Marriage 1 – companionship

The aim of this devotional study series is to reflect on the nature and original intent of marriage.

Scripture

Genesis 2:15-24

15  The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16  And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17  but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

18  Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”  19  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. 20  The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.

21  So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22  And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23  Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” 24  Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Observations and reflections

1. Who was the first person to realize Adam needs a mate? (v18)
   1. Why is this significant? [hint: the Garden of Eden, no flaws, God Himself walked with Adam…]
   2. When did God express the need for Adam to find a mate?
   3. When did Adam realize the need for a mate? (v19b-20)
   4. When did God start making a mate for Adam? (v21)
2. What does the writer call Adam’s mate? (v18, 20b)
   1. What was the need that Adam’s mate had to fulfill? (v18) [hint: “it is not good that man should be…”]
   2. Considering this, what was the core responsibility of Adam’s mate? What did she have to “help” Adam with?

Application, personal reflection and prayer

God made Adam and gave him a job. Before Adam realize his need for companionship God said “it is not good for man to be alone” and made him a helper, a mate to rid him of his loneliness. So Essentially your marriage vow is a promise to be a companion, to help the other not feel alone again.

1. When did you realize you need for companionship? How did it happen?
2. When you think about marriage, what stands out most for you?
3. If you are married: Talk to your spouse honestly and ask him/her whether he/she feels lonely at times in the marriage. Discuss your needs for intimacy and how you can better fulfill the other’s emotional needs.
   1. Pray that God will help you to selflessly fulfill the emotional needs of your spouse.
4. If you are unmarried: We all have ideals about our future marriage partners, some valid and some silly. Taking today’s Biblical lesson into account, what is the most prominent thing your spouse ought to fulfill in you, and you in him/her?  How dis this affect your search for a mate? (i.e. appearance, education, financial acumen, abilities etc).
   1. Ask God for a companion, a mate, so that you may not walk alone. And ask Him to rid you of any silly ideas about such a person.