Single people often find themselves in lonely circumstances.
They
want friendships and feel the isolation of being alone. Because
of situations all too common in our world, even married people can experience
loneliness. God recognized that Adam had a problem and provided
him
the perfect solution—a woman to be his wife. God, as the source
of
every perfect gift (James 1:17), knew just how to form the
woman.
God had made Adam from the ground. “Adam” is related to the
Hebrew word
adamah,
which means “ground.” But, instead of using
more soil to make Eve, God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep
and
made Eve out of one of Adam’s ribs (Genesis 2:21-22). The Hebrew
word
translated “made” is banah,
usually translated as “build.” God literally
built Eve. Ever loving, kind and merciful, God took great
delight in forming her, physically and mentally, to be the perfect complement
for Adam.
Scripture emphasizes another aspect of the first marital relationship.
Because God made Eve from one of Adam’s ribs, an undeniable bond
existed between Adam and Eve. This point was undoubtedly
significant
to Adam. His first recorded words regarding Eve were, “This is
now bone
of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman because she was taken out of Man ” (verse 23).
Adam
recognized his link to this wondrous creature named Eve. She was
part
of him, and he was part of her.
The
First marriage
This account does not tell us what Adam and Eve were thinking or
how they felt while they got to know each other. But in the next
two
verses we learn the outline of marriage as established by God.
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined
to
his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And they were both
naked, the
man and his wife, and were not ashamed” (verses 24-25). Let’s
examine
this outline more closely.
Leave
one’s father and mother
An important aspect of marriage is
leaving “father and mother,” as God
instructed, to establish a new family unit. Adam and Eve did not
have
physical parents to leave, but future
generations would need to apply this
instruction. Honoring parents and
seeking their advice is advisable, but
newlyweds need to remember that they
are a new family unit. Just because
things were done a particular way in
your family does not mean your spouse
will want to do things the same way.
Two people must learn to work together in marriage, showing
respect
and love to each other. Such an approach follows the biblical
principles
of wives submitting to their husbands and husbands loving and
honoring their wives (Ephesians 5:22, 25; 1 Peter 3:1, 7). Establishing family
guidelines and traditions in an atmosphere of love and respect
gives the
newly married couple a foundation on which to build their lives.
Be
joined together
Another principle from Genesis 2:24 is that a husband should be
“joined” to his wife. Other translations say he should “cling”
or “cleave”
to her. Today we would say he should bond with her. Other than
God, she should be his highest commitment.
The biblical text is clear that a man should build this special,
close
relationship with his wife. The idea of clinging to multiple
partners is
foreign to this account.
An important aspect of marriage is leaving “father and
Also, since about a third of married men and a fourth of married
women in the United States admit to having indulged in
adulterous
affairs, we shouldn’t be surprised that approximately half of
American
marriages end in divorce. These are all part of the vicious and
destructive cycle that ensues when we ignore God’s direction regarding sex and
marriage.
The way to reverse the trend of broken marriages and safeguard
one’s
own relationship is simple: Accept and practice God’s
instruction to
restrict sex to marriage. Such an approach shows honor and
respect for
the sexuality God has given us.
In this approach, sex is not cheapened or lowered to a common
animal behavior. Instead it is an honorable act reserved for the
most
intimate human relationship of all, entered into with the most
honorable
intentions. Not ashamed
The last principle from God’s first guidelines for marriage
reveals
that Adam and Eve were naked but not embarrassed by their
nakedness
(Genesis 2:25). Since they were the only two people on the
planet,
privacy was not an issue. Sexuality was not and is not
intrinsically dirty
or shameful.
Within marriage a husband and wife should feel comfortable with
each
other’s masculinity or femininity. But revealing too much of
one’s body
to other members of the opposite sex outside of marriage invites
the
breaking of God’s commands against lust and unlawful sexual
relations.
Jesus warned that “whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has
already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew
5:28). Men
and women alike need to control their minds and dress modestly
to
discourage sexual arousal and temptation outside of marriage.
Again, these actions show respect for our sexuality, respect for
others
and respect for God—the Author of these instructions. People who
live
by these guidelines are not prudish nor so mentally constricted
that they
do not enjoy sex when they
are
married.
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