Two Become One

Genesis 2:23-24 “At last!” the man (Adam) exclaimed. “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’” This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.

Today marks the thirty-fourth anniversary of the marriage between a tall, skinny twenty year old and his beautiful nineteen year old sweetheart back in 1977. It’s sad to think about the divorce rate, the numbers of couples living together in sin, and the redefining of family in America today, which miss out on the blessings of God, who created marriage and the family. I once coached a girl’s softball team and one of the young ladies asked me how long I was married. When I told her, she called me a liar, because she thought that nobody stayed married that long. I mentioned my anniversary online a couple years ago and receive a reply from another young lady that I correspond with, who stated that she hoped that her marriage would last that long. I will never forget these replies, because they broke my heart to realize that marriage was no longer thought of as being “till death do us part” for many girls ... boys. Where is God in this picture? Missing.

Matthew 19:7-8 They said to him, "Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?" He said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.

I’ve heard on Christian radio, that the term in Genesis 2:23 of “the two are united into one” is the image of two pieces of wood being glued together, where the bond is stronger than the actual natural material, and pulling the two apart would break, splinter and permanently damage the boards. If you know my story, I actually became a Christian after I was married, because of my wife. My example was my parents, until I learned of God’s will and plan for marriage and the family. What’s the secret? Marriage is in three directions, as a triangle, between husband, wife, and God. The Bible (the Holy Word of God), along with the Holy Spirit, gives direction in the Lord’s will for our lives, our spouse and our family. To love our spouse is to be a unit, united as one, so to hurt them is to hurt yourself. As much as I do not desire to bring harm to myself, I equally never desire to bring harm to my wife. Sure, we are individuals that God created uniquely different, but divorce is just not an option … it never crosses our mind. Imagine that … till death do us part. Happy Anniversary Sweetheart! I am truly blessed.

Ephesians 5:25-30 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body.

In Christ, Brian