The Master Matchmaker

"And the Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. And the man 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. For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh." (Genesis 2:22-24)

Marriage God's Style by our Brother, Dr. Tony Evans.

excerpt...
As Adam named species after species of animal, he began to experience a new emotion: loneliness. When this happened, ``the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man'' (Genesis 2:21) so that He could perform an operation. God opened Adam's side, removed a rib, and closed up his flesh. Then while Adam was still sleeping, God ``fashioned'' a woman from Adam's rib. The word ``fashioned'' in Hebrew means ``to build.'' God purposely constructed a woman that man would consider well- fashioned and pleasing. Having done this with Eve, God brought her to Adam an example of good matchmaking.

Do you ever wonder what Eve first saw and how she responded when she opened her eyes? We know that what she saw was God, in whatever form He had taken, because the Bible tells us that Adam was fast asleep a little way from them. Still, I wish the Word told us exactly what she said. Though it does not, I can assure you that her first observation was not, ``Here I am an adult woman, and I'm not married yet!''

Eve had an advantage over single women living today. When Eve was created, there was one man for one woman. Today wars, accidents, and sickness have caused an imbalance so that there are more women on the earth than men and many more committed Christian women than Christian men, especially in the black community. That means that if you are a single woman, three options are available to you. One option is to remain single and adopt an immoral life-style that allows you to engage in relationships with men to whom you are not married. Another option is to marry a non-Christian. In both cases you forfeit the matchmaking fellowship of God. Until the Lord brings you a mate who is born again, God wants you to do what Eve did choose the third option and make yourself available to God's leading. If marriage is a part of God's perfect plan for you, He'll do the matchmaking according to His plan and schedule.

Because Eve was available to God, He became a perfect matchmaker by bringing her to Adam. When Adam woke and saw God's choice for him, he said words that are literally translated, ``This is now'' (v. 23). That seems like a strange thing to say until we understand that the spirit behind the Hebrew words is joyous astonishment and could be translated, ``Ooooweee!'' Here was the solution to his loneliness. Now Adam was like God's other creations, complete with a suitable mate. After he calmed down, Adam returned to his job of naming all God's creatures, calling man ``ish'' and woman ``isha,'' for woman was taken out of man.

From that day on, Adam had a rib missing, and Eve had the rib that belonged to Adam. Marriage gave Adam back what he had lost and gave Eve what she had not possessed. In God's perfect plan, they made each other complete.