Institution of the Marriage Covenant

Gen. 2:23 "And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh."

While the above gives the impression that Adam instituted the marriage covenant we will see later that it actually came from God. However, Adam as the head of the race and the first created had the right to establish the manner in which his family would operate. Since authority derives from authority, who gave modern man the right to change the law established by Adam and handed down to his family. We, mankind, are all a part of the family of Adam. We have no right to change the marriage arrangement that Adam gave to us.

It wasn't long before men began to depart from this simple covenant of marriage. The first marriage was one man married to one woman. There was no "cleave unto his wives," but "cleave unto his wife." Lamech, the sixth from Adam on Cain's side had two wives. Here is where polygamy was introduced into the world. It was not after the order that Adam had established and commanded and further it is not after the order that God established: Matt. 19:4 "And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." Notice that the actual wording of the marriage covenant actually came from God. Adam repeated it and adopted it for himself and his family.

"For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother…" When a man departs from his father and mother's house to be married, he is leaving the judicial, financial, and emotional system he was under in his parents house and establishing his own in his new home. Before the young man departs he was under the judicial rules of his parents home; he was under the financial umbrella of his parents home; and he was under the emotional support system of his parents home. When he departs to be married he establishes along with his wife a new judicial system of the new family; he establishes along with his new wife a new financial system to govern the new family; and they together establish an emotional support system between themselves and for their children.

"And shall cleave unto his wife…" The word, cleave, means to cling to or adhere. This indicates a very strong bond. Today we might say that they are to be super glued together. Couples should consider themselves to be unalterably joined together. People today are too quick to cast aside the marriage bond and break the covenant of marriage. This is not the way God designed it. We should consider marriage as a lifetime commitment.

"And they shall be one flesh." Being of one flesh means that they act together in unity and as a unit. The husband and wife should consider themselves as a unit. Their actions should be thoroughly thought out and agreed upon and then they should be of one mind and of one action.