2018.11.24 Hopewell @Home ▫ Genesis 2:18-25

Read Genesis 2:18-25

Questions for Littles: What did God say was not good (v18)? What did He say that He would make for the man? What did God form out of the ground (v19)? Where did He bring them? Why? What did Adam do (v19-20)? What could not be found? What did God do to Adam in v21? What did God do with the rib (v22)? Where did He bring the woman? What did Adam say in v23? Whom must a man leave to be joined to whom (v24)? What do they become? What does v25 say about their clothes? What does it say about their hearts?

In the Scripture for tomorrow’s sermon, we learn about the covenant of marriage.

After God has made clear to Adam that he exists in covenant with God as his covenant head, God now gives him the gift of marriage, in which he is to be his wife’s covenant head.

The first thing Adam had to hear was that he was not meant to be alone. It is really quite shocking to hear that something is not good, after everything has been good up until this point.

So God proceeds to help Adam feel the reality of that. In one sense, Adam is already beginning to subdue the earth and take dominion over the living creature. God yields to Adam the privilege of naming each of the land creatures and flying creatures.

But there’s a problem. As Adam names the other living creatures, one thing becomes painfully clear: none of those creatures correspond to him. He truly is alone. It’s at that point that God takes the rib, closes up the space, and puts Adam to sleep.

The results are spectacular, as evidenced by Adam’s almost-song in v23. This woman exactly corresponds to him! As we had learned in chapter one, she is created in God’s image every bit as much as he is.

But there is more. While they are equally in God’s image, Adam is still her covenant head. Here is the second example of one living creature receiving life from another. The first was when the Lord Himself breathed into Adam’s nostrils to make him a living creature.

As Adam names her, he is taking to himself the responsibility of headship over her. But it is not a form of domineering oppression. Rather, we’ve spent the bulk of chapter 2 watching Adam learn from the Lord what good covenant headship looks like. And here, he’s committing to be that for his bride.

Ultimately, it is the last Adam who is the perfect groom. When Christ weds His perfected bride to Himself, all other marriages will have been superseded by an eternal marriage that is infinitely better. There are many who don’t marry at all in this life, and many more whose marriages are a source of great grief. But even if we have had a blessed marriage, let us look forward most of all to the marriage of the Lamb!

What does being a good husband or wife look like? How do Christ and the church do that?

Suggested Songs: ARP45B “Daughter, Incline Your Ear” or TPH45B “My Heart Does Overflow”