Welcome to EBible Fellowship’s Bible study in the Book of Genesis. This is study #23 of Genesis, chapter 2 and we are continuing to read Genesis 2: 21-25:

And JEHOVAH 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 JEHOVAH 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.

We have been looking at these verses for the last few studies. Since we are living in a time when the marriage institution is under tremendous assault by the enemies of the kingdom of heaven, it is good for us to take our time and slowly go over what God has said here.

We saw that God instituted the marriage relationship between a man and a woman in this world. He did it through the act of creation, first through Adam, but especially in the manner He created the woman to paint a spiritual picture. We cannot help but notice that God caused a “deep sleep” to fall upon Adam and then He took one of his ribs. As we looked more closely at that verse, we noticed that the words translated as “closed up” was translated as “delivered up” in other verses, which pointed to Christ being “delivered up” to death as the sacrifice for sin. God said, “and closed up the flesh instead thereof,” because Christ was manifest in the flesh and he was our substitution. Before the world began God found satisfaction in the death of Christ instead of the elect.

Then God took the rib, as it said in Genesis 2:23: “And the rib, which JEHOVAH God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.” The word “woman” is the same word translated as “wife” in verses 24 and 25 of Genesis, chapter 2. It is the identical word as the Hebrew word translated as “woman” in the earlier verses and that carries through in much of the Old Testament, where you will find the word “wife” is the same word as “woman.” We will look at another place where that is the case in a few minutes.

But, first, if you remember, the Hebrew word translated as “rib” is also translated as “side,” as well as other English words. It is especially significant when we see what took place on the cross, in John 19:32-36:

Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.

We find some interesting connections with Christ’s experience on the cross and the man Adam at the point when Adam was being utilized by God in creating the woman. We find that Adam fell into a “deep sleep” that God caused. We find that when the soldiers came to Jesus on the cross He was dead already, just as the “deep sleep” typified the death of Adam. Then one of the soldiers pierced Christ’s side. God took one of Adam’s ribs and the word “rib” is a Hebrew word translated as “side.” So when Christ was on the cross, it could be said they pierced his “rib” and out came blood and water. We have understood for a long time that the blood and water that came forth out of Christ’s side after He was already dead is a picture of the Word of God that would then go forth. In a sense, the Gospel was unleashed. And what would the Gospel now accomplish as it flowed freely from His rib? We know from the Bible that it is the blood of Christ that covers our sins. It is the water of the Gospel that God sends forth into the world to find the elect of God. Actually, in Ephesians, chapter 5 the Lord speaks of the bride of Christ and the “washing of water.” It says in Ephesians 5:25-26:

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

So, we are not making things up when we say that the water coming out of Christ’s side represented the Word. It is what God says – it is the “washing of water by the word.” God sent forth His Word in an especially powerful way after Christ went to the cross. Fifty days later on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit was poured out and 3,000 people became saved, signifying the beginning of the church age. The Word of God went forth into the nations of the world and God saved the firstfruits during the church age. Then the church age came to a close and there was a temporary period of spiritual famine and then God sent forth the Holy Spirit the second time during the Latter Rain to save the great multitude. They were saved in the same manner, by the “washing of water by the word.” The Word cleansed the sinner through the hearing of it: “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” God used His Word to accomplish the purpose of salvation in the lives of His elect. When this happened, what was forming? What was coming together, living stone upon living stone? It was the “woman” that would become one flesh with her husband, Christ Himself. The woman was taking shape and coming into existence and was being completed throughout history. That is what is in view here. That is what happened when Christ’s side was pierce. It led to the formation of the eternal church. Jesus said, “Upon this rock I will build my church.” God built the woman. How did God build the woman? He took the “rib” or He took from the side of Adam and built the woman. How does God build the church that was likened to a woman in Ephesians, chapter 5? He does it in the same way through the death and atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is why He was dead already. Of course, there is a connotation that is involved with that statement because it was Christ’s death from the foundation of the world that was the foundation of the house of God or of the woman.

There is one more thing I want to mention about John, chapter 19. When they came to Jesus, they broke not his legs. They broke the legs of the two thieves because they were not dead yet, but there was no need to break Jesus’ legs because He was already dead. The purpose of breaking the legs was to speed up the process of death. They wanted to get this over with quickly and make sure they were dead, but when they came to Jesus, He was dead already, which means they did not break His legs or any of His bones. Then it says in John 19:36:

For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.

This verse refers back to Psalm 22:16:

For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.

The word “tell” is a word that means to “count” or “number,” just as God speaks of His elect as the stars of the sky for multitude. He has “counted” all His bones or He has “numbered” all His elect. Christ was suffering on the cross under the wrath of God. Of course, on the cross in 33AD it was a demonstration or tableau of what Christ had done before the foundation of the world and, yet, He was still suffering wrath. He was not making payment for sin because He had already made that payment, but these statements indicate that while under the wrath of God the concern of the Lord Jesus was “counting” or “numbering” His bones; He could not lose any of His bones, because they pointed to His elect and because the bride of Christ, the woman that God built, became flesh of His flesh and bone of His bones. That is the reason for the emphasis in John, chapter 19, verse 36: “A bone of him shall not be broken.” To have your bones broken would be to be under wrath and Christ was the one suffering the wrath as His flesh was “delivered up.” Remember it said in Romans chapter 8: “God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.” The “bones” of Christ pointed to His elect people that He married and they became “bone of his bones.” It also says, “flesh of his flesh” and, in a sense, our flesh was delivered up with His flesh, as the Bible says that our old man is crucified with Him. We cannot miss the clear picture God is establishing through the protection of the bones of Christ. Not a bone would be broken because God’s elect do not pay for their own sins. We have been granted grace and mercy and God accepted the payment that Christ made on behalf of His elect people.

Let us go back to the Old Testament to the Book of Genesis. We see that it says in Genesis 2:22:

And the rib, which JEHOVAH God had taken from man, made he a woman…

Again, the word “woman” can be translated as “wife,” so God built the woman and be brought her unto the man. Then it says in Genesis 2:23:

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.

So, God built the woman and brought her unto the man. I think the historical parable in Genesis, chapter 24, will help us to see what is in view with God bringing the woman to the man. In Genesis 24 we have a true, historical account, as is all Biblical history. They happened just as God said they happened. In Genesis 24 Abraham was old and stricken in age and he desired there be a wife found for his son Isaac, the son of promise. The setting is that Abraham’s wife Sarah had recently died and we know that Sarah died at the age of 127. Isaac was saddened by the death of his mother and Abraham thought it good that Isaac find a wife because it would bring Isaac comfort after the death of his mother. Abraham commissioned his servant to go forth to his kindred in the land of Heron where Abraham had originated from and find a wife for Isaac. The servant went on that journey and he does find a wife, Rebecca, for Isaac. After finding this woman for Isaac he brought her back to his master’s son Isaac and they come together in marriage. It is a wonderful historical record of a time long ago (over 4,000 years ago) of a marriage relationship and how it came to be. Isaac had not seen Rebecca and he did not choose Rebecca, but Abraham sent his servant and through God’s providence Rebecca was selected and brought back to Isaac and they became man and wife, one flesh.

This account is actually an historical parable. This is the Bible and we need to remind ourselves of that by turning to Galatians, although we could go to many places to show that God spoke in parables and the Bible needs to be understood as containing hidden truth that must be searched out. In Galatians God makes reference to the Book of Genesis and it says in Galatians 4:22-24:

For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he *who was* of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.

The important thing here is that God refers to what many theologians and most churches view as an historical record and they would say you must understand it historically and not “spiritualize” it. And, yet, what does God do? He says, “Which things are an allegory.” The two women represent two covenants and so forth, so we are not off base, but we are in line with the Bible’s teaching when we look at Adam as a figure of Christ. In Genesis 24 Abraham is called “father” and he is called father Abraham in one of Christ’s parables in the New Testament because he can represent God, especially when Abraham went about to offer up his son on Mount Moriah at the commandment of God. He was about to bring down the knife to slay his only son, the son of promise, and God stopped him. It is a picture of God the Father slaying God the Son, as Abraham’s son Isaac was a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is also the case in Genesis, chapter 24. Abraham is a type of God the Father and Isaac is a picture of God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The father desires the son to have a wife and it says in Genesis 24:1-4:

And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and JEHOVAH had blessed Abraham in all things. And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: And I will make thee swear by JEHOVAH, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell: But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.

Then it says in Genesis 24:7-8:

JEHOVAH God of heaven, which took me from my father's house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence. And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again.

Again, the word “wife” and “woman” are the same Hebrew word. The servant was sent forth and he went to a distant land to find a wife for the son of Abraham, Isaac, and this is a good illustration God lays out in this long chapter. When you read this chapter you wonder why God is so concerned with the servant’s journey and what took place. God could have encapsulated this account in two or three verses. Why draw it out and give it so much attention? It is because it is a picture of the whole Gospel plan of God and His magnificent salvation program. All through history the servants of God the Father have been sent forth to find the “wife” or to find the “woman” for the Lord Jesus Christ. Once the woman is found, then they are to bring her back and present her to their master: “Here is the wife for your son.” Then Isaac went in to Rebecca and the consummated the marriage and that is a wonderful picture of what takes place at the end of time when, finally, the Word of God washes the woman and the woman becomes the complete body of Christ, one flesh and one bone with Him and cleansed from all sin.