Marriage Relationship

As part of the “Household of God” series; this Bible study briefly looks at the original marriage of Adam and Eve and pulls a few practical principles we can apply to our most important relationships.

Genesis 2:18-25 New Living Translation (NLT)

¹⁸ 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.” ¹⁹ 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^[a] to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one. ²⁰ 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.

²¹ 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^[b] and closed up the opening. ²² Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man.

²³ “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.’”

²⁴ This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.

²⁵ Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame.

In Earth’s creation events; marriage was the first human institution God created. Up until Eve was created; Adam was the only human alive and this caused God to reflect for the first time that something wasn’t good about an otherwise perfect created order. (Gen 2:18) Man ultimately needed a companion. Even a pure relationship with his loving Creator, a majestic home in Eden, lots of nutritious food to eat, fulfilling work to do and animals to rule over; did not meet Adam’s desire for an intimate companion. Adam needed someone to share his life with and someone who would share in the joy of ruling over God’s creation with him. The innate need for intimacy in Adam’s heart caused our loving God to grant to humankind the institution of marriage. The first marriage (Before original sin) demonstrated a perfectly innocent union between Adam (The first Husband) and Eve. (The first Wife) Their union was one of cherished loving tenderness (Gen 2:23) and intimate oneness. (Gen 2:25)

Principles to live by:

1)    God is near to the broken hearted and is willing and able to interject. In verse 18; God noticed Adam was struggling with loneliness and did something about the situation. Although we should not expect a creative miracle; scripture is clear that God cares for our needs. 1 Peter 5:7 says:

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. Whether or not we are married; we should tell God our troubles and expect to receive some relief.

2)    Adam cherished His wife (Gen 2:23) and He expressed his fulfillment about his mate. How often do we grow indifferent to the familiar and forget to express delight in our spouse, our children, or other intimate relationships. Take a moment to express gratitude and delight for the people God has placed in your life.

3)    Their marriage was one of transparent openness. Verse 25 says they were both naked and unashamed. Their relationship was one perfect acceptance, support, honest and open communication, and intimate companionship. Often we fail to express ourselves openly to our mates for fear of rejection or reprove. We hide what’s going on inside and we miss the blessing of the companionship and understanding God meant for us to enjoy within our human relationships. Let’s do more to cultivate openness and acceptance towards our intimate relationships.