A man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.
—Genesis 2:24
There are a couple ways to read that verse. One is to see something in that verse that sounds kind of automatic, like God will just cause it to happen for you. You leave home and your are joined to your wife. He makes the marriage for you.
Another way is to take it matter-of-factly, that you leave your parents and join up with a wife. No big deal. But that's dangerous! Because with that attitude you could just as easily leave her and join up with another.
But what did it really mean? When Jesus quoted that verse several thousand years later, the apostle Mark remembered Him using the word 'proskollao' to describe the way a husband and wife are joined to each other. The word means to cleave. It is not simply an act of God, there is something for you, the husband to do. You are to cleave to your wife. He doesn't say that your wife does it - Jesus said the husband shall leave home and cleave to his wife.
That means it isn't a matter of fact. You have to make it happen. More than your wife, you are responsible for the unity of the marriage. You have to cleave. And you have to remove any thoughts, any possibilities that you will ever leave. And the more you do that, the more your wife will cleave to you!
TODAY’S DARE
Is there a “leaving” issue you haven’t been brave enough to conquer yet? Confess it to your wife today, and resolve to make it right. The oneness of your marriage is dependent upon it. Follow this with a commitment to her and to God to make your marriage the top priority over every other human relationship.
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