God disapproves of people having multiple sexual relationships at the same time. According to Genesis 1:27, God intended for man and woman to be joined in marriage. He also formed them in his image.
How God had intended marriage to be
Jesus responds to a query from the Pharisees by citing Genesis 2:24 to define marriage as the faithful cohabitation of one man and one woman, as God intended (Matthew 19:1–9). A guy commits adultery when he divorces his wife and gets married to someone else. There might be an exemption only in cases of sexual immorality. In another instance, Jesus declares in Matthew 5:32 that a man who divorces his wife for a cause other than sexual immorality is forcing her to commit adultery.
A man did have several wives
The Bible contains no references to a woman having multiple husbands. However, having many wives was not uncommon for men in the Old Testament era. According to Genesis 16:3, Abraham had two wives; Jacob had four (Genesis 30); King David had a large number of women (2 Samuel 5:13); and his son Solomon had a thousand wives (1 Kings 11:3)! There is no mention in the scriptures of God punishing these men for having multiple wives. However, every narrative we read about the discontent in these households stems from polygamy.
The Samaritan woman
The Samaritan lady is the only woman in the Bible to have more than one husband (John 4:1–42, especially verses 16–18). However, there is no indication in the text that she was with these guys at the same time; it is likely that she had five divorces and cohabitated with her sixth partner without making an effort to be married. Although Jesus does not explicitly tell her that this is incorrect, we can infer from his teachings that He did not agree. It is reasonable to believe that this woman’s life underwent a significant transformation upon realizing that Jesus was the Messiah (John 4:39).
Remarriage after divorce
Biblically speaking, widows and widowers are free to get married again. It is possible for their second marriage to be equally holy and fortunate as their first. In fact, young widows are urged to get married again and start a family (1 Timothy 5:14).
However, is it feasible for a man or woman to remarry following a divorce? According to what Jesus says in Matthew 5:32 concerning this subject, divorce is only permitted in cases when the spouse has been unfaithful (though even in that situation, Christians disagree on the exact circumstances under which divorce and remarriage are permitted). In certain situations, remarriage amounts to adultery, as does the act of forcing someone to commit adultery on you: Matthew 5:32 states, “But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”
Why does Jesus have such harsh rules? Due to the fact that a man and woman’s marriage emulates the union of Christ and the church. According to Ephesians 5:25–32, Christ is the head of the church, and the church is his spouse. He won’t ever be disloyal to her. It is a sacred marriage. Similarly, the bond between a married couple is sacred.
A wonderful gift
God has given us a beautiful gift in marriage, which is the ability to enjoy sex within the secure limits that He Himself established. Furthermore, a devoted husband and wife paint a beautiful picture of Christ and the church’s relationship.
