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Monday Devo

Scripture Reading:

Genesis 2
21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man.
23 “At last!” the man exclaimed.
“This one is bone from my bone,
and flesh from my flesh!
She will be called ‘woman,’
because she was taken from ‘man.’ ”
24 This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.

Commentary from the ESV Study Bible:

2:23–24 When no suitable companion is found among all the living beings, God fashions a woman from the man’s own flesh. The text highlights the sense of oneness that exists between the man and the woman. Adam joyfully proclaims, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.” This terminology is used elsewhere of blood relatives (29:14). This sentence and the story of Eve’s creation both make the point that marriage creates the closest of all human relationships. It is also important to observe that God creates only one Eve for Adam, not several Eves or another Adam. This points to heterosexual monogamy as the divine pattern for marriage that God established at creation. Moreover, the kinship between husband and wife creates obligations that override even duty to one’s parents (therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, 2:24). In ancient Israel, sons did not move away when they married, but lived near their parents and inherited their father’s land. They “left” their parents in the sense of putting their wife’s welfare before that of their parents. The term “hold fast” is used elsewhere for practicing covenant faithfulness (e.g., Deut. 10:20; see how Paul brings these texts together in 1 Cor. 6:16–17); thus, other Bible texts can call marriage a “covenant” (e.g., Prov. 2:17; Mal. 2:14). Paul’s teaching on marriage in Eph. 5:25–32 is founded on this text. The sense of being made for each other is further reflected in a wordplay involving the terms “man” and “woman”; in Hebrew these are, respectively, ’ish and ’ishshah. As a result of this special affiliation, Gen. 2:24 observes that when a man leaves his parents and takes a wife, they shall become one flesh, i.e., one unit (a union of man and woman, consummated in sexual intercourse). Jesus appeals to this verse and 1:27 in setting out his view of marriage (Matt. 19:4–5).
2:24 Divorce is a deviation from God’s design in creation (Matt. 19:4). The marriage relationship anticipates the relation of Christ to the church (Eph. 5:22–33). See Overview of the Bible, concerning Christ as the last Adam.

Study Questions:

  • The vow for this week was this... "I promise to always pursue my TWO." If you remember from last week, God is our ONE and our spouse is our TWO. We fall into a major trap when we make our spouse number one in our lives. We basically make an idol out of them, which inevitably leads us to have expectations of them that they are incapable of meeting. How do we make sure that God stays in the God-seat of our lives? What are the signs that another relationship is taking his place in our lives?

  • When we want something, we pursue it. In fact, by nature, we pursue what we don't have. Think about your yard. Can you be lazy about your yard, not water it, not fertilize it, and see your yard get green and pretty? No! The weeds will grow. If you want green grass, you have to work to maintain it. The same is true in marriage... it doesn't happen on its own. Clayton said on Sunday that if the grass looks greener somewhere else, it's time to water your own yard. How much thought do you give to maintaining your relationship with your spouse? How often are you consciously working at improving your relationship? Singles, this could apply to any relationship in your life.

Pray:

  • That he would be your ONE.
  • That you would pursue your spouse.

This Week's City 7:

Try to commit to memory! 

5. Why do I follow Jesus? I follow Jesus because Jesus rose from the dead proving that He is the way, the truth and the life.
(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)

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