Posted on 11/11/2015 12:03:43 AM PST by imardmd1
The history of the Book of Genesis revolves around seven great men; Adam, Enoch, Noah,
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. In the measure that the image of Christ was formed
in them, to that degree they are typical men. All these were married men. We are not told
how three of them got their wives, but this we are told about the other four. Each of these
four received his wife through suffering. Adam did not suffer actually, but typically, and he
suffered in the capacity of a king. Jacob suffered as a servant, Isaac as the only begotten
son of his father, and Joseph as a blameless man. How beautifully all this points to the
four aspects of the sufferings of Christ, as presented in the Gospels. In Matthew we see
our Lord suffer in the capacity of a King; in Mark, He suffers as a Servant; in Luke, as a
perfectly sinless, and blameless man; and in John, He suffers as the Only Begotten Son
of the Father. His own love dictated the path of toil and suffering, for willingly and lovingly
He paid the price of our redemption, in His atoning death at Calvary. Christ loved the
Church, and He gave Himself for her.
In the four brides of these four men, we have, typically, four progressive stages in the
history of Christ’s beloved bride. "The path of the just is as a shining light that shineth
more and more unto the perfect day." In Eve, the bride is the object of electing love; in
achel, the object of suffering love; in Rebecca, the object of sustaining love; and Asenath
was the object of honouring love. Every step in regard to the bride of Christ, from her
election, until she reigns in millennial and eternal glory, is progressive, leading forward
to her glorious destiny with her Beloved.
Let us look briefly at this lovely marriage scene in Eden, celebrated before sin had entered
to mar its beauty. Adam had his ideal before him; in all creation there was not found a
help meet for him, so God met and satisfied his longing, by the building of Eve out of a
rib taken from his own side. On God’s part there was the conception, the construction, and
the completion, of this suitable help for Adam. How vividly this pictures the truth of the
epistle to the Ephesians! In the first chapter, we have the conception of the Church; and in
the second, we have her construction; while in the fifth, we have her completed as a
glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing.
There are five blessings that accrue o Eve as the result of Adam’s typical sleep.
First, SHE SHARED THE BLESSING OF LIFE: Adam’s deep sleep was typical of the
vicarious death of Christ, and Eve, builded out of that rib taken from near the heart of
Adam (Gen. 2:22, Marg.), is typical of the Church, deriving her very existence from the
death of her Lord.
There are three things that characterize the man, in this first marriage in Eden, which
picture the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the man that does all the loving, all the
leaving, and all the cleaving, three things which suggest affection, sacrifice, and care.
Christ loved the Church, and for her, He left His home in glory, and stooped down into the
depths of Calvary’s shame, in order to bear her sins in His own body on the tree; now,
having redeemed her to God by His blood, He will not let her go until she is safe with
Him, the sharer of His glory (John 19:28-29).
"Bright the prospect soon that greets us
Of that longed-for nuptial day,
When our heavenly Bridegroom meets us
On His kingly conquering way;
In the glory,
Bride and Bridegroom reign for Aye!"
Second, SHE SHARED HIS NATURE: "This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh,"
said Adam (Gen. 2:23). The very nature of Adam was in Eve, giving to her the same
desires, and thus creating a mutual happiness. This same language is used concerning the
Church in Ephesians, chapter five. The image of God, obliterated in man by the Fall, is
regained through Christ, for the new man is said to be, "After the image of Him who
created him" (Col. 3:10). We are thus brought into harmony with the desires of our Lord,
"We love Him because He first loved us."
Third, SHE SHARED HIS NAME. The Lord decreed; "She shall be called woman"** (Gen.
2:23). Even so, the name of the Lord is called upon His beloved people; that precious
name which is associated with at least five great truths in the Word of God (Acts 11:26).*
It is first of all linked with our salvation (Acts 4:12), and then with our prayer life (John
16:24), our gathering together (Matt. 18:20), our unity (1 Cor. 1:10), and finally the
subjection of the entire Universe (Phil. 2:9-11). What an honour to be called by His name!
Adam and Eve were together called Adam (Gen. 5:2); Christ and His Bride are together
called "The Christ." (1 Cor. 12:12).
Fourth, SHE SHARED HIS AUTHORITY: When Adam was crowned in Eden as king over
God’s earthly creation (Psa. 8), there, standing beside him in all his dignity, was Eve his
wife; similarly, we too shall share the authority of our Lord (1 Cor. 6:2-3). As David’s
mighty men shared in the authority of His throne, even so, we that brave shared rejection
with Christ during this present period, shall reign with Him hereafter. Paul uses this
glorious truth in 1 Cor. 6 as an argument against the going to law brother with brother. If
such dignity shall belong to us in the future, surely, it is part of our present training, to
judge now, by His grace and wisdom, the difficulties which arise among us.
Fifth, SHE SHARED HIS COMPANIONSHIP AND HOME. In that fair Edenic scene where sin
had not yet entered, where the curse had not yet blasted its beauty, where everything
bloomed and blossomed for God’s delight, Adam and Eve walked and talked in holy
familiarity. She had been created for him and presented to him. Holy bliss definitely
characterized that first marriage on earth, but, O, what bliss and joy when we His Bride,
created for Him, shall share His heavenly home in that fair land where sin will never
enter to defile its holiness, nor will the curse ever blast its beauty, where everything will
be in conformity to the holy character of God, and where we shall walk and talk with our
beloved Lord in holy familiarity, as the, companion indeed meet for Him. Our Bible, as we
have noticed, opens with a marriage, now let us remember that it also closes with a
marriage. The first "I will" of our Bible is, "I will make him an help meet for him." The last
"I will" of our Bible is, **"I will show thee the Bride, the Lamb’s wife."
"Home, Oh, how soft and sweet it thrills upon the heart;
Home, where the brethren meet and never never part;
Home, where the Bridegroom takes the purchase of His love;
Home, where the Father waits to welcome us above."
==============
(posted to the online library of brethren writers on Wed, 04/02/2008 - 15:36 hrs)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License..
(Asterisks * and ** in the text above are added to represent changes in punctuation* and/or quotes** to conform to professional religious writers style format.)
"Robert McClurkin spent many years doing pioneer gospel preaching in northern Manitoba. He spread the gospel in the mining towns of Flin, Flon, Sheridan, and Gore Bay, Ontario. Working with Robert Booth in 1948, a number were saved in Gore Bay and the believers there formed Gore Bay Gospel Hall which still continues. He wrote numerous artticles which were published in Uplook Magazine, Counsel Magazine (which he founded), The Word and Work, Precious Seed, Ministry in Focus, and Food for the Flock. He authored several books, one of which, Biblical Balance on Election and Free Will is still in print from Everyday Publications, Inc."
ping
The other day, I was just thinking along lines of this part;
Second, SHE SHARED HIS NATURE: "This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh," said Adam (Gen. 2:23). The very nature of Adam was in Eve, giving to her the same desires, and thus creating a mutual happiness. This same language is used concerning the Church in Ephesians, chapter five. The image of God, obliterated in man by the Fall, is regained through Christ, for the new man is said to be, "After the image of Him who created him" (Col. 3:10). We are thus brought into harmony with the desires of our Lord, "We love Him because He first loved us."
although I must confess I wasn't consciously linking to the epistle to the Ephesians as did the author Robert McClurkin, along with Paul, who when he (Paul) originally wrote of this, I cannot but think understood this like a form of poetry, truth expressed in ways approaching poetic manner.
How else could one speak of such things? But it's not just poetry, for it is enduring truth of God's own desire, His preferred, hoped and longed for inward heart towards ourselves who are but creations within the entire universe, which by His own Word He brought into being, brought into existence where before there was no thing
"For even as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of the body, being many, are one body, so also is the Christ." (Darby)(I believe The Christ should be capitalized).
Complete in Himself, even in small portion? Something like that?
The smallest pieces of the bread, are still him.
bfl
"For where two or three are gathered together unto my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Mt. 18:20 Darby)
"For where there are two or three gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Mt. 18:20 DRB).
It's time to agree on something.
We already do --, at least I think I agree with you, although confess I did extend the concept a little, to mention of "bread", so if that extra pondering of my own was not understood in this context, perhaps due to how and when I expressed it, I'm still not in any disagreement with you in light of what you've written about, that I see.
Thank you so much for the ping. I recognize this.
No! Of course not . . . I was casting a wider net to catch a different kind of fish, Like maybe someone tending to prefer DRB in comparison to the AV/Darby readers.
Sorry not to have been a little less disingenuous --
I thought I'd said something which was taken the wrong way, or there was assumption that you had misunderstood me. And here it was myself not catching on. I'd wondered at the three versions of the same verse --- looked right at them, but then right past how the three being in agreement was what you were talking about, italicized.
My fault for being just a bit too cute . . .
:-)
I know that you’ll just keep on showing her how much, Bro, in your prayers with her!
Affirmative sir. I am really lucky to have her. Oops, there I go again. I don't believe in luck.
:-)
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