Moses preemptively warned the future kings of Israel not to abuse the power they would be given:
He shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the Lord hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.
Deuteronomy 17:16-17, 20
Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold. …
That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left.
In a society where polygamy was already an accepted practice, kings would be tempted to marry many women, which would result in their hearts being turned away from God.
As far as we know, King Saul had one wife, Ahinoam (1 Samuel 14:50) and one concubine, Rizpah (2 Samuel 3:7). He may have had more, since the prophet Nathan told King David that God had given him Saul’s house and Saul’s wives (plural) when he became king (2 Samuel 12:8).
The books of Samuel name eight wives of David: Michal (1 Samuel 18:27), Abigail (1 Samuel 25:42), Ahinoam (1 Samuel 25:43), Maacah (2 Samuel 3:3), Haggith (2 Samuel 3:4), Abital (2 Samuel 3:4), Eglah (2 Samuel 3:5), and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:27). However, they also tell us that “David took him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem” (2 Samuel 5:13). We don’t know how many.
Solomon took this practice to an extreme. “He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart” (1 Kings 11:3). Just as Moses had prophesied, an excessive number of intimate relationships pulled Solomon, who had previously been close to God, far from Him. “And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the Lord commanded” (1 Kings 11:9-10).
The personal impact of this kind of irreverent attitude toward marriage is most evident in the story of David and Bathsheba. Her husband, Uriah, was away from home, fighting with the army. David committed adultery with her, tried to hide the adultery by bringing her husband home, and ultimately engineered his death with the help of a military leader named Joab (2 Samuel 11). The prophet Nathan used an entrapment parable to help David empathize with Uriah, but Bathsheba’s point of view is almost entirely absent from the narrative (see 2 Samuel 12:1-14).
The prophet Jacob in the Book of Mormon reframes the narrative by foregrounding the harm David and Solomon did to women. He was troubled by the cavalier attitude of the men among his people about intimacy. He reported that they “began to grow hard in their hearts, and indulge themselves somewhat in wicked practices, such as like unto David of old desiring many wives and concubines, and also Solomon, his son” (Jacob 1:15). So he called them to the temple to discuss the severity of their actions. He spoke not of the harm they were causing to other men, but to women:
Thus saith the Lord: This people begin to wax in iniquity; they understand not the scriptures, for they seek to excuse themselves in committing whoredoms, because of the things which were written concerning David, and Solomon his son.
Jacob 2:23-24, 27, 31-33
Behold, David and Solomon truly had many wives and concubines, which thing was abominable before me, saith the Lord. …
Wherefore, my brethren, hear me, and hearken to the word of the Lord: For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none. …
For behold, I, the Lord, have seen the sorrow, and heard the mourning of the daughters of my people in the land of Jerusalem, yea, and in all the lands of my people, because of the wickedness and abominations of their husbands.
And I will not suffer, saith the Lord of Hosts, that the cries of the fair daughters of this people, which I have led out of the land of Jerusalem, shall come up unto me against the men of my people, saith the Lord of Hosts.
For they shall not lead away captive the daughters of my people because of their tenderness, save I shall visit them with a sore curse, even unto destruction; for they shall not commit whoredoms, like unto them of old, saith the Lord of Hosts.
Jacob explains what the Old Testament leaves unspoken: Casualness in intimate relationships causes pain. When men fail to recognize the feelings of their wives, God notices. He loves His daughters and wants them to be happy.
Today I will strive to see circumstances from the point of view of the vulnerable, of those who might be harmed by my decisions. I will consider Jacob’s rebuke and will remember that God loves all of His children, sons and daughters, and feels anguish when we harm one another.
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