As an older child I became aware that there were male and female homosexuals. Mostly it was not spoken about, especially in front of children. In those days, homosexuals seemed to know they were a male or a female who preferred intimate relationships with the same gender.
Today there is confusion. Listening to a young, educated attorney on radio some time ago, she admitted that she was not certain who she was. One day she felt she was a man and the next a woman. When pressed to answer a question about which division she found herself to be categorized by, she said “queer”.
As you are aware, there is a broad umbrella label used for people who are decidedly not following the male and female description mentioned in the Bible … LGBTIQA+. I found this online explanation for those letters … “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer / questioning, asexual and many other terms (such as non-binary and pansexual).”
Although I have opened a can of worms, my intention is not to deal with how man wants to classify self. Rather I want to look at how God created the human being on the sixth day of creation. Please read again:
Ge 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” 29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
We have said a few times that man is the reason for creation, after the glory of God. God made the planet for man. It is his home … beautifully designed and majestically fashioned. The aesthetics were perfect … dry land decorated with trees and fruit trees, plants, vegetables and greenery. Birds flying in the sky, fish in the waters, animals roaming the land, rivers and mountains. Everything was ready for God to make man and place him in his beautiful home. We have dealt with all this but not with man being male and female. Although I shall draw from verses in chapter 2, the main focus today is man as male and female.
5) This human being is created male and female.
Ge 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
(1) Male and female. Look at our text. God created man … the human being and the human being He created as a male and a female. This was God’s design. He chose to create the human being male and female.
(2) Procreation. It seems natural that if God created the sea, sky and land animals to multiply, He would do the same with man. Without getting into the biology of the human being, we need a male and a female to procreate. If there were only two men or two women, procreation would not be possible because of the biological makeup of men and women. God made the human being like this.
(3) Sexual intimacy. For there to be procreation, there needs to be sexual intimacy. Again, this was God’s design for all living creatures, not only man.
Ge 2:24 and they will become one flesh.
(4) Marriage. God’s design from the beginning was that man be married.
Ge 2:24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.
Marriage is between one man and one woman for as long as they live. If one dies, the other is at liberty to remarry. The marriage aspect is when the man and woman leave their parents’ home and start their own home together. Christians today solemnize this in a marriage ceremony, witnessed by guests and registered with the state. Within this union there is commitment and faithfulness as they are “united” together. That word means bonded … inseparable … from which we get the “until death do us part” from. Then follows the sexual intimacy … they will become one flesh. This aspect of the marriage is reserved for marriage, for it is the final act of the ceremony … the consummation. The biggest relational dysfunction in a marriage is premarital sex. Into a loving, committed, faithful marital union, children are born and find safety and love. In such a union they flourish.
(5) Pleasure. Although note stated, we can derive the concept of pleasure flowing from:
Ge 2:25 The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
As you read through the Old Testament, you will notice that our spiritual forefathers and mothers enjoyed healthy sexual intimacy. Count their children! In chapter 2 we shall get into the roles of the man and the woman.
6) This human being would be feed from the land.
Ge 1:29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.”
Man was told to be vegetarian in the beginning. His diet would be changed by God later in time, but at this time he was given the produce from the fruit trees as well as the vegetables from the soil to eat.
7) The animal kingdom would be feed from the land too. Notice the difference through:
Ge 1:30 “And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.”
Did you see that? Their diet was grass and shrubs where man’s was vegetables and fruit. God provided for the existence of the animals and humans. None would starve. Every meal was on hand.
9) That is the way God wanted His creation to be. He says … And it was so. These words ring the final whistle. Everything was completed … And it was so.
10) Lastly we see God’s pleasure and delight.
Ge 1:31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
Before He had said … “and it was good”. Now He says … “and it was very good”. Very good says to us that everything God created was perfect … achieving the goal of the Creator in His handiwork, artistry and creativity. Very good also implies the absence of evil because the word “good” is associated with God. For reflection we might consider the worth of the human being, marriage, faithfulness and commitment as well as enjoyment. Marriage was intended by God to be a blessing not a curse … but to achieve the blessing, both husband and wife need to be in an intentional relationship with God.
Our Father, thank You for every happy, godly marriage in Jesus Christ. For those lacking this, mercifully bring them into a union with Jesus, after which, bless their marriage. Amen.