I know I must leave the peace, wholeness and innocence found in Genesis 1 and 2. But allow me to linger for just one more post.
God caused man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man (Genesis 2:21-22).
You really can’t perform an operation like this without the shedding of blood. So could this be the very first time blood spilt from a living being?
There are so many ways God could have created the first woman. He definitely could have repeated His method of creating man, using dust of the ground. So could God be revealing something deeper? What could He be pointing towards?
One possibility I’ve been considering is the creation of the church. The Bible often alludes to God’s people being His bride. Jesus shed His blood on the cross and through that sacrifice, His church came into being. Could it be that God wants us get a glimpse of the joy and intimacy Christ feels toward His church? Oh, the excitement Adam must have experienced when God introduced him to Eve! Is that a picture of Jesus’ delight in His church? Could it be?
Upon seeing the woman God created, Adam said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh, she shall be called ‘woman’ for she was taken out of man.”
Genesis continues, ”For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”
Paul expanded upon this when He wrote to the Ephesians, “…a man will leave his father and mother and will be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a profound mystery–but I am talking about Christ and the church” (5:31-32).
As mentioned in a previous post, Genesis is believed to have been written by Moses while the Israelites were wandering through the wilderness after their great rescue from slavery. The Israelites were a tribal community for very good reasons. The tribe provided protection and provision for all.
Since the Israelites married at young ages, the bride would actually join the groom’s family until their own family unit grew large enough to be self sufficient. So you can see why it would be essential for the young family to shift their loyalties. The newly formed family unit would live amidst the groom’s family but the bride was to become the groom’s first priority.
And the perfect conclusion to paradise…”The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.”
No body issues. No comparisons. No awkward embarrassment. Just pure delight in one another. I can’t even fathom the freedom experienced by Adam and Eve. When my grandsons were two, they thought nothing of walking around totally naked. Oh, that innocence was precious…and fleeting! It would be for Adam and Eve too.
Question to ponder:
Am I faithfully loving the church as Jesus does?
debponders 