One Flesh

And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. 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 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. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. Genesis 2:18-25 (KJV)

God made man, then God made a woman, a help meet, a helper suitable for him. God made one just right for Adam. God took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh, then made a woman from the rib. The word rib in the Hebrew is actually better translated side. The word made could actually be rendered built. So, from Adam’s side, God removed a side and built a mate for Adam. He brought her to Adam, who said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. He called her woman. In the Hebrew, woman is the word isha, and in the Hebrew man is also isha. They are the same flesh yet individuals.

When man and woman married, she fit right into the part of the man that God had removed, making them one flesh again. The husband and wife complete one another. The woman and man are given to each other. Adam said, “She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. Genesis 5:2 (KJV) emphasis mine

Notice that God called both the man and woman Adam. They were one, yet two, considered equal in God’s sight. Husband and wife complete and complement each other. We are part of one another as we become one flesh in marriage. Because of that, when one spouse helps the other, they actually help themselves as well. And if a spouse harms their mate, they also harm themselves.

Married couples are made one flesh to live in love, peace, and harmony with God and each other. A man leaves parents and cleaves to his wife, becoming one flesh. This is the “leave and cleave” principle. We are to pull away from others and unite together. The closer we get to our mate, the better the one-flesh relationship becomes.