More Than Medicine
More Than Medicine
DWDP- Gen 2; 23-24 The Origin of Marriage
The sacred institution of marriage has weathered countless cultural storms throughout human history, yet its divine origins remain steadfast. Dr. Robert Jackson (Dr. Papa) takes us on a profound journey through Genesis 2:23-24, unveiling the moment Adam first beheld Eve—a creature finally suitable for him, made in God's image, with whom he could truly communicate and connect.
Drawing from 43 years as a physician, Dr. Papa shares remarkable observations about the human cost of deviating from God's marriage design. "Divorce, adultery and fornication brings heartache, division, anger, unforgiveness, broken families, financial loss," he notes, "and trust me when I say the children are the broken pieces." In contrast, those couples celebrating 40, 50, or more years together demonstrate the beautiful fruits of faithfulness—peace, stability, financial prosperity, and generations of thriving descendants.
Most powerfully, Dr. Papa reveals marriage's prophetic dimension as a divine foreshadowing of Christ's relationship with His church. This connection wasn't accidental but intentional—husbands loving sacrificially as Christ loved the church, wives reverencing their husbands as the church honors Christ. The podcast concludes with a heartfelt invitation to spiritual rebirth through Christ, whose blood alone can wash away sin and bring new life. Whether you're seeking to strengthen your marriage or your faith, this episode offers timeless wisdom from creation's blueprint. Have you considered how returning to God's original design might transform your relationships today?
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Welcome to More Than Medicine, where Jesus is more than enough for the ills that plague our culture and our country. Hosted by author and physician, Dr Robert Jackson.
Dr.Robert Jackson:Papa, can you tell me a story? Do you really want me to tell you a story? Well, you go, get your brother and your sisters and I will tell you a story. Well, you go, get your brother and your sisters and I will tell you a story. Welcome to Devotions with Dr Papa. Gather around, grab your Bibles and let us look into the written Word, which reveals to us the living Word which is our Lord Jesus Christ. Today we are at Genesis, chapter 2, verses 23 and 24.
Dr.Robert Jackson:Then the man 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. For this reason, a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. May the Lord add his blessing to the reading of his word. And the man said I'm going to want a meal. Wow, wow, wow. Now, that's not exactly what Adam said. That's Robert's reverse standard version. But you can imagine how Adam's eyes popped out of his head, his mouth dropped open and his heart started to beat so fast when he first beheld the woman. He had looked into the eyes of the cows, the dogs, the camels, the monkeys, and he had never seen anything that was suitable for him. And finally, here was a creature suitable for him, made in the image of God, and when he looked into her eyes he saw intellect, reason, emotion, and she spoke with words, a language that he understood. The two of them could communicate, they could relate to one another, and he exclaimed in verse 23, this is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman because she was taken out of man. Then he spoke that all-important verse that follows in verse 24, when he said For this reason, a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And that verse establishes the nature of marriage Children are to be subject to their parents until the day that they are ready to establish their own homes, when, as a bride and a groom, they would leave their parents and become one flesh. From that day forward, it is plainly obvious that God intended marriage to be a permanent arrangement from the very beginning.
Dr.Robert Jackson:However, mankind has corrupted every human institution, including marriage. In Ecclesiastes, the scripture says God has made man upright, but they have sought out many inventions, many devices, everything from polygamy, concubines, divorce, adultery, promiscuity have been a part of every culture, but Jesus said when he taught on marriage from the beginning, it was not so. Every culture around the world has preferred monogamous, permanent marriage as the ideal for stable family life. When I look at my medical practice over 43 years of time I observe that divorce, adultery and fornication brings heartache, division, anger, unforgiveness, broken families, financial loss, and trust me when I say the children are the broken pieces. On the other hand, monogamous, faithful, permanent marriages bring peace, harmony, stability, security, financial gain and strong, confident children. I look at husbands and wives that brag on having been married for 40, 50, or even more years and they sit and they look lovingly into each other's eyes as they hold hands in my medical office and they brag about their children, their grandchildren and their great-grandchildren, and I see the benefit of monogamous, faithful, permanent marriages. Now, these are generalizations, with exceptions to the rule, but in the main they are true.
Dr.Robert Jackson:Because of sin, even the most famous Old Testament characters violated the ideal. Abraham had a concubine. Jacob had two wives and two concubines. David had many wives and many concubines, yet God blessed these men despite their violation of the ideal. Now don't go and get huffy about all of that because you have to understand that God can strike a mighty good lick with a crooked stick. Let me say that again God can strike a mighty good lick with a crooked stick, and anytime he uses a mortal man he uses a crooked stick, especially when he uses you, especially when he uses me. You see, we all have feet of clay and we have this treasure in earthen vessels. Don't forget that.
Dr.Robert Jackson:And that's why the Mosaic law allows for divorce. Jesus says that the law allows for divorce because of the hardness of your hearts. But he reminded the Pharisees. But it was not so from the beginning. Now let me ask you a question. Did you ever stop to think? Where did the concept of home and family originate? Where did that concept come from in the beginning? Did it evolve from the apes? Not hardly Permanent monogamous relationships are the exception rather than the rule in the animal kingdom. This entire concept of monogamous one man, one woman, married for life, raising children in the security of the home began in the garden.
Dr.Robert Jackson:Faithfulness to this ideal, even though it could be difficult at times, brings blessings and joy. Remember it is a picture of the relationship of Christ to His church, of Christ to his church. Husbands are to love their wives with a sacrificial love, as Christ loved his bride, the church, and gave himself for it. Wives are to reverence and be submissive to their husbands, even as the church is to reverence and submit to Christ in all things. Please remember what we discussed last week. These things are not placed by God in the book of Genesis, in chapter 1 and chapter 2, by accident, but by divine design, to paint a picture for you and me of things to come. They are a foreshadowing of things to come, primarily of our Lord Jesus Christ. Even in the garden, the relationship between Adam and Eve pointed to that great mystery, as Paul called it, the mysterious relationship, relationship between Jesus and his bride, the church. Not an accident, but a divine design. Now one last thing.
Dr.Robert Jackson:There are many modern critics of scripture and liberal theologians who claim that Adam and Eve were not real people but merely allegorical or representative people of early man. But they have a problem, and their main problem is that Jesus himself based his teaching on marriage on this primeval account in Genesis, time-evil account in Genesis, and he quoted directly from Genesis 1, 27, that verse of Scripture that says God created man in his own image, in the image of God. He created him male and female. He created them. He quoted from that verse of scripture. And then in genesis, chapter 2, in verse 23, he said I'm sorry, verse 24 he quoted for this reason, a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife and they shall become one flesh. He quoted from that scripture as well, indicating that he believed both accounts to be accurate, to be historical and not in any way contradictory.
Dr.Robert Jackson:Now, if I have to pick a side, to stand on the modern critical analysis side or on the side of Jesus, who is the Word, who was in the beginning with God and who was God and all things came into being through Him, I'm going to choose to stand on the side with Jesus, who was there in the beginning, the beginning when he and the father and the spirit said let us make man in our image. This decision is no small matter. Helping you choose to believe the written word, which reveals to us the living word, is what devotions with Dr Papa is all about. Now I realize that there are folks out there who listen to me each week, who may not be confident about their relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. And if you're listening to me today and you say to yourself you know, I'm just not sure that I really possess the life of God, I'm not confident that I've been born again into the kingdom of God.
Dr.Robert Jackson:Can I encourage you to make this the day that you humble your heart before God and confess your sin and repent of your sin and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your only Savior and the true King of your life. For you understand that all of us are sinners. Every last one of us has been born spiritually dead, spiritually blind and spiritually bound by our sins. None of us deserves to be accepted into God's kingdom because of our sin. That separates us from God. That's a hard saying, but we must all come to grips with that reality.
Dr.Robert Jackson:But God, in His love, made a provision, and that provision was the Lord Jesus Christ, who loved us and gave himself for us, and he purchased our redemption at the price of his life and his blood. And there's nothing that you and I can do to erase a single sin. What can wash away our sin? Nothing but the blood, nothing but the blood of Jesus. And my encouragement to you today is that you would confess to God that you are a sinner, spiritually dead, spiritually blind and spiritually bound. Repent of your sin, turn away from sin and receive Jesus as your only Savior. Trust in the blood. Trust in the blood of Jesus that it is sufficient to wash away your sin and that Jesus can give you spiritual life, his life, new life.
Dr.Robert Jackson:The Bible says if any man is in Christ Jesus, he is a new creature. Old things have passed away and all things become new. Let this be your day, your spiritual birthday, the day that you receive Christ as your personal Savior. Before every podcast, I pray that there would be people who listen to me and who decide that this will be the day that they will receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. I pray that my prayer would come true this very day on your behalf. You're listening to Devotions with Dr Papa. I'm your host, dr Robert Jackson. We'll be back again next week, still in the book of Genesis, and I pray until then that the Lord will bless you real good.
Bob Slone:Thank you for listening to this edition of More Than Medicine. For more information about the Jackson Family Ministry, dr Jackson's books, or to schedule a speaking engagement, go to their Facebook page, instagram or their webpage at jacksonfamilyministrycom. This podcast is produced by Bob Slone Audio Production at bobslone. com.
