Two and One

February 20, 2013

Two and One

Genesis 2:18-25

Read 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. (Genesis 2:20-24)

Reflect God's creative work was not complete until he made woman. He could have made her from the dust of the ground, as he made man. God chose, however, to make her from the man's flesh and bone. In so doing, he illustrated for us that in marriage man and woman become one flesh. This mystical union ties together the couple's hearts and lives. God gave marriage as a gift to Adam and Eve. They were created for each other. Marriage was not just for convenience, nor was it brought about by any culture. It was instituted by God and has three basic aspects: (1) The man leaves his parents and, in a public act, promises himself to his wife; (2) The man and woman are joined together by taking responsibility for each other's welfare and by loving their spouse above all others; (3) The two become one flesh in the intimacy and commitment of sexual union that is reserved for marriage. Strong marriages include all three of these aspects. Throughout the Bible, God treats this special partnership seriously. If you are married or planning to be, are you willing to keep the commitment that binds the two of you together as one? The goal in marriage should be more than friendship; it should be oneness.

Respond Whether married or single, treat marriage as a holy union, ordained by God. Ask God to help you love, honor, respect, and cherish your spouse, even if you haven't met them yet. Two people, committed to God and to each other, can truly be one in marriage.