5. Understanding Genesis 2: Marriage

 

Genesis 2 has great beauty to the chapter, but the main focus is on us as humans. I wish to direct our attention to the first two humans, Adam and Eve. There is great importance in their relationship and in our every day life this is called marriage.

 

With this new day and age, divorces are at an ultimate high. Most people I know who are in my age group (25 years old) have their parents divorced or close to it. I find this to be extremely unsettling and it made me question the value of relationships and what can change so that love is eternal just as our God’s love is eternal for us. To attain this eternal love we must follow natural law and begin with a man and a woman.


Firstly I wish to direct our attention to man since we were created first. We must look at the words of Adam in Genesis 2 to see how he speaks of Eve, his wife. He says “bones of my bones and flesh of my flesh...” He speaks of her as one with him because she was one with him. She was taken from the literal flesh and bone of Adam. It is important to note, fellow men, that when you are addressing a woman who is
a potential wife, that you do not view her as someone outside and separate from you, but someone who is your very essence. Someone who is not attached to you, but someone who is you. With that knowledge in mind, I don’t think you men would treat yourself in such negative and abusive ways, but would treat yourself with dignity and respect and give yourself anything that you desire to make you happy. If you treat your wife as yourself, not only do you give yourself these things, but you have a duty to give her those things as well. As Adam also says about marriage “man shall leave father and mother and cling to his wife.” The only reason we exist in this life is because of God above all, but also because our parents have given up themselves to create us. We had no say in our creation, but we were created out of love from God and our parents. What I am getting at here is that by leaving father and mother as Adam says, we give up everything we are to be one with this woman. So men who wish to get married, you must be prepared to leave everything you have to become one with your wife.

 

Now I wish to direct our attention to women. Let us first refer to the position of woman according to God not man. God says “It is not good for man to be alone. Let us make him a help like unto himself.” So women, know that you are a man’s helper, but also exactly like him. You are no less and no more but God expects you to assist the man who has given up everything out of want to cleave to you. If a man is willing to give up everything he has for you, I don’t see why you could not even accept to be his helper. He is coming to you with absolutely nothing, so is it that hard and gruelling to just accept the perfect love he wants to give you and lend him a hand? Women, you play a huge role in creation by being the mother of all children and God expects greatness from all of you so it is your responsibility to be humble and serve men and God as men serve you and God. Do not complain about equality because men and women are equal since we have the same breath of God, the same dominion, the same knowledge and word and the same subjection to each other and God almighty.

 

By being subject to God above all else, it is your duty, as one person, man and woman, to do what is right in the name of the Lord. God is entrusting you to be a perfect human in perfect unity with each other and not as separate distinct people. Man, if your woman is unhappy and needs assistance, it is up to you to provide her with that as you would yourself. Woman, if your man has given up everything for you and loses even more, it is up to you to be his helper and provide him with the strength and material goods so he can continue giving you perfect unconditional love. Marriage is truly a beautiful thing and it’s terribly sad to see such a glorious sacrament to go to waste. Men, women, love each other as yourselves and love God above all else as one with each other and one with Him.

 

Thanks be to God,

 

Amen.