In verse 29, the Lord begins to answer the question in the first verse: "Abraham received all things, whatsoever he received, by revelation and commandment." "God commanded Abraham, and Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham to wife;" verse 34. That is, God commanded Abraham to receive Hagar and commanded his already covenant wife to give her handmaid to him. "And why did she do it? Because this was the law." The reason why Abraham was not under condemnation, is very forcibly expressed in the latter part of verse 35: "For I, the Lord, commanded it." In verses 36-39, the principle is well elucidated, that, in nothing did the ancients sin except in things which they received not of God.
In verse 40, the Lord says to Joseph, the Seer: "I gave unto thee, my servant Joseph, an appointment, and restore all things." And from the tenor of the Revelation, "all things" must include plurality of wives and the eternity of the marriage covenant.
This subject may be readily summed up as follows: If a man has a wife in the world to come, she will be a gift from the Lord, through the covenants he has ordained, and that man is justifiable in receiving all the wives the Lord sees fit to give him, through the authority he has appointed on the earth.
Many elders of the Latter-day Saints have been commanded, as was Abraham, to enter into plural marriage, and disobedience becomes transgression. Hence it involves a religious principle, and becomes a matter of conscience. "Thou shalt love thy wife with all thy heart, and shalt cleave unto her and none else;" Doc. & Cov. 42. 22, is sometimes referred to as an argument against plural marriage.
If it would admit of this construction, it would not be valid as an argument, from the fact, that the revelation of which it forms a part was given previous to that on the plurality and eternity of the marriage relations, and consequently, before the church was prepared to receive such a revelation. It evidently admits of the construction, that a man may have more than one wife, and yet cleave to none but his wife. That is, it forbids all sexual commerce outside of the marriage covenant.
Bible.
Gen. 16. 1, 2, 3 Sarai gave Hagar to Abraham.
15 Hagar bare Abraham a son.
20. 17 the Lord healed the wife and maidservants of Abimelech.
36. 2 Esau took wives of the daughters of Canaan.