God Gives Us A Fresh View On Marriage

October 26, 2003 Genesis 2:18-24

18 The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."

19 Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field.

But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the LORD God caused the 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. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

23 The man 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." 24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. (NIV)

Dear friends,

Marriage is a great institution. But I’m not ready for an institution yet. -- Mae West

We sleep in separate rooms, we have dinner apart, we take separate vacations -- we’re doing everything we can to keep our marriage together. -- Comedian Rodney Dangerfield

I think, therefore I’m single. -- Comedian Lizz Winstead

Some of these may bring a chuckle out of us. But don’t you grow tired of people always ripping on marriage? Truth be told, marriage is on attack now today more than ever. After hearing so many negative views on marriage, wouldn’t it be nice to hear the positives of marriage? That’s what today is being set aside for - to look at the blessings of marriage. What better source to turn to for this positive view, than to the one who instituted it? Today we’ll see that

God Gives Us a Fresh View on Marriage

I. He shows us our need of it

If God said cream puffs were good, the devil would hire 30 dieticians to convince people they were bad for you. If God said that sleep was good for you, then the devil would bring fifty scientists on the sight to tell us the opposite. That’s the way the devil works. That’s why God calls him the “father of lies.” Today God tells us that He established marriage because, “it is not good for man to be alone.” And just like any truth of the Bible, the devil will do his best to prove the opposite. When God says that it isn’t good for man to be alone, the devil whispers the exact opposite. He says, “God doesn’t want you to be alone. But why make a commitment to just one person, when you can have the pleasure of playing the field?” The devil uses TV shows like Sex and the City to make us think that it’s much easier and much more fun to remain single and just have an occasional sexual encounter with a different partner here and there. Why buy the cow when you can drink it’s milk for free?

But what did God say? He gives us a fresh view of marriage. Marriage is not a curse. He established it because, “It is not good for man to be alone.” As a general rule, what God said is true. Why? Well, consider Adam’s situation. God had Adam name all of the creatures that God had made. One by one, Adam examined these creatures, noticed what their individual characteristics were, and then named them according to those strengths. Imagine the situation - Adam examining each creature and saying, “Mr. and Mrs. Giraffe, Mr. and Mrs. Gorilla, Mr. and Mrs. Lion, etc.” It wouldn’t take long for him to realize that something was missing in his life. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. There was no Mrs. Man. He was missing something. There wasn’t anyone by his side. He couldn’t have an intelligent conversation with an animal. He could talk with God, but it wouldn’t be quite the same. Adam needed someone that was like him - someone that he could walk with, talk with, and be one with. Without that companion, something was missing.

This is the main reason why it isn’t good to be alone. Most people are in need of that companionship. It’s ok to walk home and have a dog come up to you and lick your face. But a dog can’t give you advice. A dog can’t hug you. It can’t understand your thoughts and feelings. You can’t take it out to eat or raise children with one. Most of us need something more than that. It isn’t good to be alone.