THEREFORE SHALL A MAN . . .

The major reference to the institution of marriage in the Bible is the statement “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh” (Gen.2:24 KJV). But a word in this statement that many of us have somewhat overlooked is the first word of the statement: “therefore”. The word “therefore”, which the statement begins with alludes to the fact that there is a reason for which a man shall leave his parents, and cleave unto his wife to be one flesh.

So, what will make a man who stays comfortably with his parents, and having no “obligations and responsibilities” leave them to cleave unto his wife (with all its associated responsibilities)?

What will make a woman well protected, and who probably is surrounded with “maids and servants” to do all the household chores in her parents’ home leave them to get married to a man and “burden” herself with these obligations and responsibilities?

Why do males and females so much get attracted to each other and long for each other unceasingly?

This is a mystery, and to understand it, we need to look at the preceding story of the statement in Gen.2:24 as described in Gen.2:21-23 which states: “And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from the man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 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.”

The story is the most precise description of the reason why males and females unceasingly get attracted to each other, and why a man shall leave his parents and cleave to his wife – it is the reality of love!

The story quite explains the strength of the love or attraction between a man and woman.

The love is the result of how God created man and woman. Mark 10:6 states that, “But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.” The fact is that the man and woman were made out of the same piece – the woman was made out of the man – his rib. 

The woman was created because “it was not good for the man to be alone” since from the beginning, he made them male and female. The attraction thus is so strong and natural that one must leave his/her parents to cleave unto their other part[ner] for them to be together. 

The man and the woman are complete parts of a whole; and they want to return to that whole again, to complete each other to become one flesh.

The power of love drives them toward each other. The story indicates clearly that Love precedes marriage! It is the basis of couples leaving and cleaving to become one flesh. Love is truly the foundation for a successful husband-wife relationship.

“Therefore [Because of Love] shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”

Reference:

• I Married You by Walter Trobisch