The bridegroom from heaven

 I always thought Genesis 2:24 should have read differently. The books of Moses clearly advocate a male dominated culture. In my view it should have been "... a woman will leave her father and mother ...". That was in fact the practice in Israel and the Middle East. A woman was under the guardianship of her father until she got married when her husband became her guardian. In South Africa, until 1984, a woman married in community of property was regarded a minor in law. Her legal rights were the same as those of an under age child.

So why does Genesis 2:24 read: "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife ...". When 'therefore' is encountered in a reading one should read the sentence before it to see what it's there for! Genesis 2:23 contains Adam's exclamation: "... bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh ...". But what has that to do with a man leaving father and mother?

In the books of the prophets Israel is referred to as the wife of her Maker. Genesis 2:24 gives us a clue that her heavenly husband would leave his home and take on flesh and be joined to her, becoming one with her.

The most famous rabbi of all time used parables to explain the Kingdom of Heaven. In one of them he said it is like a man who discovered a treasure hidden in a field. He covered it up and was so delighted that he sold all his possession and bought the field. This parable can be explained as follows:

The field is the earth which was given to man as described in Genesis 1:28 and Psalm 8:6. All plants and animals were given to mankind to care for. We have not been very good at it. For the most part we have been fighting over which man would be in charge. The treasure is the righteous people, the elect, the chosen ones. The new owner sold his position in heaven to live with his bride.

But how does she become bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh? For this to happen he had to shed his blood and obtain a new body. This he did, and when his people are resurrected they receive the same type of body: "... when he appears we shall be like him ..."!

The above thoughts are not original. They were first hinted at by the second most famous expounder of the Law of Moses who said Genesis 2:24 contained a mystery.

Autonomy

One of the scariest aspects of existing in the image of God is that we can make decisions about our actions (Philippians 1:27), attitudes (Philippians 2:5; 4:4-5) and thought life (Philippians 4:8).

If I had a friend who had no desires of his own but was always ready to comply with my every request, I would be suspicious of his motives. Even if he had no hidden agenda, but simply hero-worshipped me, I could not regard him as a close friend. Likewise, my marriage would be boring if my wife did not have hopes, dreams and interests of her own. Part of my duty as a spouse is to help her realise them. The relationship would obviously be dysfunctional if her objectives and mine constantly clashed.

In the same way God expects his friends to pursue goals because he puts them in their hearts (Philippians 2:13). Problems arise when their agenda takes precedence over his. Since I carry God's image, I have a responsibility to act in a way which is not contrary to his nature. Sin is to miss one's goal, like a marksman missing his target. God takes a dim view of those who turn his image into that of a monster like some tyrants have done.

To a large extent we have power over what we choose to believe. I want to believe there is a heaven and that I will not be sharing it with Hitler, Stalin or Mao Zedong. That wonderful place will be inhabited by people who have pure hearts (Matthew 5:8). I don't have complete power over what is in my heart (Jeremiah 17:9). By cooperating with my Creator and receiving new heart (Psalm 51:10; Hebrews 10:16) I can overcome my evil tendencies and (Romans 7:24). That is what makes me eligible for a place in heaven (John 1:12).