FULLY FASHIONED

“Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man – Genesis 2:22

Man was not only fully formed, he was FULLY FASHIONED to enjoy Maximised Marriage: “And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man” (Gen.2:23). Throughout Genesis 1, God surveyed His work and pronounced it good or very good (1:10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). Genesis 2:18 then hits abruptly: “GOD said, “It’s NOT GOOD for the man to be alone; I’ll make him a helper, a companion” (MSG)! For the first time God said that something in creation was not good! Here was a sinless man, in perfect fellowship with God, in an ideal environment. What more could man need? Wasn’t that enough? Not according to God! His evaluation was that the man needed a human companion to complement him. God knows our need not only for fellowship with Him, but also with a life partner. Although He has called some to remain single (1 Cor.7:7-9), and marriage will not necessarily meet all human needs, yet one main reason God designed marriage was to meet man’s need for companionship.

Genesis 2 describes the original of marriage, and is the basis for almost everything else the Bible says about marriage. It explains God’s reason for designing marriage, and offers principles which, if applied, will enable us to build marriages which honor Him and bring lasting joy to us. God ‘manufactured’ marriage to meet our need for companionship and to illustrate our relationship with Him. Whereas, Genesis 1 refers to “Elohim”, emphasizing God’s power as creator, Genesis 2 refers to “LORD (Yahweh) God” underlining His covenant relationship with His people (vv.18-22). The caring, personal God understands man’s need for partnership. The God of Fullness then took action to meet the need. He provided the design and details for Maximized Marriage. He knows best how marriage should function. His Word provides vital principles for a fulfilling marriage. We’ll be wise to depend on the Manufacturer’s Manual for Maximized Marriage!

It takes three to make a meaningful marriage: God (the Designer), the man, and the woman. Marriage is like a triangle with God at the top: the nearer each partner is to God, the nearer they are toward each other. The farther each moves from God, the farther they move from each other. As soon as Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they experienced alienation from each other and Adam began to blame Eve (3:7,12). Broken marriages often involve at least one partner moving away from God. So the starting place in having a marriage that aligns with God’s design is genuine conversion and a daily walk with God. God first made Adam feel the need for a wife, which no other creature could satisfy but his woman. In naming the animals, Adam must have discovered that every animal has both male and female, “but for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him” (v.20). Thus, God made for Adam “a helper suitable for him” (2:18).

God made Adam out of the dust (2:7). He fashioned Eve from Adam’s rib (2:21-22). This pictures God as a Sculptor, intricately and intentionally shaping the woman fittingly for Adam. Built by God, Eve was definitely well-built – a real beauty to behold. That she came out of his rib showed Adam that she was a part of him, equal with him, not a lower creation. Eve was not taken from Adam’s head to rule over him, nor from his feet, that he should put her down, but from his side that he would protect her and keep her close to his heart. A man must therefore cherish his wife as his own flesh (Eph.5:28-29). Paul said: “man was not created for woman’s sake, but woman for the man’s sake” (1Cor.11:9). The husband needs and even depends on his wife’s support and help. God fashioned Eve as a fitting helper, to provide supportive role to her husband. Eve complemented to complete Adam. Praise God who fully fashioned and complemented me for a complete and fulfilled life!