The Rib Of A Healthy Husband Series

OPEN: At Sunday School, they were teaching about how God created the world. And little Johnny was intrigued when he heard that Eve had been created out of one of Adam's ribs. Later in the week, Johnny complained to his mother that he was experiencing pain, and his mom asked: "Well, Johnny, where is the pain at?" He replied, "I have a pain in my side…. I think I'm gonna to have a wife."

Genesis 2 tells us HOW God created Adam and Eve. Adam was created from the dust of the earth, and God breathed into him the breath of life. THEN God created Eve from one of the ribs in Adam’s side.

ILLUS: Sometime back, Scott (our Family Minister) says a person argued that the Bible was false because men had the same number of ribs as women did. And so… if God removed a rib from Adam’s side, men should be missing a rib.

Now he was right. The vast majority of MEN & WOMEN… are born with 24 ribs. But there are exceptions to this rule. There are times when people have too many ribs or too few. According to one source: One out of 20 people are born with an extra rib (about 5% of the population). So, it does happen.

Now, the man’s facts WERE right… as a rule, men have the same number of ribs as women - but his reasoning was faulty. The Bible never says that ALL men lack a rib… ONLY Adam lost a rib.

So, why did God do it this way? Why make Eve from one of Adam’s ribs? Why not just make her from the dust of the earth like He did Adam? Well, I can think of a few reasons:

For example: I believe God did this so that Adam would realize that this woman was a SPECIAL creation. There was nothing on earth that like her… anywhere.

Just before God performed this surgery on Adam… God said "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him." Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. Genesis 2:18-19

Why would God have Adam do that? Why have Adam NAME all the animals? Couldn’t God have had one of the angels do that? Did God REALLY need Adam’s help in naming animals? No… I don’t think so!

Notice - Adam being asked to name the animals - came right AFTER God said it was not good for the man to be alone. And it was then that God asked Adam to name the animals. And RIGHT AFTER Adam names the animals – that’s when God removes the rib and forms Eve.

Now, I think God had Adam go through this long process of looking at/ and naming every creature God had created to drive home a point: And the point was this: “ADAM there’s nothing on earth … like what I’m going to create next” This woman (Eve) is going to be the crowning achievement of God’s creation.

Now, this sermon series is entitled “The Healthy Family”, and today’s sermon is focused on “The Heathy Husband.” Today we’re looking at Adam (the first man – perfectly created by God) to see what a healthy husband should be like

And the first thing about a healthy husband is that he should recognize that there’s nothing like the woman he’s married. Ephesians 5:25-29 says it this way: “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church.”

A healthy husband should treat his wife as the most important thing God did for him. And Adam recognized that… and that’s why he said “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (Genesis 2:23). Adam was saying: “There’s nothing on earth like this woman!!!! (my wife)

But why not just form Eve out of the dust of the ground. Why take one of Adam’s ribs? Well (I believe) it was because God wanted Adam to be invested in Eve. This was Adam’s rib… it had belonged to him! Now Eve is PART OF ADAM. They were literally ONE flesh.