The First Marriage

Adam had just been given a pretty big task by God—he was to name every living creature in the world as they were paraded before him. God had recently created the heavens and the earth, the sea and dry land, and the atmosphere that could support life. Then God created plants and animals, followed by the ultimate expression of His creative genius: human life. The man’s job was to tend the garden in which God had placed him. Everything was perfect, or at least almost perfect. As God looked at what He had made at different intervals during creation and pronounced each part “good.” But in Genesis 2:18 He found something that was not good. He said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” As Adam watched the animals file by, I wonder what he thought. Was he feeling a tinge of loneliness in spite of the utter perfection of his surroundings? Was he looking at the rest of creation and wondering where he would find companionship? I’m not sure, but I do know that God was concerned enough about the problem that He “caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, He took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib He had taken out of the man.” God met the deepest need of the man’s heart by creating a person to complement him physically and emotionally. Adam’s expression of delight in the next verse lets us know that he was happy with this new development. As the woman was brought before Adam, he realized that she was intended to occupy a position in his life that no other creature ever could. The very first marriage took place when God pronounced, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” God designed this union to meet a desperate need within His creation. Not only that, He established an institution that would become the cornerstone of society from that point forward. To say that marriage is important to God is to vastly understate how He feels about it. To any casual observer it should be obvious that marriage has fallen on hard times. Marriages are disintegrating at an alarming rate and families are crumbling just as fast. The reasons for this problem are very complex, but I believe that one of the primary callings of the church is to confront the demons that seek to destroy marriages, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have the responsibility as Christians to (1) teach what the Bible says about marital relationships, (2) challenge couples to recognize the Lordship of Jesus over their homes, and (3) pray for the marriages and families in the church. On February 8 we will turn our attention to strengthening the homes represented within our body by taking people through a “tune-up.” Just as automobiles need periodic maintenance, so do marriages. We’ll have two people that I admire and respect, Jim and Trudy Griffin, with us to teach, exhort, and encourage us. I truly hope that you will make this event a priority in your life. – Pastor Steve