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18 Then the Lord God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner." 19 So out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper as his partner. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman, for out of Man this one was taken." 24 Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh. (Genesis 2:18-24 New Revised Standard Version)
A blessed and joyous Wednesday to you, ConCafe Family. Friend, you could be the key in someone's life to unlock a new way of living; the way of Jesus Christ! God can and will use you! Please continue in prayer for Allison Davis and her stay in the hospital in San Antonio. Also, prayers for the wife of a dear colleague in a matter that she and God know that needs our special prayers. Pray for one another, and pray for your needs.
A comedian was just explaining this very passage in an interesting way on a Youtube video. He said that the rib God removed from the man was the one men used to use to read minds. He also said that God was showing the angels from Heaven what He had just created. "It's called marriage and I've taken two distinctly different creatures with different viewpoints and outlooks, and I'm making them live together for the rest of their lives!" And God laughs.
This is a masterful design by the Master Designer. God creates the crown of creation, the first human and then declares that it would be best if the man should not be alone. And in what some scholars call God's sense of humor, he forms all the animals, birds, and every living creature to serve as those who might keep man company to prevent said loneliness from being an issue for the man. This does become truly humorous when you consider the animals that God presents to the man so that he could name them, and to analyze whether they might be a companion for him. "Man, meet this creature; what will you call it?" Man: Monkey! "Do you like it?" Man: I dunno. He is funny looking. (Man is brand new and has not yet discovered grammar) Well, you get the idea and maybe laughed along with the thought of nothing to match what God had in mind for the man.
When the humor was over, God realized that there was nothing found to be the helper/companion/helpmeet for the man. And God causes a deep sleep to fall upon the man and as the man slept God takes a rib from the man, and closes the flesh. And God takes the rib and from it forms the creature God wanted for the man. The completed creation was the woman and God presents her to the man. The man gets very poetic when he says, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be Woman, for out of Man this one was taken." Interesting that the Hebrew word for man is "ish," and the word for woman is "ishshah." And the poetic leads to the scritpure Jesus quoted in the gospel passage, "Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh." This is the Christian foundation statement for the classic understanding of marriage. A man and a woman marry and the two become one flesh. This is Bible math, one plus one is one. And actually, the reality is the one plus one plus God equals one. A marriage built on God and who lives (abides) in God is one that will survive. The modern marriage ceremony reflects centuries of statements of truth and reallity of what may come into and at people who are married. Read part of the introduction read at most United Methodist weddings:
The covenant of marriage was established by God, who created us male and female for each other. With His presence and power Jesus graced a wedding at Cana of Galilee, and in His sacrificial love gave us the example for the love of husband and wife. Name and Name come to give themselves to one another in this holy covenant.
Re-read that part and what do you see or hear? The credit for the foundation of marriage is set squarely on God. It stresses the creation of male and female "for each other." And it cites Jesus' presence at the famous wedding in the Gospel of John, chapter 2, meaning marriage was important to Jesus otherwise why would He have attended? Why would He perform the first of all his miracles at a wedding if it were not important? And the entire life of our Savior was one of many sacrifices, including the ultimate sacrifice of His dying on the cross. It served as an example of the most wonderful type of love. And in marriage, the bride and groom give themselves to each other in what is called the "holy covenant," meaning it was a sacred contract with God as party of the first part, and the bride and groom as the parties of the second and third part. Jesus knew that a covenant made with God as one of the major parties is not meant to be broken. Can we begin to understand Jesus' anger at the Pharisee's question and their reliance on Moses' decree?
The marriage ceremony also asks:
Name, will you have Name to be your husband/wife, to live together in holy marriage? Will you love him/her, comfort him/her, honor and keep him/her, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him/her as long as you both shall live?
and
In the name of God, I, Name, take you, Name, to be my wife/husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow.
The above vow covers most of what a normal marriage will encounter during the course of a lifetime. The vow also involves some actions that require action from the couple; "to have," "to hold," "for better, for worse," "for richer, for poorer," "in sickness and in health," "to love and to cherish," and "until we are parted by death." Have and hold implies not only the physical, but the emotional, the romantic, and the spiritual. the others cover the phases that may come to each couple, and the desired end in which only death can "part" a couple. This is very serious stuff, meant to be taken seriously, and obeyed until death does come.
Dear friends, this devotional could be one of the longest I have ever written, but it provides the background needed for our understanding of Jesus' actions and words when He was presented with the question by the Pharisees on the seriousness of marriage.
PRAYER: Loving Father, our Creator and the Creator of marriage, bless this dear reader with whatever is on his/her mind and heart. I pray for the marriages of all who read this; make them stronger, make them positive examples for others. Bless and strengthen all marriages; provide direction to those lost, and we pray an extra blessing on the children of all marriages. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Shine in your situation a light of love and peace!
Receive my blessings of love and joy,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
