For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

                                                                                                                 Genesis 2:24-25 

We have already seen that everything God has created was declared, “good.” We have also seen that mankind is made in the image of God therefore all human life has intrinsic value. Today’s passage takes us into the thoughts of God on relationships and marriage.

God made a remarkable statement during creation when He said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” Because God is relational, He knew that mankind also needed to be relational. So God decided to make a suitable partner for the man. This woman would not be made from the dust of the earth such as Adam was made rather this creature would be made from the man. This was and is God’s design for the marriage relationship. A husband and a wife, united for life, acting as a partner, confidant, and encourager for one another.

Before the first children would be brought into the world, God says something quite amazing, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.” Before there were even families, God set into motion what was to be the pattern for the family unit. A man was to leave his own parents and be united to his wife. This union would then create a new family unit in which children could be born. Then as those children grew into adulthood, the process would be repeated. This is God’s will for the family unit. Jesus also taught on this subject, referencing God’s original statements made in Genesis. Consider His words on the marriage being a lifetime commitment:

Some Pharisees came to Jesus, testing Him and asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?” And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”

                                                                                                               Matthew 19:3-6 

Divorce runs contrary to the will of God. We should not think of God’s design for marriage as restrictive rather it is a safeguard and protection against unnecessary sorrow. Whenever a marriage is torn apart, pieces of each person are also damaged. If there are children involved, they too can undergo emotional and spiritual hurt as well. But with God there is always redemption and blessings for those who will admit their failings, move from the past, accepting God’s forgiveness, and giving Him the future. But divorce is not the only thing that can derail a marriage. When there is an unwillingness on the part of one or both parties to accept their role in the marriage, there can be unnecessary conflict. Consider Paul’s words on the subject:

Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.

                                                                                                       Ephesians 5:22-24 

In an age in which submission is perceived as a weakness, this instruction of God for wives is often rejected and replaced with a more palatable view. But God is telling us that wives, as equal partners in the marriage, are to recognize that the responsibility for the spiritual direction of the family remains with the husband. It is his responsibility to see that God is priority one in the marriage and in the household. And if there are children, he is to see that they are raised and instructed in the ways of God. And perhaps most importantly, this submission to the husband is not a blind submission. The husband also has responsibilities to his wife. Consider the following: 

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.

                                                                                                            Ephesians 5:25-31 

A godly husband who loves his wife with a sacrificial love gains the respect and love that God intends. It is a two way street. The husband must exemplify what it means to be a godly husband in order for him to have any expectation of his wife honoring and respecting him. So as the two are continually looking for ways to encourage and edify each other, the marriage works. But once one or both parties decides to be selfish, demanding that their needs be met to the exclusion of their partner, conflict arises. 

For the first man and woman, there was a perfect union and there was absolutely no shame. This is how it ought to be. But when we stray from God’s design for the family, we bring upon ourselves grief, strife, and sorrow that He never intended for us to bear.