#DailyDevotion Why Create A Woman From The Man’s Rib?

Genesis 2:21-25 ²¹So the LORD God had the man fall into a deep sleep, and while he was sleeping, He took out one of his ribs and filled up its place with flesh. ²²Out of the rib He had taken from the man the LORD God made a woman and brought her to the man. ²³“Now this is bone from my bones,” the man said, “and flesh from my flesh. She will be called woman because she was taken from man.” ²⁴This is why a man leaves his father and his mother and lives with his wife, and they become one flesh. ²⁵The man and his wife were both naked but weren’t ashamed before each other.

I got to admit, it’s a pretty strange way to make another human being. You take the rib from the one you just made from the dust of the earth and now you fashion a woman out of it. But there is meaning in the madness with the LORD

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Now the LORD is doing this in the first place because it isn’t good for the man to be alone. We already talked about the importance of being in community. But this is a special sort of community. The LORD is making a help-meet, someone to complement the man. He needs someone who is like him but not just like him. This particular sort of community is marriage. We can see what God intends for marriage here, one man and one woman. He doesn’t make multiple wives for Adam or multiple husbands for Eve. The LORD also doesn’t make another Adam for man or another Eve for the woman. This is pretty clear here. There are hims and haws.

Now why the LORD makes the woman from the rib of the man instead of just putting together some more dust and making a woman from that. The man and the woman are to be one. Since Adam and Eve, men and women become one when they marry and then consummate the marriage. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one, three distinct persons, one divine essence, each person totally God. The woman, having been taken from the man, while a distinct person is one flesh with Adam. The LORD makes the woman this way to demonstrate to us that in marriage the husband and wife are one flesh. They become one as the persons of the Trinity are one yet distinct persons.

Because a woman and man become one flesh when they are married the husband leaves his father and mother and live together. They become a separate family unit. I think there is something very important here that if put into practice would heal a number of marriages. Many times when there trouble in a marriage one spouse still hasn’t left their parent(s). They haven’t put their spouse first. They go running to their parents when they are disturbed rather than settling things with their spouses. I’m not saying you can’t ask your parents for advice on how to fix something in a marriage. If your parents are still married, they are probably a good source of advice. But if your parents are your security instead of your spouse you need to change your thinking.

Marriage is also an image of Christ Jesus’ relationship with the Church. He like the husband sacrifices himself for the good of the Church his bride. The Church, and individually her members, submit themselves to Christ and joyfully do so for Christ has our best interest at heart.

Heavenly Father, grant all who enter the estate of marriage may be examples of the oneness of Christ and the Church and the oneness of the Trinity. May those who are called into this estate take joy in their calling and support those who have. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.