by Dennis and Barbara Rainey
February 20
God's Blueprints for Marriage (Part Three) Genesis 2:24,25
For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
The second part of God's plan for marriage involves construction. You may be noticing a parallel to the Christian life in these blueprints for marriage. First, you receive (accept) Christ, then you build a lifetime of obedient discipleship. After receiving your mate as God's gift (weaknesses and all), you build a lifetime of obedience as husband and wife.Genesis 2:24 (above) presents four guidelines for building a strong and godly marriage. These are not multiple choice; all four are required for success.
1. Leave-that is, establish independence from parents or any others who may have reared you. It's amazing how many people have failed to do this. They may look very adult and act very mature and sophisticated, but deep down inside they've never really cut the apron strings.
There is a hidden command in this passage to parents: We should let our children leave. A manipulative parent can undermine a marriage whether it's 10 days or 10 years old. We are to let go of our children and let them go.
2. Cleave-that is, form a permanent bond. To cleave means commitment. When God joins two people together, it is for keeps. As the marriage vows say, "'Til death do us part."
3. Be physically intimate-that is, become one flesh in sexual intercourse. Notice the progression: leave, cleave and then one flesh. Physical intimacy comes after the walls of commitment have totally surrounded and secured the relationship.
4. Become transparent-emotionally intimate, totally open and unashamed with your mate. The Genesis account says Adam and Eve were "both naked and were not ashamed." They felt no fear or rejection. Instead they felt total acceptance by each other. Being bathed in the warmth of knowing another person accepts you is what makes marriage a true joy.
Prayer:
That God would give you success as a couple in each of these four areas of your relationship.
Discuss: Evaluate and grade yourselves as a couple on the four components of building a marriage. Where are you winning? Where do you need to work?