The Very First Wedding – October 7, 2024

Read: Genesis 2:18-25

The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
Genesis 2:18

The Very First Wedding

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Beautiful flowers, moving music, men in tuxedos, ladies in fancy dresses, the smell of fine food, and the chatter of guests. Take a guess where you are. It’s a wedding! You are not, however, at the very first wedding. In Genesis chapter 2, God invites us to be guests at the very first wedding. It looks a little different than a wedding you attended recently. All we see are the bride, the groom, and God. The simplicity of the ceremony focuses our attention on the purpose of marriage rather than fancy clothes, flowers, or food.

In the very beginning, Adam was the only human that existed. However, being alone was not what God intended. God had a plan, “The LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’” God would create a companion for Adam. This special creation would not be something lesser than Adam, but a human being, just like Adam and yet different, “a helper suitable for him.”

Look at the way the Lord prepared Adam to love and appreciate the special companion God was about to create for Adam. He let Adam name all the animals, which not only allowed him to show his wisdom but also let Adam see that there was nothing in creation like Adam. How much more would Adam treasure Eve after God planted in Adam a desire to have a companion like all the other creatures had? When Adam first sees Eve, he breaks out into poetry (the first record of any human being speaking): “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”

God brought the first man and first woman together in marriage. This wasn’t an arrangement developed by people; God established and defined marriage from the very beginning. According to him, the wonderful blessing he wants for marriage is for one man and one woman to be together for as long as they live. Or, in the words of God himself, “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.”

The very first wedding may not have had all the usual fanfare, but it did establish the foundation of every marriage since.

Closing Prayer:

Gracious and eternal God, in the beginning you created man and woman and established marriage by your design and wisdom. Look with favor on all married couples, who come to you seeking your blessing on their marriage. Guide them with your Word, that with genuine faithfulness and unwavering love for one another they may honor and keep the promises they have made to each other; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (revised from Christian Worship – Rite of Marriage)

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

• Who were the two people in the first wedding?
• Adam and Eve didn’t have fancy clothes, cake, or a reception. Does a couple need those things to have a wedding? If not, what do they need?

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• Why was God concerned about Adam?
• Why did God have Adam name the animals?

Questions for Middle School and Above

• TRUE or FALSE. The definition of marriage can change depending upon changing times. (The point: God defines marriage for us.)
• What do you find curious about the reference to “father and mother” in Genesis 2:24 (“That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.”)? What does this tell you about God’s words about marriage in that verse?