We have studied the account of seven-year-old Joash being crowned king of Judah. He reigns under the supervision of his uncle, Jehoiada the priest, who also arranges for him to get married when he reaches young adulthood.
"Jehoiada chose two wives for him, and he had sons and daughters." (2 Chronicles 24:3) The Bible doesn't tell us why he chooses two wives for Joash instead of just one wife (why he didn't follow the pattern of marriage demonstrated by the Lord when He put one woman and one man together in the garden of Eden) but it was evidently expected that kings in those times would have more than one wife. If that were not so, the Lord would not have laid down this rule for kings in Deuteronomy 17:17a: "He must not take many wives." The Lord said that the kings must not take many wives, suggesting He knew they would take more than one wife.
There are very practical reasons why an ancient king of any culture---even a culture that worshiped the Lord---would feel it necessary to have more than one wife. Infant mortality rates were shockingly high in ancient times. Maternal mortality rates were too. It was typical in all ancient cultures for a king---who had to do all he could to ensure a line of succession---to produce a male heir and successfully raise him to adulthood and to keep him alive and well so the crown could be transferred to him upon his father's death. This usually meant taking more than one wife, for the first wife might turn out to be unable to conceive a child or she might be able to conceive but be unable to carry a child to term. Or the mother and child might come through the process just fine only for the child to die at some point before his father does. An ancient king would try to produce as many offspring as possible to have more than one son; the birth of one son didn't guarantee a successor because a fatal injury or terminal illness could befall that son before he ascended to the throne.
Even if that son survived to become king, if he died without fathering a son of his own there needed to be a brother who could take his place and carry on their father's bloodline. In addition to carrying on the dynasty, it was important to have a clear successor to the throne because otherwise a nation could be thrown into turmoil with various parties vying for leadership. Civil war could even break out if half the nation supported one candidate and half the nation supported another. Or an enemy king might decide this time of turmoil is a good time to attack, putting the security of the borders at risk. The transition from one king to another was intended to be smooth not only to continue the dynasty but to ensure the security of a nation.
One more reason I can think of that would have compelled Jehoiada to choose two wives for Joash is what happened in Judah when Joash's father, Ahaziah, died. All of Ahaziah's offspring were still minor children at that time and Ahaziah's mother, Athaliah, ordered all the royal princes killed so she could assume power unopposed. Joash escaped that slaughter, but only just barely, and Jehoiada's intent may have been that Joash would produce many sons by his two wives (with the sons perhaps being kept in nurseries at two separate houses or in two separate locations in the palace) to try to prevent anyone from ever again being able to attack all the royal princes at once. Also, presumably with two wives the king would be able to replenish the numbers of family members twice as quickly, restoring the size of the family to what it might have been if all the sons (the number of which is not known) of Ahaziah had survived.
I think the main thing for us to take away from 2 Chronicles 24:3 is not that Jehoiada chose more than one wife for Joash but that these marriages were arranged by a man who had Joash's best interests at heart and the kingdom's best interests at heart. Jehoiada wanted to make wise matches for his nephew to whom he has also been a father figure, teacher, supporter, and spiritual advisor. He offers to make these matches for Joash and Joash agrees, submitting to the wisdom of his godly elder. Joash will continue listen to the wisdom of this man and follow his advice; it's only after the death of Jehoiada that Joash begins being led astray.
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