Saturday 4th February
Read Genesis 2:21-25
“So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
23 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.’
24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
25 Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
The common ‘blood and bone’ of male and female (v23) makes them perfectly suited for marriage and the grounds for that institution are found in the second chapter of Scripture. These verses form the basis of teaching on marriage through both Old and New covenants. The steps are clear – leave your family and cleave to your wife. Both of which, if not done properly, result in problems in the marriage. Failure to separate from family or failure to re-unite as male and female often results in breakdown and divorce.
Jesus draws on these verses when challenged by the Pharisees concerning the right to divorce. They considered it lawful because Moses provided a concession. Jesus however goes further back. He notes that “‘It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,’ Jesus replied. 6 ‘But at the beginning of creation God “made them male and female”.7 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,8 and the two will become one flesh.” So they are no longer two, but one flesh.9 Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.’” (Mark 10:5-9) (NIVUK).
The human tendency to find loop-holes and justifications and exceptions is ancient indeed. It is sobering to think just how counter-cultural Jesus’ simple description of the way things should be is. It was counter-cultural when He walked in Jerusalem and it is just as counter-cultural today. A healthy marriage is increasingly rare – pray for those people you know who are struggling to ‘leave’ or ‘cleave’.
Praise Him that He is faithful to us in all things, willing and able to meet the standard He expects – the perfect groom.
