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An Exposition of Genesis 2:24


An Exposition of Genesis 2:24

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

Lots can be said about this wonderful verse. In it, we see the actions of God who created the wonderful gift of marriage. Thanks to God, we humans are capable of creating many things but to conceive of something as powerful as marriage is probably beyond us. Through His creative works, God has demonstrated his goodness and awesomeness.

But if we stop there then we will never perceive God’s full goodness and awesomeness.  God’s goodness and awesomeness is not restricted only to His creative works. This verse is ultimately a command, and like all commands we find in the Bible, the one who never fails at obeying them is Christ alone.

In the first part of this verse we see that it is decreed that a man shall leave his father and mother. Of this Christ Jesus did perfectly and in doing so, he demonstrated his condescension to us though we are unworthy and undeserving. For God had ordained that the church should be His Bride and He left the glory that He had with his Father, even before the foundation of world, to rescue His Bride. By leaving His Father, He traded the company and fellowship of his Father for the fellowship of tax collectors and sinners. This he obeyed perfectly by leaving his father.

In the second part, we are told that the husband is to hold fast to his wife. This Christ did perfectly, holding her bride even though she was adulterous to Him. Alas, as his imperfect bride we have wandered after the cares of this world, finding a sense of worth and pleasure in material things. But Christ had held fast to us. Even when threatened with the impending and undeserving punishment of the Cross, he held fast so that His Bride may be reconciled to him.

“They shall become one flesh”. Our sinfulness dictates that we really deserve nothing but God’s full-blooded wrath but as things would have it, Christ unites us with himself through his work on the cross. One flesh with Christ. This thought truly is comforting. We are tempted to think that our experiences of tribulation, distress, persecution and other experiences of suffering has meant that Christ has left us, but He has not. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?” (Romans 8:35). No, those who belong to Him are one flesh with Him.

Our divorce rates continue to be discouraging but it is worth remembering Christ would never entertain that idea. “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Mark 10:9). Christ understands this idea so much better than we do. God has joined his Bride to him. Let us find encouragement in this. If we understand all these things then we will have a semblance of the Apostle Paul’s mind when he said:

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. (Ephesians 5:31 -32)

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