Genesis 2:4-25 My Spouse, God's Gift

Genesis is a book of beginnings. It records all kinds of firsts including: the first act of worship, the first murder, the first day, the first birth, the first sin, and many others.

Chapter 2 tells us in particular about the first man and woman and how they got here. We read in verse 2:7 that God formed man out of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. That man became the first living being.

Evolution tells us that man evolved from animals. Genesis tells us that man was uniquely created by God. In fact, man was the first living being. Although animals were already created, man was something different. He was a being.

In verses 10-17 we learn that God created a beautiful garden called Eden and placed the man in it.

Then the Lord says: “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him” (2:18).

In 2:19-20 God creates the animals and birds. He parades them before Adam who names them all. The conclusion appears at the end of verse 20, "For Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him."

None of the animals could fit this need. They were not suitable.

Have you ever heard someone say “I would rather live with a dog than with my spouse.” Think about that statement in light of this verse.

No spouse is perfect. We all make mistakes. Some spouses turn so far from the Lord that they abuse their spouse or family members. I suppose that a person in that setting may rather live alone with a lap dog who won’t argue, won’t use foul language, won’t abuse anyone and is generally eager to show affection.

Think again about what God says. He created Eve to be a helper for Adam. No other helper was suitable.

When I married my wife, I believed that she was a gift from God especially for me. She continues to love me when others disappoint. She has move with me from place to place, leaving her family behind. She has prayed for me and encouraged me in times of difficulty. She has cared for me when I am sick.

God knows that animals cannot meet these needs. He has given us our spouses for this purpose.

Let’s consider how great a gift we have been given. What can we do today to encourage our spouses? What can we do to help them? If we ask God to show us answers to these questions, He will do it.

The Lord created Eve and brought her to Adam. At that moment he experienced a great blessing from God.

He realized that she was indeed part of him; she was made of his bone and flesh. Notice that she was not taken from animal bone or flesh. She came from the man.

Verse 24 is a key verse that we must follow if we wish to avoid hardship and great difficulty in our lives:

“For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.”

Two great issues plague or contemporary problems. First, There are families in which one of the spouses does not leave their family to cleave to the spouse. Leaving father and mother does not mean that a child should no longer have any relationship with parents. However, it does mean that the child should look to the spouse as the primary relationship rather than to the parents.

Many marriages fail on account of one of the spouses not taking this passage to heart.

Second, the two become one flesh. When two people are one flesh there is no basis for a person to jeopardize this oneness by forming improper relationships with others.

We can easily understand this second issue when we think of it in terms of Adam. He was to cling to Eve and be one with her. Years later, as the earth began to be populated, it would have been wrong for him to flirt with another woman and form a relationship with her. After all, God had found him the suitable helper.

That all makes sense. Yet when we think of our own situation we may not find it so easy to apply, but we must. We need to believe that our mate is the helper God wants us to have. We are one. There is no room for a third person.

Our literature, music, movies and television programs all attempt to shred this passage. They often belittle those who want to remain true to each other. Adultery is portrayed as acceptable and fun.

For example, television programs such a Desparate Housewives focus on rejecting the truth of Genesis 2:24. The characters seek to cleave to people who are not their spouses. They fail to recognize or care about their oneness with the person they have married.

The Neilsen Media Research Top 20 for the week of Jan 2-8 ranked Desparate Housewives as the 4th most watched program. 16,000,000 households watched it. Only CSI and Rose Bowl programming ranked higher.

Don’t be fooled. Adultery is not acceptable. It puts us on a road leading to great heartache. It breaks up families and discourages children who suffer in its wake.

If our marriages are no’t as wonderful as we would like, we will not improve them by committing adultery and piling on more problems. Instead, we must take steps to improve our relationships.

First, we should pray. God knows all about our situation and is ready to help us. Second, we should talk to our spouses and tell them of our love for them. We should express our desire to remain committed to each other. We should pray together. We should remember that godly pastors and friends are available to help.

As face life's adventures, joys and sorrows together we must remember that God has given us our spouses for a reason. We should view them as magnificent treasures and special gifts from God.