Your Daily Devotional for March 27, 2006

March 27, 2006

 

The Establishment of the Family

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

“And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 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.”

Genesis 2:18, 21-24

 

The Holy Bible, which dates back to the early moments in the history of mankind, records the beginning or the founding of the family. Genesis 2:18 states, “And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.” This reference just happens to be the life verse of many young men at our Bible college! Perhaps for many of us fellows, it was our life verse at one time also.

 

God determined, according to His divine understanding, that Adam, the first man, was not complete by himself. The Bible says in verse twenty-one, “And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof.” This was the first record of anesthesia in world history—no pumps, machines, or computers were necessary—simply the mighty hand of God.

 

The first wedding ceremony is chronicled in Genesis 2:22, which says, “And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.” God the Father brought the bride and the groom together in the garden of Eden. What a beautiful wedding it must have been!

 

The Bible tells us that when Adam saw Eve, he 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.” In other words, Adam was saying, “Wow! I like what I see!” Adam was glad that God had given Eve to him.

 

This passage in Genesis concludes with the institution of the family. Verse twenty-four states, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” God designed and instituted the home to be a place where God’s love is modeled and the next generation is mentored in the Christian faith.

 

As you read this beautiful story of the first wedding, consider God’s purpose for marriage and the Christian home. Does your marriage reflect the love of God? Are you obeying the commandment to leave others and cleave only to your spouse? The home was the first institution designed by God. Before we involve ourselves in other relationships and activities, let’s purpose to model God’s love in our homes today.

---

================================================
THIS IS AN AUTOMATED MESSAGE PLEASE DO NOT REPLY
================================================
Manage your online subscriptions at
http://www.dailyintheword.org/email/user-login.aspx

To Unsubscribe from this list please follow this link
http://www.dailyintheword.org/email/user-unsubscribe.aspx?s=4159&l=1