Hmmmm....where did we leave off? Oh, wait a moment. That's not important. That's because God revealed something to me this week about Biblical womanhood from a passage we've already read. Let's go all the way back (do it with me...go WAAAAYY back....)..........to Genesis 2.
That's right. Back to the beginning.
Today's Passage: Genesis 2, NIV
What ladies can learn: In Genesis 2, God details the perfect creation of woman. Ladies get a glimpse--their only glimpse--of what life would be like if it were still perfect.
Notice the second to last verse in the passage. The passage does NOT say that "a man will leave his single life and get married," "a man will leave his father and mother to live on his own," or "a man will leave college to be united to his wife."
Here is what the passage really says (with my emphasis):
From the original text (I use The Complete WordStudy Old Testament by Zodhiates--it's an excellent book), the word "man" literally means "man" in the masculine sense (not mankind), and "leaves" means to abandon.
Genesis 2:24:
(NIV) For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.
(NCV) So a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two will become one body.
(NKJV) Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
(The Message) Therefore a man leaves his father and mother and embraces his wife. They become one flesh.
You see, God created the family as a unit that works together to serve Him. When we marry, we create our own "unit," leaving our original "unit." We are still to listen to, respect, and heed the advice of our parents, but we have our own "unit" to run (or be a part of).
With this in mind, there are two more questions that come up. First, is the man leaving his parents' home--is he physically leaving his parents--or is he simply leaving their purpose? Second, do women go through the same sort of "leaving"?
I can't think of any Bible verses that specifically deal with these two topics (I'm welcome to input). However, I believe that God speaks to each family individually about how they can serve Him through their locations. Pray about it and talk about it with your parents. I know several families that have their kids at home until they marry, but I also know several families that send their kids to college and let their kids live on their own a little before they marry. It's not our place to judge--just to do what God's will is for us.
Too many times, we simply "go with the flow" with regards to going to college and moving out. There are other alternatives; if you never ask God what His plans are for you in that area, how will you know?
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