Marriage… It is God’s idea (Part 1)

Genesis 2:18-24 (New International Version)

18 The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

19 Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field.

But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman, for she was taken out of man.”

24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

The key appears to be verse 24. The leaving is a response of independence from parents with both an emotional and financial detachment. This is not a loss of respect but a shift in loyalty. The united (cleaving) is a response of allegiance, loyalty and recognition to my spouse. It is decision making with “us” in focus and requires a deathblow to ourselves. The become one flesh is a continual process of inseparable, life-long commitment and fidelity to each other, a nourishing of your own flesh of which your spouse is a part and involves an growing intimacy of our mind, will, emotions, body AND spirits.

Marriage is a DIVINE INSTITUTION Contrary to some contemporary opinions; marriage is not a human institution that has evolved over the millennia to meet the needs of society. If it were no more than that, then conceivably it could be discarded when it is deemed no longer to be meeting those needs. Rather marriage was God’s idea, and human history begins with the Lord Himself presiding over the first wedding.

It would be my hope and prayer that you reflect and ponder on the above this coming month. It certainly is not always easy but always very rewarding to follow the biblical pattern for marriage.

Next month; Genesis 24:58-60 Commitment is essential to a successful marriage.

by Don Callander