Page 39 - The Marriage Covenant

Genesis 25:1-2
Now Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. And she bore to him
Zimran and Jokshan and Medan and Midian...

Moses’ first wife was acceptable to his family, for she was a descendant of Abraham,
and a Shemite (Semite), a descendant of Noah’s son Shem. Later, Moses took a wife who
was a Cushite.

Numbers 12:1
Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom
he had married (for he had married a Cushite woman)...

The land of Cush, is synonymous with Ethiopia. The people there are black skinned,
and they are descendants of Noah’s son Ham.

Genesis 10:6
And the sons of Ham were Cush and Mizraim and Put and Canaan.

It was due to Moses having married a descendant of Ham, whom Noah cursed, that
Miriam and Aaron criticized him. God judged Miriam for her disrespect toward Moses,
striking her with leprosy.
What I wish to point out is that Moses had two wives, and it is possible, but not
absolutely certain, that he had two wives who were both living, for nothing is mentioned of
Zipporah having died. It is those who view polygamy as sin who would argue that Zipporah
must certainly have died prior to Moses marrying the Cushite. We are not told that
Zipporah had died. Moses delivered many laws to the people allowing for men to have more
than one wife, so it must be considered that even Moses may have practiced plural
marriage.
I would proceed on to look at a few Scriptures that have been used to condemn the
practice of a man having more than one wife. They all come from the words of Christ, and
are needful to consider.

Matthew 19:9
“And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries
another woman commits adultery."

Mark 10:11-12
And He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman
commits adultery against her; and if she herself divorces her husband and marries
another man, she is committing adultery."

Luke 16:18-19
"Every one who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and he who
marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery.”

What is obvious from each of these verses is that divorce is the central matter being