Genesis 2:23-25 — 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.

Did I ever tell you that Myra and I are big on marriage? Actually, with us it’s personal. We’re big on being married to each other.
I love these verses from Genesis. The first verse of the three is beautiful poetry, especially when you consider the Hebrew words for “woman” (ishah) and man (ish). The third verse might be the best definition ever, anywhere, of the glorious intimacy that should be between husband and wife. It’s in the third verse, though, that I find the heart of the text.
Cleave: It’s an Old English word, with roots at least a thousand years old. It means “to adhere firmly and closely or loyally and unwaveringly.”
The Hebrew word that “cleave” translates is “dabhaq”. Exactly the same word is used in Deuteronomy 10:20, “Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.” I mention it because it says exactly how seriously the covenant of marriage should be taken. How seriously do you take your commitment to God? That’s how seriously you should take your commitment to your spouse! No less a person than John Calvin beautifully describes what that looked like in Eden and what it should look like now:

If man still had today the wholeness which he had in the beginning, God’s ordinance would be fulfilled and the sweetest harmony would reign in marriage. For man would look to God; and woman, equally faithful, would be his helper. Being both of one mind, they would cherish an association no less holy than friendly and peaceful.

That definition of “cleave” contains such great ideas. “Adhere firmly too” … implies an active commitment. Not just “stick together” but work hard at being stuck together. Then there is the idea of “loyally” — don’t even think about looking at anyone but your husband (or wife). And “unwaveringly” — marriage is for life!
If you read the whole passage from Genesis 2:18-25 you can find a lot of God’s plan for marriage. You find the wife as a helper or supporter — but in the same way as God helps and supports a man, not in any way as an inferior! You find primacy of marriage as the most important family relationship. You find that marriage is to be monogamous, between one man and one woman …
Like I said, I love these verses, and Myra and I are blessed because our marriage seems to fit the plan. And we want to keep it that way, so every day we’re working on it, looking for ways to maintain it!