Holy Devotion
Bible Devotional
Genesis 2:21-24 - Man, Woman, and marriage

Scripture:

Genesis 2:21-24
21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place.
22 The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and 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,
Because she was taken out of Man."

24 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.
NASU


Thoughts:

This is such a beautiful picture of the formation of woman and the intimate relationship we call marriage.  It is clear that the woman was intended to be unique.  She was given to Adam as a complementary companion to him.  This does not mean that a single woman today is missing her purpose in life, but clearly the first woman's main purpose was to be a helpmate for her husband:

Genesis 2:18
18 Then the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him."
NASU

It is grievous that today the elements of this story are all under attack.  Modern thinking wants to blur the lines between what is feminine and what is masculine.  Marriage itself, a cornerstone of civilization for time immemorial, would be redefined from what God created to whatever people decide.  The moral and spiritual aspects of marriage being tossed aside, we would be left with a legal contract between some number of parties.  A contract that, like any other human contract, can be revoked, unlike the lifetime union that God has made.  In God's design, marriage is not a contract, but a spiritual union:  the two (one man and one woman) becoming one.


Prayer:

Lord, thank You that You made man and woman as complements of each other, not competitors.  We think differently because we were made to be different.  And thank You for marriage.  There is no closer relationship on Earth.  It is beautiful, though also challenging!

Help us -- especially those of us blessed to be married -- to enjoy the differences, and not despise or repress them.  To help each other, and to benefit from the strengths of one other.

Amen

 
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