“Male and female created He them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created” (Gen. 5:2).
Adam’s wife was given three names. In Genesis 2:23 when God first brought her to him, Adam said, “She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Then in Genesis 3:20, after they had sinned, Adam called “his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.” But God Himself gives her the third name Adam. From these names we learn important principles concerning marriage.
God’s Order
In calling her woman, Adam recognized that God had provided a special, unique companion for him—one who was of him and who also completed him. The woman was the perfect counterpart, perfectly suited to the man, and together they formed one flesh in God’s sight: “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).
The Western world, having cast off the light and wisdom of God’s Word, has corrupted this divinely ordained union between the man and the woman, accepting and promoting the horrible and depraved abomination mentioned in Leviticus 20:13 and Romans 1:27 as being an acceptable alternative lifestyle union. Make no mistake such horrible corruption of God’s union of man and woman in marriage results in the most awful and solemn consequences.
How happy when both husband and wife can practically recognize in each other that they have been specially fitted by God to compliment and support their spouse, that they might walk together as one. When this is so, each will be able to bring to their marriage that which gives unity and joy.
Faith
In calling her Eve, Adam recognized their sin had brought in the terrible consequence of death. But acting in wonderful faith, trusting the goodness and mercy of God to provide a coming redeemer (Gen. 3:15) from the seed of his wife (even as He had provided garments for their covering), he gives her a name which means life.
Happy marriages will also find both partners recognizing and confessing personal failures, while trusting Him in faith to preserve their union in joy.
Responsibility
After this God gives Eve one name Adam. In this we see a beautiful picture of the Christ (1 Cor. 12:12 JnD “even as the body is one... so also is the Christ”). Believers are not only children of God, but they are part of the Christ. Just as He is Head, taking responsibility for the body’s care and protection, so husbands are to do the same for their body their wife. They were not called Eve. Adam bore responsibility to God for headship and care in their union. All happy marriages must have a husband who bears headship and responsibility in both spiritual and natural realms. “The husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and He is the Saviour of the body” (Eph. 5:23).
Ed.