Marriage Is A Divine Creation To Express Love

By Garry Brantley

Human beings have an innate desire to connect and to experience dynamic relationships with one another. And, the deepest, most intimate relationship exists in the marital bond between husband and wife. What is the source of this human longing?

Genesis 2 gives a more detailed description of the creation of human beings. The Creator expressed dissatisfaction with the aloneness of the man. The Creator caused a deep sleep to fall on him. Taking a "rib," or perhaps better, "scooping flesh and bones from his side," God makes (Heb. banah) woman. This unusual word in the creation narrative literally means "to build." God uses the very substance of the man and "builds" it, forms it and molds it into the woman. The word suggests a delicate process in which God carefully, artfully constructs the woman.

The divine commentary on this human connection was: "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh" (Genesis 2:24). This gives a theological basis for the ubiquitous longing for male/female relationship. It's as if God "split" the singular human into male and female, and there is, therefore, a primal yearning to reconnect physically, spiritually and emotionally.

Some Implications

Some helpful implications for marital relationships emerge from this biblical description of human creation.

  · The well-documented distinctions between women and men are divine in nature.

  · Both women and men share equally in the image of God, but it is reflected in unique ways. Recognizing this helps us appreciate, rather than resist, these differences.

  · As bearers of God's image, both husband and wife mediate into the other an important aspect of God's nature.

  · In marriage, husband and wife have the opportunity to experience God uniquely through his or her spouse.

  · In its most beautiful sense, connecting to one another facilitates a connection to the Creator.

  · The source of authentic love is God, not humans. Rather than attempting "to find love in one's own heart" for the other, the biblical image is to allow God to pour through the husband His love for the wife, and vice versa.

   · As both husband and wife express and experience God's infinite love-they begin to experience marriage as a "sacred dance."

___________________________________________________

God bless your family and your marriage.