This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. Genesis 2:24
Try as I might, I will never be able to use chopsticks well. As much as I wish I could accomplish this task well, I know that I will never be as proficient with chopsticks as I am with a fork. Here's my theory why: chopsticks are two separate sticks, and a fork is one item. Because a fork is one item, it is easier to use than chopsticks. It is a stronger force. In the same way, Scripture teaches that when two people get married, they become one. And when these marriages are focused on God, they are stronger together than they would be apart. This concept of unity and "oneness" is found in Genesis 2.
In Genesis 2, we read about the creation of Adam and Eve. In Genesis 2:15, God looks at the Garden and admires everything He created. Yet, God concludes in verse 18 that it is not good that Adam is the only human on the earth. He needs someone else like him. As a result, God creates Eve. When Adam meets her, he exclaims, "finally, there is someone like me!" But it is even more than that. Adam realizes that Eve is a partner, someone to help him and partner with him throughout his life. After reading about the creation of Eve, we get commentary on her creation and the relationship between Adam and Eve. The writer of Genesis says, "This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one" (verse 24). From the very beginning, unity is at the core of marriage. Husbands and wives become unified in such a way that it is if they are one person. This unity is something we would do well to strive for.
Often though, just the opposite happens. Instead of fighting for unity, they battle over who is going to be in control. That is why this picture of how God views marriage is so important. He was looking for our "me" statements to be transformed into "we." This process doesn't happen overnight but has to be a daily pursuit for married couples.
If you are married, are you and your spouse operating in unity? Are you both working together so that you are both stronger individually and as a couple? Let's seek unity today in our marriages. You will be surprised to find that you are both stronger together than you ever would be apart.
Spend some time in your journal answering this prompt: what is the benefit of unity in a marriage? If you are married, brainstorm ways that you and your spouse work together to be more unified. After brainstorming, commit to taking steps to be a more unified team. If you are single, the context of marriage is Christ's relationship with the church. How are you using your gifts and talents to help unify the Body of Christ?
Read Genesis 2:15-25 (NLT)
The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” So the Lord God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one. He gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals. But still there was no helper just right for him.
So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man.
“At last!” the man exclaimed.
“This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh!She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’”
This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.
Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame.
©2024 Sagebrush Church
