Ep. 56 | The Perfect Marriage | Genesis

Listen in as Pastor Eddie Blalock shares today’s daily devotional featuring Genesis 2:18-25. Let’s be Formed by The Word together!

Ready to connect? You can send us a message through our website theorchardcc.org, or email Pastor Eddie Blalock at eddie@theorchardcc.org. You can also follow The Orchard Community Church on Facebook and Instagram to stay connected, and find more content on our YouTube channel.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Every story has a beginning. And if you don't understand the beginning, you'll likely misunderstand everything that follows. Welcome to Formed by the Word. Currently, we're going back to the very beginning as we look together at the first 11 chapters of Genesis. These chapters explain our world, our struggles, and much about ourselves. We'll see beauty and brokenness, purpose and pride, judgment and grace. We'll watch humanity fall and see that God already had a plan to restore his relationship with us. The Bible doesn't start with a problem, it starts with a perfect God, and that changes everything. So, wherever you're listening, whether you're driving, working out, or just scrolling for something meaningful, lean in, open your heart, because the God who spoke in the beginning is still speaking today.

SPEAKER_01 0:56

Last October, Beth and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary. I'm happy to say that today we're more happy and fulfilled in our marriage than at any point previous. We really are enjoying this season of our lives together. Over the years, we've learned a thing or two about marriage. Long ago, someone gave me some good advice. They said, Son, happy wife, happy life. You know what? That's proven to be true. I heard another husband say one time, My wife and I have a perfect marriage. She's perfect, and I'm still under construction. Well, that probably is true in our lives many times also. Well, we all know that marriage isn't effortless. Early in Genesis, we learned that before marriage became complicated, it was perfectly designed. Last time we leaned into Genesis chapter 2, verses 18 through 25, as it had to do with the relationships in general. But in its truest context, the relationships that these verses are talking about is the relationship of marriage. The simple words show us what God intended for marriage from the beginning. So I decided, you know, before we leave these verses, maybe we should look at it from that particular perspective. Marriage hasn't disappeared in the last 50 years, but some things have certainly changed. We've noticed it through our time. Marriage has definitely been somewhat redefined, delayed, and in many ways decentered in contemporary culture. A few major shifts stand out. First of all, for example, marriage seems to have gone from being seen as a covenant to being seen as a contract. Marriage is often evaluated by happiness rather than by faithfulness to each other. Number two, it seems that marriage has become more family-centered or moved from, I'm sorry, family-centered to individual-centered. That is, marriage used to be about building a household, raising children, contributing to a stable society, but today it's really more focused on the individual and what I feel and what I need. Third, marriage has gone from clear roles to negotiated roles. There was a time when expectations in marriage were culturally defined, for better or worse. I know when Beth and I first got married, that was true. But now couples must define everything themselves. Who works? Who leads? How are the responsibilities divided? Now this flexibility can be freeing and a good thing, but it can also create confusion and conflict if not clearly communicated. Fourth, marriage seems to have moved from community supported to privatized. That is, marriage used to be reinforced by family, church, and community expectations, but now it's more isolated, and couples are left to figure it out all on their own. Fifth, marriage seems to have moved from endurance to exit strategy. Divorce is more normalized and less stigmatized than in previous generations, and this has helped people escape harmful situations, which is a good thing, but it's also lowered the threshold of leaving when things get hard. I must add here that not all of this change is negative. Today there seems to be a greater emphasis on love. There seems to be a greater emphasis on friendship between spouses and emotional health. Harmful dynamics that were once tolerated are now challenged, and people are more intentional about who they marry, and these are good things, but clearly some important things have been lost. It seems that today we trade a covenant for convenience, and it's costing us stability in our marriage relationships. Well, today we're again at Genesis chapter two, verses eighteen through twenty five. Let's read it again, and then I'll draw a few observations. Then the Lord God said, It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper corresponding to him. So the Lord caused a deep sleep to come over the man, and he slept, and God took one of the ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. Then the Lord God made the rib he had taken from the man into a woman and brought her to the man. And the man said, This one at last is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. This one will be called woman, for she was taken from the man. This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh, both the man and his wife were naked, yet felt no shame. This paragraph has really become the foundational teaching of our fifty-year marriage. It really has worked for us. It really has taught us about marital relationships. So here are some things that Beth and I have learned about marriage that are foundational truth drawn from this particular verse. I'll give them to you quickly. First, marriage meets the need for companionship. God said it is not good that the man should be alone. Notice this paragraph starts with a statement that something's not good. By the way, I think I mentioned last time, this is the first time that not good appears in the creation. Adam had purpose, and that was good. Adam had provision and that was good. Adam had a paradise, and that was good. But Adam didn't have partnership, and that was not good. Even strong, capable people are not designed to do life alone. Now, marriage is not the only way to enjoy relationships. I understand that, but that's our focus for today. So that's the context in which we're talking. Number two, marriage is a complementary partnership. Verses 18 through 22. The key verse here, the key sentence here is where God says, I will make a helper corresponding to him. Now, here's a very important part of God's design. Marriage is intended to be a partnership. The word helper there indicates a strong and essential supporter, one that is in fact fit for him, that is perfectly corresponding to him. Marriage is not about male superiority or female for that matter. This is not about superiority or inferiority at all. It's about completion. It's about a partnership. Two different people designed to fit together. When talking about the marital relationship, Andy Stanley likes to challenge husbands and wives to try having what he calls a submission competition. I like that. He encourages couples to compete over who can submit and serve the other more, aligning with sacrificial love rather than legalistic control. Long before we ever heard Stanley teach on that, Beth and I really decided that we would have a submission competition. And we followed Andy's advice even before we ever had heard about it. It just made sense to us. And by the way, I believe it's worked very well. I really haven't heard it in some time now, but there's an old adage, maybe you've heard it, that says, God didn't take Eve from Adam's head to rule over him, or from his feet to be beneath him, but from his side to walk beside him. Marriage thrives when differences are seen as strengths, not problems. We would all do well to stop trying to make our spouses like ourselves and start valuing our spouse as one who completes what is lacking in me. Well, third, this scripture teaches us that marriage is meant to be joyfully celebrated. When God presented Eve to Adam, his response is, This one at last is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. Remember, he had had all of the animals marched by him one by one, and none seemed quite right. But when he saw his bride, he said, This is the one. Adam doesn't respond with analysis, he responds with celebration. His response is pure delight, excitement, and gratitude. Marriage should not just be endured, it should be enjoyed. When was the last time you expressed joy in your spouse? Don't let familiarity replace appreciation. A healthy marriage remembers how to celebrate each other. Well, fourth and finally, verse 24 reminds us that marriage requires commitment and priority. Perhaps you've recognized this verse. This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh. So there are three distinct movements here that we see. First, a man leaves his father and mother for a new primary relationship. So there is this leaving portion. Second, it says a man bonds with his wife. Some translations say hold fast, or the old King James Version that so many are familiar with translates that cleaves to his wife. The word actually means to be cemented together in the original language. So the idea is to make a lifelong covenant commitment. And then third, as a result, the two individuals become one flesh. This describes a deep unity, a commonly shared life. It indicates much more than just a casual relationship. Well, let's see if we can't make some application here in the last couple of minutes that we have. There's three things that I draw from experience and this text. Number one, invest in your relationship intentionally. Marriage doesn't drift toward health. It has to be pointed in that direction. Marriage will not just drift to where God intended it to be. You have to point it that direction and then cultivate it regularly. Number two, celebrate, don't just coexist. Look for ways to express appreciation and joy. And number three, protect your unity. Guard your marriage from distraction, division, and neglect. I'm telling you, these foundational thoughts, this foundational verses will rattle your marriage for the good. If you'll cleave to the things that God has taught, you will understand that when marriage gets difficult, you go back to God's design and all works well. Well, the takeaway for today is maybe to remember this. Remember that marriage is not just living side by side, it's moving forward together as one. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for your grace. Thank you for the marriage relationship that you have given to us, your gift to mankind. Now, God, to those of my friends who are married, I pray that they would hear these words, obey these words, and keep these words. Lord, would you just move in our lives in powerful ways today? Amen and amen.

SPEAKER_00 11:19

Thanks for joining us today. We are so glad that you chose to spend a few moments with us in God's Word. If this episode has encouraged you, we ask that you leave us a review or maybe share this episode with a friend. Also, would you consider sending us a note to let us know what God is doing in your life? Pastor Eddie would love to hear from you. You can find this email in the show notes. Until next time, stay in the scriptures, keep following Christ, and allow your life to be formed by the Word.