Page 38 - The Marriage Covenant

times when Yahweh REQUIRED a man to take another wife.
A similar, albeit far less noble, example is found in the laws pertaining to a man who
saw a virgin and lusted after her. Should this man force the virgin to have sexual relations
with him, upon being found out, he was required to marry the maiden.

Deuteronomy 22:28-29
"If a man finds a girl who is a virgin, who is not engaged, and seizes her and lies with
her and they are discovered, then the man who lay with her shall give to the girl's
father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall become his wife because he has violated
her; he cannot divorce her all his days.”

Once again, we find nothing stated in the instructions that would alter this command
if the man who violated the maiden was already married. It was lawful for a man to have
more than one wife. Therefore the man who was married, and who forced a virgin and was
discovered, would of necessity have to receive a second wife.
There are likewise, other commands that I have not yet named which are found in the
Law that Yahweh delivered to Moses. These laws set guidelines for the man who has more
than one wife. Following is the unusual case of a man who takes a slave girl to be his wife.

Exodus 21:7-10
And if a man sells his daughter as a female slave, she is not to go free as the male
slaves do. If she is displeasing in the eyes of her master who designated her for
himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He does not have authority to sell her to
a foreign people because of his unfairness to her. And if he designates her for his son,
he shall deal with her according to the custom of daughters. If he takes to himself
another woman, he may not reduce her food, her clothing, or her conjugal rights.

There is a great deal of evidence in the Scriptures to allow those interested to test this
matter. The conclusion is certain: Yahweh permitted a man to have more than one wife.
Yahweh never condemned a man as an adulterer, or even as a transgressor, if he had more
than one wife. As we have seen, Yahweh blessed many men who had a plurality of wives,
and has given these men a name, that they are righteous. These men include Abraham,
Jacob (Israel), and David. It is very possible that even Moses had more than one living wife.

Exodus 2:16-21
Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and they came to draw water, and
filled the troughs to water their father's flock. Then the shepherds came and drove
them away, but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. When
they came to Reuel their father, he said, "Why have you come back so soon today?"
So they said, "An Egyptian delivered us from the hand of the shepherds; and what
is more, he even drew the water for us and watered the flock." And he said to his
daughters, "Where is he then? Why is it that you have left the man behind? Invite
him to have something to eat." And Moses was willing to dwell with the man, and he
gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses.

Here we read of Moses marrying Zipporah, who was the daughter of the priest of
Midian. Zipporah was a Midianite, and therefore a descendant of Abraham.