Genesis 16:3, "3 And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife." Is that big enough for you to SEE? When Abram did this, they became on flesh also. Not one person. Sarai and Abram were separate and distinct personages. So, were Hagar and Abraham. But, they were one flesh or one in purpose to each other. The key here is there is no adultery. Abram was blessed and his name changed to Abraham. Through Abraham would Israel come to be. One of the sons of Israel was Levi. Moses was a descendant of Levi. Moses wrote the law of Moses many years after Abraham died. Thus, why are you trying to force Abraham to live the law of Moses? I laughed when I saw that error. When it was given that in the last days that it would be the days of the restitution of all things, all things of God that was given to man from Adam to Jesus Christ to Paul and John. One of the "All" things is polygamy that was given to Abraham. And, it was given to Joseph Smith to institute for a time. End of story. You were wrong.
You also assume too much in the words as well. You said that if you have too many wives your heart will be turned away. You assumed that meant from God when it was meant that your heart would turn away from your 1st wife. It's our understanding that the 1st wife, like Saria, makes the decisions of when her husband can sleep with other wives. And, if the 1st wife decides there is a problem with another wife of her husband, that she can demand a divorce as well. Sarah demanded this of Hagar. Hagar and Ismael were sent away. So, if the 1st wife believes that her husband's heart is turned away from her and possibly from the Lord, then she can demand the divorce and separation. End of story about that.
Now, to the binding of the New Testament Covenant. There are those who at the time were not able to enter into a polygamist marriage. Bishops, Elders, Priests and I believe Deacons. They were to have but one wife. However, the New Testament also says that in the last days there will be a restitution of all things. Not just New Testament stuff either. To keep that, the Lord had to reinstitute polygamy to the world. At least for a short time. We are restricted at this time because the Lord allowed the Church to grow and expand when it was necessary for Utah to join the U.S. and be protected from religious bigots like yourself. We are now a worldwide Church. It is you that is stuck on believing that the Bible is the end of New Covenants and hearing directly from God through apostles and prophets. That's your problem, not ours. We have temple covenants that you do not have that can lead to living in the highest degree of glory in the 3rd Heaven that Paul saw. The Celestial Law of Eternal Marriage and Increase in Joy. We don't live by man's degrees of law. We have a prophet that is told by God what our laws in TODAY'S world will be. Sorry you have to live only in the past. Like the Jews did when they had a higher law given to them by Jesus and they rejected that law. You are like the Jews rejecting today's higher law.
Your lies are easily numbered. 1. No where did God declare that Abram, Sarai, and Hagar became ONE FLESH.....your math does not calculate, as Jesus declared that a righteous marriage was between One Man and One Woman and has been since the beginning of time (Again you are attempting to justify your cults obvious history of unrighteousness by presenting a History that is not condoned by the God of Creation. (Matthew 19)
2. Your cult has fallen from grace when you attempt to justify your history of Polygamy by defending it from the Old Law and the prophets. (Gal. 5:4))
3. Since when did one of the concubines of Abraham qualify as God in determining sin, God had a plan for Sarai to conceive, not Hagar, Sarai begin to doubt the word of the Lord because she thought she was to old to give Abram a child. 4.Show me the passage that declares there was no adultery taking place when Abraham made Hagar an adulterous fornicator? Show me where God condoned and declared this act of polygamy righteous. You can not because there is no such passage of scripture. FYI: there is no passage that declares Abraham, Sarai, and Hagar become one flesh simply because Abraham took another woman for fornication and child birth.
Fact: Sarai, Abraham's actual WIFE knew that what she had allowed was unrighteous. "And Sarai said unto Abraham, "MY WRONG BE UPON THEE.........I have given (Sarai, not God) MY MAID unto thy bosom.............THE LORD JUDGE BETWEEN ME AND THEE.
In fact: God appeared to Abram once again concerning His promise to Abram......the Lord God informed Abram that the promise to become the father of many nations would come through Abram's actual wife Sarai........not through Abraham's copulation with Hagar. (Gen. 17:16-19, 18:10).
And to claim that God renamed Abram to Abraham because of his fornication with Sarai's handmaid.....it is simply an outright misrepresentation of the Holy Scriptures.
The Covenant between God and Abram is not recorded until after Abram fornicated with Hagar. The conditions of that Covenant between Abram and the God of creation? Abram was from that time forward to "......Serve Me (God) faithfully and live a blameless life and I (God) will make a covenant (contract) with you by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants..............God promised to make Abram the father of a multitude of nations.....and renamed Abram, Abraham because you will be the father of many nations. Of course it was not Abraham's concubine Hagar that God blessed and made the mother of many nation....with Kings among those nations.......God looked upon Sarai with favor and allowed her to become with child at the age of 90. God changed Sarai's name to Sarah.
FYI: The illegitimate son of Abram and Hagar.....Ishmael was banished to the desert after the birth of Issac. In fact an "angel of the Lord" declared to Hagar, "This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed wild donkey (jackass)...........(Genesis 16:12) God would later have favor upon Ishmael because he was the son of Abraham....the angel of the Lord reappeared to Hagar and stated that she need not worry, Ishmael would survive and even prosper. (Gen. 21:12-13) Ishmael lived to the age of 137 (Gen. 25:17), and actually attended the funeral of his estranged father Abraham (Gen. 25:9)
The real reason that Sarai decided to allow Hagar to be Abrams concubine? God had promised Abram that he would have a son and his descendants would become like the stars in the sky (uncountable) -- Genesis 15:4. It was Sarai that attempted to interfere with God's plan because she assumed that she was to old to conceive ............this was not God's plan............nor did God condone the arrangement...as declared by the angel of the Lord (Gen. 16:12)
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