Why did God allow Solomon to have “700 wives and 300 concubines”? If
monogamy is such an important principle in Christianity how do we explain
this in the light of Biblical perspective?

I would say that God allowed Solomon to have so many wives and concubines
for the same reason he allows us to commit adultery or homosexuality or
stealing or any other sin. There is no way at all that God encouraged or
even accepted Solomon?s sinful behavior. In the end, it lead to his
undoing as a spiritual man, as 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles makes clear. I do
not expect to see Solomon in heaven, although I am not the judge. Although
plural marriage is not absolutely condemned in the Old Testament, it is
never encouraged. In fact, I would challenge you to find even one passage
which says more than one wife is acceptable. I certainly cannot think of
one. All this is quite different from the Quran, which specifically says
“three wives, or perhaps four” are permitted for a man.

God certainly has planned from the beginning for one man to be united to
one woman, and for the two to become one. This goes all the way back to
Genesis two. Whereas plural marriage is not outright condemned in the Old
Testament (perhaps due to the hardness of their hearts, similar to
allowing for divorce, see Matt 18), it is never encouraged at all. It is
condemned in the New Testament. Similarly to the teaching on divorce, the
New Covenant sets a higher standard.

John Oakes