“Make and Female He Made Them”
The Bible tells us that after God created Adam, the first human, He gave Adam an assignment. He was to give all the animals a name. God brought the animals to Adam, and Adam gave them their names by which they would be called.
The reason God gave Adam this task was so that Adam would make a couple of discoveries . After all the animals had paraded past him Adam realized a couple of things. First, all the animals had a counterpart. The bull had the cow and the stallion had a mare, and the rooster had the hen. Only he, had no counterpart. There was nothing like him. Second, Adam learned that he was alone. One of a kind, different, distinct, unique. Adam was very different from all the rest of the creation, and there was nothing with whom he could join and unite. He was without a companion. He had no one to relate to, no one to embrace or who would understand him or with whom he could love and from whom he could receive love. Adam realized a profound truth, I am one of a kind. I am alone.
When Adam made this discovery, then God put him to sleep and while he slept God took one of Adam’s ribs, and with it he fashioned a counterpart, someone like him . God then presented this new creature to Adam, who exclaimed, ” (WOW) I will call her woman because she came from me, she is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh.”
WOW!! Not only is she like me, she is from me, we are one. That is the discovery every man needs to have as he looks upon his wife. She is of me. There is oneness with husband and wife. That oneness is reflected in that these two when physically joined together in sexual intimacy created a living being. They have become one.
This oneness is so real the apostle adds, that because of their oneness a husband embraces his wife as one would embrace himself, and ” no man hates his own flesh, but loves her as he loves himself.
Marriage is such a beautiful mystery, that it is inconceivable that a man would hurt or harm his wife. We don’t inflict suffering, hurt or harm on ourselves. Someone who hurts himself is sick. To the contrary a husband honors, provides, protects his wife as he would his own body. Every man clothes himself, feeds, cleanses, and nourishes his well-being, even so, that is how a man is to treat a woman. The Bible’s view of a woman is high and greatly honored. She is to be a treasure, respected, and admired. There is no room for abuse of any kind, physical, mental, psychological, or sexual, for she shares the image of the Creator, and is one with man, bone of bone, and flesh of his flesh. So highly treasured is a wife that scripture says, ” the husband is to love his wife like Christ loves the church, even giving up his life for her.”. That is God’s design for a marriage relationship.
We protect and cherish , love, honor, and encourage women in their uniqueness as our counterpart and God’s treasured gift. A woman is not a man’s possession or his servant. She is not his object to use or set aside at will. She is not his slave or toy. She is neither superior nor inferior, she is God’s provision displaying God’s good design for meaningful life. Together they share God’s image and share in God’s purpose . We work and live together encouraging, enabling, supporting, challenging each other giving glory to God. Thanks for listening.
