Adam and Eve and the Challenges of Building a Marriage

Someone suggested that Adam and Eve had a great marriage. Adam couldn’t bring up his mother’s cooking, and Eve couldn’t talk about the man she should have married.
This marriage business does get complicated sometimes. I heard about a man named Bob who went over to visit Joe and was amazed at how well Joe treated his wife. He often told her how attractive she was, complimented her on her cooking and showered her with hugs and kisses.
“Gee whiz,î”Bob remarked later, “you really make a big fuss over your wife.”
“I started to appreciate her more about six months ago,î”Joe said. “It has revived our marriage, and we couldn’t be happier.”
Inspired, Bob hurried home, hugged his wife and told her how much he loved her, and said he wanted to hear all about her day. But she burst into tears.
“Honey, whatís the matter?” asked Bob.
“This has been the worst day,”she replied. “This morning Billy fell off his bike and hurt his ankle, then the washing machine broke. Now, to top it off, you come home drunk!”
As I said, this marriage business gets complicated. In marriage we have the wonderful opportunity of taking two unique persons from two diverse backgrounds and blending our lives together to build a marriage that prospers and grows. Sometimes it helps to review God’s design for marriage found in Genesis chapters one and two.
When God created the first couple, He designed their relationship to be a sacred union. God brings people together in His perfect will and Godís will should be the only basis for marriage. God designed marriage to be an exclusive union. We are to “leave and cleave” and forsake all others. God designed marriage to be a permanent union of one man and one woman freely and totally committed to God and to each other for life. And marriage is to be an intimate union of husband and wife coming together as true partners in the marriage.
Husbands and wives are incomplete without each other. The Bible says that man wanted someone comparable to him. So God made Adam fall into a deep sleep and removed a portion of man’s rib. Out of that rib he shaped Eve and gave her to Adam. Adam awoke and there was Eve, “bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh, woman who was taken out of man.” He was saying, here is someone I can related to, someone I can be companion and partners with. I’m thankful God created Adam and Eve, and that God designed marriage as part of his plan when he created the divine institution of the family.
However, someone suggested that not only was Eve created to complement man and give Him companionship, but also that Adam needed all the help he could get. Have you seen the “Top 10 Reasons Eve Was Created?”
10) God was worried that Adam would frequently become lost in the garden because he would not ask for directions.
9) God knew that one day Adam would require someone to locate and hand him the remote.
8) God knew Adam would never go out and buy himself a new fig leaf when his wore out and would therefore need Eve to buy one for him.
7) God knew Adam would never be able to make a doctor’s, dentist or haircut appointment for himself.
6) God knew Adam would never remember which night to put the garbage on the curb.
5) God knew if the world was to be populated, men would never be able to handle the pain and discomfort of childbearing.
4) As the Keeper of the Garden, Adam would never remember where he left his tools.
3) Apparently, Adam needed someone to blame his troubles on when God caught him hiding in the garden.
2) As the Bible says, it is not good for man to be alone!
1) When God finished the creation of Adam, He stepped back, scratched his head, and said, ìI can do better that that!î
(Dr. David L. Chancey is pastor, McDonough Road Baptist Church, Fayetteville. The church family meets at 352 McDonough Road and invites you to join them this Sunday for Bible study groups at 9:45 a.m. and worship at 10:55 a.m. Vacation Bible School is June 11-15. Call 770-460-5423 to register).