I don't agree with everything said in this source...and could cherrypick many sources if I wanted to find MANY that would agree 100% with David's historical timeline...
"David was married to Ahinoam, Abigail, Maacha, Haggith, Abital and Eglah during the 7-1/2 years he reigned in Hebron as king of Judah. After David moved his capital to Jerusalem, he married Bathsheba."
http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/biblepeople/a/020811-CW-King-Davids-Wives.htm
Did you catch the above? (And there's THOUSANDS more sources I could cite that would agree with this: David's sleeping around occurred after he assumed king status...which occurred circa 2 Sam. 5)
It wasn't like he was some philanderer that God then said, "Great, you've got the bedroom makings for a king! Here's your crown!"
Why did he choose wise Solomon the serial polygamist to be a king of Israel?...God chose rophets who were polygamists and he chose kings of Israel who were polygamists. If God was against polygamy, why did he choose so many polygamists as his prophets and kings?
I've already quoted Deut. 17:17...but allow me to quote it again because of a key follow-up passage in 1 Kings 11:
17 He MUST NOT take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.
So what happened then with Solomon? Did his heart go astray as the Bible warned? (Yup)
3 He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. 4 As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God... (1 Kings 11:3-4)
Hmmm...I guess Deut. 17:17 was right...
Besides didn't you ... in the same posting say:
Deut. 17:17 is referring to kings of Israel that God shall choose.
So what? It applies to Solomon the king, but somehow not to David the king? (How do you twist out of that inconsistency?
And THEN you wrote: 17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. 18 When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. (Moses, Deuteronomy 17:17-18) So, lots of horses(verse 16), lots of wives, and lots of gold and silver are bad for the king. It does not say he only gets one horse, one wife, one gold, and one silver.
So...if let's say...we said David had 7 or 8 wives...(AND, btw, I don't think all of the women who bore David children were clearly delineated as "wives"...some were apparently concubines...and there IS a difference)...you're somehow now claiming that 7 or 8 isn't under your category of "LOTS" ... but... what? 9 is? 10 is? 11 is? Where's your arbitrary line you are arbitrarily drawing here reached to where that word "lots" kicks in?
Answer?
I don't believe there IS any line you can draw with the subjective arbitrary statements you've made!
God knew David and Solomon would become polygamists. Yet he still chose them to be kings of Israel.
17 He MUST NOT take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.
David and Solomon both were led astray after taking many wives. It does not say they were led astray and then took many wives.
For example, God said do not commit adultery. He did not say do not commit adultery or your heart will be led astray. A man’s heart is led astray and then he commits adultery. David is a good example of this because he committed adultery with Bathsheba but did not commit adultery before that.