of pressure when mediating disputes. And they could easily face criticism for being too nosey. Am I right, Ish?”
“Well, yes, Cherry, you’ve captured it. They were the officials in the church who administered the law. For example, if a man was caught lying with a virgin, he’d be questioned by them, and if the charge were true, the man caught lying with the virgin would be asked by the bishop to pay the bride’s price to her father and take her under his dominion as his woman, what the English Bible calls a wife. If he refused, he would be brought before the church by the bishop where the elder would preside. If it was proven that the man had indeed been caught lying with the virgin and he still refused to pay the bride’s price and to take her under his dominion, he would be excommunicated. All this was set in motion by the bishop’s investigation and the elder’s presiding over hearings. The father could then seek the bride’s price through civil litigation.”
“Exactly what I thought!” Cherry exclaimed. “Can you imagine such jobs? They’re not jobs that win popularity contests. That’s why I just don’t believe that men with more than one wife were prohibited from those offices, as if they would even want them. In fact, before Paul explains who can take the office of bishop, he talks it up as if it’s something nobody would want and he’s got to sell the idea.” Cherry read from her Bible. “1 Timothy 3:1, Paul says, ‘If a man desires the office of a bishop, he desires a good work.’ That sounds like something you’d say before assigning someone to janitorial duty, like, If a man desires the office of head janitor, he desires a good work.”
“Cherry’s right!” Asina joined in. “If the job of bishop were desired by so many, I really don’t think Paul would have to talk it up. So, what do you think Paul really meant in 1 Timothy 3:2, Cherry?”
“It’s simple. He’s just saying that men with more than one wife are exempt from appointed offices, not prohibited. Deuteronomy 24:5 exempts men from serving in the military or any business when they’ve taken a new wife.16 Business, of course, refers to civic or church duties. How many more exemptions would a man who’d married much and had many children deserve?”
I was dumbstruck. With the utmost of simplicity, Cherry had discovered The Key to Understanding the Husband of One Wife. A key that many, including myself, had sought in vain for years.
“Sam,” John asked. “Have you ever heard what Cherry just explained?”
“Never.”
John couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “What?” His voice bellowed. “You’ve never heard what Cherry just said? What about the rest of you, anyone?”
John looked around the room at us. We answered with silence. Cherry’s idea was completely new to us.
“Ish, you’ve been through seminary, correct?”
“Yes John, and I’ve never heard Cherry’s explanation before today; not in seminary, not anywhere.”
“Then your professors truly are the liars and tyrants that I feared they were. Tyrants first kill those who dissent, as in the case of Bernardino Ochino who they exiled to a certain death along with his children in the middle of winter.17 Next, they wipe out the traces of the dissenter, or they replace the truth with lies.18 Worse yet, they will even erase an entire section of history just to cover up the existence of a prominent dissenter, as in the case of Martin Madan, one of the best known and greatest defenders of the Christian faith, and The Father of the Evangelical Hymnal. How could any Christian Historian bear the title Historian without knowing about the Lex Papia Poppaea!”19
“The Lex what?” I said.
“The Lex Papia Poppaea; the marriage laws of Rome at the time of Paul! Any professor of Christian history would certainly be familiar with those laws. The Lex Papia Poppaea punished celibacy and rewarded fruitfulness. A man with many children was rewarded with an exemption from troublesome civil duties and unwanted offices. Paul knew this. That’s why he exempted men with many children from the office of bishop, elder, and deacon.20 The fact that your history professors failed to teach you this shows me that they are liars and co-conspirators or ignorant buffoons!”
“I’ll vote for the latter!” Suni raised her hand.
John fumed. “Till this day, I thought it was only Christians in old theology books who thought 1 Timothy 3:2 was a prohibition and not an exemption. Your teachers have kept you in darkness! It makes me wonder what else your teachers have covered up. I thought every modern Christian knew the meaning of Husband of One Wife. I’ve been familiar with that expression since I was a child. The first time I heard it, I was in the market with my uncle. One of the vendors had a stunningly beautiful daughter and my uncle said to him, ‘If the rest of your daughters are as beautiful as this one, you’ll become rich with dowries.’ The vendor replied, ‘I’ll have to be satisfied with the profits I make from selling my goods, for she is my only child.’ My uncle then leaned over to me and whispered, ‘Surely he is the husband of one wife.’ ‘Without a doubt.’ I replied, considering it an entirely logical conclusion. Since that day, I’ve heard the expression Husband of One Wife many times in that same context. It’s a common expression in my kingdom for a man with few children.”
It was clear that in John’s home, sermons weren’t set aside for a certain hour on a certain day. They could come at any time and John wasn’t finished with his.
“Any historian who had truly studied first century Rome, would have read much of the Lex Papia Poppaea, the Roman marriage law which included rewards for having many children and penalties for remaining single. It’s also clear that this is why Paul defended celibacy, not to promote celibacy as a permanent state, but in reaction to certain of the regulations in the Lex Papia Poppaea. If a single man between the age of puberty and sixty was to receive an inheritance, he would lose it if he didn’t get married within one hundred and twenty days. The same applied to single women between the age of puberty and fifty. Paul simply urged that none marry due to government edict, but for the right reasons, companionship and to be fruitful and multiply. We certainly know that Paul never meant for any woman to be without a husband. He clearly stated, I will, therefore, that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.<sub>13</sub> Paul’s command that younger women must marry put a huge responsibility on the men of the church to make sure that all the younger women were married and since the inception of Christianity there have always been more women in the church than men. The men who refused to marry them, quite logically, were given the troublesome church offices. They weren’t busy doing anything else. And the offices of elder, bishop, and deacon were certainly troublesome offices, as Cherry wisely pointed out. Those who were not the Husband of One Wife were given an exemption from those offices.”
Sam and I looked at each other, clueless.
“So, it’s really true?” John was incredulous. “Your seminaries have removed the history books from their libraries that would have easily explained this to you? You’re telling me that every single student of Christianity is still taught that 1 Timothy 3:2 is a prohibition?”
Sam and I both nodded. John shook his head in disbelief.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know. It’s not your fault. You’ve had these things hidden from you. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.21 We can only pray your professors repent before they meet their end.”
John’s words went way over Mary’s head and she wasn’t ashamed to say it.
“Look, you guys are the scholars, not me. I just think it’s sad when a woman has to share her husband with other wives.”
John’s wives were so delighted to actually have Christian visitors that they didn’t mind Mary talking about them. In fact, it energized them. John nodded his approval as his wife, Peesha, took a gentler approach.
“Mary, when you were a toddler, if you had an ice cream cone, would you share it? Probably not, I wouldn’t have either. But what if you had ten gallons of ice cream and no freezer? I think even a toddler would share the ten gallons, and if she didn’t, what a shame, for what was left over would just spoil. John is like those ten gallons of ice cream and it would break my heart to put him on ice. It’s just not natural. Men are different.”
“My Ish is not like that.”
I wasn’t sure if it was John or myself who was being insulted but it was clear that Mary was worn out from our discussion. Even so, she had enough energy to take one last jab.
“What were you thinking, Ish, writing a book on polygamy!”
I was silent. Mary had seen me writing every day in my office. She’d seen what I’d written about keeping polygamous families together after they’d been saved. Even before we’d married, she’d been a staunch advocate for keeping such families together. Sam answered for me.
“Mary, not to intrude, but Ish’s books on Christian chastity are mandatory reading at most of our Bible colleges and Ish is the most respected Christian writer on that subject in the Philippines. As for the subject of polygamy, a writer as prolific as your husband could not possibly be expected to write over a thousand pages on chastity, courtship, and Biblical marriage without a few chapters on polygamy. And, your husband has done a fantastic job of presenting all sides of the issue. Consider your mission board’s confidence in him.”
Mary’s face brightened when Sam added that I’d presented all sides of the issue but her emotions were raw. Peesha, gracious host that she was, took this as her cue.
“Mary, wouldn’t you like to see the rest of our place? Our children have been asking over and over if I’d let them show you the playground their daddy built for them.”
“They’re not theologians, are they?” Mary quipped.
We all laughed. At least Mary had retained her sense of humor. I gave her a kiss on the cheek as I whispered in her ear, “See you later, love of my life.”
Mary headed off with John’s wives, little Tisay in tow. Of their family, only John and his daughter Ruth remained at the table with us.
The moment the door shut, Asina sobbed.
“Why haven’t you told us this before, Sam! All these single women and a church full of potential husbands!”
“It’s a hard teaching, Asina. It’s a hard teaching.”
That was all Sam could utter.
Chapter 10 Footnotes

1. Proverbs 10:19 In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise. [KJV]
2. Missionaries who ask men to forsake their Christian wives and family so that their own personal interpretation of scripture will not be upset are like the men Jesus speaks of in Matthew 23:4
“For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.”
3. Genesis 4:21 His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play stringed instruments and pipes.
4. Proverbs 31:30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.
5. Proverbs 31:31 Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.
6. Proverbs 31:26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
7. Proverbs 31:19 She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. [A distaff is a rod used for spinning thread.]
8. Thomas Haweis is mentioned in the Who’s Who in Christian History as assistant to Martin Madan, chaplain of the Lock Hospital and yet Madan, the most famous preacher among Evangelicals after George Whitefield is left out.
Who’s Who in Christian History
Douglas, J. D. ; Comfort, Philip Wesley ; Mitchell, Donald: Who’s Who in Christian History. Wheaton, Ill. : Tyndale House, 1997, c1992
9. “The Gospel hath neither recalled nor forbid what was permitted in the law of Moses with respect to marriage.”
As part of a notarized letter signed by Martin Luther, Philip Melancthon, Martin Bucer, Antony Corvin, Adam, John Leningue, Justus Wintferte, Denis Melanther.
The History of the Variations of the Protestant Churches by Jacques Bénigine Bossuet – Biship of Meaux, “One of his most Christian Majesty’s Honorable Privy Council, Heretofore Preceptor to the Dauphin, and Chief Almoner to the Dauphiness.” In Two Volumes – Translated from the last French Edition.
VOLUME I Published 1836
“The husband must be certified in his own conscience, and by the word of God, that polygamy is permitted to him. As for me, I avow that I cannot set myself in opposition to men marrying several wives, or assert that such a course is repugnant to the holy Scripture.” Written 1524
The Life of Luther Written By Himself – Collected and Arranged by M. Michelet and Translated by William Hazlitt – London – George Bell and Sons 1904
10. Concerning bishops and other overseers Paul says:
1 Timothy 3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach.
Titus 1:6 If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.
1 Timothy 5:9 Let not a widow be taken into the number under threescore years old, having been the wife of one man.
Different denominations have interpreted these verses differently over the years. The Baptists have traditionally considered the first two to be a ban against divorced men becoming overseers because to interpret it as a ban on polygamy would mean that 1 Timothy 5:9 would need to be interpreted as a ban on polyandry and in Judaism, the reference point from which Paul spoke, polyandry is not possible for by definition a woman who has another man in addition to her husband is an adulteress, not a polygamist.
The denominations which ban divorced men from the ministry have reaped some unpleasant effects, for this policy has given the wives of their ministers an inordinate amount of leverage over their husbands. Not only can the minister’s wife take away the children if there is a divorce but she will surely take away his livelihood. If a minister’s wife is not a dedicated Christian, she is the most powerful ally that Satan has to destroy a ministry. Such being the case, every Christian should include the wives of ministers in their daily prayers.
11. “Power in the Blood” Author & Composer: Lewis E. Jones
12. Colossians 4:6 Let your speech [be] alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
13. Tares is the Old English word for weeds. Below is the parable of the tares as told by Jesus.
Matthew 13:24-30 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
14. 1 Timothy 5:9 “Let not a widow be taken into the number
{placed on the widow’s list} under threescore years old, having been the wife of one man, {having been a widow indeed, in other words, the deceased man was actually her husband} Well reported of for good works; if she have brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints’ feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work. But the younger widows refuse: {refuse to place on the widows’ list} for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry; {not that remarrying is wrong but that it would have been a shame to waste resources on a woman by placing her on the widow’s list in the first place if she were going to remarry anyway} Having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith. And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not. I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.” Here, Paul clarifies that the younger widows are not to be placed on the widow’s list because if they remain widows they will cause problems and also because they are not likely to remain unmarried. He therefore “wills it” that the widows remarry and that any other young women marry as well.
15. 1 Timothy 5:17-18 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. For the Scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.
16. Deuteronomy 24:5 When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any business: but he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife which he hath taken.
17. “So for the last time Ochino went into exile. On the way he was struck down by the plague at Pinczow. It carried off three of his children; he himself remained alive. Wearied to death, he bade his friends and companions in the faith a last farewell on Advent Sunday. There we lose every trace of him. At the close of the year 1564, he died in solitude at Schlackan, in Moravia. This man, once so highly honored, shared the fate of those who dared to advance beyond the narrow limits of the age they live in, and to take their own path.”
Bernardino Ochino, of Siena: A Contribution Towards the History of the Reformation
By Karl Benrath, Helen Zimmern Translated by Helen Zimmern
Published by J. Nisbet & Co., 1876 – Page 297
18. There are hundreds of articles in journals, dictionaries, and biographies that repeat the lie that Madan composed only one or two hymns. I don’t wish to give publicity to liars so I will not cite them. I will, however, cite the first man with the courage to give the evidence of Madan’s genius in composition; Nicholas Temperley, through his Hymn Tune Index, has methodically detailed the evidence that proves Madan composed more Christian music, for general use in the church, than any other Eighteenth Century composer. Handel is the only Eighteenth Century composer of sacred hymn tunes who was more prolific than Madan but the majority of his music is too difficult to be classified for general use in the church. To this day, most of Handel’s hymns are reserved for special performances. Handel’s Messiah is one such hymn.
19. Jus Trium Liberorum is the term frequently used to describe what is more accurately called the Lex Papia Poppaea, A.D. 9, which granted special privileges to men with many children and punished celibacy by limiting the rights of single men. This can account for Paul’s discussions on celibacy which should not be taken as encouraging celibacy but as defending the right of a man or woman to voluntarily choose marriage instead of feeling compelled to marry by government decree. The Lex Papia Poppaea decreed punishments such as the loss of inheritance rights for those who remained single after having attained puberty up to the age of fifty for women and sixty for men. A man or woman was given one hundred days to get married upon finding out they were the beneficiary of an inheritance or forfeit the inheritance.
A Systematic and Historical Exposition – ROMAN LAW – In the Order of a Code by W. A.Hunter EMBODYING THE INSTITUTES OF GAIUS AND THE INSTITUTES OF JUSTINIAN, TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH BY J.
ASHTON CROSS, B.A. of Balliol College, Oxford, BARRISTER-AT-LAW, Fourth Edition 1803
20. Deacon: A servant, attendant, domestic, one who serves or waits upon. Obviously the original Greek definition given here is much different from the definition in many churches where a deacon is improperly assigned much authority.
21. 2 Corinthians 11:14-15 “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” ***put a new footnote and a picture of the letter from Luther et al in these footnotes. A new footnote must be added and likely 2 pages extra for insertion.

FREE Preview Returns on Saturday October 26
While you wait – Read Intro and Chapters you missed, Click Here

OR

CLICK HERE to Buy on Amazon

Prince of Sumba, Husband to Many Wives

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *