Unsubscribe? Click Here
Having trouble viewing this email? Click Here
Purpose Of Marriage
A daily devotion for April 12th
From your friends at RayStedman.org
Read: Genesis 2:18-25
The man said, This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my
flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man. For this
reason man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and
they will become one flesh (Genesis 2:23-75).
This is a remarkable passage because it gathers up the great concepts of
marriage that run throughout the Bible. After God finished making woman and
Adam slept off the deep unconsciousness into which he had fallen, God
brought the woman to Adam. What a scene that must have been! Here is the
first of a long series of boy-meets-girl stories. Out of this account
emerges four factors that are essential to marriage.
The first is that marriage is to involve a complete identity. The two are to
be one. Adam's first reaction when he saw his wife was, This is now bone of
my bones and flesh of my flesh, or, She is one being with me. This is
strengthened in the latter part of verse 24, which adds, and they will
become one flesh. It is not without reason that this has become part of the
marriage service, this recognition of unity. As someone has well said, the
one word above all that makes marriage successful is ours. The second thing
is the biblical principle of headship, which is developed at much greater
length in the New Testament. She shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken
out of man. Paul expands on this in his letter to Timothy to point out that
man was not made for woman, but woman was made for man. It is the man who is
ultimately responsible before God for the nature and character of the home.
It is the man who must exercise leadership in determining the direction in
which the home should go and must therefore answer for that leadership, or
its lack, before God. The woman's responsibility is to acknowledge this
leadership.
Then the third factor indicated here that characterizes true marriage is
permanence. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be
united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. In the Hebrew text is
the word dabag, which means to adhere firmly, as if with glue. A husband is
to cleave to his wife. He forsakes all others and adheres to her. Whatever
she may be like, he is to hold to her. He is to stay with her, and she with
him, because marriage is a permanent thing.
Finally, the fourth factor is set forth in verse 25, The man and his wife
were both naked, and they felt no shame. This speaks clearly of openness
between man and wife. They have no secrets, nothing that they do not share
with each other. It is the failure to achieve this kind of openness that
lies behind so much breakdown in marriage today, the utter breakdown of
communication, where two sit and look at one another and say nothing or talk
about merely surface trivialities. Often this is why they are so judgmental
with one another, each one trying to get the other to agree and not being
willing to allow differences of viewpoint to exist. There is to be a freedom
of communication, one with the other. Marriages shrivel, wither, and die
when this is not true.
Thank you for the gift of marriage, Father and for revealing Your perfect
plan for the functioning of husband and wife.
Life Application
Have we recognized and fully accepted God's perfect plan for marriage? What
are four factors that are essential to marriage as God intended it to be?
Related Message
For more on this portion of Scripture read the message:
The Making of Woman
or listen to the audio by clicking:
Listen to Ray
Previous
Devotions for April
Next
Want to Subscribe?
Subscribe / Unsubscribe to this Daily Devotion by Email
Copyright C 2014 Ray Stedman Ministries - This daily devotion is from the
book The Power of His Presence: a year of devotions from the writings of Ray
Stedman, compiled by Mark Mitchell. It may be copied for personal
non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must
contain this copyright notice and a hyperlink to RayStedman.org if the copy
is posted on the Internet.
Victoria E Gilkerson
