Institution of Marriage

God created the woman from one of the man’s ribs, specifically to be his helpmeet, the one specifically designed to meet man’s emotional  and social needs, as well as enabling him to reproduce.  Adam describes the result in Genesis 2:23-25.  “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.  Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.  And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” 

The woman was literally of the same flesh and bone as the man.  She was to be called a female person, a woman.  She was equal to the man, but made slightly different to enable her to more easily do things the man might struggle with, while he could more easily do things that might be difficult for her.  Both are essential for the continued existence of humans.    

When they reached maturity, the man was to join to his wife, and leave their parents to form their own home.  They were to become emotionally one flesh, while their children were literally one flesh, being a genetic combination of both, and inheriting traits from both.   This bonding or joining is not the result of a legal or cultural ceremony but of God’s action,  according to Matthew 19:5-6.  Jesus said,”… For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?  Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”   Corinthians 6:16 makes it clear the bonding takes place as a result of the sex act, whether there is a legal ceremony or not.  “What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.” 

God clearly recognizes the marriage whether there is a formal wedding or not, as Genesis 24:67 demonstrates.  “And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.”  In the Old Testament, when there was no formal declaration of marriage, the woman was sometimes referred to as a concubine, but scriptures still describe the man as her husband, as we see in Judges 19:2-4.  “And his concubine played the whore against him, and went away from him unto her father's house to Bethlehemjudah, and was there four whole months.  And her husband arose, and went after her, to speak friendly unto her, and to bring her again, having his servant with him, and a couple of asses: and she brought him into her father's house: and when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him.  And his father in law, the damsel's father, retained him…”  Since God causes the bonding through the sexual act, adultery and sexual promiscuity are a rejection of God’s plan and working, as are homosexuality, lesbianism, and divorce.      

“And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.  Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.  And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.” (Genesis 1:31-2:3)

On seventh day, or Saturday, God took the day to enjoy what he had accomplished, setting the day apart as a day of rest to celebrate God’s blessings.  In Mark 2:27, Jesus said, “The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.”  Contrary to what many believe, people need time off to recuperate and refresh their minds, and God took that into account.  Celebration of the Sabbath was not to be a ritual but an expression of thankfulness.  In the Old Testament, the Jews celebrated the Sabath or Saturday as the day God finished creation.  In the New Testament, the Christians celebrated Sunday as the day the Lord was resurrected, completing their salvation, as we see in Acts 20:7.  “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them…”  I Corinthians 16:2 indicates the same thing.  “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him…”  The date is less important than the attitude of appreciation.