And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to 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 a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were
not ashamed. – Genesis 2:21-25 NKJV
Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge. – Hebrews 13:4 NKJV
If your experience has been like ours, perhaps one of the applications you’ve heard, based on this passage from Genesis, is the significance and benefit of mutual acceptance between a husband and wife; an acceptance that is undeterred by any so-called flaws in one’s outward appearance. We’re thankful, however, for Dr. Aaron Lavender’s exposition of verse 25 (at this year’s [2012] marriage retreat) regarding the words “naked… and were not ashamed.” When the emphasis and focus of that verse are viewed relative to God’s perspective, the absence of shame reflects His divine approval of the physically-intimate, one-flesh relationship between Adam and Eve!
The Lord reiterates this attitude in Hebrews 13:4. In some other translations, you find the phrase “marriage bed” because “bed” in this verse is koite, a derivative of a term for sexual relations between a man and woman. Outside the context of marriage, such interactions are condemned and shameful. Yet as believing husbands and wives we can enjoy sexual intimacy with the assurance that The Creator applauds our expression of mutual love!
(Originally published in August, 2012, in CFL’s Marriage Messenger e-newsletter)
Committed for Life Marriage Ministry 