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Genesis 2:15–25
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Gen. 2:24).
Repeatedly throughout the Creation account in Genesis 1, God looks over His handiwork and, we are told, sees that it is good. And at the end of His work, He sees that it is all very good. Not until chapter 2 does God pass a different judgment: “ ‘It is not good that man should be alone.’ ” Though the earth is populated with all species of animals, Adam is the only human being in existence. He is alone—one of the most distressing states that human beings experience. Yes, we sometimes seek solitude, but usually only for short periods of time. On the other hand, when we want to punish criminals, we consign them to “solitary confinement.” Adam is, as it were, in solitary confinement. And so God moves to fill the void by making for Adam “ ‘a helper comparable to [or “suitable for”] him.’ ”
What is the nature of this comparability or suitability? Hearing the word “comparable,” we might think that God intends to make another man as a companion for Adam. But instead, He makes a woman, a human being who, like Adam, is formed in the image of God, and yet is profoundly different from him. But despite the differences, she is also profoundly “suitable” for him, and he for her. After God makes her and brings her to Adam, he rejoices, saying, “ ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.’ ”
That brings us to verse 24 of chapter 2, which begins with the word therefore, indicating a conclusion. Moses is saying that, because of what God has done in forming man and woman, here is what follows: “a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This is the conclusion of the creation of man as male and female, the conclusion of the provision of suitable helpmates—and the formal institution of marriage for the entire race. Under this ordinary state of affairs, the man leaves his parents and “cleaves” to his wife, and they become “one flesh.” Moses is not saying that the two become one person; the man and the woman do not lose their personalities or their sexual identities when they marry, but they remain individuals. They form a duality—a dual dimension that comes together in a unity of relationship.
There is much more to be said about the “one flesh” aspect of marriage, so we will continue on this topic in our next study.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
There are indeed profound differences between men and women, showing up in the physical, emotional, psychological, social, and other aspects of the male and female personalities. Do these differences frustrate you or delight you? We should say, as do the French, “Vive la difference!”as we enjoy the opposite sex formed by our Creator.
For Further Study
- Proverbs 5:18
- Ecclesiastes 9:9
- Jeremiah 16:9