[* Editor’s Note: Watchman Nee dealt with the matter of concubines because of the problem at this point in China’s history.]
In the Bible there is no command telling man to separate himself from his concubine. Nowhere in the Bible does God ask man to send his concubine away. I am talking about concubines whom one took before he believed in the Lord. In the Bible I think there is sufficient indication of how God wants man to take care of concubines.
Perhaps we should look first at man’s demand before considering the Bible’s demand. Man’s immediate thought is to send away all his concubines. If the concubine cannot be sent away, man’s thought is for the husband to discontinue sexual relationships with her. This is a human concept, and unfortunately many brothers and sisters hold this concept. But this is not God’s revelation; it is in fact a heathen thought.
In the Bible no one took a concubine in a worse way than David. He not only took a concubine but even committed murder in taking that concubine. Uriah died because of his wife. David sacrificed Uriah to gain Bath-sheba. Solomon was born of Bath-sheba, and so was the Lord Jesus Himself. The Lord acknowledges this fact in the New Testament. Matthew 1 tells us about four women. Bath-sheba is included and is spoken of as the wife of Uriah. We must be clear about this fact: Those who have taken concubines should submit to God’s disciplining hand; they should never chase their concubines away.
Why does the Bible not demand that the concubine be sent away? Please bear in mind that the sin of fornication and that of taking a concubine are two completely different things. If I steal a Bible today, I can return another Bible tomorrow. If I steal one thousand dollars today, I can return one thousand dollars tomorrow. But if I take a concubine today, I have no way to return her.
Some brothers think that all concubines should be sent away. This is a consideration from the male’s point of view. All males should know that in God’s eyes taking a concubine is equal to committing adultery. However, on the side of the concubine, when she marries a male, she is not married to two husbands. The male is married to two women, but the concubine is not married to two husbands. We have to see that the Lord never asks the man to send his concubine away.
I think the principle behind Solomon’s mother is very clear. The Lord sent Nathan the prophet purposely to David after David married Bath-sheba. Everything the Lord needs to say concerning this subject has already been said through Nathan; there is no need for you to add anything to his word. Even if Nathan had missed anything, there would still be no need for you or I to add a footnote to the subject three thousand years later. Nathan told David that his son would surely die, and judgment would come to him. Others would commit fornication with his wives in the sight of the sun, and the sword would never depart from his house (2 Sam. 12:7-14). Nathan did not ask David to send Bath-sheba away. If he were to send her away, what would she do? Uriah was already dead. Some are without their Uriah today, while the Uriah of others is dead. What should they do? When God sent Nathan to David, He did not ask David to chase Bath-sheba away. In fact, God later caused her to give birth to Solomon (v. 24). God did not cause any of the wives of David to give birth to Solomon. He caused David’s concubine, Bath-sheba, to give birth to Solomon. Moreover, the first page of the New Testament says, “And David begot Solomon of her who had been the wife of Uriah” (Matt. 1:6). The New Testament does not say that one can take a concubine. But it does not say that one needs to chase his concubine away either.