Blessing or Burden?

Let’s do a thought experiment. When Adam first met his wife, Eve, how did he respond? Genesis 2:23 tells us what he 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.” But we don’t have his tone of voice, movement of the hands, facial expression, or body language. How do you think he said it?

Do you suppose he made these comments out of a sense of obligation? After all, God went to a lot of trouble to create Eve, and it would not do for Adam to be impolite in meeting his new companion. Or do you think he could have been disappointed? Eve was the first woman Adam ever saw, so how could he be disappointed? Or perhaps Adam was so surprised that that he freaked out for a moment. No, none of these seem likely. Look again at Adam’s words.

Look especially how Adam’s response starts: “This at last…” God saw that it was not good for Adam to be alone, so He made Eve. Adam needed a human being to accompany, support, and complete him. So he responded with a passionate “at last,” reflecting a combination of relief, thanksgiving, joy, and even some elation at meeting Eve. This multifaceted creation of husband and wife included companionship, conversation, sexuality, mutual support, and a relationship with God their Creator (see Malachi 2:15 for a hint about God’s role in marriage). And like the rest of creation, God’s design of male and female was a blessing, and it was good.

Interestingly, Jesus endorsed all of this in Matthew 19:4-6, saying, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore, a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Every marriage has good days and not-so-good days, good times and rough times. We are sinners living in a fallen world, so it goes with the territory. Sadly, some people today question whether marriage is a blessing or a burden. Some even question whether being born male or female is a blessing or a burden. If we turn our back on God’s design, the blessings do become burdens. But God offers redemption, His promises still stand, and His blessings are there for us if we don’t walk away.