The First Marriage

Gen 2:18  Then the LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him." Gen 2:19  Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. Gen 2:20  The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.

We have in Gen. 2 a closer look at the creation of man on day six of the creation week.  God has already made the animals and sexual counterparts for each one but here we see that when Adam was formed from the ground he did not wake up and find a woman lying next to him.  In fact, this whole section makes it crystal clear that man is not another animal and that his sexuality and relationship with his mate is on a completely higher level than that of the animals.

It might look like verses 19-20 are out of place but actually this is integral to the whole section.  It is interesting that in the context of Adam needing a companion that he is prepared for this by naming the animals.  What the Lord is doing is teaching Adam to appreciate his wife, to see her as a wonderful gift from God.  Clearly God took an interest in Adam naming the animals and it wasn’t just a matter of him arbitrarily naming them.  There was a point in all this.  Adam was being asked to study the animals as they went by, noting their differences, similarities, nature and relationships and name them accordingly.  I spent many enjoyable hours with my dog, playing, hunting and sharing affection, but the fellowship never rose above that of a dog; we never talked; well, I did but he just looked at me. We learn at the conclusion of this exercise that Adam could not find a suitable companion for himself.  He is left wondering where is his counterpart; his completion.

Obviously, the reason was that while animals had bodies with many similarities, they did not possess the soul and spirit that Adam did; they were not created in the image of God.  This is what Adam realizes after he studies the animals, he needed someone like himself.  Here is yet another proof to discredit evolution.  We acknowledge similarities with other species on earth, but none were found like Adam.  Certainly he could not have recently evolved from them or his body and mind would be essentially that of the ape or whatever humanoid he would have evolved from.  His parents and siblings and others would have been present and it would seem strange that he couldn’t find much in common with them.  But that he didn’t makes it clear that Adam was no evolutionists. After he examined the animals; he knows he did not arise from any of these animals.  He realizes that he was of a vastly different sort; at this time he was the only human on earth.  There is sadness in Adam here as he realizes for the first time that he is alone on the earth.

Why didn’t God make Adam and Eve at the same time?  To emphasize the importance and uniqueness of this relationship.  We don’t just hook up with whoever is interesting and convenient like the animals do.  God teaches us that we complement each other and are built especially suited to fulfill each other’s needs.  So the Lord brings her to Adam and her alone and her for the rest of his life.  He joins them in marriage; they aren’t left to hook up like animals.

Gen 2:23  Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." Gen 2:24  Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. Gen 2:25  And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.  

Like I said earlier God didn’t make Adam and Eve at the same time so they would just go at it like all the animals.  The Lord brings her to him and has a little ceremony if you will.  He explains some things to them.  Yes, here is a gift for you; this beautiful woman is for you for fulfillment and companionship but there are some rules.  You are not animals but your relationship with each other carries some responsibilities and if you aren’t ready for them then don’t ruin someone’s life by marrying them.  Verse 23 reveals that when Adam sees her he doesn’t just coldly name her woman.  One literal translations put is like this, "At last! This is bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh.”   They say that in the Hebrew it has the idea of finally; this is what I have been looking for!  So what does he do?  He finishes his work of naming everything by giving her a name as well. 

Both together are man.  Adam upon seeing her breaks out in celebration of their essential similarity and union.  Here is the Lord our Creator establishing the institution of marriage, one man, and one woman together for life; because she completes man.  They were made to complement each other.  All we have to do is look at ourselves to see that a man was not made to be with another man and the same for women both physically and emotionally.  

When people are ignorant or reject the first three chapters of Genesis, they are ignorant or reject who they are.  They have no idea where they came from, how they are to live or where they are headed but from the earliest chapters of the Bible these things are carefully and systematically laid out for us so that no one will have an excuse for not using their sexuality properly or anything else in life for that matter.