July 21

“…she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man. That is why a man will leave his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.”—GENESIS 2:23-24

The word ‘man’ in the above verse means humanity, not the male species, but the human species. God created man, a singular unit, and the human race as one entity. It then becomes plural, “male and female, he created them.” So there is one humanity made up of two genders, male and female. Genesis, Chapter 2 gives a more detailed account of the creation of man. He is created from the dust of the ground, in common with the animal kingdom, but then God breathes His own breath into him. This is not physical life, but spiritual life, which is meant to inhabit the human soul. In this sense, human beings are unique amongst all of God’s creation.

In Genesis 2:18, God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone,” and there are three basic reasons. Firstly, man was made a spiritual being; he needed the life of God to indwell Him. Secondly, he is a social being, needing a relationship with God, with people and with other living things. Thirdly, man is a sexual being. As a male, he needed a female, so God put Adam into a deep sleep and took one of his ribs and made a woman out of it. 

Now the question arises, why did God not make Eve from the dust of the ground as He did with Adam? The reason is because it demonstrates their unity. They were created from one flesh into two separate individuals, separate genders. Adam is so surprised by this that when he wakes up and sees Eve, he said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh…” (Genesis 2:23). He immediately recognizes Eve is part of him.  

The first command God gives Adam and Eve is ‘be fruitful and multiply’. As they produce children, their children will eventually leave their father and mother and have families of their own. This becomes the bedrock of society. The union of two equal parts will create a new life, which carries on throughout generations. 

Marriage is a sacred union ordained by God, but sadly, marriages are falling apart at a faster rate than ever before. God has built an ethic around moral structure and discipline, but that has moved to one characterized primarily by what is easier for us. Marriage is the union of husband and wife, which is intended to be lived together in union with Christ. Ecclesiastes 4:12 says, “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” In bringing the love of Christ into our marriages and homes, we not only keep the bedrock of society intact, but we keep our families together.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank You for designing the bedrock of society in which we are greatly blessed with family.     

TO REFLECT UPON: Am I bringing the love of God into my marriage, especially when times are tough?